Do braces hurt?

Question

I got my spacers in.... im used to that.. done it alot.. i had a nance, they took it out today.. nances are life expanders.... but they dont expand, they do the same purpose as spacers. but do braces hurt? im reely worried.. im getting them on milk day (martain luther king day... lol) which is the 15th.. and how long does it take to put them in.. thank god that i have to wear them for only one year!! but do they hurt? iim worrying my butt off... do i need to take medacation before it?i forgot to ask... please answer in detail, if you can... im freaking out a lot.

Answer 1

First of all, it depends on what type of braces you are getting. For example, If you are getting braces on the top and the bottem as well as rubber bands, then it will hurt more than it would if you were only getting simple bottem races or simple top braces. However, here is what I have concluded about braces from personal experiance.

Category 1: Getting your braces

The day you get them put on: This day is actually the day when you are in pain the least until about day 8. Getting them put on itself doesn't hurt. Your lips may get a little chapped, so bring chapstick. Don't bother with the books or the magazines. Your entertainment will likely be a TV on the wall if you orth. has one, or you will be too concentrated on the fact that you are getting braces to care. Mine was a little of both. Anyways, the entire process only takes about 1.5-3.5 hours, depending again on the type of braces you get.

After you get them put on, you will not be in much pain. Instead, you will be feeling a sort of numbness in your teeth. They will feel a bit soft, as if not strong enough to handle food. Prepare with lots of pudding, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, and Ice cream in case you get hungry.

This day deceives you by making you think that braces aren't so bad. When you go to bed that night, brace yourself for day 1 after braces.

Day 1: This day is the worst day of all. When you wake up in the morning, your teeth will seem a lot worse than the day before. Brush your teeth lightly, and then take some painkillers before going to school if you have to, even if your teeth aren't so bad yet. If you do not have school, wait until it starts to hurt to take them. I've found the best braces pain killers are Tylenol and Ibuprofen.

The best word I can think of to describe day 1 is either sore or pain. I have a journal I kept when getting braces, and all that is written on this day is "my teethe hurt" or "owww" while the rest of the days have detailed descriptions. This pain still may not be as bad for you, remember, if you are not getting a full mouth with rubber bands like I did. Anyways, the best thing to do on this day (I've found) Is either very warm mushy foods or very cold mushy foods. (I.E.; Mashed potatoes or Ice cream) These soothe your teeth and give you a temproary bit of releif, especially if you like how they tase.

Avoid even trying hard foods such as pretzels, or even like bread. You will find that you can not bite becuase of the "softness" feeling, and trying to do so will make it hurt more. Keep on taking painkillers throuhgout the day as directed on the container and as you need. Be sure to save one dose for when you go to sleep so you aren't lying awake becuase of sore teeth.

Day 2: Day 2 is when it starts to get better. The good thing about day 2 is that you know it is all uphill from here. Your pain is only going to get better. (Well, at least until you get them tightened.)
I would advise the same as day 1 with your foods. You may need less painkillers today, and your teeth might be starting to feel a little less sore. Still do not try to eat anything hard, though, becuase of what I warned about in day 1.

Day 3: You've gotten your braces 4 days ago now, and it still doesn't seem much better. Continue following most of the advice given in day 1. Your soreness should be at least starting to going away. You could try to eat bread today, but still do not bite it. Take it with a fork and only chew at the very back of your mouth.

Around this time an entirly new concept may be introduced: Wax. Your gums may be starting to become sore, and your orth. probably gave you wak to help this. Whenever using wax, be sure to remember that what is causing your gum pain is the connecting wires, not the brackets themselves. For some reason, the Brackets never hurt your gum, it is the wires that connect them, so be sure when you put it on, you always put it on the wire. Wax can get in some of your food, so when eating, try and take it out.

Day 5: Better still! Try eating soft cereal today, but remember not to bite if you are not ready. You may also move on to fruits, hot vegetables, some salads, and soft meats. Be sure not to do this, however, if you are not ready.

Day 6: You've nearly made it a week! By now, your teeth are probably feeling much better than day 1. You may not want to try pretzels or hard foods like that yet, but you are well on your way. Continue to use the advice given in the other days if you need it, and in no time you will sometimes forget that you even have braces at all and go back to normal.


Category 2- other

Tightening: This is not nearly as bad as getting them on. It is, however, similar in the way that it hurst worst the day after (Day 1) The familiar softness will be back, but don't worry, it doesn't take as long to go away. You'll be back to eating completely normal at around day 4 or 5. You may not have reached this level of eating until day 11 when getting braces. You may want to look back at day 1's advice if you are really hurting on tightening day 1.

Chains: The color on your braces actually isn't your braces, it is rubber bands. Sometimes, you get what is called a chain, which is basically a rubber band that connects 2 or more teeth together. Chains can be as long as your entire mout, and as short as 2 teeth long. Chains hurt a little more, and generally put the process of getting to eat normal again back about a day.

