Unfortunately, not all people can boast of a beautiful “Hollywood” smile, which is given to them by nature. The most common defects that spoil the design of a smile are an uneven row of teeth and an incorrect bite. Today, various types of braces systems are widely used to eliminate these shortcomings. The procedure for installing braces is carried out in specialized dental institutions and lasts about an hour. The entire course of treatment lasts from 12 to 18 months, depending on the degree of dental defect and the desired final result. Given the significant duration of therapy, one of the very first questions that patients ask during a dental consultation is: “Do your teeth hurt when wearing braces or not?”
No one can give a definite answer to this question in advance. After all, everything depends on a combination of a variety of factors: a person’s individual pain threshold, the model of the braces system, and the professionalism of the specialist who installed it.
Types of braces systems and their installation
Depending on the degree of complexity of correcting existing defects and the planned time for the patient to wear braces, the doctor suggests two main types of their design:
- Removable bracket system
It is recommended to remove it before eating and while brushing your teeth.
- Fixed system
The system is not removed for the entire duration of treatment. While wearing it, the doctor regularly makes certain adjustments.
None of the patients complained that their teeth hurt from braces when they were installed. Although such a procedure can last 1.5-2.0 hours. The painlessness of the operation is explained by the fact that the design of the braces during installation comes into direct contact with the tooth enamel, which has no nerve endings and simply does not feel pain.
The above installation times are averages. The duration of the operation depends on the following:
- doctor's qualifications and practical experience.
- individual characteristics of the patient’s teeth and jaw.
How to make wearing braces easier?
How else can you make wearing braces easier? In order to minimize discomfort, you should review your diet. It is better to avoid foods and drinks that can increase tooth sensitivity. Tough and hard foods can harm the braces themselves, so they should also be avoided.
The clinic will tell you in detail about teeth cleaning and braces after installation. It should be a soft toothbrush or irrigator. Clean teeth are additional protection against caries and increased sensitivity. If pain or bleeding occurs when you accidentally scratch your mouth, you can relieve it by rinsing with a saline solution. These are general recommendations. All patients receive more detailed instructions from their doctor.
Wearing braces is not scary or difficult! This is a decisive step towards a healthy smile and proper bite. Make an appointment for a consultation by phone +7 (391) 277-44-72.
When should I expect pain to appear?
Before you decide to create a beautiful and attractive smile with the help of braces, you should learn more about this technology. It is carried out in stages.
- First of all, preparatory work is carried out. They include the treatment of dental caries and the removal of plaque from their surface. This is done in order to eliminate all problems associated with the integrity of tooth enamel and minimize the risks of gum disease. After all, braces are installed for a very long period, which can even be several years.
- Next, the bracket system is customized for each person individually, based on the shape and size of their jaws.
- The treating dentist fixes the breaker element on each tooth using special glue, after which all their clasps are connected to the arches of the bracket system. In this case, no pain should occur, since the work is carried out only on the surface of the teeth. Of course, the patient feels some discomfort due to a foreign object appearing in the mouth.
It should also be understood that the presence of a braces system in the oral cavity, attached to the teeth, requires special hygiene procedures and rules for eating, as well as following a certain diet. This is especially true for the most common version of braces – a permanent structure.
The work of the braces system consists of targeted pressure on a number of teeth through special arches. The strength and direction of this impact is adjusted by the doctor, using special screws, rubber rods or wire arches, depending on the design features of the braces. It is for this reason that teeth hurt when wearing braces for the first time after installation or a session of correcting their position.
Painful sensations in most cases directly depend on the force of pressure of the braces on the teeth. A highly qualified specialist with successful experience very accurately calculates the level of force so that the teeth are moved not only effectively, but also as painlessly as possible.
But even the most experienced doctor can cause pain with his actions. This happens when a person has a very low pain threshold. The patient must immediately inform his dentist about this. Based on this statement, the treatment schedule will be revised, the pressure of the adjustment screws will be reduced, and certain pain medications will be prescribed to reduce the pain from braces.
The patient often experiences pain after replacing the arches, but, as practice shows, it is quite mild and goes away quickly. Otherwise, you should immediately contact your doctor to resolve this problem.
How long do your teeth hurt after getting braces?
If your teeth or gums start to hurt after you got braces, don’t worry too much. Surely your doctor warned you that there may be pain at first.
Such unpleasant and painful sensations immediately after the installation of these orthodontic structures is completed is a completely natural phenomenon. Depending on the individual characteristics of the body, pain can be of varying degrees; there were practically no cases when the patient was able to avoid it.
Most importantly, you should not immediately blame the attending physician for the appearance of pain and discomfort, claiming that he installed the braces incorrectly and worked negligently. This is absolutely not true.
- First, each person has a different perception of pain and a certain level of patience to ignore it for a while.
- Secondly, it is easier to endure pain when you understand what caused it. To straighten the dentition, a certain amount of pressure is applied to each tooth. This, in turn, causes loosening of the row element with subsequent build-up of bone tissue. This whole process causes not only severe discomfort, but also quite severe pain. This adjustment period can last from several days to one or two weeks.
To minimize your suffering, you should visit your dentist so that he can prescribe the most effective painkillers for you.
After a certain time after taking these medications, the pain goes away, and the teeth, accustomed to the stress of the braces system, will not cause any discomfort in the future.
Recommendations on how to relieve pain from braces
To make the feeling of discomfort and pain due to such a foreign structure in the oral cavity as a brace system go away faster and easier, you should pay attention to the following tips:
- If severe pain occurs during the first time after installing braces, you should take painkillers strictly as prescribed by your doctor. As a rule, medications are taken after meals.
