How to Deal With Dental Aligner Pain

August 23, 2024

Teeth straightening is a significant commitment and the first step in taking control of your smile. For many, the process is relatively smooth, especially compared to the discomfort associated with traditional metal braces. Some people may experience pain and mild discomfort during their treatment, which is normal and to be expected since you're repositioning your teeth. Fortunately, many others have navigated this journey and discovered effective tips for managing pain. We’re here to share some of these helpful tips with you!

Matter of Time

As mentioned, it’s important to understand that a little bit of dental aligner pain is understandable. For the best results, you should be wearing your dental aligners 22 hours a day. The only time your aligners should be removed is when eating food, drinking a beverage, or brushing your teeth.

Just like with traditional braces, it can simply be a matter of time before your teeth start adjusting. You can often just wait the discomfort out. Of course, if there is severe pain, you should stop wearing the aligner and contact a dentist for advice. Generally, any discomfort is relegated to the first set of aligners, or the first two. The first few weeks of wearing your aligner trays may cause some discomfort, but the further you progress into treatment, the less pain you’ll experience.

Watch Your Food

If you are experiencing any discomfort during your treatment, you might want to consider temporarily mixing up your diet to better accommodate your adjustment period to your dental aligner. This means that you should try to steer clear of foods that are difficult to chew, like raw carrots. You should also make sure to steer very clear of foods that can aggravate the gums, such as crunchy chips that can get pieces embedded in gums and teeth. If it’s crunchy or hard, put the brakes on it for a little while.

Chill Out

To mitigate any pain caused by your dental aligner treatment, you can use cold temperature to help. Do this by removing your aligner tray and applying a cool compress or ice pack to your mouth area.This will serve to numb the mouth and bring a sense of relief. You can also drink cold water, which can do wonders for lowering the amount of discomfort.

Pain Medication

Worse comes to worst, you can always fall back on pain medication to help dull the very worst discomfort. As with any medication, you should consult with a doctor or dentist before taking it. They may also be able to recommend some unique products, such as dental aligner wax. Even mildly powerful pain medication should be enough to get you through the rough early stages.

Get ready to start improving yourself, and take your first steps on your road to your new and improved smile? Start off by taking our smile assessment. After you’ve decided on your payment plan, you’ll receive our impression kit. Just make your impression, send it back, and we’ll have a 3D model of your new smile ready for you. With that, it’s just a matter of getting your clear aligners - perfect for discrete teeth straightening. Compared to traditional braces, dental aligners work much faster in straightening out your teeth. If you do feel any discomfort, just follow the tips above, consult your dentist, or shoot us a message. We’re behind you all the way when it comes to your journey to a new smile!