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Brace Yourself!
Helping Your Child Adjust to Orthodontic Braces
By Tamar Weiss
After a year of braces and head gear, 13-year-old Sara says she doesn't mind them, although the head gear still makes her feel a little self-conscious. "I really didn't want to wear the head gear in public at all," she says, "But the orthodontist said I had to wear it sometimes if I wanted my teeth to get better, so I agreed to wear it to school, because the girls in my class are nice, and I feel comfortable with them." Sara and her parents made a compromise: She doesn't have to wear the head gear in any public place aside from school.
A common complaint of kids who wear braces is soreness after the braces are adjusted. Dr. Mahaffey explains that "today's braces are smaller, and we use lighter, more flexible modern wires which do not cause as much pain as they did 10 to 20 years ago. Soreness lasts about three days after each adjustment." He recommends Tylenol to relieve any pain.
Another common complaint is that the wires jab into cheeks and gums. Marc S. Lemchen, D.M.D., suggests that kids ask their orthodontist for a wad of wax. "If a brace breaks, [wax] can be a lifesaver once the damage is done," he says. "Shape a bit of wax around any rough bits to shield your mouth from damage until you can get to the orthodontist to fix the broken brace."
Prevention is the best medicine. Kids should "become involved in the treatment," Dr. Lemchen says. "Ask about the process, and understand what is going on ... recognize when something is wrong and learn how to handle emergencies. Avoid sticky and hard foods, and refrain from biting on pens or other objects to minimize breakage."