7 best ways to reduce discomfort when wearing braces and Invisalign

Unless you are blessed with a perfect set of straight teeth, the only way to correct a crooked smile is through either wearing braces or Invisalign.  Either case, orthodontic treatments involve teeth movements and thus some discomfort for a few days after each adjustment visit.  

With Invisalign system, you are wearing removable plastic trays to move your teeth.  Although the trays are removable; you can experience pressure on your teeth during the first few days of wearing the new set.   You may remove trays to eat, brush, or when the teeth are too sore.  Most Invisalign wearing patients experience teeth soreness but overall you need to wear the trays for a period of 20-22 hours a day for effective teeth movement.

With braces, brackets are glued in your teeth so you cannot remove them as with Invisalign trays.   With braces, you may feel a slightly more tender sensation on your teeth during the first 3-5 days of getting braces place on.  During this time, your teeth experience orthodontic forces from the wires and brackets that move teeth. 

Following these 7 instructions and you can cut back more unpleasant discomfort from wearing braces and Invisalign: 

1. Eat soft food

Soft food can reduce the aching pain on your teeth during the first three days of braces.  Some best soft food for braces are tomato or chicken soup, scramble eggs, spaghetti or  lasagna, mashed potatoes, well cooked beans or rice, fruit smoothies, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. Cold food has added benefits by dulling the tooth pain and numb to mouth to reduce the pain sensation. 

2. Cut up food into smaller pieces 

The act of chewing and the fiction of teeth grinding to break down food intensify the aching discomfort.   By cutting the food into small pieces, you limit the pressures placed on teeth, reduce teeth grinding motion and reduce the discomfort.   

As a rule of thumb, you should eat soft food and cut up your food into small pieces during the entire course of braces treatment, not just during the first 3 days, to minimize bracket breakages.   

3. Use a soft toothbrush

 A hard-bristle toothbrush and a high-powered electric toothbrush can extra vibration to your teeth to intensify discomfort.  By switching to a soft toothbrush or use the lowest power-level on your electric toothbrush to reduce the pain during the first few days.

4. Avoid citric food

Citric food such as oranges, grapefruits or sour drink such as lemonade can sore your teeth and hurt them more.  By rinsing with warm water and salt, this solution will soothe the pain and prevent canker sores from getting ulcerated or infected.   Rinsing with hydrogen peroxide for one minute in the mouth will cut down the risk of infection. 

5. Use desensitizing toothpaste

Over the counter toothpaste for sensitive teeth such as Sensodyne can cut down tooth sensitivity and teeth discomfort.  Ice pack to place outside the jaw or to hold an ice cube inside the mouth for a few minutes can numb the teeth and discomfort area to reduce soreness.

6. Take over the counter pain medication

Pain medication such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen can be taken if your discomfort level keeps you from falling asleep.  However, for best velocity in tooth movement, Tylenol is better than Ibuprofen. 

7. Use wax to alleviate irritated mouth

If some corners of the brackets scratch your gum or if you develop a few canker sore spots, roll wax into a ball to place over that corner of the bracket or opposite to the canker sore until your tissue get better.

If an arch wire shifts while you are eating and the wire end starts to poke your gum, use wax to place at the end of the sharp end and cal your orthodontist’s office to get the wire clipped.

Survive the first month and you will survive the remaining orthodontic journey.  Most discomforts are most intense during the first week and will taper off.  Just like wearing new shoes, it may take a few weeks to wear into your shoe as you adapt to the shoe and it conform to your feet, the same goes with braces and Invisalign.  By following these above remedies, you will get used to the braces in no time.  All that hard work will paid off over the course of your lifetime as you gain a dazzling smile and a confidence self!!!

Care Orthodontics is located in San Jose California and Dr. Nancy Phan offers complimentary orthodontic exam.  We offer:

• Invisalign - clear removable aligners for adults and teenagers
• Metal and ceramic braces – catering to your individual need
• Headgear – to correct bad bite and different type of malocclusions
• Retainers – to replace lost retainers or after orthodontic treatment 

Visit us at www.CareOrthodontics.com or call the office at 408-971-2885 to schedule an appointment.