- Salt water rinses are my MVP—stingy at first, but way less gross than I expected. I actually started looking forward to them after a few days (never thought I’d say that about salty spit water). Pro tip: if it tastes like the ocean, you’ve gone too hard on the salt.
- Wax is a love-hate thing for me. Saved my cheeks from bracket shrapnel, but yeah, talking with it feels like you’re hiding a marshmallow in there. I’ve had it fall out mid-conversation more times than I care to admit... awkward, but better than shredded gums.
- Silicone—tried it once and nope. Too slippery. Wax just seems easier to stick with (literally and figuratively).
- “Toughing it out” sounds noble until you’re three hours into chewing on your own tongue because everything hurts. No shame in using every tool in the kit.
Honestly, what worked best was mixing things up depending on the day. Some mornings I’d swear by wax, others just needed that rinse. Don’t stress about doing it “right”—your mouth will let you know what’s working (usually by yelling at you).
- Salt water rinses were a lifesaver for me too, especially in the first week when everything felt raw. I found if I warmed it up a bit, it was way more soothing—cold water just made my teeth ache.
- Wax: mixed feelings there. It worked but always seemed to disappear right when I needed it most. I started carrying a little tin everywhere, just in case.
- Never tried silicone, so can’t weigh in on that one.
I’m curious—did anyone else have issues with the salt water drying their lips out? I had to start using lip balm constantly.
I totally relate to the salt water rinse situation—lukewarm was the only way I could handle it too. I did notice my lips getting super dry, especially on the corners. Chapstick basically became part of my post-surgery toolkit. Funny thing, I tried one of those super thick balms and ended up with more balm on my pillow than my lips... not ideal. As for wax, yeah, it’s like it has a disappearing act when you need it most. Never got around to trying silicone either—maybe I missed out?
Wax is such a mystery, right? I swear it’s like it senses when you actually need it and just melts away or disappears into thin air. I tried using it at night and would wake up with half of it stuck to my cheek instead of my brackets. I never got around to silicone either—honestly, I wasn’t sure if it would work better or just be more of the same mess.
About the lip balm thing, I thought I was being clever by slathering on Vaseline before bed, but it basically turned my pillowcase into a grease painting. Ended up switching to those little tubes that go on less thick, and that helped a bit with the dry corners. Still, nothing really stopped that tight, dry feeling for me.
Salt water rinses were my go-to for the first couple weeks, especially when everything felt raw. I tried toughing it out a few times, but honestly, it just made me cranky. It’s kinda weird how everyone has their own combo of survival tricks after surgery.
Salt water rinses were my go-to for the first couple weeks, especially when everything felt raw.
Same here—honestly, salt water is the only thing I kept up with because it’s cheap and you can always make more. Wax just seemed like a waste for me—half the time it’d vanish or get stuck somewhere random, like you said. I never tried silicone either, partly because I didn’t want to shell out for something that might just be another sticky mess. Did anyone actually find the pricier stuff worth it, or is it all hype?