- If the design of the brace system irritates the oral mucosa, it is recommended to stick orthodontic wax on its surface. After three to four days, after you have gotten used to the braces, you don’t have to use wax.
- You can get rid of pain quite successfully by simply rinsing your mouth with salted water or other similar solutions. It is advisable to carry out this procedure several times throughout the day.
- If damage to the mucous membrane has occurred and a wound has formed on the oral cavity, then it is necessary to immediately apply medications that promote wound healing and relieve pain.
After installing braces, you should pay close attention to the range of products that are included in your daily diet. You should definitely avoid chewing gum and seeds, fresh carrots and green apples, hard cheese and sausages, as well as other products that can clog and clog the space between the tooth enamel and the brace system structure.
It would be optimal to stick to a diet with light first courses, various cereals, steamed vegetables and meat while wearing braces. Today you can find many delicious dishes, the recipes of which are perfect for people with installed braces.
Is it possible to fix braces that cause discomfort?
For the patient, fears are completely natural. However, there is no doubt about whether it is possible to fix braces that cause discomfort. During the examination, the doctor will assess the situation from a technical point of view, examine the braces and check the correct installation, the length of the arch and the position of the locks.
If everything is in order, the dentist will prescribe a rinse with an anesthetic. At first, this will help relieve pain, and then the discomfort will disappear naturally. There is also a special orthodontic wax to protect the oral cavity. Wax is applied to the braces in those places that rub the mucous membrane. It is easy to use on your own, at home. Before eating, the wax must be removed from the braces.
Pain Relief Methods
There are several ways to get rid of pain after removing orthodontic appliances.
- Correction of diet. The menu includes foods rich in calcium, phosphorus and fluorine. It is worth eating fish, legumes, dairy products, fresh vegetables and herbs more often.
- Remineralization of enamel. It is carried out in the clinic and includes several stages - removal of plaque, drying, treatment with restorative preparations, and coating with fluoride varnish.
- Deep fluoridation. It is carried out 1-2 times a year and is based on sealing the enamel with a fluoride-containing solution.
The dentist selects a suitable method for restoring tooth enamel individually.
Does it hurt to remove braces?
No, removing braces does not hurt at all. Special tools allow you to remove the braces easily and painlessly. After 2 years of wearing the teeth become in the right places. The doctor removes the locks, cleans and polishes the enamel to remove any remaining glue. The manipulation will take no more than half an hour. The patient feels pleasant relief.
Pain after removing braces: what to do?
Over a long period of wearing, the feeling of braces becomes normal. Upon removal of the structure, an unusual feeling may arise. Pain may occur due to the lack of usual pressure. The feeling of discomfort can last up to a day. In case of acute pain, you should consult a doctor immediately. But again, if pain occurs after removing braces, it is unlikely to be related to the braces themselves. So be sure to seek medical advice from your doctor.
In what cases is it worth thinking about the problem?
There are several main reasons why discomfort in the oral cavity ceases to be a normal situation and requires contacting an orthodontist:
- Arc lengthening. The power arch has a constant length, while the length of the dentition may decrease as the teeth move. This is especially noticeable in cases where the teeth have a significant outward slope. The edges of the arch begin to protrude more and more, resting on the tissue of the cheek or gums.
- Removal of metal ligatures. Elastic bands do not cause problems due to the softness and elasticity of the material. But the metal wires that attach the arc to the clasps in the first weeks can get in the way. They are installed in such a way that they do not come into contact with mucous membranes. But in the process of brushing your teeth, the tail ends of the ligatures can shift.
- Disconnecting the lock. Braces are attached to the tooth enamel using bond (glue). In response to excessive pressure or spontaneously, the locks may come unstuck. A detached bracket, which is held by a power arc, protrudes forward in relation to the rest of the structure and begins to put pressure on the tissue, damaging it.
- Missing tooth. In cases where, before the start of orthodontic treatment, a person’s “fours” were removed, dental defects are formed. In these places, areas of the arch without a silicone tube interact closely with the cheek or gum, which causes discomfort.
- Disconnecting the arc. The arch is attached to the braces with ligatures or special clips “built-in” into the lock. If the arch wire comes out of the groove, it begins to protrude significantly forward, which increases the pressure on the tissue.
A person can identify all these changes independently during an inspection of the structure. Any of the changes described above requires correction. If you do not hurry up and restore the working condition of the structure, you can get a number of negative consequences: prolongation of the period of adaptation to wearing the system, slower progress in treatment, inflammatory processes in the soft tissues of the oral cavity, which may require removal of the structure.
Why do teeth hurt with braces?
To answer the question why teeth hurt after installing braces, you need to understand the structure of the teeth. The root of the tooth is located in the periodontium. The arc fixing the outer part moves the roots. The ligaments contain many nerve endings that respond to the movement of roots along the bone tissue. It is the mobility of teeth that causes pain when wearing braces.
Does it hurt to wear braces?
Correction with braces is a long process. The adjustment period can be endured, but most people are interested in how long their teeth hurt after installing braces and whether they will hurt all the time.
The intensity of pain varies depending on the initial load on the dentition. The orthodontist needs to carefully calculate the force of the arc. With proper planning, the pain will go away some time after installation. Each person has individual sensitivity, so it is impossible to accurately predict (we usually talk about time in more detail during the consultation).
Duration of treatment with braces in children
Correcting a bite in childhood is much easier, since the bone structures have not yet fully formed and can be easily corrected. The sooner treatment begins, the less time it will take to make your smile perfect. If before braces the child wore other orthodontic structures (plate, trainer), then the treatment time can be reduced by almost half. On average, the treatment period for children is 8 months less than for adults. Therefore, the answer to the question “at what age is it best to install braces” will be 12 – 14 years.
