Spacer, Expander and Braces....tips and tricks?

[LarlaB]

DD is finally getting braces- she’s 15 and we’ve been waiting on her slow molars to erupt and also to be financially able for the $5200 cost. We've been warned that “it will hurt more” because she’s older - which frankly I felt was a mild rebuke by the ortho staff- by to want to be prepared.

She gets spacers today and an expander and lower teeth braces next week.

I’m planning soft foods for dinner and Ibuprofen.  And trying to come up with soft packed lunch options too.

Any and all tips and tricks would be appreciated. ?

[TheReader]

Soft foods, ibuprofen, warm salt water to gargle/rinse with, heating pad/rice pack.....that's about all you can do, really. Soft like really soft....non-chunky soups, spaghetti w/o meat sauce, jello, pudding, really creamy mashed potatoes, etc. When my braces kiddo has his sorest moments he doesn't even like to chew mac & cheese, so really think "stuff you can put on a spoon, into the mouth, and swallow." 

Get smoothie ingredients too, yogurt, etc. Apple sauce. If the soreness persists, maybe some of those Instant Breakfast pouches (hmm, they are called something else now, but hopefully you know the ones I mean....) or other similar protein packed thing. 

Get a variety of stuff rather than buying a ton of one thing; my guy has a few things that are soft enough, but I originally made the mistake of buying a ton of one thing....and then he got really tired of that thing. Better to have a variety if possible, because the soreness will recur at the appointments to tighten/adjust the braces, too. 

 

[AK_Mom4]

I had one kid with late braces and one with early and I would say there was absolutely no difference in how much it hurt.  Both of them were equally uncomfortable.

My DS thought cool drinks helped.  DD said they made her teeth ache more.  We had the best results from ibuprofen and jello.

[Starfish]

If ibuprofen doesn't  give good results, try naproxen ( Aleve ).  That's what worked well for our family. 

Edited October 24, 2018 by Starfish

[PeterPan]

Expander was the WORST, MOST HORRIBLE, MOST AWFUL THING EVER for my ds. He has autism, and he just sat in the closet pounding holes in the drywall.

Definitely use pain meds generously, be kind, flex her schedule for a few days after every turn, anything you can. Yes, ibuprofen and soft food.

[alisoncooks]

My DD12 just finished her 5 weeks of upper palette expanding. (Now she doesn't have to turn the key nightly; she still has 2ish months until they remove the appliance.) She also had 4 teeth removed the week prior.

DD had some soreness that Tylenol relieved. Also, one thing we weren't prepared for: the pain shifted. For a few days she felt sore in her sinus area; then the soreness shifted to molars; then her front teeth hurt. Idk if that's normal.

She ate yogurt for breakfast when it was sore....but her soreness wasn't  overwhelming or every day. 

[alisoncooks]

And another thing: for my DD, the pain of the spacers was more than when the appliance went in. (We also had spacers fall out twice and had to get them replaced.)

Is the expander upper or lower? DD has a lisp from her upper expander, which she's a little self-conscious about. 

Edited October 24, 2018 by alisoncooks

[mmasc]

When my DS got braces, he ate Ramen noodles. Which is weird, because he had never had it before but he wanted it, and it was easy to eat those first few days. He also drank a lot of Chobani Greek yogurt smoothies. 

[itsheresomewhere]

DS swears the pain meds didn’t work.   He preferred warm tea, soups, ramen, and Mac n cheese. 

DD loved cold and hot food/drinks. It depends on what makes it better so have a bit of both in the house. Slushees and soup days are on braces appointment days here. 

I highly suggest a water pick if you haven’t gotten one.  It does work and there are ones for use in the shower if you have a child who can not figure it out and sprays the bathroom.  

[theelfqueen]

She will be slurpy with the expander in her mouth (her mouth will produce extra saliva) so she needs to remember to swallow before speaking which sounds simple but can honestly be a hassle. For my youngest the expander REALLY impacted his speech.

The expander will involve her laying her head back and you turning the expander with a key every night... this was not really explained to me before the installation of the expander. It will make cracky noises.

Food limitations for the expander are focused on seeds and "Crunchy" things.

FOLLOW THE RESTRICTIONS ON FOOD -- especially the ice chewing! Replacing brackets gets expensive FAST. Everyone will tell you "I ate X when I had braces and it was fine." IGNORE THEM. They weren't paying for their own brackets LOL

No one ever goes to the orthodontist and is told they are brushing well enough. At least none of my three and no one else I've ever known. Even kids whose parents are hygenists that I've known have had the stain talk repeatedly.

Get a waterpik if you don't have one. And little flosser stick things (not the bow ones, the pokey ones).

Be prepared with advil or tylenol on hand for ortho adjustments, they hurt. And soft foods.

 

[theelfqueen]

For lunches - do you have a lunch thermos? Mac n Cheese, Ramen noodles, other soups and pastas, etc.

