Never thought about silicone earplugs... sounds risky for me, I’d probably swallow it by accident.
I totally get that—tried the earplug trick once, and it just felt weird in my mouth. Wax works better for me too, even if it gets a bit mushy. Had a bracket pop off during a road trip once, ended up living on applesauce and scrambled eggs for two days. Not fun, but honestly, patience and soft foods are the way to go if you can’t get through to anyone. The waiting is the hardest part, but it’s usually not the end of the world.
Totally agree—wax is just easier to deal with. I tried the silicone thing once and it felt like I was chewing on a pencil eraser, not worth the stress. Soft foods and patience got me through a weekend too... mashed potatoes for the win.
I tried the silicone thing once and it felt like I was chewing on a pencil eraser, not worth the stress.
That’s exactly how my daughter described it—she hated the silicone, said it made everything feel weird. I get so anxious when something breaks and it’s the weekend. What’s worked for us is: first, check if anything is poking. If yes, wax goes on (not silicone, just like you said). Second, lots of soft foods—she lived on yogurt and scrambled eggs. Third, I keep reminding her not to touch the broken bit with her tongue, even though it’s hard. Honestly, I keep worrying it’ll get worse before the ortho opens, but so far, patience and mashed potatoes have saved us too.
Honestly, I keep worrying it’ll get worse before the ortho opens, but so far, patience and mashed potatoes have saved us too.
Totally get the anxiety—weekends seem to bring out all the dental emergencies. A couple of quick things that have helped my patients:
- If wax isn’t sticking, a tiny piece of wet cotton can sometimes do the trick in a pinch.
- Rinsing with salt water helps if there’s any soreness or irritation.
- If a wire is really poking, you can (carefully) use a pencil eraser to nudge it flat—just be gentle.
I’ve noticed most issues don’t get worse in 48 hours, but yeah, it’s hard not to worry. Hang in there... soft foods and patience really do make a difference.
Yeah, weekends are the worst for this stuff. I had my first bracket pop off late on a Saturday and totally panicked. I kept checking in the mirror every hour, convinced it was gonna get way worse or something else would snap. Ended up just sticking to yogurt and scrambled eggs for two days, and honestly, nothing really changed by the time I saw my ortho.
I tried the wax but it wouldn’t stay put, so the wet cotton tip is super helpful—wish I’d known that earlier. I was so nervous about moving wires around, but the pencil eraser trick sounds a lot less scary than trying to use tweezers (which I definitely did not have the guts for). The salt water rinse made things feel a bit better, too.
It’s just weird how much you notice every tiny thing once something breaks... but so far, waiting it out hasn’t made anything worse for me either. The anxiety is real, though.