Braces are a useful way of realigning your teeth and improving your overall smile. When you obtain braces for the first time, you essentially begin an exciting journey towards better-looking teeth.
You may have many expectations for your new braces, but there are certain side effects that you're likely to experience along the way. These side effects are mostly normal and should not cause you to be alarmed.
Slight discomfort
Braces are installed to gently adjust your teeth back to their correct position. Therefore, you're likely to experience some discomfort as the braces exert gentle pressure on your teeth over time.
This feeling is normal, and it's actually a good sign. As long as you're not under any excruciating pain (which means you should consult your dentist immediately), slight discomfort during treatment is to be expected.
Occasional loose teeth
While wearing braces, you may feel some of your teeth becoming loose. Loose teeth show that they're actually being adjusted back to their correct position over time. You can expect to experience a few loose teeth during treatment (they will gradually tighten up again once they're correctly realigned).
While wearing braces, make sure you avoid heavy contact to your teeth and mouth. Heavy blows to loose teeth can cause them to fall out instead of being correctly realigned.
Lisp speech
Perhaps the most dreaded side effect of braces is talking with a bit of a lisp. Many teens find lisp speech irritating and sometimes embarrassing. While you may talk with a lisp during the first few weeks of treatment, your speech will gradually return to normal as you get used to the braces.
With a lisp, you may feel overly sensitive about your speech and end up becoming too hard on yourself. However, you'll be surprised to note that many people don't pay as much attention to the little details as you do. As long as you can communicate clearly (which braces allow you to do), your lisp speech won't cause any problems.
Fitting challenges
Newer braces are designed to fit as comfortably as possible in your mouth. However, remember that the braces are also supposed to realign your teeth by correcting their positioning. You can expect to have some teeth in your mouth not fitting perfectly with the rest of your braces. This is normal, because teeth that are out of position will need to be slowly readjusted in your mouth.
As you anticipate these side effects, also keep an eye out for any severe feelings of discomfort. Your braces should not make you feel as if your mouth is under siege. Constant pain and other similar issues should be reported to the dentist as soon as possible. For more information contact a children's dentist with experience with braces.
For many years, I hated the way my teeth looked. They always looked discoloured so I would do everything I could to hide my smile. On family photos, my mom would always complain that I never gave a grin like my brothers and sisters. When I graduated college, I decided I needed to take action. I contacted my local dental surgery and asked them about tooth whitening treatments. The dentist was great and gave me all of the info I needed. After the treatment, my smile was like a million dollars. I decided to start this blog to educate others about the benefits of teeth whitening and other dental treatments.