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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:42 pm
by wating4braces
Hmm... well, my spacer experience was different than all of those... 
I first got my spacers put in, all that was wrong at first was that annoying feeling of having food stuck in your teeth. It started hurting a teeny bit later, but still mostly ok. Later, we went to the mall and i got a subway with lots of hard and crunchy onions and green peppers. it felt SOO good to chew something! Still to pain. About 8 days later i went and got my spacers taken out (heaven!) to get bands for my expanders fitted. When they were done, i got new ones put in. wow. I sure as hell felt THOSE in about an hour. It hurt sooo bad and i was NOT expecting that. Whee, mashed potatoes for me. The pain lasted for a while. It wasn't a constant pain after the first couple of days. It was MORE annoying than a constant pain, actually. I woke up one morning and the spacers didn't hurt, so i thought, yay i can have real food for breakfast! Heh heh, not. So i bit down on a HARD piece of bacon. I screamed sooo loud my parents thought it was still hot or something. Anyway, it wasn't a constant pain after a while, but i couldn't eat anything. GOod luck with your braces!
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 2:53 am
by Jay87
I just had 7 spacers put in yesterday, and I need to keep them in for at least 2/3 weeks until my braces are ready to be put in. I just wanted to ask how long does it usually take to get used to the spacers, cos i'll be having them in for quite a while.
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:37 am
by Stellar
Jay87 wrote:I just had 7 spacers put in yesterday, and I need to keep them in for at least 2/3 weeks until my braces are ready to be put in. I just wanted to ask how long does it usually take to get used to the spacers, cos i'll be having them in for quite a while.
Hi, and welcome! I had spacers for about 2-1/2 weeks, and it took about 5-7 days to get used to them. It still felt like a piece of steak was stuck inbetween the teeth and there was on and off preasure, but it wasn't too bad. I just got braced on Thursday, 9-8-05 and the braces feel pretty good. So far, it seems like the spacers were a little more of a hastle then the braces are. They will take a little getting used to, but, then again, it is quite a change. I have been watching this forum for a while now, and it does seem like it is definately worth the little discomfort now, for a GREAT SMILE
in the future!! Good luck in your braces venture!
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:39 am
by Daisywho
Hi,
I had my first installation done last friday and had some spacers put in. The first day was fine, besides my cheeks getting a little raw from the wires (which wax seemed to have helped). But the next day my bottom front teeth started hurting, feeling like they are all being pushed in together (they are already crowded as it is)...Man oh Man does it bother me. So I turned to my leftover Tylenol 3s from my previous extractions..they are a god send. One T3 and 2 advils a few hours later seem to work wonders, weeeeeee...lol... (What the hell did I get myself into at 34 yrs old, hahah)...Nah, the image of a great smile in two years is what keeps me going. So now reading comments in this forum saying that the spacers are the worst and the fact that they are coming off tomorrow makes me feel a whole lot better. Happy Joy. I am feeling like a 13 yr old all over again....
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 10:33 pm
by yiiiikes
yeah, spacers really suck.
i only had mine in for about 4 days, so it was extra hard for the braces to go on. =/
but... you live. haha
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:25 am
by Mr. Brace Face
Ok-
Well HOPEFULLY the 8 spacers I have come out tomorrow at exactly 10AM (EST)
All I'm going to say is it's been the WORST 7 days of my LIFE! My teeth actually feel overcrowded and the chunks of steak stuck between my teeth(what it feels like) has been driving me crazy. All for the betterment of a perfect smile
I just hope that the spacers are the worst part - will let you guys know tomorrow!
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:57 pm
by H Rogers
I have had my upper braces on since July 14 and I will get lower braces in November. On the uppers I had to wear spacers twice and let me tell you the spacers are the
WORST part of the whole braces process.
Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:34 am
by toothfairy
I'm sorry to hear your pain! Luckily, I didn't seem to experience any pain with the spacers. My ortho is very booked for back to school season, so I've been waiting for a week and a half (with another week to go) before I'm going in to remove them and get the brackets.
I have 7 spacers, and I felt a little discomfort for the first day or two, but that was pretty much it. If spacers are the worst part of the treatment, I'm ready for braces!
spacer pain
Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 6:05 am
by mmadigan
Ibuprofen should work better than aspirin since it is an anti-inflammatory. Try taking it at regular intervals for pain. I also got some relief with my waterpick using warm water and drank a lot of warm stuff like tea and coffee. The worst part is knowing that you can pick the things out.
I had 12 spacers in for 10 days and was miserable. My teeth are short so the plastic spacers stuck up over the teeth and pushed into my gums if I tried to eat anything. So far the braces are much easier. No pain, no wax... It will get better. Just try to stay busy so you can keep your mind off of it. Hope you feel better soon!