Curious if anyone else has tried heat packs or if that just makes things worse...
I actually tried a heat pack once, thinking it’d be soothing, but for me it just made my gums feel puffier? Maybe it’s just my brain mixing up “warmth = comfort” with “warmth = more throbbing.” Cold stuff always worked better for me, like ice water or a cold spoon. The washcloth thing sounds clever, but I’d be nervous about biting down too—like, what if I crack a bracket or something in my sleep?
Ibuprofen was hit-or-miss for me too. Sometimes I’d just put on a podcast and try to distract myself until I fell asleep. The worst is when you finally get comfy and your mouth decides to throw a tantrum. I guess it’s all trial and error until you find what helps most. At least we’re not alone in the “nighttime braces pain” club...
Honestly, I totally get what you mean about the heat packs. I thought they’d help too, but for me, it just felt like it made everything swell up more. Cold has always been my go-to—sometimes I’d just keep a glass of ice water by the bed and take little sips when it got really bad. It’s kind of comforting to hear I’m not the only one who finds ibuprofen hit-or-miss. Nighttime is definitely the worst for this stuff, but hey, at least we’re all figuring it out together.
Cold’s always been my thing too—ice water, frozen peas, whatever’s handy. I’ve never understood the hype around heat packs for braces pain. For me, it just made my mouth feel puffier and more irritated. Ibuprofen is so hit-or-miss, I swear sometimes it barely touches the pain. Nighttime is rough, but honestly, knowing other people are lying awake with sore teeth does make it feel a bit less isolating. Hang in there—it does get easier after a while, even if it doesn’t seem like it at 2am.
I totally get what you mean about the heat packs—tried it once and just ended up feeling like my face was a marshmallow. My go-to is cold too, but I also sometimes use orthodontic wax if the brackets are digging in. It doesn’t fix the ache, but it makes things less stabby, if that makes sense. Ibuprofen’s a toss-up for me as well... sometimes it’s like, did I even take anything? Nighttime is definitely the worst, but I promise, your teeth won’t hate you forever.
That “marshmallow face” feeling is exactly why I gave up on heat packs too. I swear, cold packs are the only thing that ever made a dent in the pain for me. The wax is a lifesaver for those sharp brackets—sometimes I’d just pile it on if I was desperate. Ibuprofen was hit or miss here as well... there were nights I’d just lie there and wonder if my teeth were actually moving or just plotting against me. Eventually, things did calm down, but wow, those early weeks were rough.
