braces tips masterlist
I just got my braces off so I'm making this in hopes that it will help someone on some corner of the interwebs. enjoy blunt and sarcastic tips about braces stuff that might worry you. I don't explain what they are-- just tips to help with them.
if you're nervous/scared-
first of all: it will be okay! you are definitely worrying too much.
anyways: I am a big coward and hate that you can never see what's going on when you get dental work. I asked my orthodontists to tell me what they were doing anytime they did something other than the usual tightenings. this really helped me chill out bc I was always ready for what was going on especially if it was going to hurt. if you can, ask them to do the same.
also, if you're REALLY anxious, watch some vlogs of people doing whatever stage of braces you're at! then you know for sure what to expect.
getting teeth pulled-
if you are one of the poor souls that couldn't get rid of all your baby teeth, don't worry. don't worry about getting them pulled. after the numbing shots (which are only small pinches and this is coming from someone who cannot do shots), you can't feel any pain. in fact, I started laughing after a few because it should have hurt but I didn't feel anything. it feels really weird, but in a cool way!
afterwards, remember not to rise your mouth!! it's super tempting but it will make it harder to for your gums to heal. I just stuck a towel in my mouth and watched movies when I got home. expect to drool a lot if your whole mouth was numbed like me.
impressions-
impressions are like a mold of your teeth: the orthodontist mades a puddy on plastic holders, which are held against your teeth for about thirty seconds.
if you mention these to anyone who has had braces, they will have vietnam flashbacks. especially those of us who have a fear of vomit because these likely will make you gag, because the puddy spills out the back. some people squeeze their thumbs. my tip is simply chill out. if you get frantic and start breathing shallower, it will be much harder than if you try to relax. this sounds dumb, but I pretended I didn't exist while they did it. I guess it helps to disconnect.
brackets on-
this sucked for me. sorry, but it really does. you'll have to keep your mouth open for a really long time as the brackets are getting cemented to your teeth. this doesn't hurt at any point, but it's uncomfortable. always make sure you only close your mouth when you're told you can, otherwise you'll get cement on your tongue and I don't wish that taste on anyone. if you have to swallow a lot, practice swallowing with an open mouth.
expanders-
for the lucky people that didn't need these: yay! for whoever needs tips: I got some. if you can afford it, get a water pick. those things save lives. if you don't, drink water and spit it out through your expander to get the food out of it (not. in public).
don't eat pizza, pizza dippers, or other things with melted cheese without cutting it up, otherwise it will get caught in your expander and make you gag.
check-up/tightenings-
these totally fine. all the orthodontists do is replace your wire and those little rubber bands on the brackets. to shy people remember that if a wire is poking your cheek, tell someone!! the orthodontists are doing their job by making you as comfortable with your braces as possible, so don't worry about it!
also, don't pick white because it will make your teeth look yellow, and for the love of god, don't pick neon colors, especially ones that clash.
mouth sores from brackets-
it's very likely you will get a sore on the inside of your lip from a bracket at some point. this will suck and I'm sorry. the wax never really worked for me, but I've heard now that you should put the wax on, then drink very cold water so it solidifies better so do that! what I did was chew a half stick of gum and put it over the brackets that are hurting you. don't do it in public though or you'll have a colorful gob over your teeth. plus ngl you probably should only use this as a last resort bc it's definitely not something a dentist would recommend.
getting your braces off-
this kind of sucks, but it's not as bad as getting them on. you do one last round of impressions, each bracket is removed (it doesn't hurt at all but it sounds ugly), then the excess cement gets cleaned off your teeth with a spinning.......thing? the cleaning takes a pretty long time and smells weird but it doesn't hurt. your teeth are gonna feel like moss on smooth rocks when you run your tongue over them. it's a weird sensation for a few hours but it's bc you've forgotten what they feel like lmao
good luck with life! 👍 you've got this!
EDIT: I made this post over a year ago but if you have any more questions or need to clarify anything I'm right here to dm!
