3 weeks with new braces and teeth still hurt

[inspired and wired]

Hi There,

I've had my braces on for 3 weeks now, and first the front teeth were really hurting, , but now my bottom molar is excruciatingly painful as of the last few days, and appears to have shifted higher then the molars beside it, and it seems a bit loose. And because it's shifted higher, it's the first point to connect when I try to chew, and it really hurts. Eating is so difficult, so I'm still doing smoothies; even trying to eat pasta is painful, and salad is out of the question.. Is this normal? I'm a bit worried, and feeling so frustrated, and wondering when I'm ever going to be able to eat normally again...I keep making meals for my family, and it's hard to see them eating while I sip on a smoothie!

[belmikry]

everyone's teeth are different, but its normal for the first couple weeks to still be painfull- individual areas/teeth also at any time are sore and 'wobbily' mine will still off and on be tender in certain areas- this means that they are moving

but, if it'as your whole mouth after 3 weeks, I would talk to your ortho at your next appointment about it - i'm sure everything is normal but if it's bothering your eating habits, hopefully no more smoothies soon!

[katmc_tx]

inspired and wired you should keep in mind that when your teeth are sore they are moving. Which is great because that is the goal after all . But I had the same problem with a back molar after my first adjustment. After two days that tooth was very sore and I called my ortho and went in for an emer. visit. She said the reason it was sore was because it had shifted and it was now hitting first.
So she filed it down some so that it would be even with the rest of my teeth. By the next day I had already noticed a difference and it was no longer bothering me.
As far as eating it took me about a month or so for me to feel more comfortable, but with these forgein objects in our mouths it will always be a little bit of a challenge .
Good luck and I hope you see some relief soon.

[inspired and wired]

Thank you for your replies; I really appreciate the support and reassurance, from across the world no less. You're all so wonderful!

I did talk to my Ortho today and he said it was normal, but if it hurts for more than a week, he said he will make an adjustment that will move it back down if necessary. The sensation reminds me of having loose teeth as a child...sometimes I wonder if the only things holding my teeth in at this point are the braces, and for that I'm truly thankful!

Just one more question: do you find your mouth dries out more frequently with braces? I'm finding that to be true, which makes speaking difficult, so I'm now carrying water bottles with me everywhere I go!

[belmikry]

you will find out soon enough that your new best friends will be chap stick and water

especially for me, since I have lifters so my bite doesn't actually close all of the way, it is dry city!

glad to hear everything is normal- well, as normal as braces get, that is

[sweb]

Hello,

I have a similar problem. Roughly three weeks ago I got braces, and they hurt for about three days. Then they were fine; however, now they are sore again. I was going to a holiday party and my ears started to hurt (idk if this is related). That happened on and off throughout the night. I decided to bite into a thin piece of chocolate, and suddenly my teeth hurt so much. I can't eat anything because it will hurt too much, and my mouth is in practically the same amount of pain that it was in the first/second day.

[djspeece]

Glad to hear that you are making progress and adjusting to braces. It ain't easy, that's for sure! Many people do experience dry mouth, and sometimes that resolves over time as your mouth adjusts to its new tenants. Biotene is recommended by some here, although I have never tried it.
Consider the occasional use of ibuprofen for your discomfort, it works well with this sort of pain and discomfort. It can help break the pain cycle in which you are expecting pain, are anxious about pain, which can increase your sensitivity or heighten the perception of pain. Best of luck to you!