hooks...so much pain...

[stellarxoxo]

I was just braced 3 days ago (ceramic), and all of my teeth, minus top front 5 and bottom front 5 have hooks. Is there a reason for this? Why every single molar? These hooks are doing a number to my lips and cheeks. Does your mouth eventually get used to this? Anything that can help other than the wax? Dying over here....

[Cmilt]

The hooks are for rubber bands which you will eventually get to. I have had all my braces on for 2 weeks now and have had to use wax off and on. Once you build up calluses on the inside of your lips and cheeks it will be better. Just keep using the wax when you need it. My favorite wax is ortho dots that I got on Amazon. Good luck hope it gets better soon for you.

[stellarxoxo]

Thanks for the tip of the ortho dots, but I am from Canada and they don't ship up here :(

[angelina]

I have little hooks on most of my teeth, and as Cmilt mentioned I've had to use elastics on various teeth.

It's very annoying for the first little while, and sometimes over time while they shift and you get used to things. Definitely invest in whatever orthodontic wax you can get your hands on for the first little while.

[sandiego88]

I only had hooks on my molars when I started. I got hooks on other teeth when rubber bands were added. Maybe your ortho can remove the extra ones?

[buffon85]

wax and something the pharmacist gave me for the ulcers, its a brown liquid.. it helps. i can´t remember what it is exactly.
but the wax is necessary, use it

[Carie]

Hello. I'm recently braced too, I think it's been about 3 weeks. I am also in ceramics (radiance plus - doesn't seems at all a ceramic to me but I think that's what they call it). The only brackets that don't have 'hooks' are the front four and the back 2 either side. I was the same, couldn't understand why they're so damp sharp. Surely the edges could be smoothed off a bit?! I couldn't get wax to stick either despite serious efforts. But I promise you do get used to them, your skin does toughen up. I still feel them but it rarely hurts or catches. If I do a paticularly silly face or big smile it might scratch outside of the normal toughened up place. But really I don't even notice the previously barbaric hooks now. Bottom brackets next week though. So I'm sure I'll be reading this to myself for reassurance!

[littlething]

I have hooks on my ceramic brackets on my canines and premolars, and then I have metal hooks hanging off the molar bands. They caused me soooooo much grief during the first week, but my cheeks did finally build up resistance and it got much better after that! Definitely use lots of wax - at my worst, I was going through a case a day. My ortho's office also gave me Rincinol (you can order it off Amazon), and that helped too. I also ended up using some Orajel to help with the pain for a few days, too.

[sirwired]

Brackets can be ordered with "accessory slots" that allow the addition of hooks as needed. I expect that the ones with the hooks built-in are less fiddly to deal with, and are one less thing to break, fall out, etc., so most orthos use those instead.

My "get used to it" method was Rincinol and generic Gly-Oxide (10% Carbamide Peroxide) morning and evening, big gobs of wax during the day. I left it off at night to provide some gentle irritation to convince my cheeks and lips to hurry up and callus already.

[Ziggy]

Same problem here. Wax solved the problem, but since my last adjustment the problem is gone. You can use dental wax or those silicone ear plugs they sell in the drug store. Just break off a piece, roll it into a ball and stick it on. You may have to dab the bracket dry with a tissue but I didn't have any problems with sticktion. Hang in there. It does get better. BTW, look close and make sure it isn't a poky wire.