Taking a LOT of ibuprofen - will it impact my treatment?

[parsleysage]

I'm on day 2 of my braces and experiencing all of the awful "baseball bat to the face" pain that comes with my new metal.

Yesterday I took smaller ibuprofen doses, about 600 mg every 4-6 hours and it didn't even touch the pain. Today after sleeping 4 hours because I was desperate for a respite from the intense throbbing pain, I decided to take 1000 mg instead, and now the pain is gone. I feel like doing cartwheels haha.

Backstory I should include is that I'm a sufferer of chronic back pain and 1000 mg is the dose I take when the pain is really bad (maybe 1-2 times per week), so it's possible I have built up a tolerance. I try to only take this high a dose once per day for back pain but I can foresee myself needing more than one dose per day for this braces pain. I will try to not take any before bed since I can sleep through the pain easily - maybe one dose before work and one dose on my dinner break to see me through the two halves of my shifts? (I work 11 hrs with a ~45 min commute either way so my day is roughly 13 hrs long.)

I'm pretty sure the max ibuprofen you can take safely is 3200 mg per day so I won't be going over or even really near that, and I'm not too worried about the safety of the high dose.

But in terms of how the NSAIDs can reduce the effectiveness of the braces causing tooth movement, should I be worried about slowing down my treatment?

[sirwired]

That is totally a question for your ortho. He/she can probably do some research with more authority than some random Googling.
In theory, I can see how it would cause a problem, as it would not surprise me if inflammatory response is responsible for some of the "magic" of orthodontics (namely, the disappearance and re-growth of the bone that supports your teeth as the teeth move.)

[djspeece]

I'd be more concerned about the impact on your kidneys so by all means speak to your ortho and if necessary your physician. Those are pretty hefty doses to be taking on long term basis.

[jaime]

I don't have any advice about how it impacts tooth movement, I just wanted to say that nothing helped me the first and second days either. After I got home from work, I ended up taking a percocet I had left over from SARPE. It didn't make the pain go away, it just made me not care. So don't be too concerned that it takes such a large dose, I think that's normal.

[Featheryy1221]

I'd be more concerned about the impact on your kidneys so by all means speak to your ortho and if necessary your physician. Those are pretty hefty doses to be taking on long term basis.

That's what I was thinking as well.

Hope you're feeling less pain today.

[asylumgreen]

I'm on my third day and the pain is still really annoying, although by the sounds of it it's not as bad as what others have described. 'Ache' is an accurate word for the pain I feel, plus just today I've started to feel pain from wires poking my cheeks (finally started on the wax). I stopped taking ibuprofen because it wasn't really helping anyway. I've taken up to 800mg at a time for other pains in the past, and I think you'd be ok to do that now (since I doubt it will hurt that badly for much longer). However, I really would caution you about using too much ibuprofen - maybe you can get something else entirely that will work better at a safe dosage.

[parsleysage]

I am pretty comfortable with the dose of ibuprofen as it was cleared by my doctor for my back pain so I know it is safe. I was just worried about how it would affect tooth movement. I'm happy to say the pain has mostly died down to a dull ache rather than an intense throbbing ache, so I don't even need to take the high dose. Yay!

[Ciara]

I am pretty comfortable with the dose of ibuprofen as it was cleared by my doctor for my back pain so I know it is safe. I was just worried about how it would affect tooth movement. I'm happy to say the pain has mostly died down to a dull ache rather than an intense throbbing ache, so I don't even need to take the high dose. Yay!

I was on a similar dosage of ibuprofen for back pain for at least 6 months ( I was taking this amount almost daily) and it hasn't caused any kidney problems. I still have to take 1000mg occasionally for back problems and it has not caused any problems with teeth movement. My ortho has often been surprised with the amount of movement I've had. But each person is different so it would be worth talking to your ortho about this.

[BracesGuy]

I took ibuprofen (although lower than your dose) as necessary during the first week and after a couple of painful new wires and my teeth have moved fine!

However, I have seen a research paper saying it may slow tooth movement and that paracetamol (acetaminophen) could be preferred:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16979495

[Ciara]

I took ibuprofen (although lower than your dose) as necessary during the first week and after a couple of painful new wires and my teeth have moved fine!

However, I have seen a research paper saying it may slow tooth movement and that paracetamol (acetaminophen) could be preferred:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16979495

If there is inflammation with the back pain, paracetamol/acetaminophen isn't much use. Because I was taking so much ibuprofen I was quite worried when I saw that research paper too but my ortho basically said not to worry about it.

[hocuspocus]

I asked my ortho if ibuprofen slowed tooth movement and she said it does NOT. She said it's an Internet myth that has been debunked.

[bracemyselfyall]

I have never heard of anything like that before. It sounds ridiculous, lol.

[GeezLouise]

I'm a newbie, had one adjustment so far. At initial wiring and the adjustment, about 5-7 days alternating ibuprofen with acetaminophen. Taking the one at 12 & 6 and the other at 3 & 9, always with a glass of water, so taking something every 3 hours. 1000 mg acet. and 600 mg ibu. per dose.

[Azul]

My orthodontist told me to take paracetamol for the pain inyead of Ibuprophen because he said the teeth would move slower.

[bbsadmin]

I'm not sure whether the "ibuprofen interferes with tooth movement" idea is an internet myth or whether it has been validly researched. I have heard about that. However, being in pain from new braces really sucks. You won't need to take the Ibuprofen forever; only for a week or two until your teeth get used to the braces. Short term, it usually isn't a big problem.

However, as a fellow back pain sufferer and Ibuprofen popper, I will offer these tips:

Always take Ibuprofen with plenty of food and water. Taking it on an empty stomach increases the risk of stomach irritation, which can cause stomach ulcers/bleeding in some people, especially at high constant doses.

Do not lie down within an hour of taking the Ibuprofen if possible. You want it to dissolve in your stomach, not in your esophagus (where it can cause irritation!)

If you find that you are experiencing stomach irritation, switch to the name brand (Motrin instead of generic Ibuprofen) because it might be buffered better and therefore better tolerated by your stomach. If that doesn't work, ask your pharmacist whether there is a brand or type of Ibuprofen which is more gentle on the stomach.

If you are taking it at regular intervals during the day, wait at least 6 hours before taking the next dose. I always look at the clock when taking Ibuprofen and count 6 hours so that I have a mental note for when it will be time to take it again.

If your pain is really bad, you can alternate Ibuprofen with Tylenol (Acetaminophen) every four hours. So it goes like this: Take Ibuprofen, wait 2 hours then take Tylenol. (Several doctors have confirmed that this approach is OK). Repeat as needed, but remember not to take more than the recommended dose of Tylenol because too much can be toxic to your body. Personally, when I'm doing this, I try to do it for only a few days. I don't like having all those drugs in my body and save this protocol for times when I'm in really bad pain.

Finally -- regarding poking wires -- there is no need to suffer with them!!!! If a wire is poking into the back of your cheek, go back to your orthodontist or dentist and get it clipped! Most orthodontists can do this for you without an appointment. Mine told me to just come in if it happens. It takes only a few minutes for them to clip it for you.