How can one best efficiently alleviate the initial soreness of the teeth after g!
Question:
How can one best efficiently alleviate the initial soreness of the teeth after getting or tightening of braces
Dental braces, to be more precise. I have decided, to the guidance & suggestion of my orthodontist, to recently get braces once again (full mouth - the upper-arch was completed today).
I have had them before when I was a child. The pain is similar: initial soreness of the teeth or soreness after each tightening session. My method is to gargle lukewarm water 3 times per day, take a pain-reliever tablet every 4 hours, and (if circumstances permit) consume soft, frozen foods (i.e. popsicles, ice creams, cold beverages, etc.) until the pain subsided.
I know that, when I was a child, the "teeth" pain went away about 2 and a half days... however, upon since receiving my lower arch braces (2 months ago) I found that it took a whole week for the soreness to subside. Can someone explain why is this so? And will it likely to be the same situation with my just recent upper-arch?
Also, a relative had informed me that consuming cold & warm food consecutively will give tooth sensitivity...
2 weeks ago
... and so, I've stopped my eating of frozen foods since then. Is this true?
Lastly, but most importantly -- Is there any other methods of relieving the initnial soreness aside from gently rinsing with lukewarm water and consuming pain-reliever medicine (i.e. Tylenol, Advil, etc.)?
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
2 weeks ago
Pardon me for the lack of more details, I do indeed have the special dental-brace wax and use it if it scrapes the inside of the mouth. ^_^
Answers:
If your orthodontist doesn't have this, he should. It is called a "bite wafer." Basically, it is a piece of plastic shaped like a horseshoe and you put it in your mouth and just chew on it. It works really well. It was the only thing that got me by when I had spacers put in.
Don't chew gum, that's bad. If your doc doesn't have one of these, I would say find a homemade solution like a mouthpiece - just some piece of flat plastic that you can chew on. I know chewing sounds like it might make it worse but it works - trust me.