How to Thrive in the First Few Days of Treatment
Embarking on your journey to straighter teeth is an exciting one, but what if it takes a few days for your mouth to adjust to the treatment? Invisalign aligners and braces may scrape the inside of your cheeks at first or inhibit you from eating normally if you try to continue as normal.
We have some excellent tips to help you thrive as you wait for everything to settle back to normal.
Cut food into small pieces. If your mouth is sensitive, make cutting your food smaller than normal a priority. This will make chewing much easier and you’ll avoid the awkward, exaggerated mouth movements as you adjust to eating. This will also help minimize the hardware rubbing inside the cheeks.
Use orthodontic wax. If you are having trouble with the hardware poking or rubbing the inside of your mouth, make sure to cushion it with orthodontic wax. This will create a softer surface for your mouth and will be less irritating. Sleeping with the wax on also helps heal the mouth quicker.
Do a salt water rinse. Until your mouth adjusts to braces, doing salt water rinses will help soothe sore areas. Simply stir in 2tbsp of salt into a cup of warm water and gargle.
Drink more water. Staying hydrated creates more saliva, which helps remineralize the tooth enamel and keeps the cheeks lubricated. When the cheeks stay lubricated, the hardware will gently slide over your cheek instead of scrape into it.
We hope these tips help you get accustomed quickly to your treatment! If you are having prolonged issues and need assistance, please don’t hesitate to call our office. We would be happy to help!