“I’ve got a stash of wax in every bag and pocket, just in case, but it really does melt away the second I eat soup or even drink tea.”
That brings back memories of my own braces days—I’d load up on wax before a meal, only to find it gone halfway through. I remember once at a family dinner, I tried to discreetly reapply wax under the table after biting into something crunchy... ended up dropping the whole strip onto my lap. Not my finest moment.
Honestly, I get why people reach for painkillers, but I’ve always been a bit wary myself. Like you said, they can knock you out or just make you feel weird. Salt water rinses were my go-to as well—my grandmother swore by them and, surprisingly, they actually took the edge off after adjustments.
Silicone is nice, but I agree, the price adds up fast. Wax isn’t perfect but it’s cheap and gets the job done most days. I always tell patients: sometimes it’s just about finding what annoys you least until your mouth toughens up.
“Salt water rinses were my go-to as well—my grandmother swore by them and, surprisingly, they actually took the edge off after adjustments.”
Funny thing, I never got much relief from salt water. Maybe my mouth just likes to rebel. Anyone else try ice chips? I used to pop one in my cheek when the wires were digging in—sort of numbs everything for a bit, and you don’t have to worry about wax melting away mid-soup. Wax is fine, but I swear half of mine ended up swallowed by accident... can’t be just me, right?
I totally get the wax thing—mine always disappeared too, usually when I was eating something hot. I tried ice chips, but honestly worried about cracking a bracket. It’s not just you with the swallowed wax... I was always anxious about that. Hang in there, it gets easier.
I tried ice chips, but honestly worried about cracking a bracket.
Honestly, I never understood the ice chip thing for braces pain. Seems risky for the hardware, and it never really helped me much anyway. Instead, I found silicone wax way more reliable than the regular stuff—less likely to fall off or get swallowed. Painkillers only dulled things for a couple hours, but the wax (when it stayed put) actually stopped the scraping. Just my two cents, but techier solutions like silicone are worth a try over the standard wax.
I get what you mean about the ice chips—it always sounded like a quick fix, but I was paranoid about cracking something too. Never really did much for me except make my mouth cold and kinda numb for a minute.
I’ve tried both regular wax and the silicone stuff, and honestly, I’m torn. The silicone definitely sticks better and doesn’t dissolve as fast, but sometimes it felt a bit bulky? Like, I’d end up chewing on it by accident or it would get stuck in weird places if I wasn’t careful. The standard wax is softer, but yeah, half the time I’d swallow it without even noticing.
Painkillers are hit or miss for me. They take the edge off after adjustments, but don’t do much for that raw spot on your cheek or lip where the bracket’s rubbing. That’s where wax (of any kind) wins out for me—just actually blocks the metal from digging in.
Has anyone here tried those little dental silicone strips instead of balls of wax? Wondering if that’s easier to shape or keep in place. Also curious if anyone’s ortho ever suggested using anything besides wax or painkillers—like saltwater rinses or numbing gels? My ortho just handed me a tiny box of wax and said “good luck,” so I feel like there’s gotta be more options out there.
Honestly, some days nothing works and you just have to tough it out until your mouth toughens up... but I’d love to hear if there are any tricks people swear by that aren’t just the usual advice.
