Weird tricks for stopping braces from tearing up my cheeks?

I tried to get creative once and used a bit of beeswax I had leftover from a candle-making kit... let’s just say I do NOT recommend it unless you’re into the taste of disappointment and regret. The stuff got all crumbly and stuck everywhere. I feel you on the wax disappearing act, though - mine seems to evaporate if I even look at a hot drink. At this point, I just carry extra wax in my pocket like some weird dental squirrel.

At this point, I just carry extra wax in my pocket like some weird dental squirrel.

That cracked me up - pretty sure we could start a whole club of dental squirrels at this point. But honestly, I gotta push back a bit on the beeswax thing. I tried it too, after running out of the ortho wax (why does it always run out right before bed?), but I had a totally different experience. Maybe it was the kind I used? Mine was from a craft store and felt softer, almost like lip balm. It still wasn’t perfect - definitely not as smooth as the real stuff - but it got me through a couple rough days until I could get more from my ortho.

I totally get what you mean about the wax just vanishing with hot drinks though. First time I had tea, I thought I’d swallowed it or something. Turns out, yeah, it just melts away and then you’re back to square one with your cheeks getting shredded.

Random side note: my cousin swears by those little silicone earplug pieces when she runs out of wax. She just pinches off a bit and rolls it over her brackets. Sounds weird, but she says it’s less crumbly than beeswax and stays put longer, especially if you’re eating or drinking something warm. I haven’t tried it myself - kinda nervous about putting anything not meant for teeth in my mouth - but she’s survived so far.

I guess everyone’s got their own hack for surviving braces. For me, nothing beats the actual ortho wax, but in a pinch, I’ll try just about anything that doesn’t taste like regret. If only they made a wax that tasted like chocolate... now that would be genius.

The struggle is real, but hey, at least we’ll have nice teeth at the end of all this, right?

That’s wild about the earplug trick - never heard of that one before. Has anyone actually asked their ortho if that’s safe? I always worry about weird reactions or something getting stuck. Also, does anyone else find the wax gets all gritty if you eat bread or crackers?

I’ve always wondered about the safety of using anything not specifically made for braces - earplugs seem risky if they break apart. Anyone else get annoyed by how wax just crumbles after eating? Has anyone tried those silicone covers instead, or do they have the same issue with food?

Wax crumbling after eating drove me nuts too. I tried those silicone covers and honestly, they held up better for me - less mess, but sometimes a bit trickier to get off. Hang in there, it gets easier with time.