14 things I wish I knew before getting braces
I have had braces on for about a year now, and I am so happy I decided to get them. It’s amazing how fast your teeth start to move and your confidence grows along with it. It’s funny, but I can barely remember what my old smile looked like. I’m already so in love with the results!
This is not to discourage anyone from getting braces, but rather to help you be better prepared. I did a lot of research beforehand, however, I still had a few things I wish I had known more about!
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14 things:
Here we go!
1 – watch out for the mouth stretcher
I was expecting my braces application to be a little uncomfortable, and to my surprise, it wasn’t at all!
Except for the mouth stretcher.
Your orthodontist will most likely use a mouth stretcher to have easier access to your teeth. This would have been fine except for one thing – I didn’t apply any chapstick before the appointment.
I would certainly recommend applying a non-glossy lip balm before your appointment. This will give it a chance to soak into your lips, and you will have no problems! My orthodontist ended up applying some vaseline partway through the application so make it more comfortable for me.
2 – Re-Learning Your Lips
Your lips are used to sitting over your previously smooth teeth, so now that brackets are there, it can feel a little funny. You may find yourself constantly adjusting how your lips are sitting on them each time you finish talking, and when you have your mouth closed in general.
But not to worry – you will quickly get used to it and soon, it won’t even cross your mind.
3 – Extra spit
So generally, when we have something in our mouth, it’s usually to eat it. Because our body’s natural response is to begin breaking down that food, we start salivating. It does the same thing with braces.
Unfortunately, your mouth will try to break down your braces by producing extra spit, like all the time. And, let’s be honest, drooling is only cute when a baby does it. This can be a little annoying, but usually only lasts about the first week.
4 – Lisp
A mouth full of metal can take some time to adjust to, so you may develop a slight lisp. This can range from fairly mild to more noticeable, but nothing to be overly concerned with. Your speech should return to normal within a week or two.
5 – Juicier Lips
I think most people will consider this a positive one! Your brackets will actually push your lips out a little bit, and make your lips look fuller and plumper!
6 – First Week Pain
As much as people warned me, I wasn’t fully prepared for the pain I would experience my first week with braces. The biggest thing is you can’t chew. I thought – oh, I’ll be able to eat carefully at the back of my mouth. Nope!
There are a couple positives here though….
- You can avoid much of the pain by not attempting to chew at all. If I’m not overdoing what my teeth can handle, the tooth pain is very minimal. Soft foods are your best friend!
- No other tightening is as bad as the first time. This may not be true for everyone, but I found my first week with braces was far more uncomfortable than anything else that followed. If you can make it through that, you can make it through anything.
7 – watch out for sores
Your mouth is getting used to all this metal, and it needs to toughen up before it’s able to comfortably handle it. During that process, your braces rub against the inside of your mouth and can cause some pretty painful sores. These I almost found worse than the tooth pain, at least that I could avoid.
I found the sores would hurt every time I talked, which made work or spending time with friends very challenging. Eventually, your mouth toughens up and they become less frequent and easier to manage.
8 – learn to use dental wax
Your orthodontist will most likely provide you with dental wax, otherwise, you can get it at most pharmacies or Amazon. Be sure to have this handy when you are developing sores in your mouth from your brackets. It can also be a godsend if you have a wire poking out the back into your cheek!
The biggest thing for me was learning how to apply it properly. The trick is to ensure the bracket/area you are applying to is FULLY DRY. It took me a while to realize this, and it can be the difference between 15 minutes of relief or hours.
9 – re-learning how to smile
I really noticed this with the first few photos I was in after my braces were put on. The only way I can describe this is you truly have to re-learn how to smile again! When you go to smile as before, it can leave your braces in a funny spot, or your lips pushed around in an odd way.
You’ll have to experiment and find what works for you!
10 – Coffee/Wine Stains
We all know that coffee and wine can stain your teeth, but here is what I found specifically with braces. Any dark beverage really clings around your brackets. Yes, of course, you will brush your teeth afterward and this will prevent any permanent issues, but the drinking process can be less than ideal.
I do my best not to drink coffee or red wine in front of others because I find it really makes your brackets look dirty. Gross I know, and maybe this won’t bother some people, which is great! But for myself, I drink my coffee before I leave the house so I can brush my teeth before smiling at any clients or colleagues.
11 – food in your braces
I’d heard this before, but the actual amount of food that gets in your braces is wild!
A good habit to have is to avoid biting into things. Cut them up beforehand with a fork and knife, or break off a piece with your hands.
Always be prepared with water to swish, GUM Picks to remove anything that’s stuck, and a travel toothbrush. This will keep everything nice and clean and avoid any embarrassing moments.
12 – Elastics are important
Your orthodontist may have you wear elastics for a number of reasons, but be sure to always follow their instructions to a T!
Learning this was a surprise. Not wearing your elastics as directed is one of the main causes of treatments taking longer than expected. If they say 12 hours a day – be sure they are in there for those 12 full hours. Keep your progress moving along as efficiently as possible!
13 – gaps
My braces were fixing crowding, so learning that part of the process is to create gaps was a surprise! I had a while where I had some fairly noticeable gaps close to the front of my mouth. But, now they are closed up and looking better than ever.
14 – lip fillers
This can be dependent on the injector, but many nurses will not perform lip fillers on a client with braces. The brackets pushing into the lips can cause the fillers to set lumpy or bumpy in some cases, so many people will choose to wait until after the braces come off.
how about you?
What things did you notice about having braces you may not have expected?
Do you have concerns or curiosities about getting your braces?
Let me know in the comments below!
Want to know more about braces?
Check out my blog post Adult Braces – Everything Your Need to Know for more detail on braces! I also have a Free Brace Day Cheat Sheet to help you prepare for getting braces on!
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With Gratitude,
