I think my braces are making my cheeks swell...

[LawStudentBraceFace]

Hey all!

I've had my metal bands on my first molars on all four sides for about 3 weeks now(the furthermost molars will be "banded" in another month), and I've noticed that they have already improved my alignment a great deal.

For the first time, the molars on the right side of my mouth actual set on each other like they're supposed to and I love that I can feel how my bite is changing!

However, I wake up with "scratch" or bite-like lines on my cheeks and recently I've noticed that I'm biting on my cheeks more and more. However, I don't know if they have swollen because of the movement or because of how I'm sleeping, though I didn't actually have this problem before the bands went on.

Has anyone ever experienced cheek swelling because of the movement of their molars? Would appreciate any clarity on the issue anyone could offer...

Thanks!

[Bikerchick85]

I experienced this early on in treatment and think its a combo of your bite changing, teeth moving, and sleeping on your face. I'm a side sleeper and will wake with elastic and braces lines on my inner cheeks. I also think irritation from all the hardware causes them to swell internally. Totally normal in my opinion! Warm salt water rinses help with the irritation.