Helping DD get used to a retainer

[icebearforpresident]

12 YO DD needs a retainer to bring her teeth into line due to an overbite which we picked up this afternoon. It’s been uncomfortable all day but she persevered only taking it out for about an hour this evening to have dinner and a hot drink. However now we’re at bedtime (and not distracted by anything which I suspect doesn’t help) she’s crying with the pain. Paracetamol so far not helped.

I know she has to get used to it but against my better judgement we’ve decided to take it out tonight, get some sleep and put back in once she’s up in the morning and had breakfast, having taken some paracetamol before it goes in. Beyond that is there anything that helps, I was thinking maybe bonjela to numb her gums a bit but no idea if that’s advisable.

Neither DH or I had any kind of orthodontic treatment as kids so beyond the leaflet we were sent home with we’re clueless about what to do.

Did you get the wax stuff to stick on the sharp bits? It’s a game changer.

She will cry with the pain each time it’s tightened. I did. It’s soooo sore. But worth it.

After tonight no more taking it out. It must stay in end of or she’ll need a fixed brace like I had.

Is this a situation where she has had Ortho treatment and the retainer is to stop the teeth moving back (in which case it should not be hurting so stop using it and contact the orthodontist)

or is it meant to pressure the teeth to move? In which case yes, they hurt like fuck for at least a few days. I’d suggest alternating paracetamol and neurofen. If it’s irritating parts of her mouth then bonjela is good.

It's horrible when you first start but this stage only lasts a couple of days then it eases off. Unfortunately though you'll probably keep going back to square one if she keeps taking it out for several hours.

Start again with it tomorrow and hopefully she'll tolerate it better. If it is agony though, something is wrong and you should go back to the dentist.

Unfortunately though you'll probably keep going back to square one if she keeps taking it out for several hours.

This. She needs to keep it in. It will be unpleasant until she gets used to it but she will get used to it if she persists. Keep taking it out is actually making it harder for herself, especially at night.

Bring her teeth into line? So do you mean an Invisalign (or similar) aligner that is actually moving her teeth?

Yeah unfortunately they really are painful for the first ~3-4 days. But then it’s ok and there’s just some mild soreness with each new set. It will be worse if she keeps taking it out, then pain will go away more quickly if she can leave it in the recommended amount of time (I think I was told aim for 22hrs a day).

ETA - I don’t think bonjela will help. The pain isn’t on the gums, it’s deeper as the teeth move. If the aligners have any sharp edges then dental wax can help stop it rubbing.

This is the beginning of her treatment so literally day 1. I said retainer in my first post but it’s actually an appliance (I keep mixing up what it’s actually called and saying retainer), wires around her teeth that she can pop in and out when she’s eating etc. needs that for approx 9 months to bring the teeth into line/bring her jaw forward then onto train tracks to straighten them.

Wax was never mentioned, orthodontist just said over the counter medication for pain and should ease in a day or so.

Wax is more for train tracks in my experience. It’s hard but she’s best to push through and keep it in - plenty of painkillers and soft food to start with

Hi! Dental nurse here who works in orthodontics. This sounds like she's been given what's called a twin block appliance to correct the gap between her top and bottom front teeth. Unfortunately, these are quite bulky and difficult to wear. There will be a lot of pressure on her teeth and jaw and this causes the pain. It can be really quite painful. One of the orthodontists I work with suggests building up the hours it's worn for. So day one hour, day two two hours etc. One of the best things she can do is talk as much as possible when they're in. Reading a book out loud for example. This will help with the drool and how her speech sounds and also get her mouth and jaws more used to it.
She can expect this kind of pain when she gets the fixed braces on and every time they get tightened.
The results from this appliance are excellent if the patient wears it as much as possible. She will be so glad in the end!

Yes my dc had one for a few months before moving onto train tracks.

yes it is painful. Bonjela won’t really help as that’s skin level and and the appliance is putting pressure on teeth to move.

it’ll settle in a few days.

My daughter had twin block retainers fitted last summer. Day one was awful. Day two slightly better. By the end of day three she was on no painkillers at all. Four months in and she forgets she even has them in, and her overbite has reduced by 3mm so far.
it really will become much easier if she can persist through the first couple of days

Thanks so much for the reply @SureLook it is a twin block appliance! Orthodontist just kept saying ‘the appliance’ and I’ve been saying brace/retainer interchangeably because no one knows what I mean if I say ‘DD is getting an appliance’. I wasn’t able to go with her today as I was at work so her dad took her and we were both surprised at how bulky it actually is, I can’t imagine how she’s able to fit her tongue in her mouth to be honest and she’s talking like she has a mouth full or marbles.

Thanks for the tip about talking helping, I’ll get her to read out loud tomorrow. I know all we can realistically do is push through, as does she, but out for tonight only seemed like the best plan, these things are always worse at night.

@icebearforpresident you're very welcome. They are very bulky and straight away put the jaw in a position they're not used to so it takes time to adjust. They building up a few hours a day to full time wear and lots of talking and she'll soon be completely used to them!

Orthodontics are the worst! I still go cold all over when I remember how it felt at age 12. Sending sympathy to your DD 💐