Getting braces put on can be a pretty significant adjustment. Most people don’t think about all of the things that get impacted by the application of braces until they’ve come face to face with wearing them, so to speak. You’ll start to feel the impact of having braces put on right away. So what should you expect?
If you’re like most people, your mouth probably hasn’t had much of anything stay in it for more than a few seconds at a time, maybe minutes if it’s something you’ve been sucking on or gum you’ve been chewing. Not only will your braces be in your mouth for months, they’ll also be made of things that aren’t food. That’s going to be a little weird for your mouth at first.
Your braces shouldn’t hurt you, but you’ll probably feel some discomfort for a little while. Teeth don’t really like moving, and making them do it anyway isn’t usually comfortable. Discomfort should be minor, something that you can manage well enough with over-the-counter painkillers if needed. Aside from that, if you find that the braces are rubbing on the inside of your mouth enough to cause problems, you can always use some dental wax to cover the braces in those areas while your mouth adjusts.
You’ve been told that it’s important to do a good job cleaning your teeth your whole life. That doesn’t change with braces. If anything, it’s even more important since there are now more places where food particles can get stuck. This means that cleaning your teeth takes more effort now than before. The archwires can make flossing a little extra tricky as well. If you find that brushing and flossing as normal just isn’t working, try using things like floss threaders, floss picks that can fit under your archwires, a waterpik, and interproximal brushes. It will still take more effort on your part, but having the right tools to clean your teeth and braces can make it easier to do a good job.
Braces can do some impressive things for the alignment and appearance of your teeth. It takes some time for them to do their job, though, and it will take some adjustment on your part. Just remember, the better you follow the instructions of our orthodontic specialists, the quicker you’ll see results. Rest assured, the end result will be well worth the effort you put in.
Want to see proof of what we can do? Check out the amazing results we’ve gotten for our patients here.
