New to Braces? Check out These Top Five Sleeping Tips!
Have you got braces over your teeth to correct orthodontic imperfections impacting your smile and dental health? Before getting the braces on your teeth, the dentist providing them would have recommended that you stock your pantry with some braces-friendly snacks because you must refrain from having sticky and hard foods that might damage the appliance and cause you to seek additional treatments from the dentist and slow your treatment. The dentist would have also advised you to keep orthodontic wax handy for use if you feel uncomfortable with the appliance.
If the dentist assumed you are comfortable with the appliance and you didn’t receive sleeping tips with braces, this article focuses on the top five tips for sleeping with orthodontic appliances like conventional braces.
How Can I Prevent Braces from Hurting at Night?
You don’t need to adopt dramatic changes when sleeping with braces throughout your treatment. However, on the first night with braces, you must prepare for a restful night considering some things by focusing on sleeping well. After you get accustomed to the braces and your teeth and gums have adjusted, you will not confront any challenges sleeping with this appliance.
1. Ensure Your Teeth and Gums Are Clean
Committing to an excellent dental hygiene routine gains more importance than earlier when you have braces to straighten your teeth. It is crucial for you to clean your gums and between each tooth beside the spaces between the teeth and the braces before going to bed. You will prevent unhealthy symptoms from developing when you keep your teeth and braces clean.
You might experience symptoms like tender gums, inflamed gums, toothaches, yellow teeth, and lousy breath because of poor dental hygiene, making it discomforting for you and distracting your bed partner when trying to sleep. Therefore keeping your teeth and the braces clean help you in many ways.
2. Sleeping on Your Back Helps
If you are used to resting on your sides or stomach, you must change the habit and practice sleeping on your back for a few nights. Sleeping on your sides or stomach presses your cheeks against the pillow irritating your mouth. However, if you decide to sleep on your back, you minimize contact between the braces and your mouth, allowing your cheeks to relax without putting pressure on them against the braces.
Sleeping on your side will likely not cause any problems because of the sleeping position. However, you might wake up with bracket imprints on the sides of your cheeks and minor soreness, which subsides quickly.
3. Use Orthodontic Wax If Required
If you develop tender cheeks and gums, you can use the orthodontic wax braces in Phoenix suggested when placing the appliance on your teeth. In addition, you can use wax on any brackets or wires that irritate your cheeks. Before getting into bed, please take a few pieces of orthodontic wax to place them over the brackets or wire ends needing attention. Alternatively, you can set the wax on all brackets for cheek relief if you feel like it. The wax provides a comfortable barrier between your braces and mouth, helping you sleep soundly and wake up fully rested.
Please do not consider the wax harmful and worry about swallowing it when sleeping. Most brands use non-toxic natural substances to manufacture the wax to ensure you sleep soundly without discomfort. Therefore you will likely not experience any sickness because you swallowed the wax overnight.
4. Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers Help with Discomfort
During your initial week with braces, you can expect some gum soreness. If you avoid all the hard foods and change your diet to the soft variety, you may still experience discomfort and soreness while heading to bed. In such cases, you can use over-the-counter pain relievers, inquiring with the pharmacist whether the pain reliever is ideal to use with braces. By the end of week one, you will feel comfortable without pain relievers when you get into bed to sleep.
5. Consider Wearing Mouthguards or Night Guards If Affected by Bruxism
If your dentist notices signs of bruxism causing you to clench and grind your teeth, consider getting a customized night card when sleeping with braces. Biting down on brackets or wires can make you sore and uncomfortable in the morning. Do not consider purchasing over-the-counter appliances because they aren’t suited for a problem like bruxism. Instead, request the device from the dentist providing the braces to ensure comfort and protection to your cheeks, teeth, and the orthodontic appliance.
Can You Sleep Normally with Braces?
After getting braces near me to correct orthodontic problems, consider the freedom you will acquire from problems like dental infections and the beautiful teeth and smile you achieve after straightening your teeth. You might find it challenging to sleep normally during the first few days after getting braces placed on your teeth. However, if you follow the tips suggested in this article, you should sleep well and normally by the end of the first week and continue doing so until the braces come off your teeth after you complete the treatment.
Sleeping with braces is a minor challenge you can comfortably overcome using the tips mentioned herein. Use them to supplement your braces treatment to achieve the desired results.
uSmile orthodontics suggests the tips mentioned above to patients needing braces to straighten crooked and misaligned teeth. If you have your braces from them, you will likely receive these suggestions to sleep well with the orthodontic appliance over your teeth.