Flat pillows definitely helped me too, memory foam just didn't feel right with braces. Wax was a huge relief at first, but later I found silicone covers online—bit pricier upfront, but reusable and super comfy. Might be worth checking out if wax gets tedious...
"Wax was a huge relief at first, but later I found silicone covers online—bit pricier upfront, but reusable and super comfy."
I've tried those silicone covers myself, and while I agree they're comfier long-term than wax, I found them actually harder to keep clean consistently. Maybe it's just me being overly cautious, but even after thorough rinsing, they seemed to pick up little bits of debris or fuzz more easily than wax did. Wax is disposable, which can be tedious, sure...but at least you're starting fresh each time.
Also, flat pillows were okay for me initially, but I ended up preferring a medium-thickness pillow with adjustable filling. It let me tweak the height just enough to find that sweet spot where my jaw felt supported without pushing uncomfortably against my braces. Might be worth experimenting a bit more if flat pillows aren't quite cutting it long-term.
Honestly though, comfort with braces is such a personal thing—what feels good today might annoy you next week. Just gotta keep adapting as you go along...
I get what you're saying about silicone covers picking up fuzz, but honestly, wax drove me nuts with how easily it melted or shifted around. Silicone felt way more stable for me...guess it's just a trade-off depending on your tolerance for cleaning vs. convenience.
Haha, totally feel you on the wax struggle—mine once melted into a sad little mess during a hot summer day at the beach. Not my finest moment. Silicone definitely saved me from that embarrassment, even if I did have to occasionally pick fuzz off it. You're right though, it's all about choosing your battles... fuzzy silicone beats waxy disasters any day in my book. Hang in there, braces buddy, you're doing great!
Ugh, the wax struggle is real. Did yours seriously melt at the beach? Mine never melted exactly, but it did get super soft and sticky once when I left it in my car on a hot day. It was like trying to mold chewing gum onto my braces—gross and totally ineffective. I switched to silicone too, but honestly, I still get paranoid about it. Do you ever worry about accidentally swallowing it in your sleep? I know it's probably irrational, but I can't help it.
Also, speaking of braces taking forever... how long have you had yours on now? I'm going on two years and counting, and my orthodontist keeps saying "just a few more months," but I'm starting to think that's code for "I have no idea." My underbite has improved a lot, but the progress feels painfully slow lately. Did anyone else hit a plateau where nothing seemed to change for months? I'm trying to stay patient, but it's tough when you don't see visible progress.
And another thing—does anyone else get anxious about the elastics snapping randomly? Mine broke once during a work meeting, and I swear everyone heard it. I spent the rest of the day convinced people were staring at my mouth. Maybe I'm just overly cautious, but braces have definitely made me hyper-aware of every little thing that could go wrong.
Anyway, glad to know I'm not alone in the fuzzy silicone club. Picking lint off silicone beats dealing with waxy disasters any day, even if it does make me feel a bit ridiculous sometimes. Hang in there, everyone. We'll get through this eventually... right?
