Help With Spacers

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#1 Post by **VeronicaD** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:12 pm

I will be gettin gmy spacers in 6 days then I will be getting my braces can any 1 please tell me the feeling and what to expect please

#2 Post by **SandraJones** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:53 pm

I have them in right now. 8 of them, in preparation for bands on my 2nd molars (? the ones adjacent to the very last ones) upper and lower.

It was a very tight fit. The assistant first tried the floss method of installation but gave up and used a pliers-like device to put them in. She was very quick, all 8 of them were installed in just a minute or two. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be ! The rest of the afternoon and evening I just felt heavy pressure in my teeth, but no soreness.

The next morning the soreness set in. It was actually not too bad if I wasn't doing anything with my teeth, but pressing on them with my tongue, chewing even soft food, and flossing all hurt quite a bit that first day.

It's day 4 now and things are much better. I still have soreness when I chew and flossing still hurts, but it's not nearly as bad as it was on the 2nd day.

I will have them in for 2 weeks and a day. (On Agu 15 I will get my braces, top and bottom, with arch wires.)

Hopefully you will have a good experience too. Let us know how it goes !

#3 Post by **Shorty20** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:50 pm

i jus got my spacers in on August 1st as well, there really isnt any pain, my spacers were also very hard to put in, my contacts are extremly tight, i had 4 teeth pulled in order to prepare for braces, the only problem i have with the spacers is that it hurts when i chew, even soft things but im sure the pain will deminish. let me know how urs goes

#4 Post by **SandraJones** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 4:59 pm

I actually ate a salad with chicken in it today.

I cut it up into the tiniest bits that I could. I used my second molars (I have no thirds) for chewing, they aren't sore even though there are spacers between them and the first molars.

But now I'm giving my teeth a break and drinking Ensure. I can't believe, this stuff smells and tastes exactly the same as it did 27 years ago !

#5 Post by **VeronicaD** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 7:31 pm

i'm so happy to see some replies I really will post more when i get my braces on and everything i reali like this site it seems very cool[/img]

#6 Post by **gracie381** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:38 pm

For me, I had the metal spacers because my teeth were so crowded. The bad news: Well, I want lie to you, it was pretty bad for me!! I only ate soup & mashed potatoes for the whole 2 weeks. Not to mention, I also had 4 pre-molars extracted along with the spacers!! But I will say after almost 2 years in treatment that spacers were definitely the worse part!! It was all downhill for me after those things came out!! It's all now just a distant memory!! Hang in there, they'll be in and out of there before you know it!!

#7 Post by **SandraJones** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 11:38 am

I am now on day 4 post-spacer-insertion and I can actually floss ! Yay ! I might even have another salad today.

I did feel some weird central incisor aches last night and early this morning but they are fine now.

No question though, spacers suck. I hate this feeling of having junk between my teeth that I can't get rid of ! I will be happy to have them out. I'm going to request to do a good floss and brush when they pull them out, before they put the braces on.

#8 Post by **babyduck** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 12:23 pm

My spacer experience was a PITA, too. My teeth were so tight that she had to use the pliers and put all her weight into it to get them in. It took a day for the ache to set in (although, I did start getting a slight headache right away...probably mostly due to the force it required to get them in). I had meant to take an Ibuprofin prior to my appt, but forgot and took it right after getting home, instead. I kept mine in for a week before getting braced and the ache never quite went away. I was very thankful for my Ibuprofin...it made eating much more tolerable.

Unlike most folks, I didn't find spacers to be the worst part. The first few days post bracing were really tough for me, but I also had some sanding and grinding of my teeth that I think caused a lot of discomfort. Again...the Ibuprofin got me through it.

Stacy

#9 Post by **SandraJones** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:18 am

babyduck, I suspect that I too will not find the spacers the worst part of braces.

I am on day 8 of 15 with spacers in. I have only a little soreness when I chew (so I am eating softer foods), otherwise I have no discomfort at all, only that feeling that I have stuff in my teeth and a desire to remove it. I think braces and wires rubbing on my cheeks are going to be worse ! Oh well, no pain no gain. I have a truckload of wax in my bathroom cabinet.

#10 Post by **babyduck** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:33 am

Sandra, if it makes you feel any more at ease, the rubbing of the braces against my cheeks really hasn't been that bad. I truly think it's because I drink lots and lots of water. I went on a diet a few months ago to get ready for vacation and that got me into the habit of drinking basically only water. I do have my morning coffee, but other than that, it's water all day. Occasionally I'll have a diet pop, but I haven't even had that since getting the braces.

And when I did start to get little raw places, the mouthwash would clear them right up. I did a saltwater swish on day two of the braces and that was very soothing. From then on out, I've just been regularly swishing with mouthwash and it's helped to keep those little sore places in check.

Now, the pressure on my teeth is a whole different story...that made me regret my decision to get the dang things, but only for a couple of hours. As soon as the Ibuprofin set in, I remembered why I'm doing this. And now only a week later, I've adjusted quite nicely. I'm singing, talking, eating, kissing...whatever. I've even been kicked in my mouth a few times by my son and it hasn't hurt any worse than a regular kick to the mouth. So, don't be too concerned about it. The first couple of days may be rough, but it really is easy to adjust to as long as you try to keep your spirits up and maintain a positive attitude.

Stacy

#11 Post by **SandraJones** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:00 am

Thanks for that upbeat and helpful post !

Kicked in the mouth ... I'm guessing your son is very young.

Babies and toddlers have no idea the damage they can do to other people with their bodies. This morning I was watching TLC and this guy had his son on his lap and they were reading a book, and the kid put his head up really fast and clunked the poor father right in the jaw, causing him to bite his tongue. OW !

#12 Post by **babyduck** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:17 am

Ouch! I wish I didn't know exactly what that feels like! lol

Yeah, my little one will be three in a month. In his defense, he was actually asleep when he kicked me and had no idea what he was doing...but that doesn't make you any less infuriated when it happens lol. But he's the type that likes to climb all over Mommy 24/7 and he's really done some doozies to my mouth with his head and back (yeah, back...he literally climbs ALL over me!) and the braces are so smooth that my mouth hasn't undergone any type of trauma at all. My brother in law had braces in the 80's and he was telling me horror stories of how my cheeks would bleed forever and how I'd want to die when Elijah smacked me or bumped into me, but they must make braces much more comfortable, now, because that's not been an issue for me at all.

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Help With Spacers

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