Metal Mouth Message Board

My orhto appointment yesterday sucked to say the least. I'm in Damons and this is my 4th adjustment. Each time before it has been relatively painless. I was a little annoyed at the rather large gap that opened between my front two teeth after my last adjustment so I mentioned it to my ortho yesterday. I ended up with a bigger wire, power chains and V pattern elastics on both sides. My mouth hurt last night like never before! My jaw feels like it wants to break in two. Woke up this morning and that pesky gap is gone!! No wonder my teeth hurt they were busy moving, but how long does it take for your jaw to get use to wearing the elastics I already feel like giving up on them and it's been 30 hours.

It took me a couple of days to get used to them, and they were the one piece of equipment that has pushed me into taking painkillers. Do persist with wearing them, though, because they do work.

I received elastics for the first time 3 weeks ago and never had any pain. In fact, I am so amazed at the movement the elastics made on my teeth in such a short time. The only problem I had the first 1-1/2 weeks was the constant rubbing of the elastics on the inside of my mouth and warm saltwater rinses solved that problem.

Keep us posted.

ssfw

It took me about 5 days to get used to my V elastics. The class II's were less painful for some reason.

Give it time, it'll become "normal" before you know it!!!

I had a lot of pain for the first 3-4 days with each different configuration of elastics...then woke up the next morning and they didn't hurt anymore. Just keep wearing them...no breaks. Sometimes at work after I have taken them out to eat lunch I will get pulled into something and forget to put them back in. Then when I put them in- OUCH! So I kinda feel like I have taken a step backwards when I forget. Ibuprofen or tylenol is your friend now!!!
Garndr

I am now on my third type of elastics since starting wearing braces just over 5 months ago. And each time the pain is within about the first few days and then it settles down, then for the rest of the month it only tends to hurt every now and again. This month has been quite bad, i have a triangle configuration on both sides and the elastic has caused a great big gash in the side of my mouth, but with the help of painkillers and salt water rinses it has got better.

Keep persisting and taking painkillers and it does get easier. Elastics are amazing and make big changes to the bite, I have noticed a hell of a lot of difference in my open bit.

lau xx

I had a lot of pain when I got elastics. It hurt so bad that I thought it would last for weeks but it didnt . The pain was gone in less than a week. Keep wearing them. If you stop using them and then put them on again , the same pain will begin again I never did that because my ortho warned me about this and I read many posts here from people taking a break from elastics because they couldnt stand the pain. They put them back on a day later and the terrible pain was back again. Take some aleve or Tylenol every 4-6 hrs for the first 3-4 days and this pain will pass. I found to have the most pain at night because my mouth would snap shut really hard . So I took the pain pills mostly at night time.

Gennel

I've had elastics since day one, although for the first two months they were only on at night. Now they are 24/7.

You'll get used to them very quickly. I find now my teeth and jaw hurts when they have been left out too long- and my mouth just feels weird!

Best of luck with your elastics, and your treatment!

Meryaten - thanks for the advice, though I find the worst time is in the morning once I wake up cos my mouth gets so dry while I am asleep, I literally have to prise my mouth away from the brackets and the elastics!

Lau xx

I stopped wearing them for a week. Today was the first time Input them back in, and i felt no pain. My orthodontist also told me to double them.

I stopped wearing them for a week. Today was the first time Input them back in, and i felt no pain. My orthodontist also told me to double them.

It took about 3 days before my first elastics stopped acheing. In the subsequent adjustments, the pain went away in a day.