Wax or no wax?

[coriocarey]

I'm approaching my 5th week of treatment. Last week I had a somewhat impromptu adjustment and moved to a stronger wire. I've also been trying to become less dependent on wax for sore spots, in hopes of my mouth toughening up a bit.

It works - and then it doesn't. I'll have a few pain-free days where I feel my mouth is healing and then it gets angry and beat up again.

Is this normal? Meaning a cycle of irritation on and off through treatment? The main source of irritation is the bracket on each of my bottom, furthest back molars.

Appreciate hearing your experience!

[Candyland]

I've tried to use as little was as possible during my treatment so that my mouth could adjust (I really just didn't like the hassle of always reapplying it). Whenever I had a spot really bothering me I would use wax during the day when I had to talk a lot and the movement would irritate things more, and try to go without wax at night. This seemed to work really well. It gave my mouth some time to adjust to the rubbing, without things becoming really raw and developing an ulcer (which I am really prone to do).

[jaime]

For sure it's normal to have cycling pain and no pain! You're still really early in your treatment so things will move quite a bit and be painful in all kinds of places.

I had one spot above my left upper canine that would bother me only if I talked a lot that day...and that went on for almost a year.

Now, post-surgery, I have one spot that absolutely will not toughen up and I have to wear wax on it daily.

Try not to overthink the wax...if you're in pain, use it. Candyland's suggestion to go without it at night is good, and I do that, too. Of course, sometimes it's good to have it on at night if it's a spot that rubs while you're lying down.

[djspeece]

I was a waxer who didn't believe in suffering. Your mouth will toughen up even if you use wax liberally!

[teeebeee]

wax...always the wax!

t XX

[sirwired]

For myself, it was wax during the day, and Rincinol (a mouth-rinse made by GUM) at night. I figured my mouth doesn't move much at night, so the movements it DOES make would provide some "gentle" irritation to get things to toughen up without being painful.

But yes, as your teeth move, new places on your cheeks will get annoyed with it.