 

[LarlaB]

Expander is going to on upper...and yes we will have key turns for 3 months. 

Thanks for the suggestions!!!  It’s sooooo helpful to have perspective and tips from people who have recently done this.... I was thinking soft foods but probably not soft enough. 

Shes a pretty tough kid pain wise but probably isn’t prepared for how the expander will affect her speech. 

 we will try Aleve as it is more of a one dose dealio.

 

[MrsRobinson]

I agree mac and cheese was too chewy for dd the first couple of days. After installation and every adjustment appointment, we went straight the drive thru for a peanut butter shake. She could. not. do. anything. until she got that shake! ? 

She also complained of sinus/pain pressure so that must be normal.

I had a really hard time getting the key to stay in place and not pop out as I was turning the expander. I struggled for 2 weeks before calling the ortho. They had me come in and gave us a new key because they tried and had the same problems. It was just a bad key. The new key worked like a champ. So if there is a consistent problem don't think you/dd are just inexperienced, it might be something that needs addressed.

[alisoncooks]

We only had to turn for 5 weeks.  There's definitely a learning curve. Once or twice I slipped with the key and jabbed DD. (Oops.) Also, if your DD has a strong gag reflex, the fiddling in her mouth might trigger it (sometimes it took a little jiggling to release the key, and that few extra seconds set my DD to gagging.)

Edited October 24, 2018 by alisoncooks

[shawthorne44]

DD8 will be getting expanders in January.  So, this is a timely thread for me.  

 

[hellen]

My daughter had an expander put in this summer.  She said the spacers didn't hurt at all.  She had a lot of trouble with the expander for several days.  She developed sores in her mouth from the contact.  It took about a week for it to feel better.  She didn't mind the turning.  We did over 30 turns of the key.

My son had braces this summer.  His mouth was sore for a few days.  He never complained.  

[LarlaB]

OP here...

Just got got back from spacers being put in and DD is already hurting (she has very small crowded mouth so I’m not surprised). I had her take Aleve 1 hour before appointment.

Mashed potatos, applesauce and yogurt are well stocked thanks to Costco. Also she’s a huge Ramen fan so will try that for lunch at school. 

[Amber in SJ]

I made Dh do all the key turning because it was too gross for me.  

My advice would be to tell your daughter not to put anything in her mouth that isn't food....

You know when you buy buttons on a card, if they are buttons with a shank, they are held on the card with a little plastic piece that looks a bit like a bobby-pin.  Well, I had bought buttons one day and somehow one of them came off the card but still had the little plastic piece dangling from the shank.  The palette expander looks like a plastic/ resin butterfly with a wheel in the middle.  The wheel has holes that you stick a skinny metal (think paper clip) thing into and turn for the expansion.  So dd, then 10yo, for some reason popped this button into her mouth while sitting on the couch, watching TV.  All of a sudden I hear this rapid clicking noise, because the plastic thingy has become stuck in the wheel and the button is dangling by the shank from the roof of dd's mouth and she can't seem to make her tongue leave it alone.  Dh is on a business trip to Japan.  I can't leave it there, I can't yank it out, dd is freaking out so much I can hardly see what is going on.  I end up practically pinning her to the couch while her head hangs off the side, mouth open under the strongest light in the house.  Somehow, I manage to get it all unhooked.

Just don't do it.

She used to feel the ache most in the space under her nose.

Amber in SJ

 

Edited October 25, 2018 by Amber in SJ
spelling :)

[alisoncooks]

OP - did your dentist tell you to have your child lay with her head handing off the bed (to do the turning)? That worked pretty well for us (for being able to see the roof of her mouth). 

[73349]

Be ready to try other medicine if the Aleve doesn't work. (Naproxen just does not work on me at all. I unfortunately learned this when I got my wisdom teeth removed.)

Whole-milk yogurt is the best food ever because it's cool and sweet and has enough calories.

Use a stick blender in soups and sauces to smooth them.

[Spryte]

Possibly not relevant, as my kid has Invisalign, but the trays remind me of an expander as we change them every two weeks and it’s like turning a key.  Anyway, our orthodontist recommends against Advil.  He prefers Tylenol.  He doesn’t want anything to reduce inflammation, something to do with wanting that, with moving teeth.  I don’t know, it sounds awful, quite frankly, and we are an Advil family, so it’s a struggle for me not to give Advil. I’m just struck by how many people use Advil.  Obviously, follow your own ortho’s advice, but if you haven’t specifically heard to use Advil, you might want to ask.

Then again, maybe it’s an Invisalign thing or a weird idiosyncrasy of our orthodontist.

[Reefgazer]

Once the braces are on, be sure and buy Rinsenol and wax to help heal and protect the wounds on the inside of the cheeks.

[shawthorne44]

On the upper expander, she said that we will have 6 weeks to do 21 turns.   Would you guys recommend doing the cranking only every other night for the first week?     Just to give time for Things to settle in.