Your new braces are going to cause some slight discomfort. This won't be ongoing, so it's not something you'll have to tolerate for the duration of your treatment. There will be occasions throughout your treatment when you can expect your discomfort to flair up, but these instances will be easy enough to manage. Remember that your braces will be slightly (and only briefly) irritating, instead of painful. However, it's helpful to know what to expect.

Painless Application

The application process for your braces is totally painless. Your orthodontist simply bonds a bracket onto each tooth, before threading a tension wire (called the archwire) through these brackets. Selected teeth towards the rear of your dental arch (your molars) may need to be fitted with rubber bands to help align your upper and lower jaws. 

Shifting Teeth

Because the archwire (and if needed, rubber bands) apply tension to your teeth, you can expect some discomfort to develop shortly after your braces are installed. Your teeth will feel tight and even slightly uncomfortable. This is because they're being pushed into a new position, which causes a shifting of their physical position in your jawbone. When you consider this, it actually makes sense that your teeth will feel a little tight.

Manage Your Discomfort

Should you be bothered by the tightness of your teeth (and it's not certain that everyone even will be), you can manage your discomfort with over-the-counter pain medication. You won't need to be reliant on pain medication throughout your orthodontic treatment, as you will rapidly become used to the pressure applied by your braces. 

After Orthodontic Adjustments

You can expect your discomfort to return with each visit to your orthodontist. When your braces are adjusted, the archwire is in fact tightened. As was the case when your braces were first put in place, the tightness can be mildly uncomfortable. Again, you'll quickly get used to it, and you can once again manage the sensation with over-the-counter pain medication—if it's even necessary. Lingering discomfort after your braces have been tightened should be immediately reported to your orthodontist. It's possible that your archwire was tightened too much in a single session, and if so, it can be slightly loosened without disrupting your treatment.

If you were expecting your new braces to be painful, rest assured that all you can expect is some mild (and very temporary) discomfort that's easy to manage—and you may not even feel the need to manage it.

Contact a company like Laveen Smiles to learn more. 

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