Wax helped a little with the inside of my cheeks, but didn’t touch the actual tooth pain.
I totally relate to this—wax is decent for the sharp bits, but it’s like my whole mouth is throbbing from the inside out. I tried eating soft bread, but even that felt like chewing rocks for the first few days. Did anyone else get headaches too? I kept wondering if I was just clenching my jaw from stress or if that’s normal. The “distract yourself” thing kinda works, but honestly, sometimes I just lay there and question my life choices... It’s comforting to hear it fades after a week or so, though.
Yeah, I had the same thing—wax was just a band-aid for the cheek carnage, but the actual tooth pain? Whole different beast. For me, it felt like my teeth were plotting an escape every time I tried to eat anything. I legit thought about blending my food for a few days, but then realized I’m not quite ready for that level of commitment.
Headaches? Oh yeah. I blamed it on everything from dehydration to staring at screens too long, but honestly, I think it was just my jaw tensing up from all the weird pressure. It’s wild how much your mouth can mess with your head—literally and figuratively.
Distraction helps a bit, but sometimes you just gotta sit there and accept that your teeth are in “firmware update” mode and will be glitchy for a while. It does get better, though. After about a week, I could chew without feeling like I was in a medieval torture device. Hang in there... and maybe stock up on soup and ice cream.
Distraction helps a bit, but sometimes you just gotta sit there and accept that your teeth are in “firmware update” mode and will be glitchy for a while.
Totally relate to the “firmware update” feeling—my teeth felt like they were running beta software for the first week. Wax helped with the sharp stuff, but for the deep ache, I actually found rinsing with warm salt water (super cheap) eased things a bit. Ibuprofen was my go-to, but only when it got really bad. Soup and yogurt kept me fed without breaking the bank or my teeth. It’s wild how much you end up budgeting for soft food... but it does pass after a bit.
That “firmware update” analogy actually nails it—I kept joking that my mouth was buffering every time I tried to eat. I’m with you on the salt water rinses, they honestly made a bigger difference than I expected, especially when my gums felt raw. Did anyone else get those random zaps of pain if you bit down wrong? I swear, even mashed potatoes felt like a risk some days.
I tried sticking to smoothies and eggs for the first week but got so bored. Did you notice certain foods actually made it worse? For me, even bread was too chewy at first. Also, I found that using wax helped with the brackets but not so much with the general soreness—kind of wish someone had warned me how different those pains would be.
Has anyone tried the numbing gels? I was tempted but never actually bought any. Curious if they're worth it or just a waste.
Those zaps when you bite down wrong are the worst—I kept thinking I was breaking a tooth or something. I tried the numbing gel once, honestly it just tasted weird and didn’t do much for me. Hang in there, it does get easier after a bit.