When you think of braces, what are the first things that pop into your mind?
One of the things you probably thought about was pain from braces. While the potential for pain is there, it won’t overtake the whole experience of getting braces. You see, the act of getting braces itself isn’t painful, so get that image out of your head!
Once the braces are fitted, people will experience discomfort for the first few days because the teeth and mouth have not gotten used to the braces being attached to the teeth. Discomfort can also happen for a few days after braces are tightened.
While adjusting the braces can hurt, we’re sharing with you the must-know techniques to braces pain relief. Read this blog post if your child will be getting braces… trust it, it will help you in the long run!
Understanding how to get rid of braces pain for a child will allow you to help your little one and avoid a meltdown at the time same.
PAIN MEDICATION
Let’s get this option out of the way first. This is probably the most obvious solution. Parents will reach for the Tylenol or Advil to help ease the pain in the jaw and gums. While pain medication can help, there are other ways you can help the pain subside.
Be sure to talk to the team at Straight Smiles about giving your child pain medication. They will be able to provide professional advice.
ORTHODONTIC WAX
Straight Smiles will provide you with some special wax that helps after each adjustment appointment. If yours doesn’t, it’s available at most pharmacies too if you run out when on holidays.
This wax creates a barrier between the inside part of the lips and cheeks and the brackets of the braces. This barrier will allow children to not experience their gums being irritated.
Break off some of the wax from its container and use your finger to squish it together to form a small mold. Place this mold directly on whatever part of the teeth, braces or gums that are hurting.
As the wax tends to break down over time, be sure to apply more when the feeling of discomfort comes back.
MASSAGE THE GUMS
While it might look a little funny, have your child massage their gums. Show your child how to use their fingers to gently rub around the gums. This can be done from inside your mouth (with clean fingers) or over your closed mouth.
For even better results, stroke the gums with a piece of ice before the massaging happens to soothe swollen gums.
EAT SOMETHING COLD
Just like using a piece of ice in the previous tip, eating something frozen or cold will help ease some pain.
Yes, you read that correctly. We’re suggesting you give your child a (healthy) frozen treat to enjoy. Frozen goodies such as smoothies, yogurt and organic fruit popsicles help to number the teeth and any area of the mouth that may be causing a feeling of discomfort.
While this isn’t a long term solution, your child will experience some quick relief.
RINSE WITH SALT WATER
If your child comes to you saying they’re feeling pain, fill a glass with warm water and pour some salt into it. Have them rinse their mouth with this water several times.
Salt has a natural curing property that helps heal sores, cuts and ulcerations in the inner mouth and gums.
It may not be the most pleasant tasting thing for your kid, but they will notice a difference if they do this every time they feel a bit of pain.
AVOID ACIDIC FOODS
Foods and drinks that contain a high level of acid can burn the tender tissue inside the mouth and aggravate sores that have formed. The best way to avoid this is to remove acidic foods and drinks from your child’s diet until the sores heal. Some examples of what to avoid include grapefruits, pineapples, tomatoes, blueberries and anything with lemon or lime flavouring.
BRUSH YOUR TEETH PROPERLY
It’s extremely important for your child to practice better dental hygiene when they have braces. When they have braces, it’s not enough to just simply brush their teeth. They will have to learn to brush on a regular basis with their braces if they don’t want any issues.
Dental plaque can build up on the rough edges of braces and different dental conditions can form because of the plaque. This can cause discomfort in the mouth.
So, remind your little one to brush their teeth, brush their braces and floss regularly. Doing these three things will allow for your child to feel minimal pain throughout the braces treatment.
THE PAIN WON’T LAST FOREVER
We can promise you that the pain will not last forever. Your child’s mouth will learn to handle the braces and their lips and cheeks will grow accustomed to having the braces tightened.
Until that happens, we hope these 7 tips on how to handle the pain will help your family stay happy, positive and excited about the braces transformation underway.
There are other options when it comes to Orthodontic treatments that experience a lot less pain and discomfort. Download our exclusive infographic that explains the different types of Orthodontic treatments and the pros and cons of each option today.
