3 Months on and braces still rubbing inside of mouth.

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#1 Post by **Jimmy38** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:46 am

I have been wearing braces for 3 months now following an extraction to deal with overcrowding in my lower front teeth. I have ceramic mystique braces on my top teeth and a stainless steel self-litigating brace on my lower teeth which is where most of the heavy work is being done to close the gap. I was prepared for a couple of weeks of initial discomfort and some discomfort during adjustments.
I am feeling depressed that 3 months in I am still having major problems with the braces rubbing the inside of my mouth. I am still having to wax heavily and fighting against the formation of ulcers. I have spoken to my orthodontist, who has an excellent reputation, about this on two occasions. He feels I do not have an allergy as my gums are not inflamed and thinks I may have a 'sensitive mouth'. He has put elastic bands on my wires to minimise direct contact with my mouth but the brackets still hurt, even with a lot of waxing, with the lower brace the worst offender. To make matters worse for the past month my tongue has now become very sensitive and sore, although I do not know if this is connected.
Has anyone else had a similar experience or feel able to offer advice ? I still have another 11-15 months to go. Thanks.

#2 Post by **SinOnYourLips** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:59 pm

Yeah, I learned that staying well hydrated helps alot with this.

So drink lots of water/fluids and it should improve.

Good luck!

#3 Post by **mottsrods** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:01 pm

Ditto on everything so far, and try to be self conscious about not sucking your cheeks into your teeth. I did this some until I figured out what I was doing and stopped. Hope you get that figured out.

Mott

#4 Post by **Chris1960** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:07 pm

There is an expensive option I suppose. I've been thinking about this because I find my lower brackets so annoying. I have front crowding and extraction gaps to close also. I am considering, once my teeth move far enough, switching to Invisalign.
Just a thought.

#5 Post by **jmpmntwnty3** » Sun Jan 06, 2008 11:08 pm

I must have a pretty tough mouth because my mouth always adjusts to new things (brackets, tubes, bands, etc.) within 3 - 5 days. But I drink a lot of water every day. Probably 5 or more full glasses a day. I don't do any salt water rinses though.

So you should probably up your fluid in take to keep your mouth salivated (but not too much haha) so it won't dry out. Usually the pain and irritation comes from a dry mouth.

#6 Post by **cosmicgirl** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:36 am

Hi Jimmy!
I can sympathise with you! I'm a heavy wax user as there always seems to be a new tender bit in my mouth, although the bottom lip is the worst - my ceramics seem to suck out every drop of moisture then tear it up. I can feel the indentations - yuck.

I know I ought to drink more...

I have also tried salty rinses, and they do seem to offer relief. (Sorry Meryaten!!)

Have you checked out Lynn's DentaKit.com site yet? There are some rather lovely Comfort Bumpers on there, which are clear strips that cover the ENTIRE brace. Might be worthwhile checking that out, just to give your cheeks and lips some time to recover.

#7 Post by **Gilda** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 11:32 am

I totally understand what you are going thru. I have a very low tolerance for discomfort. I have braces for one year now and have used wax all this time day and night on all brackets except the ones in the front.
I have been all this time aware of my braces every single hour of the day, the discomfort just wouldn't make me forget it . I was going thru one box every 3 days (whole year doing that).
At new years I was in a public place poking my finger in my mouth trying to adjust the wax and thinking
One whole year doing this and all the wax does is to make a little more tolerable. I want to go on with my day not noticing that I have braces. Then it occur to me that all that wax I use, all that adding and removing was probably not letting my brain get use to this foreign object in my mouth. I went home remove the wax brushed my teeth and decided to give my brain one week to get used to it. The first two days without wax at all was hard, the third day I was feeling a lot better but had two brackets still bothering me and now I finally got what I want. The braces are no longer uncomfortable. Took me one year, I wished I had come to this realization earlier into the treatment.

#8 Post by **Gilda** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:22 pm

One more thing I forgot to mention Ricenin works very well for me. I put some on a cotton ball and rub it agains the sore in my mouth. I do this two or three time during the day and more often than not the sore is gone the next day.

#9 Post by **Rainy** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:42 pm

Well at four months into my treatment I have given up on it. I figure if my mouth hasnt gotten used to the wires and brackets by now it never will. It hasnt mattered how much water, salt rinses, product changes I do.

I have a small mouth and my brackets and wires just naturally press into my mouth. I do not get cuts or ulcers, just very sore. There have been days when I have tried to "stick it out" and have been ready to pull them all off myself. Now I just use silicon. The only time I try not to wear it is at night.
I usually only need it for the front bottom. I also can feel that my arches have expanded out as new areas start to feel the brackets and wires. Now funny thing is, this only happens on my bottom social.

There is nothing wrong with using it. Why put yourself thru all that discomfort when by wearing the wax you can alleviate it.

#10 Post by **mstikl1** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:11 pm

Hi there Jimmy38!
Check out the topic on wax posted a few days after yours.
You are not alone - everyone's experience is different and some of us have different strenghts than others.
Mine simply isn't in my mouth...!
Best wishes.

Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:48 pm

Same here, im ALMOST A year in and I still get cuts

#12 Post by **Chris1960** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:06 pm

I love this topic although it depresses me. I'm not even 2 months in and I keep wondering when I'll stop feeling these damn things. Gilda said it all:

I want to go on with my day not noticing that I have braces.

I was thinking again today to ask my ortho to just crank my teeth to where Invisaligns would fit. I know it would be insanely expensive but I don't know how much more I can (or want) to take.

#13 Post by **cosmicgirl** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:22 am

Hang on in there Chris! I too wondered when that day would arrive - if EVER! But it did, on Christmas Eve! Yay! I felt "normal" and realised that I wasn't being irritated with pokey wires or sharp brackets. My teeth were no longer sensitive and, I was polishing off great handfuls of walnuts!
So take comfort, IT WILL HAPPEN!
I'm relishing every moment, because I get more spacers on Saturday, then a quad helix the following Sat which will necessitate having all the brackets taken off and put on again... So, liquid diet from next week... And Christmas podge gone! Every cloud...

#14 Post by **ekin** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:56 pm

Hi Chris1960

I've had my braces on for a month now and I too am feeling like I'll never get used to them. I wish I could go a day without thinking about them but it hasn't happened yet. I feel and think about the all day. How do you stop? Even when I'm busy I feel them there. I'm having a hard hard time concentrating on anything as my focus is always on my mouth. I feel like a scatterbrain.

Emily

#15 Post by **Delag** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:21 pm

Don't forget that in the first months you will be more sensitive because you have greater tooth movement. Just when the skin gets tough, the tooth moves a little and rubs on a new tender patch of skin.