Your orthodontic help centre

When you have your braces fitted or altered during appointments, your mouth may feel sore and your teeth may be tender. This will pass after a few days, however you can relieve the initial pain by rinsing your mouth with warm, salty water.

You can also use wax on the braces to protect your lips, cheeks and tongue from rubbing too much on your appliance.

One of the safest and easiest ways to help ease the irritation of a poking wire is to use orthodontic wax. Roll the wax into the shape and size of a pea, and carefully place it on the wire that is causing you discomfort. You can also use the eraser end of a pencil to gently bend the wire away from your cheek and into a better position.

If you have a loose bracket that is not secured on your tooth and is sliding along the wire, you can apply orthodontic wax onto it to secure it next to an adjacent bracket. If it is the last bracket in the back of your mouth, you can remove it. Keep it safe, and contact us to arrange an appointment to get it fixed.

Firstly we recommend washing your hands thoroughly and brushing your teeth to ensure everything is as clean as it can be. Next, take a piece of wax about the size of a regular pea, and pinch it in between your fingers until it softens. Roll and flatten the ball slightly, and then gently push the wax onto the desired part of your braces.

You can wear the wax overnight and we recommend replacing it every two days. Keep an eye on it when eating or drinking, and remove it if food becomes stuck, or if the wax looks discoloured or dirty.

It’s perfectly normal for a new set of aligners to cause some discomfort; this is because they’re designed to gradually move your teeth into their optimal position during treatment. This movement can cause minor pain and may feel like your aligners are scratching your gums.

There are things you can do to reduce irritation - you can apply orthodontic wax to the areas where your aligners feel particularly uncomfortable. You can also use your chewies - these soft rubber pieces help create pressure on your aligners and make them snap into place and sit properly on your teeth. All you need to do is bite down on the chewies for up to 1-2 minutes, a few times a day.

We recommend asking a parent or guardian to help with turning your expander. The easiest way to do this is:

• Lie down on a bed or piece of furniture where there is good light. Tilt your head back so your expander can be seen clearly - there are arrows on the middle metal section of the expander that highlights the direction that the turn should be made.
• Insert your expander key into the visible hole on your appliance until it is firmly in place.
• Following the arrows facing towards the back of your mouth, ask your parent or guardian to apply a small amount of pressure to move the key in that direction. As they turn, the fender will rotate and a new hole in your appliance will appear.
• When the turn is complete, your parent or guardian simply needs to push down toward your tongue while continuing to apply light pressure towards the back of your mouth. This will enable them to remove your expander key.