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Are braces easier now??


Moxie
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I remember my Mom getting braces when I was a kid. It was horrifying. My Grandmother moved in with us for a week because Mom was in so much pain.

 

Twice in the past month, I've noticed a kid with new braces and I've commented on them. They both very casually said, "Thanks, I got them yesterday" like it was no big deal.

 

Are they easier now??

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Many people get more sensitive teeth as they get older.

 

Kids tend to brush this kind of thing off more easily unless there is a reason for more than the usual sensitivity (sensory issues, irritated gums etc.).

 

Also, maybe orthodontists vary in how much of an adjustment they give--especially the first time? Just hypothesizing here...

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My dh says yes! He went to the grandfather of dd's current orthodontist. He said it was close to torture back when he had braces. During the entire course of treatment, dd has had a couple of tough sessions that made her sore, but it always eased after 24 hours or so. She took ibuprophen and ate soft foods during the sorest time, but bouced back quickly.

 

I always say that the problem is that I never had braces. So I am so overwhelmed by the barbaric practices involved that I am spending nearly as much in guilt money as I am for the braces themselves. Seems I always end up buying her a new t-shirt or something after an appointment.:tongue_smilie:

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I had braces as a teenager and then again in my 30s (I got them off 4 years ago). My two eldest sons have completed braces in the past year and my third will be starting next year. When I was a kid the brackets were big, bulky, and sharp. They are much smaller now and the wires are not as painful. That said, adjustments always cause soreness- some more than others. It depends on how much work needs to be done. Getting bands on the back teeth also tends to hurt- especially if the teeth are an off size.

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My 9 yo needed ibuprofen the first day or two for the first 3 appointments/tightenings. That was Jan-April. Since then she's had no pain at all. I do think some orthodontic problems are a lot easier and less painful to solve as kids rather than waiting until you're an adult. For dd, her lower jaw is shorter than her upper jaw; this is easily solved now with headgear because she is still growing. If we waited until she was an adult, it could involve breaking the jaw!

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I believe my ds16 is having an easier time than I did 28 years ago. I remember my mouth being sore with every visit which was every 4 weeks. I also remember the wire poking my cheek so I had to keep wax on it constantly. Ds16 sees the orthodontist every 6 - 7 weeks and isn't sore at all. We leave the office and walk next door to get chicken tenders and fries!

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When I was a kid, I had bands. They went all the way around each tooth. That probably caused more discomfort than the brackets of today because they were cramming all of that metal in between the teeth. When I had brackets as an adult, it was no big deal. My dds just have brackets cemented to the front of each tooth. I think they had bands on the back molars to anchor appliances.

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I think it depends on two factors. The child's pain tolerance and their age. My son started at 10 years old and has zero pain tolerance (probably because he is a male!). We finally had to start giving him codien during the beginning just so both of us could get some sleep. His younger sister on the other hand has great pain tolerance plus we waited until she was twelve. I think the extra maturity played a big role in how much better she has done.

 

I had braces over thirty years ago and I agree that it is a lot easier now to wear braces.

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I think so. When I had braces, the bracket was cemented to the tooth, a wire was laid across all the brackets (and thus connecting all the teeth with a wire) and then another wire was used to form a loop around the bracket and hold the connecting wire to each bracket and was basically twisted really tight like a twist-tie. I remember having this mouthful of wires sticking out about 3-4 inches as they wired up each bracket. Once all these twist-tie were attached to all the brackets, they were trimmed and the sharp edges tucked in. Every time I went for a thicker connecting wire, it was a 45 minute appointment to clip the old wires, replace and wire up the new ones.

 

For my son, the brackets have little sliding doors on them. Slide open all the doors, remove old connecting wire, replace with new connecting wire, slide all the doors shut and he's done. We are out of there in 15 minutes tops. No tugging and pulling on the teeth as the clip and remove wires, no jostling and tightening and twisting as they attach new ones. Other than the first day of jaw soreness and a couple of weeks where the insides of his mouth adjusted to being rubbed by metal, it's been nearly painless. I used to cry every time I went to the ortho because it meant several days where I could only eat soup while by jaw and teeth recovered.

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