Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm 29 and just 6 days into braces - ceramic top and bottom, and, I'm just beginning to get used to them.

But I have two questions now which I wonder if anyone can enlighten me on. The first is a PAIN one: my tongue is currently very unhappy about the sharp edges/loops on the inside of my 4 molar bands. I've been using wax when it becomes too agonising to deal with. But when I eat, the wax comes off, and all the tongue movement involved in chewing means PAIN. I suspect such discomfort is just something to be expected, and am hoping that with time the pain will pass as my tongue gets acclimatised. But is this the case? And if so, how long can I expect it to be bad? Or is this perhaps something I should speak to my orthodontist about? I don't want to bother him if it's just something normal that will go away with time.

2nd question - I had two teeth extracted (the fourth teeth on each side at the top). I'm just wondering if anyone knows how long I'm likely to have the gaps for, and what the process involves to close them up?

Any advice would be warmly welcomed!

Hi claraleeza,

Congratulations on getting your braces.

In regards to your sore tongue, KK recommends a warm saltwater rinse at least twice a day while going through orthodontic treatment and more often if you have sore areas. Believe me, the warm saltwater really helps and toughens up your mouth so it won't be so sensitive to the orthodontic appliances. The saltwater rinses in addition to the wax will make your mouth feel so much better and I think the sore areas heal so much faster too.

When I first had my expander placed, my tongue became so sore and at first I tried not to use the saltwater rinse or wax to try to toughen up my mouth, bad idea, as soon as I began the warm saltwater rinses, instant relief. When I got my upper braces placed a month ago, two of the brackets were constantly rubbing on the inside of my lip, and of course the saltwater and wax helped again. Remember to use the saltwater at least twice a day.

I hope this info has been of some help to you.

Good luck and keep us posted.

ssfw

Hi claraleeza! I must have those same little hooks on the insides of my molar bands that you do. I was calling them "the shredders" for a while. They help with chewing food when you can't chew, but they do a number on the tongue. I kept wax on them at all times the first week and thought I was going to have to forever, but I've slowly tapered off and my tongue is holding up much better. It was a pain because it always comes off when you eat, but then I'd just brush and reapply. My ortho told me that if I ever ran out of wax and couldn't get in right away for more, it was OK to use sugarless gum wadded up into small pieces and stuck on the hooks.

Good luck and welcome to the journey!

Thank you for all your tips! Magically, my tongue is much happier today.

If my tongue is happier, I'm happier. And for anyone going through similar agonies, be patient, it gets better! And if it gets worse again, I'm going to try the salt rinse idea. Good tip about the sugarless gum as well!

Late for work...

Hi There,

I am 31 and from England and have had ceramic braces top and bottom for 14 months. They took a bit of getting used too in the beginning but after a month or so you just except the feeling and forget they are there. I had two upper molars removed left and right and they took approximately 4 months to close completely. I thought it would take ages as they say adult teeth move slower, but not so i found....my ortho used power chains to close the gaps, they hurt a bit more, but did the job. You should start to see them move together quite quickly, top always moves quicker than the bottom, be patient, remember your brace is moving your teeth everyday, not just when you go for a check. Take some photo's, i found this good to keep track of any movement. Good luck with the tongue, i am sure it will toughen up in time, my cheeks were very sore for a few months, now i never use wax and they are fine.

Tizer21[/b]

Tizer, your extraction gaps closed up within four months??? Jealous!!!

My second bicuspids were extracted about 6 mths ago. I'm sure they've closed up a bit (though it doesn't really seem like it) but they're definitely still big enough to fit my tongue in, with room left over!

I don't think my powerchains are all that effective

Did your ortho use elastics as well as the powerchains? Closing loops? Is there some trick my ortho's not aware of?? Some special dance I should be doing every night...

Grrr... whose idea was the teeth-fixing thing anyway...

I had my 4 second premolars out last september and its been 9 months and while some gaps have closed alot others are still quite large. I really do hope they get closed up soon, im currently using elastics and powerchains. The way i see it the sooner they are closed up the sooner i can get my braces off.

Nine months, Dark_angel? That's no good. Have you been using elastics as well as powerchains for the whole time?

My ortho's only using powerchains; no elastics @ this stage cos he wants to get the archwires to open up my deep bite (allegedly). I guess the force of elastics would negate this since they seem to be used to close bites as well as extraction gaps.

Frustrating!