Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm getting my braces in two days on Wednesday!!! I'm super excited, but the only thing that sucks is that my birthday is on Saturday and I'm hoping that I'll be able to eat normal food.

I'm curious how long the pain from braces lasted for you all! Even if it doesn't subside by Saturday, is it the kind of pain that I can power through by popping a painkiller?

Thanks in advance!!!

Congratulations!

I wouldn't get your hopes up about eating normal food by Saturday - my teeth were very sore for over a week after getting braced, and I had bite turbos which kept me from chewing ANYTHING for 2 weeks. Whether you get turbos depends on your current overbite, so you may not need them if this isn't an issue for you.

Also, your teeth will likely loosen and get wobbly a few days after you get braces, so you might not feel comfortable chewing anything until you get used to the feeling.

Fortunately you should be able to mash cake and ice cream with your tongue if you can't chew. Just don't expect to make it through a nice steak dinner or anything

when my lower arch was first braced i experienced tenderness for about 4 - 5 days. when the upper arch was braced 10 weeks later and after each adjustment i have only been tender for about 2 or 3 days.

I only have my tops braced but I had very little pain after getting them. I guess it's different for everyone. The most pain I experienced initially was after my first adjustment 6 weeks later.

I, like you had my uppers braced first and experienced no pain whatsoever. After getting my lowers a few months later however was a different story. My whole mouth was pretty sore for the first 3 days, and tender for abut a week after that. Like trisport girl said, definitely don't expect to chow down on a steak or burger but you should be able to eat something relatively soft without much/any discomfort. Happy (almost) birthday and congrats on taking another step in your braces journey

Thanks, everybody! I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up, as I can see that everyone has quite different experiences. I'm not looking forward to the wobbly feeling, haha.
Ahhhh, less than 24 hours to go!

From oldguy..........

I read a lot of posts on this site before I got my braces, 3 weeks ago, and I was

concerned about the "PAIN"; thats just a word. I am in my 60's and have had

several root canals.....that is real pain compared to the brace discomfort.

My teeth were sore for 2 days, biting down hard is a lot more discomfort.

I ate soft food, cut into small pieces and it was OK.

Good luck and consentrate on the positive aspects of a good bite

oldguy

I got both top and bottom on yesterday and the pain is just getting worse. Hahaha! It's the second night now so I'll be popping 2 Tylenols before I head to sleep for sure.

The tenderness and blue things they put under your upper molars to temporarily "fix" your bite are really annoying. I really can't chew anything. I use my tongue and roof of my mouth to eat now...:(

I always take 2 ibuprofen about an hour before my braces is fitted and each adjustment just as a precautionary measure. I have never had to take any further painkillers as any discomfort I have had was only experienced when I am eating.

my advice would be to celebrate your birthday early :)

Good idea, blissmom! Alas, my braces appointment was this morning, so I didn't have time to take your advice.

Pain-wise, I don't feel any at all, yet. I did notice a feeling a pressure when they inserted my archwire, but it's already subsided. That's pretty consistent with what everyone here said, so I'm bracing for increased soreness in the next couple of days. But I'm so glad they're finally on!!!

Hooboy, just a few hours later, I started feeling the tightness and soreness, especially in my lower arch. Just now, my lips are starting to catch on all the sharp little brackets and feel raw. I think it's because I was smiling too much. After each smile, my lips try to close and just get ravaged.

First 2 wks was hell. Was taking advil on a schedule basis the whole time. And I never ever taken really any pain med before that. Except for that one time about 9 yrs before when I got 3 wisdom teeth out by an oral surgeon.

Now 8 months later, i don't even need to take pain med anymore, even after adjustments. The only thing that will bring me pain is if i bite my lips or cheek once in a while. But that's not really considered "brace pain"

As far as eating goes, I actually ate my usual dinner of steak cut into small pieces even the first nite. Pain yes... but i was determined to not change my routines much.

You'll get used to it in no time.

The resting pain is nowhere near as bad as some people will make you think.
You'll be more concerned with how it feels your mouth full of weird objects and trying to pull your top lip over them.

However, if you bite into a hard baguette on day 2 then it's going to hurt a bit.

I didn't experience any "pain" from the braces. More like tenderness for several days, but then it subsided.

The worst part was that the wire was a little too long and was poking me on the inside of my cheek. It was cutting into me when I chewed, so I had to get that fixed.

And then when you get adjusted, you'll go through the same thing.