Re: Braces are now on - OUCH!!!

September 11, 2005

Sorry you're having such a tough time of it.

Wax won't help with eating, but try putting it anywhere a bracket or

other hardware is abrading your mouth. If that doesn't help, talk

with your ortho. This is not supposed to be torture, and there may

be some measures he or she can take to help you.

That is not to say you should n't expect some HURT!!! It is an

unfortunate accompaniment to this work, but it's always legit to ask

the doc who's installed the equipment whether it must HURT~!!! that

much.

It may be that you need to do a soft diet -- things like soups,

puddings, mush, etc. for a while. Boost and Ensure can provide you

good nutrition, although they aren't what most of us really prefer

to eat throughout treatment.

And yes,I would expect that things will toughen up, and you'll feel

better, as you have progress. But it sounds as though that may be a

long road for you, and there's no harm in asking your ortho why it

must be so difficult for you. Usually, it is not.

Some docs wait some months before installing opposing brackets on a

deep bite. That'll give you slower progress, but it may be worth

the wait. At least ask, since you're having considerable grief from

that ledge.

Having to chop spaghetti? Try smaller pasta -- orzo, e.g. - or even

rice. Of course, then you get the joys of clean-up duty. I recommend

a waterpik, and lots of glide floss threaders for that.

I also recommend a stick blender (braun makes a nice one) and a

pyrex cup. You can put soup, cooked veggies, whatever, in the cup,

blend 'em with the Braun, thin 'em however much and pop them into

the microwave. Quick, easy, nutritious -- and easy cleanup, to boot.

Usually that's a post-op suggestion. Sorry the braces are giving you

such a rough ride.

cammie

> Hi Everyone,

> Well, I did get my braces on Thursday. I know I have seen many of

> you getting your braces on, still I really did not understand how

> much they HURT!!! Part of my problem with them may be that since

I

> have a really really deep bite, they had to put a small " ledge "

(my

> OD called it something else, but I can't remember the name right

> now) behind my two front teeth that stop my bite from going beyond

> the point where they would sheer off the braces brackets if my

bite

> went too deep. The result is that the only place my teeth even

come

> close to touching is on that very itty bitty ledge. So forget

> eating! I have a new understanding of the difficulties that

people

> with open bites experience all the time. It is awful! I can't

eat

> anything that has more than the consistency of mush. My tongue,

> which has been always before been a prisoner in my mouth that is

too

> small and with too deep a bite, has no clue how to mobilize food

in

> my mouth. I come fairly close on the right back molars, but I

still

> can't even " chew " boiled veggies small enough to swallow. I am

> having to chop up spagetti!!

>

> My teeth are sore, which I was expecting, and the insides of my

> cheeks, where there are little poles in addition to the brackets,

> are raw - I also expected that. But my tongue, which is already

> pushed back into my throat due to the insufficiency of my lower

jaw,

> is now even further back due to the ledge behind my two front

> teeth. And it hurts! What little movement it has is compomised

by

> that ledge. It is raw too. I grind my teeth on that ledge, and

> that hurts!!

>

> Anyway, sorry to rant here about it, but while I thought I was

> prepared for the braces and getting used to them, I really wasn't

> prepared for this!! I am not eating, just so I can avoid the pain

> of using the brush to clean them out. My mouth is so small, and

> pulling my already sore cheek back and trying to fit the brush

> inbetween the wires is killing me.

>

> Do you have any suggestions? Have you had this before? Please

> share with me how you coped with it. I know some of it will get

> better as my tissue becomes toughened, but the chewing and

inability

> to move the food bolus is going to be something I have to deal

with

> eventually. Can you help?

> Hugs,

> Fran

September 11, 2005

Funny, I read your email and thought, " lucky " . I don't have my

consult until 9/19. I hate all of this waiting!!!! I'm sorry that

you are in so much pain. It seems that adults have a harder time

than children. My son and some of his friends have very little

tenderness. You can take comfort in knowing that you are on your

way. That has to be exciting.

Rene

> Hi Everyone,

> Well, I did get my braces on Thursday. I know I have seen many of

> you getting your braces on, still I really did not understand how

> much they HURT!!! Part of my problem with them may be that since I

> have a really really deep bite, they had to put a small " ledge " (my

> OD called it something else, but I can't remember the name right

> now) behind my two front teeth that stop my bite from going beyond

> the point where they would sheer off the braces brackets if my bite

> went too deep. The result is that the only place my teeth even

come

> close to touching is on that very itty bitty ledge. So forget

> eating! I have a new understanding of the difficulties that people

> with open bites experience all the time. It is awful! I can't eat

> anything that has more than the consistency of mush. My tongue,

> which has been always before been a prisoner in my mouth that is

too

> small and with too deep a bite, has no clue how to mobilize food in

> my mouth. I come fairly close on the right back molars, but I

still

> can't even " chew " boiled veggies small enough to swallow. I am

> having to chop up spagetti!!

>

> My teeth are sore, which I was expecting, and the insides of my

> cheeks, where there are little poles in addition to the brackets,

> are raw - I also expected that. But my tongue, which is already

> pushed back into my throat due to the insufficiency of my lower

jaw,

> is now even further back due to the ledge behind my two front

> teeth. And it hurts! What little movement it has is compomised by

> that ledge. It is raw too. I grind my teeth on that ledge, and

> that hurts!!

>

> Anyway, sorry to rant here about it, but while I thought I was

> prepared for the braces and getting used to them, I really wasn't

> prepared for this!! I am not eating, just so I can avoid the pain

> of using the brush to clean them out. My mouth is so small, and

> pulling my already sore cheek back and trying to fit the brush

> inbetween the wires is killing me.

>

> Do you have any suggestions? Have you had this before? Please

> share with me how you coped with it. I know some of it will get

> better as my tissue becomes toughened, but the chewing and

inability

> to move the food bolus is going to be something I have to deal with

> eventually. Can you help?

> Hugs,

> Fran

September 11, 2005

Fran - I'm so sorry to hear of all the problems you are having with

your brand-new braces. My brackets really bothered me for the first

week that they were in, and I too found myself not eating as well. I

ate alot of very soft foods for the first week or two, but I found

myself swallowing the food half-chewed of whole. I know how

uncomfortable they feel and all the digging in to your cheeks they

do; I used alot of wax and topical pain relief stuff. Eventually the

tissues do get tougher and the irritation stops. Why didn't your OD

put only the brackets on first like my OD did to me? It would've

helped to get used to all the hardware gradually, maybe one jaw at a

time. Fran, I don't understand: are the brackets on the bottom the

ones the OD wants to prevent sheering off? Well, couldn't he place

the bottom ones lingually to prevent the sheering just until your

teeth do enough moving and the sheering would no longer be a threat?

There's alot about all this orthodontia stuff that I just don't get,

like why I need braces for ten months prior to my surgery (my teeth

aren't crooked). But, by all means, let your OD know all the problems

you're having; he/she needs to know what's happening - that's what

they're there for. Please take care of yourself, okay? I'll be

sending you warm healing thoughts your way. ~~ Diane