Braces damage/eating habits: I've broken a couple rubber bands here and there, and even lost a bracket once. My advice is to just leave it and notify your orth. about it when you go back to get your braces tightened if it is something small, like a rubber band breaking and falling off. If, however, something bigger like your bracket falling off happens, my advice is to call and tell them. They may want to see you earlier, becuase having it off for too long could prolonge the time you have brces and make your mouth hurt more when you have it replaced.

About the rules: Don't completely follow them. You don't have to never eat a tootsie roll or pretzels again. You can even eat popcorn if you chew it thuroghly enough and clean your braces really well afterwords. My advice is to stay away from REALLY sticky things likr swedish fish, bubble gum, wax lips, and jelly beans. But if you go for however long you have braces without eating any of the prohibited stuff, you'll miss out on it when you could've eaten it and been just fine.

Brushing: You may want to brush your teeth a little more with braces, becuase stains could be on your teeth after removal if you neglect them, which is very easy to do. You don't need any special toothbrush or paste for them. However, I would advise you to use the tool that they give you that looks kind of like a pipe cleaner to get whatever food is stuck between your teeth out before brushing. Your toothbrush can get pretty gross without this.


I hope this helps. As you can see, they do hurt, but following this will keep your pain to a minimum. If you have any questions, email me. I know a lot about braces. I had them for 2 1/2 years. If I would've had this when I was getting braces, I would have been incredibly happy. Good luck!

A

(I jsut typed that out for another person asking the same question. I copied and pasted it Make sure you look at all of the questiongs before asking your own next time.) :)

Answer 2

okay
It takes around 2 hours for them to be put on, my orthodontist gave me pain killers and muscle relaxants to take before I had them done because After 2 hours of having your mouth open, it is very sore.
Don't Hold your hopes up that they will be off after 1 year. Expect to add at least 6 months to that figure basically because sometimes things go wrong and you dont want to be counting down the days to be dissapointed.
When getting them tightened it can be un pleasant but if it really hurts, then they are being too rough. For the first 2 days its uncomfortable but then the pain will usally ease. I believe it pain is determined by the strength and thickness of the wire. Gums are tender. If you clench your jaw, or grind your teeth STOP.It stops your teeth from moving which slows the process down heaps.Look after your teeth, brushing, flossing and using some kind of whitener as well to keep them looking nice and healthy because it is harder to clean with the braces on. you will get used to it within a couple of months, stay away from really hard food, or things with lots of pips, seeds that sort of thing. Cutting food up into small peices is a good idea and placing it into your mouth rather than biting and getting whatever your eating stuck in there.
Also rinse your mouth after every meal, so you dont get food stuck in there all the time.
Hope I helped

Answer 3

Because I still have braces, I completely understand your worries. It will take about an hour, and mainly just take time. You might want to take Tylenol or Advil, or some other aspirin-type thing so the braces won't hurt. The actual putting on of the braces doesn't hurt, but the wire does, because it's the first time your teeth have been forced to move. Keep your tongue out of the way unless you want to taste some nasty glue and stuff. Just remember that if there's pain, it means your teeth are moving and you're that much closer to getting them off.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I don't want to scare you but they may, depending what your pain threshold is. I can swear to you that your teeth involved will be uncomfortable for a short period of time, 6 to 12 hrs. Depending how many teeth the dentist does, I'm not sure. Its not pain It's more like your gums are tender. This only happens after the dentist adjusts them. From what I've noticed today they epoxy the small anchor square to the tooth. No more ugly bands. Go for it girl, you'll be thankful later in life. Your parents and dentist know what's best.

Answer 5

I'm not going to lie. Yes, they hurt. But don't worry, it's a dull pain that you can easily deal with. Chewing is not an option for about the first week. After that you'll be fine. Jello, apple sauce, oatmeal, pudding, ice cream, and smoothies are what you'll be living on for almost a week. Sport shakes are also great and they taste so good!!

They take an hour and a half to two hours to put on.

When I got my braces on I worried so much that once I got them on I was like, "What?! This is it?!" You'll be fine!

Answer 6

I;ve heard they hurt a lil when they are putting them in but they give a lot of pain killers so i doesnt hurt as much and like a couple days after that....After then your teeth are good to go im pretty sure.. Ive never had braces myself but all my friends have em..

Answer 7

first they put this big red thing i your mouth to hold it open .then they get this special kind of glue and glue it down to your teeth then they get wire and stick it through these loops at the end last braces in your mouth.then u puck what color u want and they put it on.yes it does hurt and u have to eat soft foods for a week but trust me after that u woudn't even kno that they there and it does pay off at the end,believe this form a person who has braces

Answer 8

They only hurt when you go in every so often to tighten them. They may hurt your teeth for a day or 2. If they hurt, take some Tylenol to subside the pain...Good luck!

Answer 9

They do hurt a little bit at first but you will get use to it.It gust because there will be a lot of weight on your teeth.Unless the braces change sense when I was a kid.

Answer 10

hey i got braces last christmas and still have them in.. but the thing is that i already had them 4 years ago.. when i was about to get them in i cried i was soo scared that people would make fun of me but that is what would hurt the most

Answer 11

wnem you first get them on but after a while they dont but when you get them on EAT ICE CREAM then you consintrate on the coldness not the pain trust me it works!!

goodluck!