“Will braces cause any pain or discomfort?” Since your body is not used to your braces, you may feel a mild amount of soreness for the first few days. This is to be expected! But there are ways to help the pain! Here are our four go-to tips to help patients during this time.
1. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Until your body gets used to having metal in its mouth, the salt-water will help soothe the sore spots in your mouth.
2. Cut food into small pieces. Most of your distress will come from trying to eat with braces. Cutting your food smaller limits the amount of time your checks rub up against your braces — it’ll also limit broken brackets as well!
3. Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water helps keep moisture and saliva in your mouth. This extra moisture keeps your braces from hurting your checks.
4. Use orthodontic wax. This special wax softens the places that hurt the most in your mouth. Bonus: you can even sleep overnight with the wax in place — there’s no need to not get a good night’s rest!
