People with traditional braces get "raw spots" from where the wire or bracket cuts into your cheek and/or the inside of your lips (after repeated exposure).
I have a raw spot right now... inside my bottom lip. At first, I thought it was the actual bracket cutting into my lip. But no, it's the wire in between two brackets. It sucks! I just put a little tab of dental wax on it and it definitely helps.
It's weird, b/c at night while you sleep, I guess a sort of vacuum occurs in your mouth and causes your lips to be drawn in to your teeth. So I often wake in the morning to find my braces almost embedded into my bottom lip. Over time, this one little spot has gotten a deeper and deeper indentation (from the wire) until it's finally broken the skin.
I love dental wax... don't know what I would do without it.
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2 comments:
Hey, this is a great blog! I am 43 - just got braces 4 weeks ago. They suck! I got the regular (damons?) on both top and bottom. I have a sore spot in my gum just like you describe here. Same exact thing in the morning too. It's like I have to pull my cheek out of the wire. Ugh! Anyway, I've had this sore for about two weeks and it doesn't seem to be getting better, even using wax and a numbing gel I got at the drug store. How long did yours take to heal? Any advice as to what to do?
I also clench at night(never did until the braces). Ortho hasn't said anything about it yet.
Again, I love this blog...I'm happy I'm not the only 40-something with braces!
Hi! I accidentally stumbled onto your post and just thought I would contribute :)
I had the exact same problem except that dental wax couldn't help as the wire would eventually cut through the wax.. I ended up having the wire cause a slice through my inner cheek and it felt like it was burning all the time.
The solution to this is to ask your dentist to cover the wire.. they insert the wire into a little rubber tube / straw and this stops the wire from touching your cheeks directly.
It was an instant relief!
Once my jaw re-aligned enough, the tube was removed.
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