Pain after having braces fitted

[CherryMaple]

DD (13) had elastics put in today, before having braces in a week or so. She’s highly sensitive, so very sensitive to pain (when other people might not feel it). She’s in pain with the elastics. She’s had paracetamol and still feels she can’t eat and she’s crying. Is she likely to need ibuprofen too?

I’ve never had braces and need advice on what she’s going through. What are the next few days going to hold? How much worse will it be with the actual braces?

What are your tips for what she can eat?

DD says her friends have days off school sick when they have braces fitted. Anyone got experience of this? What’s reasonable? If she’s the same tomorrow, she wouldn’t be well enough to go...

Braces are so painful, OP. I had mine for a good few years and everytime I had them tightened I was in agony. Sorry, I know that's not the most helpful of answers. Just keep up with the paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Hope they help - the link I sent explains who can’t have co-codamol so please check that 😊

@Randomactofkindness

Many thanks for sending the link. She’s not in a high risk group or taking any of those other meds listed so will be able to take it. Really appreciate it.

Oh and as far as time off school - my daughter had hers put on during the lockdown in February - she would not have been well enough to go to school and actually couldn’t manage the online lessons that day either. So I’d say be kind and if she’s not great then let her stay off 😊

The wax people keep mentioning sounds excellent. I've got scarring on my inside lower lip from my braces. When I had them no-one mentioned anything like this, they just shrugged!

Bless her. I had braces for 2 years as a young adult and had 4 teeth removed to make way for wisdom teeth. The worst part of braces for me was the pressure on my teeth and eventually the rubbing of a wire or bracket on the inside of my mouth. Which as a pp said they do a wax that stops the rubbing.

As for the pressure it goes after a few days so soft easy to eat foods are a good call and regular painkillers.

I would make her go to school but maybe let her have the day of her orthodontist appointments off as that's the worst day for pain and discomfort.

A tip for when she gets her braces on properly, don't let her eat curry or other highly pigmented food as they stain the rubber bands on the braces and it doesn't come off and you have to wait until the next appointment with stained bands.

@ShaneTheThird

Thanks for the tip about the staining of the bands 👍🏻