Metal Mouth Message Board

I got braced 2.5 wks ago. My teeth only hurt for 3 days and then I had no discomfort at all. This morning I was fine but tonight...ouch!! My four front top teeth hurt! Is that normal after not having any pain?

Perfectly normal. There's a chance it could be anything really, but it's most likely the braces. I would have pain for about a week after the appointments, and get random pains later on in the month. Especially if some days I clenched my jaw or chewed a lot.

I've only had my top braces on for a couple of weeks also but I have noticed how the pain/pressure has been cycling through different teeth so far. The first week, my social six were in some mild pain but in the second week the pain shifted to the molars. I'm not sure if that is the way they're supposed to work or if it is just random. The worst of the pain seems to be gone though (not that the pain was that bad).

I got self ligating braces and had pain in bottom front teeth and some pain on top teeth but went away after 4 days. I dont want to take any pain relievers either because that might slow down tooth movement

Braces can make you skeptical and paranoid. So you are cruising along without any pain, archwires in their proper places and not stabbing you, cheeks in good shape -- and then WHAM-- weird, random sensations ranging from mild tingling to throbbing aches to turning you into a human shishkabob as an archwire tries to stab your cheek like a ripe tomato. So if you are like me, and I pray that you are not, pain-free days result in the thought "Well I guess I am due for some pain, things are going too well" and then just wait for the inevitable.
Best of luck to you - you are becoming an orthodontic veteran in no time at all!

I have found I'm sore for the first few days after a tightening and then it comes back in about 2 or 3 weeks.

Hey I am a science graduate and I kind of answered this question a while back, here is the copy/paste in case you are curious a little more about the biology of said phenomenon:

Original post: "RobertGary1 wrote:
I have my metal braces adjusted every 3 weeks. After the first week my teeth are not hurting. Does that indicate I should be coming in more often? Are the second two weeks a waste if the teeth aren't moving?"


My response: "To answer this question, you have to understand a tiny bit about biology of tooth movement. Once a force is applied (as the above poster mentioned the wire is out of shape and "wants" to return to its original straight state thus forcing your attached teeth to move with it), your teeth will go through 3 stages: the initial phase, the lag phase, and the postlag phase (some researchers believe this is actually two phases). The first phase usually last 24 to 48 hours and is marked by rapid movement due to the pressure placed on the tooth. This phase is characterized by increase in prostaglandin (a compound), which is the cause of the pain (ibuprofen/Advil inhibits a protein that is required for prostaglandin synthesis which is why taking it decreases pain!) After the initial phase you are in the lag phase which last anywhere from 20-30 days and this is where you will see little to no tooth movement and as consequence little to no pain. After that you are in the post-lag phase where you will see an increase in movement.

Tooth movement/bone remodeling is a very complicated biological process. The second two weeks are not a "waste" instead there is very specific cellular and molecular process going on helping to remove and rebuild tissue as the bones in your mouth move around. Movement isn't happening everyday between adjustments, but you can bet very important bio-processes are going on behind the scene that cannot be rushed! Hope this helps!"