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Hi! I'm new to this board. I'm 29 and just now deciding to get braces. My older sister got them when she was a teenager and now I'm smacking myself wondering why I didn't get them when I was younger!
I got my spacers in on Tuesday and a couple days later, my teeth are still very sore. I can eat soft foods fine but the dull, aching pain can be felt constantly. OMG, do I really have to endure this every day for 2 weeks until they take them off? Do most people have spacers in for 2 weeks? Please tell me it will get better...Thanks.
jt2lang wrote:
Spacers are definitely the worst part of the process.
I see this stated quite commonly, and for me, this was certainly not true. It may have been true for you. I think it would be fairer to say that for some people, they are the worst part of the process.
Braced May 2005
Bimaxillary surgery Aug 2007
Debraced Jun 2008
I found spacers uncomfortable for the first 3 or 4 days. I found that taking ibuprofen helped and also chewing (although chewing gum is probably a bad idea as it can pull the spacers out )
I guess it's a bit of a shock to the teeth to suddenly have to move after years of being happily sat in place.
Spacers were the worst part for me. Its pain i never felt before and my mouth so very sore. But i can honestly tell you that everything else is a breeze compare to the spacers. I had to have spacers in for 2 weeks as well and couldn't wait for those things to come out.
i wore my spacers for a week. starting about day 3 is when it was the most tender... i was loving mashed potatoes, that's for sure.
one side of my mouth could barely get them fit in, and the other side had one that kept falling out. maybe mine was more tender because they had to keep messing with them. [here's a warning: they had to replace a broken one on the tight side, but they didn't remove all of it & accidentally left a little piece. in about a day i had a huge swollen bump on my gum above it. THAT was terrible. so if you feel any swelling or anything, let them know! i had to go back and once they removed the broken piece under my gum, i felt a lot better.]
i'll admit, i didn't like them at all. they were sore and a little itchy [keep in mind i had a slight complication though]. it was so nice to have them out that it made my brace day a little better. and... after a day or two my teeth were so much less tender that i could give up the mashed potato diet [although it was delicious]!
"You're no rock n' roll fun! Like a party that's over before it begun. You're no walk in the park; more like a shot in the dark with clues left for no one."
I don't like to say the spacers were the *worse* part...cuz the first week in braces were pretty bad for me too
but man when they took those spacers out it felt amazing!
I had mine in for a week and towards the end of the week i was eating a little more normal..the first few days all i ate was pancakes, eggs and baked potatos ...i took a lot of advil..every few hours it really helped manage the pain...after about 5 days they were more annoying then painful..so hang in there!
I had my spacers in for 9 days and it sucked, but it felt great after they took them out. Plus after 4 or 5 days it's not so bad. I'm glad I had them too because the band around my molars was already hard enough to get on even with spacers!!
Feel free to check out my braces blog by clicking on WWW icon below - I'd love to have you drop by!
I got my spacers on Tuesday too and I'm 47 years old. I actually thought that I would be in more pain than I am but it hasn't been to bad. Definately more uncomfortable today. I haven't let it stop me from eating and I think that has helped. I'm just taking smaller bites and chewing slowly. Last night I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes and today for lunch I ate soup and half a turkey sandwich. Those are pretty normal meals for me. Taking Advil helps too. Mine are also going to be on for two weeks so I get my braces on Oct. 23rd. It looks like you and I are going to be doing this together. I look forward to "talking" with you about it.
Thank you very much to everybody offering advice and sharing their stories. Today, I'm actually feeling a lot better. I can't wait to go on to the next step now.
KathyC wrote:Hi,
I got my spacers on Tuesday too and I'm 47 years old. I actually thought that I would be in more pain than I am but it hasn't been to bad. Definately more uncomfortable today. I haven't let it stop me from eating and I think that has helped. I'm just taking smaller bites and chewing slowly. Last night I had meatloaf and mashed potatoes and today for lunch I ate soup and half a turkey sandwich. Those are pretty normal meals for me. Taking Advil helps too. Mine are also going to be on for two weeks so I get my braces on Oct. 23rd. It looks like you and I are going to be doing this together. I look forward to "talking" with you about it.
Hi Kathy! Nice to have someone to commiserate with. I think in a few days, we will forget we have the spacers in. I will keep an eye on your posts.
OMG, do I really have to endure this every day for 2 weeks until they take them off? Do most people have spacers in for 2 weeks? Please tell me it will get better...Thanks.
Feel free to check out my braces blog by clicking on WWW icon below - I'd love to have you drop by! 
I think in a few days, we will forget we have the spacers in. I will keep an eye on your posts. 
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