Is there pain while wearing braces?

YES, for a short time during the first couple of days. In fact it is indication that the braces are on their job; that is moving the teeth to the right position. The pain is due to the fact the roots of the teeth are loosening and allowing gradual movement of the teeth. But this pain is absolutely temporary phase, felt during the first week of wearing the braces and for a day or two as and when the arch wire is adjusted to modulate the pressure needed to move the teeth; later you get used to the braces in the mouth. 

Try the following to lessen the pain and discomfort while wearing braces.

Prevent Pain:

• Eat slowly and avoid chewing to the extent possible. Eat foods that require minimum chewing during the first few days of wearing the braces.
• Try sucking ice, don’t chew it. The ice makes the mouth and gums numb so that the pain is not felt.
• Take pain relieving tablets advised by the doctor, even if the pain is milder so that it would not aggravate. The tablets help to reduce the swelling and relieve pain thereof.
• Try mashing food with tongue pressed up to the palate, top of the mouth.
• Use back teeth if chewing is needed. It is just a practice for the comfort during the process of beautifying your smile.
• Apply wax on the metal parts of the braces or appliances touching any part of your mouth.
• Gargle salt water – warm or cold depending upon your comfort. Allow salt water to reach all corners of your mouth. This ensures the sores in the mouth caused by the braces are disinfected.
•  Do not touch the sores with tongue, it only aggravates the pain.

Food to take:

• Do not stop eating. Take semi solid foods only during the first week of wearing the braces. This will lessen the need for chewing. Take warm milk and soups as the heat will improve blood circulation and reduce pain.
• Avoid acidic juices like citrus fruit juices as they will hurt the sores.
• Eat ice cream twice a day .It will relieve inflammation of the gums and also give a soothing effect bringing down pain.

General:

• Rinse mouth with diluted hydrogen peroxide (one part of Hydrogen peroxide and one part of water). Just swish in mouth for a minute, twice a day till you feel comfortable. Use oral gels like Oragel which act as local anesthetics. Just dab the gel on the parts of cheek, gums or parts where the sores occurred. The gel will make the parts numb and the pain would not be felt for some time.
• Take the pain easy with a mindset that it is temporary discomfort for the best gain of sweet smile.
• The Dentist& Dontist Dental Clinic offers the advanced orthodontic treatment deploying the latest appliances and braces that have smoother surface. Also offer advanced techniques of treatment which bring the correction in half the time of normal orthodontic treatment. Visit our clinic to get your natural sweet smile back at the shortest time possible and painless.

Best Food to Eat While Wearing Braces

Are you wearing braces or are you considering the prospect of wearing them? Then, there are a few things you might want to know about your diet while you are using them. Knowing what foods you can and cannot consume while using braces will help you achieve the optimum results after your orthodontic treatment has been done. Your primary concern while using braces should be preventing damage to the archwires, bands and brackets, and keeping your teeth free from tooth decay.

When you initially get your braces on, they may feel a bit inconvenient and you might feel some pain in your mouth. Your mouth may not feel good while eating as it may not be ready for the pressures of chewing for a few days. During this period, a diet of softer foods is good for the mouth as they will greatly reduce tooth soreness experienced while chewing.

Are you aware of what you can and cannot eat with braces? One of the simplest indicators of whether or not a certain food is fine is how much damage it can potentially cause to the braces. Broken or otherwise damaged braces can prolong the duration of the treatment and the time it takes before you can take them off completely. Some foods have a greater potential for damaging the braces than others.

Food that is hard and crunchy can potentially harm your braces. Such foods need to be cut into small pieces before they are consumed or better still, completely avoided. Avoid fruit like apples, chocolates, sweets like chikki and laddu, chewing gum or bubble gum, popcorn, toast, potato chips, ice, nuts, pizza, candy, coconut, friednamkeenand hard or fried non-vegetarian food.

You should not consume anything for an hour after the fitting of the braces. After that, eat something cold and soft for the day. From the next day onwards, regular food items like roti, bread, rice, vegetables, dal, curries, juices, curds, etc. can be consumed. Anything that is soft in texture or can be separated into small units is okay. Sticky foods are probably not a good idea, but can be eaten if they are consumed carefully under inspection. And try to avoid using your front teeth to bite on the food and try to utilize your back teeth as much as possible.

So, with the proper information about the dental treatment and proper care about  your diet, you can achieve the best results from the use of braces!

Sequence of dental caries

  

This is how a normal tooth looks like when it has been maintained well with proper brushing and oral care.

1. When one fails to keep the mouth clean by proper brushing, flossing and rinsing then food particles begin to accumulate on the tooth, leading to bacterial action and acid release and the first signs of tooth decay begins involving enamel - INITIAL DENTAL CARIES.

2. Once the infection spreads through out the enamel layer of the tooth and it not recognised and treated by the dentist, the infection spreads further into the dentin layer which may induce sensitivity in the underlying pulp- CHRONIC REVERSIBLE PULPITIS

3. As the infection spreads further, the infection reaches the pulp chamber, leading to severe pain and inflammation of the blood vessels and involves the nerves of the affected tooth. The tooth is now in a state of “no return”.- CHRONIC IRREVERSIBLE PULPITIS.

4. At this stage the tooth is completely damaged by the advancing bacterial infection and no amount of medication can help. The tooth has lost its strength and becomes brittle. The tooth must now be treated with Root Canal Treatment (RCT) or removed completely (Extraction), to prevent further spread of infection into the bone.- CHRONIC IRREVERSIBLE PULPITIS

5. This is the last stage of the disease where the underlying supporting bone also gets infected by the bacterial infection and there is puss accumulation in the bone and severe swelling and pain, associated with fever and lethargy (tiredness). CHRONIC IRREVERSIBLE PULPITIS LEADING TO SPACE INFECTION!