Easing the discomfort of braces

[MidLifeCrisis007]

My daughter is due to have braces fitted at the start of half term - and rather inconveniently for her, we are driving to Switzerland a few hours later.

I need to cram the car full of lotions/potions/medication!

What do people recommend in terms of mouthwashes, topical gels, painkillers etc. She's 12.

You will need to get the following:
Orthodontic wax
Difflam spray
Corsodyl mouthwash
Small headed t/brush or Oral B orthodontic toothbrush
Paracetamol & Ibuprofen (as long as medically OK to take the latter)
Good luck!

Paracetamol and ibuprofen.

The rest you can get at the dentist, they will tell you what you need.

On the drive make sure she has access to easy to eat food. Nothing that requires a lot of chewing. She will find it difficult to start with, it's like learning to eat again.

When my daughter had her braces fitted she was ok for the first couple of hours then they started to ache, paracetamol or ibuprofen will ease this,
Although she could only eat soft things, so yogurt, soup, custard, anything that requires no chewing for the first day.
They soon settle down within a couple of days.

Keep an eye on them as DS needed them adjusting within 48hrs. Make sure you know where to go in Switzerland if this needs to be done.

The red wax around Baby Bel cheese is the same as orthodontist wax if you ever get stuck.

Keep up with pain killers the first few days - DS needed to eat noodles for a week as they were so tender.

Thanks all.

Difflam spray and corsodyl mouthwash are two remedies I've never heard of - I shall ensure we have them at the ready for her!

She will likely get a lot of mouth ulcers. Boots do a mouth ulcer patch, I found it the best as it protected the open wound, as often in the first few days the teeth are too sore to apply the wax.

Gargling an effervescent painkiller also helped with the mouth ulcers.

My dd had the horrible first stage blocks fitted last august. They were horrendous with huge blocks in her mouth.

Is it the first stage she is having, the removable ones?

If so and Switzerland is a holiday I would be tempted to get the braces and then pop them somewhere safe until you are home again. A week or so isn't going to make much difference to her treatment.

Having said that dd has done amazingly well in hers. She can't eat in them but wears them at all other times apart from sport.

The first week they were a bit uncomfortable and she had a couple of paracetamol but no ulcers or anything.

If her braces rub and you run out of wax /don't have any on you buy baby belle and use the wax it's wrapped in. It was a life saver a few times for my kids.

frouby - She's having fixed braces applied - and has already done twin blocks.

My eldest has already been there and done that with fixed braces - and the poor boy started a new boarding school the day after they were fitted. Boys are a bit more robust..... especially when away from home. I just handed his matron a pack of Ibuprofen!

With us going away for half term I want to make sure I have everything she might need - and above all want to minimise any moaning from the back seat of the car on the 15hr journey!

Funnily enough DS played tennis 4 hours a day for the week after they were fitted as he said it was the only thing that took his mind off the discomfort. His poor gob looked like he'd been kicked in the face by a horse it was so swollen,don't know how he did it!

Bless her. The blocks look barbaric but I am impressed with how dd has coped.

Can't help with the fixed braces then but will take notes from this thread for when we go to the fixed ones.

My DS finished a course of treatment including blocks then fixed. We emphasised the blocks being the worst part (and they were!) so he went into the fixed element very positive and actually apart from paracetamol for the first 24 hours after fitting and same for each session of tightening, he never had a problem, so although good to have all possible cures in your back pocket, I'd encourage you to go in with a positive attitude in first instance

......and his teeth look fantastic now (proud mum!) so very worth doing!