Teeth straightening is an exciting journey to a beautiful, healthy smile. But with any kind of change, it can come with some need for adjustment. Your teeth and jaw are hard at work—moving and shifting into perfect alignment—and this may translate into slight discomfort at first.

Pokey wires

Is a loose wire irritating the inside of your cheek or gum? This happens, unfortunately, but the good news is you can have immediate relief by a quick home remedy. Simply use the eraser end of a pencil to move the wire to a better spot. You might be able to hook it over the last back bracket—maybe just until you can get into our office and be seen. You can also use wax to soften the end of the wire.

Broken brackets

It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, you’ll want to call us immediately to come in for a fix. As a friendly reminder, to avoid any kind of damage to your braces, remember to be careful with eating anything crunchy or hard that tends to put a lot of strain on braces in general.

3. Mouth soresbraces

Broken wires and brackets will certainly irritate the inside of your mouth, but even if everything is intact and as it should be, you may still experience some irritation. This unfortunately just takes some getting used to. You may find your tongue getting sore from rubbing or simply touching the metal. Wax is great to use to soften those areas while your mouth adjusts. You won’t need to use it forever—just to get you by. You can also begin with eating soft foods until you get the hang of manipulating food in your mouth while chewing.

Loose spaces or parts

You will need to come into the office to have any loose spacers or loose expanders fixed. You can’t reposition these on your own. A helpful tip is to try cutting your food into small pieces that can more easily be chewed. Avoid the hard, sticky stuff. Also, avoid:

  • Corn on the cob
  • Gum and hard candy
  • Whole or raw apples and carrots
  • Soda and other high sugar drinks that can cause staining or permanent spots on the teeth

Need to be seen?

We understand that when something goes wrong, you want immediate relief. King Orthodontics offer same day services to accommodate our patients. Please don’t hesitate to call with any problem or concern.