I’m right there with you on the wax. When I first got my braces, I tried every mouth rinse the ortho recommended, but honestly, most of them just made my mouth burn and didn’t seem to speed things up much. The wax felt like a lifesaver, especially at night when that wire would dig in and I’d be too anxious to sleep. Sometimes I’d wake up and the wax would be gone (no idea where it went—probably swallowed it by accident), but even just a few hours of relief made a difference.
I’ve heard about coconut oil but haven’t worked up the nerve to try it. I’m always worried I’ll mess something up or make things worse. For me, it’s really been about patience and just trying to keep things as comfortable as possible. It’s not fun, and there are definitely days where I get frustrated, but knowing that other people have had the same struggles makes it feel a little less overwhelming. Still not convinced those rinses do much except make my mouth sting... maybe they work for some people, but wax is where it’s at for me.
My kid’s ortho swears by the rinses, but honestly I’m always nervous they’ll sting or make things worse. Wax is great for the wires, but we did have a few times where ulcers just wouldn’t heal until we stuck with the rinse routine. Maybe it just depends on the person? I wish there was a magic fix.
