First post-braces cleaning yesterday... youch!

[sirwired]

I saw my dentist today for my first post-braces appt. Yowza! My hygienist said the first post-braces appt is always rough, because she can do a more thorough job with the teeth bare than with all the hardware in the way. And also things are a little sensitive while the teeth "settle down".

My gums felt like I imagine raw hamburger feels after it's gone through the meat grinder! Being gums, they stopped bleeding in a couple of minutes, of course, but they were still a bit tender for the rest of the day.

[gtkimo]

That doesn't sound like something to look forward to.

[boodles8]

I really didn't want to hear more pain was coming...

I think more dentist offers lidocaine topical gel for the gums before the cleaning. Maybe I should ask. I'm thinking too far ahead, though. First I have to get these darned things off!

[WiredOldLady]

That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun...At least I have about a year to stress over that before it happens!

[charm0401]

ekkkk im scared!

[sirwired]

I'm sorry if I terrified anybody... I will mention that I am very sensitive to the sort of pain caused by dental procedures, and not particularly sensitive to 'caine anesthetics. (As in, the topicals do absolutely nothing for me, and when getting fillings or gum work done, the dentist always has to administer an injection a 2nd time, as they never believe me when I say the standard amounts simply aren't high enough.)

(To give you an idea of how sensitive my skin and gums are to punctures and scrapes... even the skinny little thing used for flu shots feels like a harpoon going into my arm. You can imagine how much fun IVs and Blood Donation are... I have neither a needle nor dental phobia, I just feel the pain such procedures cause more than most people. The chances of me becoming an injectable drug addict are absolutely zero...)

[Tobilei]

Mine felt like that before braces! I can't believe it's gonna get worse!!!!

Hope they're feeling a bit better now!

[JillD]

I didn't find it painful at all.

[TMJJill]

No problems here either. I didn't need much done though. I did have regular cleanings throughout my treatment though.