Metal Mouth Message Board

hi everyone,
i 've been putting wax on my last bracket (my ortho snipped my wire not short enough and it hurts my cheek), but i find the wax always comes off when I eat my meal, so it hurts to chew. is there another alternative instead of wax to use?

My ortho said if the wire is digging into your cheek, no amount of wax will help it, come back and have it snipped again or it will wear a hole in your cheek. Good luck!

Yeah, definitely, go back and get it snipped!

Unfortunately nothing stays on or protects a wire that is poking the very back of your cheek. You need to go in and get it trimmed so it isn't cutting your cheek. Usually you can just "drop in" to get this done. Most ortho offices don't require an appointment for this. Call yours and ask.

thanks everyone for your replies

I had to drop in on mine on tuesday due to this same issue. It was too short to snip the first time I went in a week after first being braced when they snipped the other side. However, it really didn't bother me up until this weekend. He snipped it as close as he could yet I can still feel a sharp point on it as it stick out slightly still. He also tried bending it inwards more so it'd be less likely to get caught in my cheek. If it's too short you may ask to see if they can bend it inwards.

Can they file the ends of them slightly to sorta de-burr / round the end of the wire?

My advice with waxing is that before you put it on, open your mouth and take a few breaths, so the braces/teeth "dry" a bit. It's much easier to put wax on on dry braces!

bookfairy wrote:My advice with waxing is that before you put it on, open your mouth and take a few breaths, so the braces/teeth "dry" a bit. It's much easier to put wax on on dry braces!

Oh, that's a good tip (and very true, never thought of that before!)
thanks, bookfairy

I'm tired of my food tasting like mint!! I can't find plain wax anywhere, its all mint! Everytime I eat all I can taste is mint mixed with my food

Jensniffer - does your ortho give you wax? I didn't know to ask for a ton of extra at my first appointment, so I ended up buying the mint wax at the store. I actually really liked it! Anyway, I called my ortho and went by just to pick up extra wax to get me through until my next appointment. The kind they provide (included in my treatment cost) has no flavor, but it's stickier and gets in the coils of my springs. I actually prefer the thickness of the mint, but I'm not going to pay for it.

You're paying a lot for braces, so I advise getting it from your doctor so you're not spending more than you need to because it's included in your treatment. Ask for several or ask for one everytime you have a check-up even if you haven't run out. Some places are stingy and only give you one (like that's going to last if your appointment is 2 months away). The dental wax costs them 25 cents b/c they buy in bulk so don't be ashamed to ask for extra.

One suggestion next time you have to wait a day or so before you can get your wire trimmed. Use sugar-free gum. I chewed and rolled up some gum and stuck it on the end and it worked temporarily. Definitely not a long term solution though.

I have had the pokey wire at the back issue quite a few times, ouch it really can be quite painful. I didn't even attempt to put wax back there because I knew it would be a nightmare getting it in position and afterwards would probably come off. I have called in once or twice to get the wire clipped, but there's also been a couple of times I have just left it and after a few days it doesn't bother me anymore. My braces have caused quite a few sores and pains, but usually if I stick it out the discomfort disappears on its own, but that's up to the individual, I just can't be going back and forth to the Ortho so much because I can't get the time off work. The only part of my mouth that doesn't want to get used to the rubbing, is my lower lip, the 4 front brackets rub/dig in and I get horrible lumps of flesh and it bleeds so I have to put my wax on there, no matter how long I leave it.