i wish I could relax my jaw

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#1 Post by **lisak17** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 4:17 pm

7 days with braces - I think another really awkward part of this whole thing is how to hold my mouth. Besides the fact that I am feeling these "weird" things in my mouth, I am constantly thinking about how to close my mouth. I feel my jaw all the time and I never paid much attention to it. Am I making sense? I just feel like my jaw is not relaxed unless I am lying on my pillow.

When does this feeling go away if ever?

#2 Post by **LCARA** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 4:22 pm

It goes away after a while.

In regards to how to hold your mouth, once you get elastics you won't have a choice.

You're mouth is just getting use to the foreign objects, all the uncomfortableness goes away by month two or three.

I find the most comfortable posistion for me now is not closing my mouth and having it slightly open with my teeth not always touching.

#3 Post by **catfish** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:44 pm

Same here. The most comfortable position for me is with my jaw slightly open so my teeth don't touch. That's what it took for my jaw to finally get comfortable. It took however long it takes to develop a new habit. For me, probably a couple of weeks went by before I was doing it without thinking about it.

#4 Post by **Megan11** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:58 pm

Its crazy reading posts from people who just got braces because I am like wow I forgot I used to feel that way! Really you get so used to your braces that it is hard to remember how awkward they were at the beginning ( and I am only 6 months in and I feel this way!)

Give it a month, you'll be shocked about how little you think of them, granted you have your good and bad days...but for the most part you adjust.

#5 Post by **lisak17** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:56 am

Yes, the most comfortable way to hold my mouth is lying on a pillow on my side so my mouth hangs open but....a girl has gotta get out of bed and work sometime. haha

#6 Post by **BraceFaceAt48** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:12 am

Hi, I am/was a clencher. My ortho told me that while in a relaxed or anytime position, that the teeth should not be touching and your jaw should be relaxed. I not only clenched my teeth at night, I would do it during the day until I made myself aware of what I was doing. Now I don't do it as much.

We gotta just "chillax" as my kids would say!!