I used to have a retainer, which isn't as bad as braces but it still hurt. I sympathize with you and I hope the pain abates soon.

So... YOU HAVE ENTERED THE EVIL REALM THAT IS BRACES! :P

I was kidding by the way. Anyways, I've had braces for almost 2 years so I definitely understand what you're going through.

First of all, the brackets! Did they actually glue it wrong or is your tooth crooked and they're trying to make it turn? Because they did that with my three incisors. (Yes I have three; the fourth is missing or never showed up or something.) Anyways, did the ortho give you wax? Because if they did, then take a bit- not too much, just half a pinky nail amount or even less, depending on the thickness- cover the sharp, poky wire thing with it. If there's a lot of wire, then you might have to go back and get it cut. ;)

And don't worry, the pain will go away in one or two weeks. In the meantime, don't be afraid to try an Advil or something (with parental permission of course!). I took them when I first started and still take them.

All for now. XFactor's on. (Simon Cowell's back along with Paula Abdul...) Hope this helped! :D 

Ooh, you've got braces? DON'T WORRY! It gets sooo much better! I hardly feel them anymore, trust me! It's not too bad not eating hard/sticky foods. My mom gets this really good gum that isn't sticky, so it doesn't get stuck in your braces, so I chew it all the time. 

Another thing, USE THE WAX!!! It will SAVE your braces life! If it's really superly duperly long, go in to get it cut. Other than that, use the wax until you go into your next appointment, then they'll fix it up.

Do you need head-gear? I do, and it's not too bad, after you get used to it. At first, I hardly slept with it on. But now, I can't sleep without it on.

Yes, use Advil or Tylenol, BUT WITH PARENTS PERMISSION!!!

Good luck :) It's not too bad, you'll get used to it. Love braces, don't hate them, because that'll make your experience even worse.

My sister is getting braces in about a month.  She's weird and wants them...we keep trying to tell her that they are going to hurt, but...oh well.
Anyway, my pointless comment was to say that I'll have her check this out. :)

Silly Spammy, Oxen is spelled "Oxen," not "Oxes" or "Oxiz" for that matter.

Oh Alexandra, I'm so sorry. In a few days the pain will have subsided :). Here are some tips from someone who still has braces (two years now!):

*Keep on brushing and flossing like you are! I know it's a pain, but brusing and keeping all that plaque and stuff away will make it easier to open the brackets when you get your wire changed, and flossing is so so important. I must admit I stopped flossing for a while, and my gums hurt like crazy! If you don't, your gums will want to go down onto your braces, and that does not feel good.

*Despite what many people suggest, ice cream does not really help with the pain. For me, ice cream increases the pain becuase it is so cold with metal on my teeth. Warm things work better I think.

*Follow the rules! If you don't and eat stuff they tell you not to, brackets will most definately come off or it will be very hard for them to open the brackets to change the wire! And if you do follow the rules and brackets still come off, you might want to ask your orthodontist about maybe having a problem with grinding your teeth at night. That's what happened with me, and they kept accusing me of eating things I wasn't supposed to, which I wasn't!

*Once you get rubberbands, wear them. The more you wear them, the faster you can get your braces off.

And after all this, and you can happily get your braces off, you can have a party with stuff to eat that you couldn't when you had braces!!:) That's what I'm hoping to do!

Good Luck!

-Kiwi☺☻

I will sympathize with you when I get braces, and I need them badly.  I have the hair of Maedhros Feanorian, the soul of an Elf, the quick temper of Feanor, the feet of a hobbit, and the teeth of...Gollum.

I just got my braces off this summer.  I had had them for 2 years, so I know what you're feeling!  My advice to you: if they tell you to do something, do it!  They gave me elastics, and I wore them so much, I had to wear them backwards to refix it!  If you do what they ask, you might (might) get them off early.

I just went to the orthodontist's office, and got my retainers tightened.  They feel tighter, but they're not as bad as braces.

I've had braces for 2 years, and I had them for another year before that, so I know what you're going through. I'm really sorry. Things will get better, I promise. The pain really doesn't last long.

Mattie, I'm sorry you'll get braces, but that was really funny!

Now for the completely selfish bit: I'M GETTING THEM OFF NEXT WEEK! YAY!

Thank you so much, everyone! I really appreciate it! They don't hurt as much anymore, and I can actually chew things now (OMG). Advil and Tylenol definitely helped, and so did the wax, though I'm pretty sure I put too much on. -_- Anyway, I feel sorry for all of you with braces and retainers, and thanks again for your advice! :-[#)

@Mattie: I'm sorry for you getting braces, but your comment is hilarious! Did you know I have a friend named Finwe (her brothers are Milo and Thorin, and her cat is Frodo) who hasn't read the Lord of the Rings?

Humor helps a lot. I remember an old, sick friend who kept saying: "Always keep your sense of humor!" And Gollum is one of my all-time favorite characters!

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