Do Braces Hurt?

We all want to have a beautiful smile but what does it take to get there? People are often concerned with the pain associated with orthodontic treatment. Some parents remember when they first got their braces and had all their ‘tightening’ appointments when they couldn’t eat for a week because of the pain! This is unfortunately a common concern. Luckily technology has changed over the years. A couple points I will hit on are the changes in ‘banding’ and wire technology.

We no longer routinely use ‘bands’ on the teeth. Instead we can apply braces directly to the tooth surface. Banding use to be an uncomfortable procedure in which a tightly fitting ring went onto the back teeth. This appointment often involved a lot of pressure to the teeth/jaws and resulted in some soreness. Because of new adhesive technology bands have been virtually eliminated and instead we can put brackets on the teeth. Placing brackets is a much more comfortable procedure that involves no heavy pressure or pushing.

Putting on braces.

This brings us to our next step, putting on braces! The process of putting on braces is painless and can be seen here in one of our youtube videos. We simply dry the teeth and then put the brackets on one by one. The hardest part of the process is the cheek stretchers that are used to keep the teeth dry. The actual application of the braces is painless and takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.

Once the brackets are applied to the teeth comes the last step – placing the wire and picking out colors. Think of the brackets as a handle on the tooth, they do not do anything without a wire connecting them all together. The wire is held in place with small elastic holders that come in many different colors. Color choice is the biggest and most painful decision of the day! Wire technology has also changed significantly over time. We now use super elastic wires called Nickel Titanium wires. This was a technology that was originally invented by NASA that has great applicability in orthodontics. The use of these wires has reduced patient discomfort significantly compared to the previous steel heavy wires that were very tight upon initial insertion.

When you leave with your new braces.

When you leave the office after your first braces starting appointment there will certainly be some adjustments but there is no immediate pain. Unfortunately all the improvements in technology has not made orthodontics completely pain free. For 2-3 days after the initial appointment your teeth and gums will be getting used to new forces and as a result you will be experiencing some soreness. Pain relief medication and a soft diet is recommended during this adjustment period, however, it is not required. The first appointment is always the most dramatic in terms of intensity.

At subsequent appointment wires are not actually ‘tightened’ we just place a different wire in (with new colors!). Many orthodontists also implement a wire sequence that favors light forces in order to reduce patient discomfort. After adjustments there is sometimes pain for 1-2 days but not as noticeable as initial. All in all orthodontic treatment has come a long way. We utilize state of the art technology aimed at reducing patient discomfort and decreasing total treatment time. Please write or call with any questions and we look forward to helping you on your orthodontic journey!