How To Make Your Teeth Stop Hurting After Braces?
Braces are necessary to fix your misaligned teeth.
It is one of the ways to improve your teeth alignment and gain a perfect smile.
However, the orthodontic treatment causes a lot of pain in your teeth which can sometimes become severe.
The pain is not alarming or harmful as it is a sign of successful orthodontic treatment, so there’s no need to remove your braces before time as there are a few tips that you can use to make your teeth stop hurting after braces.
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How To Make Your Teeth Stop Hurting After Braces?
Oral anesthetics
An easy way to get rid of braces pain is to rub an oral anesthetic directly on the painful sites of teeth and gums.
Anesthetics like Orajel or Anbesol are recommended.
Oral anesthetics help desensitize your teeth and gums so you don’t feel the pain or irritation of shifting teeth.
Cotton swabs can also be used to apply it.
Adjust your child’s diet
If your child has had their braces tightened, it leads to their teeth and gums becoming sore. To counter this braces pain, avoid foods that might further irritate their mouth.
Keep a strict eye over their meals so they don’t eat any food that may affect the braces.
Pain killer medicine
Over-the-counter pain medicine is another option to relieve dental discomfort.
If you know you always feel some discomfort after an orthodontic appointment, take the pain-killer medicine an hour before your appointment, but make sure you check the instructions on the medicine and follow the dosage as instructed. [alert type=”warning” icon-size=”normal”]This medicine isn’t meant to be used daily, so if you are still feeling pain and discomfort after a couple of days, contact your dentist immediately.[/alert]
Apply ice pack
Cold temperatures can reduce inflammation and relieve any pain, so you don’t feel the discomfort in your teeth.
Take an ice pack and apply it directly to the outside of your mouth.
Keep it for at least 3 – 5 minutes for better results. [alert type=”warning” icon-size=”normal”]Stop using ice remedy if you are feeling pain or experiencing any spots on your skin. Continuous use of ice directly over the skin can cause frostbite.[/alert]
In simple terms, you can use an ice pack as much as you can bear on your skin.
Ice water
If the above methods are not available to you, then a simple glass of ice-cold water can also do th job. After you get back from your dentist, sip on a glass of cold water. That’ll help numb your mouth enough to get some relief from any pain and discomfort.
Eat soft foods
You’ll need to follow several dos and don’ts while having traditional braces in your mouth, especially when it comes down to what you can eat. That is, you should stick to soft foods such as mashed potatoes, rice, bread, soups, cereals, and other light meals that your orthodontist recommends.
Orthodontic Wax
Your dentist may give you orthodontic wax. That is a special wax that protects the inside of your lips, gums, and cheeks from the pointed ends of brackets of the braces by acting as a barrier.
Follow these instructions for using the orthodontic wax.
Mold the wax over the bracket that is causing pain and/or discomfort.
It is a nontoxic wax, so you don’t have to worry about mistakenly swallowing it, but remember to take it off before brushing your teeth.
Re-use the wax after brushing your teeth and after meals.
A warm rinse
Similar to cold temperatures, a warm salt water rinse can help too.
Gargling with warm salt water can heal any sores or cuts you might have in your mouth or on your gums from the braces.
It is also helpful in removing debris and other sticky particles, which are challenging to remove with cold water.
Heating pad
Heating pads can help lower the pain and swelling after braces. Use heating pads or a warm towel to apply heat to the areas of discomfort for pain relief.
A gum massage
Massaging helps relieve different types of pain in your body, so why don’t you try that on your gums?
It’s effortless to massage; all you have to do is gently rub your gums in a circular clockwise and anti-clockwise manner with one of your fingers.
For better results, rub your gums with a block of ice before massaging them. Use this tip until you get relaxation in your gums.
Chew on frozen teething rings
Although these rings are for infants, they’re very effective tools in fighting pain from braces.
Chew on the frozen teething ring, moving it to the site that hurts the most to lower the pain.
Maintain proper oral hygiene
Poor oral hygiene can also lead to pain in your teeth.
Taking care of your teeth can prevent much pain and discomfort.
What’s more, oral hygiene becomes a critical factor when having braces in your mouth. Because foods, debris, and plaque may easily stick into the brackets.
Always rinse your mouth with lukewarm water after eating or drinking anything.
Never forget to brush, floss, and use mouth wash to eliminate all the food particles leftover.
Always keep an interdental brush with you as it is one of the best ways to clean your brackets and the teeth with every end.
Most dentists recommend a professional dental cleaning after 3 – 6 months.
Let the braces adjust
The discomfort caused by braces will soon resolve as your teeth adapt to the new braces and newly adjusted position.
In simple, the pain you are experiencing is normal as your teeth shift toward their final, ideal position.
You may experience mild discomfort for a few days, but the result will be well worth it for a beautiful and perfectly aligned smile.
Parents should also convince their child to continue maintaining proper oral hygiene, as it is essential to keep teeth and gums clean while wearing braces.
Avoid solid foods
Foods like pizzas, burgers, french fries, raw vegetables can build pressure in your brackets which can cause pain and may affect the effectiveness of braces.
What’s more, such foods can also detach the brackets, which may cost you a lot to fix.
Thus the more you avoid solid foods, the successful your orthodontic treatment will be.
Have some patience
Orthodontic treatment requires long-term patience from a person.
That is, it usually takes around a year or more to have a successful treatment.
In the meantime, you have to be patient and bear lots of things that are required to fix your teeth.
In simple, you have to skip some of the solid meals, have to tolerate the pain, and have to wait for a reasonable time to gain a beautiful smile.
All in all, the pain and irritation will only last a few months, but your new smile will always be with you, so you should take proper care of it.
Communicate with your dentist
Although pain in the teeth is fairly common after braces, you should still discuss it with your dentist every visit.
Let your dentist know how you feel, so they can adjust your treatment and give advice to you to help deal with discomfort.
It is recommended to visit your dentist after every four weeks after braces.
What causes the braces pain?
The braces pain can be caused by various internal as well as external factors as follows:
Internal factors
According to some research, pain from your braces may be due to the blood flow variation when the braces apply pressure to the teeth. And that’s common for almost everyone who wears orthodontic braces.
External factors
The friction force caused due to the physical rubbing of the brackets and wires can irritate the soft tissues inside the mouth, thus leading to braces pain.
This type of discomfort reduces over archwires poking into the back of the mouth.
The Bottom Line
It is essential to have an orthodontic treatment to gain a beautiful smile for you and your kids.
Although the treatment may give you some pain, but worry not, as it is not a big problem, and you can fix it using the methods mentioned above.
To conclude, don’t hesitate if you have pain in your teeth after braces, have some patience and let the treatment go on so you can earn that perfect smile.
