What are your worst braces symptoms?

[tartanhabit]

Not so much a symptom but getting everything stuck in my braces when I eat. I mean it's absolutely gross and is killing my eating out socializing. I live in a city where there seems to be a surge of new restaurants every other week but I've just lost the enthusiasm for it as I want to go and water pik my teeth as soon as I've eaten. Usual pain/sensitivity with wire upgrades etc.

[JCloNY]

Hello.
The worst symptom I am having is intermittent heat/warm sensitivity in one tooth. There is no abscess, no one can tell me why this is happening.

I had something similar the day after my braces were installed. It was the last tooth the brackets were installed on and just the thought of brushing it made me hit the ceiling the sensitivity was so high. After some research (because the internet is so great) I was convinced my dentist and orthodontist had clearly missed a cavity that I needed filled. I called the orthodontist requesting a debrief of my x-rays. They told me to relax, it was just the pressure, take some pain killers and in a few days if it did not go away then to come back. Luckily it did go away (not brushing a section for a few days was gross) but I am concerned how things will be after my first adjustment. I mean the pain was simply outrageous and almost brought me to tears when I tried to brush.

[JCloNY]

Not so much a symptom but getting everything stuck in my braces when I eat. I mean it's absolutely gross and is killing my eating out socializing. I live in a city where there seems to be a surge of new restaurants every other week but I've just lost the enthusiasm for it as I want to go and water pik my teeth as soon as I've eaten. Usual pain/sensitivity with wire upgrades etc.

I have given up on eating salad in public as it was too much for a business meeting. I spent half the meal looking in the mirror to see if I need to dislodge anything. Only BFFs would tolerate such behavior.

[MadSpinner]

So far, the major problem that I am having are canker sores. Though I can't bite with my front teeth because it's so sensitive and painful when I do so, and checking my teeth every now and then for stucked food on my braces, nothing else bothers me. So, good luck to me!

[leinadhok]

A month with braces, worst so far would be sore front tooth and losing weight :(

[AdelaidePsycho]

Worst thing was the pain after I got elastics for the first time!

Every time I took them off to brush, the pain would immediately disappear. So, it was all the most painful and disheartening having to put them back on each time.

I've also just got these new 'spring' things on my upper front two teeth and it's pretty painful! My teeth feel bruised, and even drinking through a straw is proving painful at the moment.

[Len]

@ Len - I am QUITE jealous! Hours after my installation a hamburger was a no-go to eat despite me being starving

I was eating everything and didn't feel any pain. People say that I will feel it after adjustements but I can't think how that can be worse than the spacers so I'll give it a shot.

[andrea83]

[quote="Beckett"]The toughest thing for me to deal with right now is not being able to bite down because my molars won't connect. They are fixing a deep bite and I have bumpers along the four front lower teeth so I don't break those brackets off. So I can't chew anything, soft or not. Pain I can deal with because I can treat it. There's nothing I can do about not being able to chew. And silly me, I didn't ask how long it might take before I could chew anything.[/quote]

I too have a deep bite and this part really scares me ... I haven't had my consultation yet and think I'm psyching myself out with all my googling and whatever but it's good to be informed right ... hopefully ... wishing for the best and preparing for the worst

[Ziggy]

I've gotta say it's the buildups/bite turbos and the discomfort they cause.

[shanlola]

My lips are constantly dry now after being braced which is very annoying, also when I laugh my top lip gets caught on my bulky upper ceramic brackets which drives me mad, i am constantly having to pull my lip back down ha! I find it imsane that something that is designed to be more aesthetically pleasing is actually soo much bulkier than the traditional metal brace!

[Beckett]

I've got a new one. My entire mouth feels raw. After two weeks the insides of my cheeks and lips seemed to be getting used to the brackets but today it feels like I've eaten an entire pineapple. That "acid has eaten away at the surface of your entire mouth" feeling. Even the roof of my mouth. I can't think of anything different I've eaten.

[andrea83]

@beckett sounds like some biotene rinse might help?

[Beckett]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look for some. I do have a sample packet of Rincinol from my orthodontist so I'll use that tonight for sure. Tastes gross though.

[jfriend33]

When teeth are really really loose (usually just one tooth), and it almost kind of clicks when biting.

Or to the point where teeth are touching that never have touched in history, to the point they grind through the powerchain on the opposing side and it breaks.

Or when yawning and rubber bands SNAP! Always scares me.

Or when eating some new type of food and forget waterpik or interproximal brush.

Number 1 worst annoyance is my lower back molars have been intruded so much, they are turned just ever so slightly and I really wish they would move forward and close the gaps.

Or random "black triangles" when spaces need to close and it makes you look long in the tooth.

Or when your ortho insists on placing extra ligatures on top of power chain which I know for a fact is creating extra friction and slowing my treatment time. And not even in traditional placement but in an even more restraining figure 8 pattern.

And my number one annoyance is folks telling me that I should not be chewing gum. They are like, how are you chewing gum with braces? I say, its sugarless, and I chew carefully, and it actually eases pain, encourages tooth movement, and was suggested by my ortho, thank you very much!

[anacsilva]

The first few days it was definitely the cuts and canker sores. In fact, I kept visiting this forum (wasn't registered yet) to see cut-related posts about whether I would ever adapt to wearing braces without wax ahah After week 2 I was definitely ready.

Now I still have canker sores BUT only between the upper jaw and the gum, it's so so painful and almost impossible to get canker sore gel there :(

Other than that, I'm super paranoid with my braces ever since one of my brackets unglued itself, and I check my mirror every once in a while to see if it happened again.