Salt water rinse was the winner for my kid too—everything else just seemed to make things worse or stick to the braces. We tried wax once and it just melted off after a few minutes, so not worth the hassle. Honestly, it’s rough, but counting down to eating real food again does help. The camera roll full of weird mouth pics is so real... ours had way too many close-ups of swollen cheeks. It gets better, even if it feels endless at first.
I’ve gotta say, I had a totally different experience with wax.
For me, the wax was actually a lifesaver when the brackets were digging into my cheeks. Maybe it’s just the brand or how much you use? I’d pop a tiny piece on before bed and it stayed put most nights, which made a huge difference in getting any sleep at all.We tried wax once and it just melted off after a few minutes, so not worth the hassle.
Salt water rinses are great for healing, but I always felt like they stung a bit when things were really raw. I guess everyone’s mouth reacts differently—my cousin swears by just toughing it out, but I’m not that brave. And yes, the camera roll... mine is still haunted by those puffy chipmunk selfies. It does get better, but man, those first weeks are rough. Hang in there.
