Hi - so I've had my braces for exactly one week today. I honestly felt they were EASIER to talk with and they felt more comfortable in my mouth the first day or two! Now it has become harder!!

I had maybe one sore on the bottom and one on top - but I used wax for 2 days and they are now gone.

What I am dealing with now is a feeling of such CROWDING in my mouth. I almost feel like my lips are swollen and there is less room in there. The braces feel like they are pushing more on the inside of my mouth and getting more hung up. I THINK a big reason for this is dryness! WHY am I so dry off and on? Just my mouth reacting to the braces? It is amazing that if my mouth is not dry I can speak and move my mouth so much easier. I keep drinking tons of water but it doesn't seem to help.

When will this subside? Will it subside? Will it get easier for me to talk and laugh and EAT with these things on? God I feel so ugly and awkward! lol

Also - one week in and I feel pressure and soreness off and on. One tooth in particular is VERY sore - it is a tooth infront of an extraction hole - date of extraction was March 8. The dentist said that tooth is sore because of the gum and ligament moving due to the gap. So maybe that is why that tooth is so sore. In general with all my teeth though, one day I feel a lot of pressure when I push my tongue against the back of my teeth. A few hours later I might not feel that at all. I wake up in morning and it's gone and then it returns. Why does it go back and forth??? I'd figure these sensations would wear off and not return until my next adjustment? But that isn't the case. (I have traditional brackets.)

I know I have to give myself time - but I'm just wondering about other's experiences. I just drank about 4 ounces of water and I'm dry again already.

I hope I adapt soon or this is gonna be a long process!

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Ceramic uppers and metal lowers
Estimated treatment time: 12-14 months

Took me about a month for me to become completely comfortable with them. I mean, I still feel them in my mouth and I'm very aware that they're there, but they're "comfortable" meaning nothing hurts and I can bite and everything. The only discomfort comes after an adjustment, and the discomfort only lasted for two days.

i have had mine for 3 months and i had dryness alot, drinking water is the best thing. There are still some days where dryness comes back and i drink water like there is no tomorrow. I had trouble for a few weeks trying to eat food and chew since my teeth weren't lining up anymore.I still have trouble after adjustments and on occasion my teeth "slip" off of each other when i eat and I bite my cheek, but not too often. I learned to concentrate and focus on chewing and it got better.
It gets better!!

best of luck!

Thank you both for the words of encouragement! Much appreciated!

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Ceramic uppers and metal lowers
Estimated treatment time: 12-14 months

Hang in there! The first week, I was just like you. I was like "What they heck did I get myself into! This is going to be a long process... " but after the first month, it became totally bearable.

Thanks Udubdave - - makes me feel better to hear it took you a month. It was a week ago yesterday and today I feel lousy! I get pains in certain teeth - and actually in one tooth that doesn't even have a bracket on it! I had a lower molar extracted 2 months ago - the area has healed up but the tooth in front and the tooth behind the extraction area are bugging me. One tooth has a bracket on it and it is definitely wiggling - no other tooth in my mouth does that. The molar with no bracket on it behind the extraction area is hurting me now. I think it is getting the brunt of much of my chewing. I am going to call my Ortho on Monday about it though jut to be sure all is okay.

But the rest of the adjusting - well I'm just gonna have to suck it up. My mouth just feels so crowded and uncomfy. More now then the first few days and I don't understand why. I don't know if it is possible that teeth are moving already to such a degree that they are actually angling out and making my mouth feel fuller. I just hope I am like you and after a few more weeks I feel better.

Thanks again!

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Ceramic uppers and metal lowers
Estimated treatment time: 12-14 months

Some people have no trouble adjusting, others have a lot. Your situation sounds a lot like mine. The pain moves around my mouth as teeth are affected. Sometimes I have pain on one side and the next day it's on the other. When I first got them I had problems with too much saliva. I drooled all over my pillow at night. Then it switched to dryness and I would wake up several times a night with my mouth burning. The insides of my lips and cheeks would get stuck to the braces and I would almost have to peel them off. I started using Biotene dry mouth gel which works better than water does. They also have mouthwashes, sprays and toothpastes.

I'm almost 10 weeks in to my treatment and am only just now starting to forget my braces are there.

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Ceramic uppers, metal lowers put on March 6 2012 to fix spacing issues and traumatic malocclusion. Estimated treatment time is 24 months.

Thanks Sita - good to know it took you that long to adjust, so I will know it could take me a while as well.

I spoke to my ortho - he said that he finds often the 2nd week is harder than the first week. He said for the first few weeks my teeth will be moving around more now than they will in the future. That my bite will be changing and different teeth will become sore because they are moving and or being used to chew more than others. He said all my symptoms are very normal.

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Ceramic uppers and metal lowers
Estimated treatment time: 12-14 months

I hope it doesn't take that long for you to get used to it. My worst pain came in the second week as well with one tooth in particular causing a lot of pain.

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Ceramic uppers, metal lowers put on March 6 2012 to fix spacing issues and traumatic malocclusion. Estimated treatment time is 24 months.