Metal Mouth Message Board

How long does it take for your bottom braces to stop making those sore imprints all over the inside of your lip and cheeks? I've used wax and silicone, but I clench a lot, and I can see and feel the bracket marks on the inside that sometimes hurt. I feel like I've had the braces enough weeks that I'd be used to them by now, but it's like, as soon as one side heals, another hook on the other side starts bothering me. So, I'm just wondering.

Its different for everybody, but I had canker sores on and off for the first year or so. I haven't had any for the past year though!

Unfortunately you may have random brackets digging into your mouth off and on throughout the whole treatment. I know I have so far. As your teeth move, so are the brackets so they may dig into different parts of your lips. I try to keep wax on the spot as much as I can throughout the day, and rinse with warm water and salt. Mine have all gone away in about 3 days time.

I'm a clencher too. Sorry to bring bad news, but one spot on my lower incisors kept getting ulcers off and on throughout treatment. It took about a week to heal after the braces were finally off.

I had those imprints on my bottom lip for the entire duration of my braces - two years.

I must be a lucky one.. I have never had any issues with the metal rubbing. I have never even used the abundance of wax they have given me. I was dreading it, but never had any problems.

I've accepted canker sores, bracket impressions, and (worse of all) elastic etchings as part of my natural mouth-scape. It isn't as bothersome as it once was, bit it's all still in there.

about 5-6 days. I never wear wax anymore.

Thanks for the suggestions! I tend to have bad luck in life, so I'll probably have the imprints and sores the whole time I'm in braces. I guess I just have to get used to it. The silicone stuff works better than wax, althought it's more expensive. I guess I'll have to stock up. I envy the people who only dealt with this problem for a week or less. Thanks again! Any other comments are welcome.

I guess I should re-iterate by saying that while I had imprints - I didn't have sores the whole time. I would put on wax if it got sore, but mostly I just got used to the imprint of the brackets.

sadpanda,

You can't have THAT much bad luck in your life. Afterall, you do have braces! If you truly had bad luck, you wouldn't have braces and you would go through life with less than perfect teeth!

Mouthwash with hydrogen peroxide really worked for me. I know some people make their own but I just bought the colgate stuff. I could never get on with wax so the mouthwash was very helpful!