General Soreness

It’s common for your teeth to feel a little sore after you first get dental braces. Likewise, you’ll experience temporary soreness each time we tighten your braces to ensure your teeth continue moving in the right direction.

In both cases, we recommend the following:

• Eat soft foods until soreness subsides.
• Rinse your mouth with a warm saltwater rinse (1 tsp salt with 8 oz water).
• Take acetaminophen (Tylenol®) for significant tenderness.
• Place dental wax on your braces where lip, cheek, and tongue irritation occurs.

Headgear Discomfort

You may experience discomfort if you haven’t been wearing your headgear as directed. The more you wear your headgear, the more the discomfort will lessen over time. If the facebow (metal piece) is bent, please contact one of our orthodontic offices right away.

Loose Appliance

Is your appliance poking you? Place wax on the part that’s causing discomfort.

Loose Bracket

Is the bracket or band still attached to the wire? If so, leave it in place and place wax as needed for comfort. If the bracket can be removed easily, place it in an envelope and bring it with you to your next appointment.

Loose Wire

Use tweezers or needle-nose pliers to move the wire back into place. You may use floss to tie the wire into place. Do this by tying the floss around the bracket in place of the missing colored o-ring.

Unable to move the wire and covering the end with wax doesn’t help? As a last resort, you may use a small fingernail clipper to clip the wire behind the last tooth to which it is securely fastened. If the end of the wire is still sharp, place wax over it.

Poking Wire

Use the eraser on the end of a pencil to push the poking wire down. Alternatively, you may place wax on the wire.