Yesterday my nine year old got braces. By the end of the day, she was ready to have them off. The next three years should be fun!
When my son got his braces last August, he was in a lot more pain. But my daughter is just bothered by them. Her teeth hurt to a degree, but she hasn't asked for ibuprofen every 4-6 hours like he did. I think her mouth is just irritated by them. She is a grinder, so I purchased a $6 mouth guard that is meant for playing sports. The orthodontist suggested it might help her at night, since she was already having jaw pain and frequent headaches which could possibly be caused by the grinding. She has used the mouth guard to help protect her mouth from the braces as well.
A word about mouth guards, from my experience... I purchased one for my son which has proven pretty handy. It cost $20. In less than a year, he had chewed completely through it. Apparently, he clinches or chews when he plays sports. As I was looking for new ones yesterday, I was able to compare the cheap one to the more expensive one. The expensive one was more rubbery, while the cheaper one was harder plastic. It seems that the cheaper one would be harder to chew through. They are shaped completely different, and the cheaper one is easier to talk with in your mouth. We shall see what happens...
Anyway, wanted to give another shout out for kids with braces. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get your kid an oral irrigator! Heck, even if they don't have braces, it's handy. I can't tell you what a difference it makes in your child's teeth and gums. It also massages the gums when they are in pain. If I ran an orthodontist office, I would include it in the price and give them to my patients! This one's awesome... (click on it to learn more!)
1 comment:
Good to hear that your children got their braces that early cause a dentist in Memphis tn told me that the younger they fix the disparities in a person's teeth the easier it'll be for them to correct it. And yes, braces is really painful the first time they have it but I heard the dentists have developed braces that are less painful and less time to wear it. I think you should also check it out.
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