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.
I’m actually kinda nervous to try wax after reading mixed reviews. I tried it once and it just felt weird—kept worrying it’d fall off in my sleep or I’d accidentally swallow it. Salt water rinses sting for me too, but I do them anyway because my surgeon said they help. I can’t imagine just toughing it out... my pain tolerance is so low. Those first days, I was convinced my face would never look normal again. It’s nice to hear it gets better, even if the selfies say otherwise!
Totally get where you’re coming from—wax can feel pretty awkward at first. I’ve seen people use it for a few nights until things settle down, but yeah, sometimes it does fall off or just feels odd. Swallowing it isn’t really harmful, but it’s still not exactly pleasant to think about. Salt water rinses sting for a lot of folks, especially if there’s any irritation, but they do help keep things clean and heal faster. The whole “tough it out” approach isn’t for everyone, and honestly, there’s no gold star for suffering through more pain than you have to. Most people find their faces go back to normal way sooner than they expect… even if the mirror disagrees for a bit.
I’m with you on the wax feeling weird at first—honestly, I thought I was doing something wrong the first couple nights because it just kept disappearing. Turns out, it’s pretty normal for it to fall off or even get swallowed (gross, but true). For me, salt water rinses were a lifesaver once the initial sting passed. They really did help soothe things and made me feel like I was at least doing something proactive.
I tried the “tough it out” thing for a bit, but honestly, there’s just no reason to be a hero. The discomfort can mess with your mood and sleep, and that’s just not worth it if there are ways to make things easier. My face looked puffy for what felt like forever, but it settled down way quicker than I expected. It’s wild how fast your body bounces back, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
If anyone’s feeling self-conscious or frustrated, just know it’s totally valid. It gets better, even if it feels slow.