Well, the day finally came, Spencer had his braces tightened and experienced some serious discomfort. We thought we were going to escape the dreaded braces pain since he’s only wearing them for 6 months and hasn’t had much pain yet. But no, he was in tears on Friday. The caring staff at Dr. Baptiste’s office explained to him that sometimes this will happen and unfortunately it would be counterproductive to loosen the braces. I wanted to share with you our tips for handling braces pain. Also some things that did not help so you know to steer clear!
Tips For Relieving Braces Pain
- Our Orthodontist Dr. Baptiste recommends you use Tylenol over Ibuprofen because Ibuprofen can actually slow down the movement of teeth. Obviously, this would be a bad thing, so pop Tylenol as directed for your child’s age and weight. This helped Spencer feel better quite quickly.
- Cold compresses will help numb the area up to take away the pain for a while. Think about a baby who is teething. A frozen washcloth is especially soothing because it is also soft.
- Do not bother with products like Orajel, or at least this was our experience. It just made his mouth feel weird and bothersome and made him hyper-aware of his lips. There was no relief in sight while trying to use topical pain relievers.
- Soft foods make all the difference during a time with braces pain. Maybe try soup, peanut butter sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and other things that don’t push hard on your teeth when chewing.
- Dr. Baptiste mentioned that if you have localized sharp pain or cutting you’ll need to be seen right away. This is not typical braces pain so don’t ignore this feeling.
Braces pain is bound to happen at some point, braces are essentially a tool moving your teeth into a better position. This isn’t exactly supposed to be a comfortable time but your orthodontist wants to do everything they can to help you. These tips for handling braces pain shouldn’t let you down.
If you are local to Orlando and it is time for braces certainly go in and see Dr. Baptiste or his new partner Dr. Nelson (pictured above). We’ve been pleased as punch with their service day in and day out. On top of that their Orlando orthodontist office has a lifetime referral service. For every friend you refer you’ll receive a $100 gift card. The person starting treatment has to mention your name when they sign up for treatment for you to get the credit. This offer is valid even after you have finished treatment with us. Just another way Dr. Baptiste wants to take care of his clients.
*As always a big thanks to Dr. Baptiste’s office for working with me on Spencer’s braces.
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