Hello! I have been a member of this message board for about 2 years. I was braced last year. We just found out that our son needs to be braced (has overbite, severe overjet and an impacted molar that needs to be pulled up).
He will be braced on Monday and I think I am more nervous than he is. I know how painful the first few weeks can be. But that was me. I am older so I am assuming since the bone is harder it takes longer to get over the soreness (I was in pain for almost a month).
How long did it take your child to get over the soreness? How long did it take until they were able to eat normal food again? What was their last meal before being braced?
What should I expect? should he take some pain reliever before getting braced??
Thanks so much!
Jessica
Son getting braced on Monday...what to expect??
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sauerkraut
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Hi, I can only speak for my own family's experience but so far my 3 kids have gone through the whole braces thing remarkably well.
When my eldest daughter was braced we were completely clueless
. We even arranged an important interview appointment for her immediately after the bracing appointment, and generally we all saw the whole braces thing as no big deal. I think having her parents so blase about it helped her to be completely relaxed as well and she was absolutely fine.
She said the worst thing about having the brackets fitted was that it was so boring
! Her teeth were rather tender the next day, and have been for a day or two after each adjustment. But she's just eaten softer food for those few days and has never needed painkillers. She'll be debraced in a couple of months or so, and I really hope things will go as smoothly for my other kids.
So far, my younger daughter has gone through having a fixed expander with headgear and a removable retainer and has also coped remarkably well. Turning the expander key was painful sometimes and we did need painkiller for that, but on the whole she's been brilliant with it all.
Then last week my son got his (removable) expander to fix his crossbite. By that time I'd got braces of my own, (as well as having had my first surgery) and that made me more nervous for him. He was more anxious than his sisters were before the appointment but the staff were great with him, so upbeat and cheerful, and again he's been fine so far. He's commented that his teeth feel "different" already but has not needed painkillers and although he could take the expander out if he wanted to he's been wearing it without complaint.
Anyway, all this rambling is really just to say that kids are indeed tougher than we think and if my kids are anything to go by then yours should be just fine!
On the appointment day remind your son to visit the bathroom before you go in (as you might know, you can be in the chair quite a while and the water they spray around your mouth can .. uh .. have an effect!) And chapstick on the lips can be a good idea as the lips dry out (altho at my ortho's the assistant usually splats on plenty of lipsalve anyway). I'm not sure I'd bother with painkiller beforehand (in our experience, if there is any pain it's usually not until the next day anyhow) but I suppose it can't do any harm, if you think there's likely to be a problem.
And my general approach is to try to be upbeat but not dishonest. E.g. if he asks, then agree that the teeth could feel sore to begin with, but point out that if they do then there are plenty of things like wax and softer food and painkillers to help.
Hope that helps and sorry it was so long
When my eldest daughter was braced we were completely clueless
. We even arranged an important interview appointment for her immediately after the bracing appointment, and generally we all saw the whole braces thing as no big deal. I think having her parents so blase about it helped her to be completely relaxed as well and she was absolutely fine. She said the worst thing about having the brackets fitted was that it was so boring
! Her teeth were rather tender the next day, and have been for a day or two after each adjustment. But she's just eaten softer food for those few days and has never needed painkillers. She'll be debraced in a couple of months or so, and I really hope things will go as smoothly for my other kids.So far, my younger daughter has gone through having a fixed expander with headgear and a removable retainer and has also coped remarkably well. Turning the expander key was painful sometimes and we did need painkiller for that, but on the whole she's been brilliant with it all.
Then last week my son got his (removable) expander to fix his crossbite. By that time I'd got braces of my own, (as well as having had my first surgery) and that made me more nervous for him. He was more anxious than his sisters were before the appointment but the staff were great with him, so upbeat and cheerful, and again he's been fine so far. He's commented that his teeth feel "different" already but has not needed painkillers and although he could take the expander out if he wanted to he's been wearing it without complaint.
Anyway, all this rambling is really just to say that kids are indeed tougher than we think and if my kids are anything to go by then yours should be just fine!
On the appointment day remind your son to visit the bathroom before you go in (as you might know, you can be in the chair quite a while and the water they spray around your mouth can .. uh .. have an effect!) And chapstick on the lips can be a good idea as the lips dry out (altho at my ortho's the assistant usually splats on plenty of lipsalve anyway). I'm not sure I'd bother with painkiller beforehand (in our experience, if there is any pain it's usually not until the next day anyhow) but I suppose it can't do any harm, if you think there's likely to be a problem.
And my general approach is to try to be upbeat but not dishonest. E.g. if he asks, then agree that the teeth could feel sore to begin with, but point out that if they do then there are plenty of things like wax and softer food and painkillers to help.
Hope that helps and sorry it was so long