New to braces

[sloth]

Hi,

Just got braced a day ago. No ulcers or anything really uncomfortable yet except having a sore jaw/jaw muscle on the right side.

My dentist put some stuff on the upper molar on each side of my mouth because to prevent me from biting on the lower brackets. The upper row and bottom row of my teeth no longer meet. I can only eat food in liquid form (I can't even chew on soft foods). Also because of the stuff on my molars, I can't close my mouth when I'm in a relaxed position (my lips don't meet each other and there's a hole in the middle) so I have to strain my jaw muscles in order to close my mouth. Anyone with similar experience can advice me on how should I close/position my mouth?

Also, my dentist told me that extractions will be needed on the top row of my teeth and some teeth shaving will be done on the bottom row of my teeth. I got braced before any extractions/teeth shaving were done (Every friend with braces I have did their extraction before getting braced). Why is my dentist doing the opposite? Is that normal?

Reading through the forum I understand that many people here use Waterpik flosser as part of their daily cleaning routine. Which Waterpik flosser do you guys recommend? :)

[Tyrantblade]

I hope either you mean Orthodontist or your Dentist does a lot of Orthodontics treatments.

As for extractions before getting braces or after getting braces, it seems that sometimes braces come first to make teeth easier to extract later, idk if that is the case with you, just something I've seen posted on here.

As for teeth not meeting, I've had that before early in treatment; though not quite to your extent, you get used to it and figure things out I suppose and eventually you won't need the Bite Turbos (the things stopping your teeth from meeting and stopping you from biting into your brackets)

[sloth]

How long do people usually have bite turbos on for? Am I supposed to stay on a liquid diet until I get them off?

[r1r1r12000]

Bite turbos are terribly frustrating for the first few days as you try to eat and speak. Within about two weeks, I was able to adapt to eating regular food again.

[Bracingmyself33]

How long do people usually have bite turbos on for? Am I supposed to stay on a liquid diet until I get them off?

I have them for slightly more than 2 months. The 1st week was bad... I had to learn how to chew and eat and had to get used to the pain/ pressure on my molars. Eating will get better eventually. You'll be able to eat normally soon.

[cocomacd]

I have been using the Waterpik Platinum. It has been working great so far and now I can't get enough of using it! Lol....seriously makes me feel sooo much better every time I use it.

[lizzierud24]

I just got top brace yesterday, and to me I also feel like I can't close my mouth, that the top teeth have been pulled backwards. I hope it will feel more normal soon!

[sloth]

Update after 5 days: Still no sign of ulcers and teeth no longer hurts although I still feel some pain/tenderness when I try to chew.
Bite turbos on my molars seem to bother me less as I get used to it. Currently learning how to chew with them on my molars.
Oral health seemed to improve (gums are less red and more pink) probably because I take a better care of my mouth after getting braced.

@lizzie congrats on getting your braces! The first 3 days are definitely the worst but it gets better.
It made me felt like ripping the braces off and kept me wondering if the pain and suffering was gonna be worth it.
I got both top and bottom braces together! Sadly my mouth is still unable to close in a relaxed position so I had to strain my jaw muscles to forcibly close my mouth.