I'm in PAIN..and I only have spacers!

[annativade]

I was up all last night.... Advil did not relieve pain!! I even went so far to take Tylenol w/ Codiene! Nope..did nothing. I was in pain and I still am!!! I have to keep the spacers in until I get my braces on...which is 3 weeks away!

Any advice?

Will this pain stop????

[Garizona]

Hi, annativade
It gets better -- much better. I had spacers in for 3 weeks too, and the first couple days were the worst. The pain tapered off for about a week and after that I hardly noticed them. That's pretty much the way it is with every step of the process so far -- getting wired, adjustments, getting elastics -- the first few days can be tough but it's amazing how well your mouth adapts.
Good luck

[stargirl]

I just got my spacers in yesterday... I thought they were fine at the start, but then by the end of the day, I could feel the pressure on all of my teeth. I can't really eat much right now - it's hard to chew.

My ortho said that the soreness will only last for a few days, then you forget about them. She gave me this information card, and it says to rinse your mouth with warm salt water to relieve soreness. I haven't tried this personally, but maybe it works!

Only 7 more days in spacers for me, thank goodness. Then I'm getting an expander. Good luck with your spacers!

[ImFor24]

Something that I have found to work, and maybe not everyone can stand to do it, but when I have soreness after spacers and after an adjustment, I simply eat and chew as much as I can. My idea is that all of the chewing helps to loosen the teeth which will help them start moving and lessen the soreness. I have a high pain tolerance to begin with so not everyone will be able to tolerate this but it is worth a try.

[Pixie]

I can relate. I got my spacers in yesterday, and it's taking all of my willpower not to yank them out. I have to keep them in for two weeks... and I'm practically counting down the seconds! I've been taking advil and eating lots of cold, soft things (lots of previously frozen fruit that I left out to thaw) and it's helping a little bit.

And this is probably nothing compared to what the actual braces are going to feel like. Oh jeez. I don't even want to think about it!

[Danny]

Pixie,

trust me now, the spacers are the worst part of it all. The first days in braces you will have a little pressure, and a little irritation of the cheeks and lips, then after each adjustment you will have it all over again, but only for a day or two. Don't sweat it, the spacers are the worst, once you get passed this, it will be a breeze. I promise!!

[Pixie]

Pixie,

trust me now, the spacers are the worst part of it all. The first days in braces you will have a little pressure, and a little irritation of the cheeks and lips, then after each adjustment you will have it all over again, but only for a day or two. Don't sweat it, the spacers are the worst, once you get passed this, it will be a breeze. I promise!!

Well thank God! This is such a pain (literally!!) It just took me about 15 minutes to just eat a cookie, LOL

[*Denise*]

Something that I have found to work, and maybe not everyone can stand to do it, but when I have soreness after spacers and after an adjustment, I simply eat and chew as much as I can. My idea is that all of the chewing helps to loosen the teeth which will help them start moving and lessen the soreness. I have a high pain tolerance to begin with so not everyone will be able to tolerate this but it is worth a try.

Good for you!

[bwatcha2004]

hello! Before I got the spacers I thought they were not going to be a big deal compared to braces. Once I got them however, I honestly thought "if I am in this much pain now how can I survive braces??" They HURT, I had two on each side on top and bottom, yet every tooth in my mouth was so sore I couldnt chew. I had them 2 weeks which seemed like an eternity, I did however have to go for a deep cleaning before getting braced and got them out temporarily for that (AWWWw the joy!!) BUT I was just braced yesterday and I must say that the spacers were far far worse. Other than getting used to this feeling of fish hooks in my mouth at all times, things are actually pretty good!!

[shinyteeth]

I'm amazed that my spacers don't hurt. I have 2 on top and 1 on bottom. I feel pressure...but no pain. I'm a tooth clencher though so I may be used to tooth pain and soreness. I got them in this morning. Wondering if it will get worse. I get them out next Friday.

[oldmuse]

I think I posted this before, to someone else who was in lots of pain, but here it is again:
Take 2 advil (or ibuprofen) and 2 tylenol (or generic) at the same time (not on an empty stomach! Eat a cup of yogurt or something)

Repeat every 4 hours as needed -- use only as needed, though!

I learned about this when I had a bunch of crown work done a few years ago, and my dentist suggested it. It really works -- better than tylenol with codeine and better than plain advil.

Re spacers -- yes, I think my whole mouth was more sore from those than from the braces. Just stick to soft stuff, and avoid temperature extremes, although hot feels better than cold. I even rinsed my mouth with warm water instead of cold after brushing.

Before I go for adjustments or even regular dental cleaning now, I do the advil/tylenol thing -- it helps immensely. I HATE the dental cleaning -- makes me feel like I'm in some medieval torture chamber -- but I don't hurt, at least.

Good luck!

Beth
oldmuse

[bjmedia]

Believe it or not it does get better with the spacers. I've had them in for a week or so now and there is ZERO pain and discomfort. Get my braces in tomorrow morning and that'll be a whole new story. Advil always helped me out. Hope this info helps out.