Aligner Pain: 10 Tips for effective aligner pain relief

Metal braces hurt. No questions about it. Compared to them, clear aligners are a breeze. Agreed, there is a slight degree of discomfort with the aligners but it is temporary. But, if you feel you cannot handle the discomfort, there are several ways to handle it.

Here are a few tips that you can follow to minimise clear aligners’ discomfort.

1. Switch Aligners at Night

Ideally, you must change your makeO toothsi invisible aligners every 12-14 days. The only time you will feel a slight discomfort is when you change to the next set of aligners. Even that would be temporary.

The first few hours after switching the aligners may be slightly uncomfortable. If you switch them at night, you would sleep through the discomfort. Moreover, the sensory system relaxes when you sleep. This helps in reducing sensations like pressure on the teeth, stress, and pain. By the time you wake up, the dental ligament will be stretched out and the teeth will have a few hours to adjust before you remove your aligners.

2. Stay on Schedule

You need to switch to the new set of aligners exactly as mentioned in your makeO toothsi smile makeover plan. Not a day before, not a day later.

If you switch early, the new aligners may not fit properly and you will feel some pain. The same applies if you switch the aligners later than the prescribed time. Going off schedule can also hinder the treatment and affect the outcome of getting the perfect smile.

3. Cold Compress

Ice pack FTW! Placing a cold compress or an ice pack on the cheeks or jaw will reduce inflammation and numb the slight discomfort. But do not do that for more than 20 minutes. Instead, do it in short increments. If you are using ice, wrap it up in a towel or cloth. This helps in preventing injuring the skin.

4. Suck on Ice Cubes

Another effective way of reducing clear aligner discomfort is to suck on ice cubes. If you feel some pain after removing your aligners to brush or eat, suck on an ice cube for a while. This will alleviate mild pain to a great extent.

5. Don’t Remove Aligners Constantly

Removing the transparent aligners constantly won’t just affect the smile makeover process but also increase the discomfort. True, you have to take out the aligners when you eat, drink or brush. If you leave them out for too long, they will feel tighter when you put them back on.

When you wear them consistently for the recommended time, your mouth will get a chance to adjust to the aligners. This will eventually minimise the discomfort.

If you left them out for too long and the aligners are not fitting correctly, you might have to go back to an earlier set of aligners.

6. Exercise Your Mouth

The only way to get through the discomfort is to wear them often and adjust to them. So, as tempting as it might seem to ditch your clear aligners or keep mum after wearing them, we recommend you against it. One of the best aligner pain relief tips is to talk with your aligners and get habituated to them and soon you won’t even realise you have them on.

7. Eat Soft Foods

We all know that we are not supposed to eat while we wear our aligners. So, why does it matter if we eat soft foods? This is because your mouth might feel sore or tender if you are wearing clear aligners for the first time in your life. To ease your discomfort, we recommend you eat soft foods for a few days until you get the hang of wearing clear aligners and carrying out your daily activities with a breeze.

8. Drink Cold Water

Though you have to remove your clear aligners when you drink soft drinks or coloured beverages, you can have your aligners on while drinking water. We recommend you keep sipping on cold water to numb the sore area. This acts like a cold compress and helps to alleviate the aligner pain or discomfort caused by your new clear aligners

9. Use Painkillers

If you feel that you don’t want to deal with the aligner pain, then we recommend you ask your dentist to suggest you over-the-counter painkillers to numb your sore areas and help you adjust to your new clear aligners better.

10. Rinse Your Mouth With Salt Water

One of the aligner pain relief tips to alleviate the pain or the soreness of your mouth is to consider removing your clear aligners and rinsing your mouth with salt water. A saltwater gargle will help to soothe your teeth, gums, and mouth and make you feel better.

The Takeaway

Remember that the discomfort is temporary. If you can find a way through that and apply the above-mentioned tips, you will get that picture-perfect smile before you know it. Talk to your orthodontist if you face any speed bumps in your smile makeover plan, especially if the aligners don’t fit you properly at any stage.

Looking to buy all your dental care products under one roof? That is where makeO toothsi comes into the picture. makeO website has a carefully curated list of premium quality dental care products that will make taking care of your teeth and gums seem like a cakewalk. Whatever you are on the hunt for, electric toothbrushes, teeth whitening pens, teeth whitening gels, or aligner cleaning foams, makeO toothsi will deliver them to your doorstep.

FAQs:

Can you wear your aligners at night?

Yes, you can wear your aligners at night while you are sleeping. As long as you wear your aligners for 22 hours a day, you are good to go.

Is it okay if I don’t wear my aligners for 22 hours?

If you don’t religiously wear your clear aligners for at least 22 hours a day then it will hamper your teeth straightening process and increase your treatment time.

What should you avoid eating when you are using clear aligners?

It is recommended that you avoid hard food items like nuts when you are using clear aligners as they will further irritate your sore mouth and increase your pain and discomfort.

What soft foods can you eat when you are using clear aligners?

Hummus, tuna, bread, and fruit and vegetable juices are some food and drinks that you can indulge in during the initial week or two of your teeth straightening treatment.

How long does it take for clear aligners to stop hurting?

It will take about one or two weeks for you to adjust to the initial pain and discomfort of wearing clear aligners. After this period, you will only feel a slight discomfort every time you change your trays or remove or wear your clear aligners.