What you should expect when you put on your braces or Invisalign.

A question I always get from patients in my orthodontic office is, “Will my braces or Invisalign hurt?” This is actually on most people’s minds when considering braces or Invisalign.  No matter what type of orthodontic treatment you choose, you will most likely have pain, soreness, or discomfort with your teeth at the beginning of treatment.  However, the discomfort is not typically a sharp pain but more like soreness that you feel for the first couple of days when you start with braces or Invisalign.  Most patients say that the first three days are the toughest, and the soreness goes away.   It is also important to remember that pain is subjective, and patients have different treatment details that can significantly vary the feeling a patient feels during treatment.

Tips to help make your braces or Invisalign treatment less painful:

1) Eat softer foods during the first few days of braces.  Often, the most painful moments when someone first starts their braces or Invisalign is when they eat for the first two or three days.  A constructive tip is to eat softer foods that do not require your teeth to put a lot of pressure.  For example, you can have mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, applesauce, etc.

2) Use wax to cover sharp edges on the braces or Invisalign.

3) Use plenty of lip balm or Vaseline the first two days.  Often the initial appointments leave the lips dry due to having the mouth stretched to put on the braces.  Using moisturizer on the lips can make the lips feel much better and ease the pain of the props the first few days.

4) Eat something cold like ice cream, a milkshake, or a smoothie.  Often a cold treat can make you feel relief and make you feel rewarded for your braces.  Do not eat something that can damage your braces or make a mess, like caramel, hard nuts, etc.

5) Take a pain reliever.  A widespread remedy to the pain you feel when you begin your treatment is taking a pain reliever such as Motrin, Advil, Tylenol, etc.   Make sure to avoid anything that can cause an allergy, and consult your physician if you are taking any other medications.

It is also important to remember that the pain will improve and that the beautiful smile that will come at the end of treatment is 100% worth the temporary discomfort.