My nephew got clear aligners from a dental school last year, so yeah, some definitely offer them. But you're right about patience—appointments took forever, and he had to go back a few extra times because they kept tweaking the fit. Still, way better than losing teeth over some TikTok hack... I mean, who even thinks rubber bands are a good idea for teeth alignment? Glad your daughter's braces turned out well though! Did she complain much about soreness after adjustments? My nephew was pretty dramatic about it at first, lol.
My braces were years ago, but I still remember that soreness vividly. Did your nephew try cold foods after adjustments? Ice cream or smoothies always helped me a bit. And yeah, dental schools are great if you're patient—my friend got aligners there too, saved a ton of money but said the same thing about extra visits. Honestly though, anything beats those DIY hacks... rubber bands on teeth just sound painful and risky. Glad your nephew went the safer route, even if he was dramatic about it at first, haha.
Cold foods definitely help, but honestly, warm saltwater rinses were my go-to. Sounds weird, but it eased soreness better than ice cream did for me. Totally agree though—DIY braces hacks are scary stuff... teeth aren't something to mess around with.
Warm saltwater rinses were my lifesaver too, especially after adjustments. Did you ever try orthodontic wax? It felt weird at first, but honestly saved my cheeks from getting shredded by brackets... DIY braces though—just nope.
Warm saltwater rinses definitely helped me too, but I never had much luck with orthodontic wax. I tried it a few times, and honestly, it drove me nuts. It kept slipping off, or I'd accidentally swallow bits of it (gross, I know). Maybe I was just using it wrong or something—but after a while, I just gave up and powered through until my mouth toughened up on its own.
One thing I did find useful that doesn't get mentioned as often—silicone bracket covers. They're these little silicone sleeves you pop over your brackets, and they stay put way better than wax. They felt less weird to me too, probably because they're smoother and don't crumble apart. I remember discovering them by accident at my orthodontist's office when another patient mentioned them; turns out they had a stash hidden away in the back. Wish they'd told me sooner!
But yeah, can't agree more about DIY braces being a disaster waiting to happen. My younger cousin once got sucked into those viral videos and tried rubber bands around her front teeth to close a gap. Luckily her mom caught her early enough to stop any real damage, but it scared us all pretty good. Teeth aren't something you mess around with at home—too many horror stories out there already.
I guess everyone has their own braces survival tricks though... what works for one person doesn't always work for another. Glad we're past those days now!
