Parents Gym and Braces

[MuggleMom]

So we learned today DD will need braces. She got some rubber band things on her teeth today so she can be fitted with the spacer and braces for top teeth later this month. What are everyones expereinces with gym and braces? Was there a lot of discomfort? Did they want to miss practices when things got tightened or anything? DD is a bit worried about the discomfort and I never had braces so I don't have much to compare it to.

 

[twinmomma]

DD has had them since August. Zero issues. The biggest thing is nutrition when she gets them and when they are tightened. DD gets Jamba a lot after tightening. Mashed potatoes. That sort of thing.

 

[Greatlakesmom]

My daughters will often take pain medication before the appointment (or immediately following) to reduce any discomfort. That seems to help. They have not needed to miss practice due to pain.

 

[CuriousCate]

Both my gymmies have braces and yes, it's rather irritating for them after a tightening. We try hard to schedule these on their day off but if that isn't possible, I try to schedule their appt for the first thing in the morning, given them an ibuprofen, have them chew sugar free gum and send them along. They do fine. I do let the coaches know if a lot of work has been done.

 

[Flyaway]

Yeah it's mostly a non-issue. Welcome to the ortho club - most expensive club in the world! haha.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Mine never missed a day of practice due to braces.

On big ortho days, pain relief start 1/2 hour before appt, continue 24-72 hours needed. Softer food 2-3 days out as needed, depends on how much work and adjusting is needed.

And now a traditio, she gets a Dunkin frozen chocolate on the way home just because. Small if I‘m paying. Medium if it’s on her.

She does color coordinate band color for states

 

[Flyaway]

She does color coordinate band color for states

Oh yes, my dd very carefully considered her band color options during meet season!

 

[3cats]

When my DD first got hers on she missed that day's practice. She was cranky and in pain. But from that point on she was able to go about her day, including practice or meets soon after a tightening. Ibuprofen and that wax to put on the rough spots was much appreciated.

And yes, she definitely color coordinated her bands!

 

[Amanda]

We have had minimal issues with braces. When she first had them put back on for phase 2, she did have a fair amount of discomfort from them irritating the inside of her mouth. I now have her check really carefully before we leave to make sure there are no wires poking at her. That is also when she had the most issue with eating and I had to get pretty creative with smoothies and shakes with protein. She has occasionally taken ibuprofen after a tightening but mostly it doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[MuggleMom]

They say it will just be 6-9 months (this is just "phase 1") so I think she will be out of them before next season starts (she is getting them on the week after state cause I'm no dummy lol). She has already picked out fun summer colors for her bands. Is the wax something the Dr gives you or is this something I should grab ahead of time?

She is just getting a spacer and the brackets to start the wires will come after the spacing occurs. If that makes any sense. Luckily its only the top teeth for now so hoping this will be relatively painless. She has a high pain tolerance but I don't think she always deals well with more general discomfort so we will see how this goes. She just has these rubber band things on her teeth right now to get ready for the spacer and she hates them.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

They say it will just be 6-9 months (this is just "phase 1") so I think she will be out of them before next season starts (she is getting them on the week after state cause I'm no dummy lol). She has already picked out fun summer colors for her bands. Is the wax something the Dr gives you or is this something I should grab ahead of time?

She is just getting a spacer and the brackets to start the wires will come after the spacing occurs. If that makes any sense. Luckily its only the top teeth for now so hoping this will be relatively painless. She has a high pain tolerance but I don't think she always deals well with more general discomfort so we will see how this goes. She just has these rubber band things on her teeth right now to get ready for the spacer and she hates them.

The ortho will give you a care package that includes wax. And for what you will likely be paying there is no need to actually go out and pay for wax.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I'm a realist.... I am also a prepare for the worst person. Teeth shifting in your mouth. Top or bottom, is uncomfortable and or painful..... not debilitating but it is more then an annoyance. It is also very much person dependent. And usually very manageable with OTC pain relievers and a softer diet for a few days. In our house, the Dunkin frozen chocolates have a wonderful placebo effect...

Most orthos (at least the ones I have had experience with) will warn you when heavy work and shifting is going to happen. And suggest starting pain relievers prior to the appt to get ahead of it.

If they don't bring it up. Ask.

And you know your kid and their pain tolerance better then anyone (except maybe your kid). Better a few extra pain tablets then misery.

My kid is pretty stoic. So other then the intial big install, she is just uncomfortable. But she happily took ibuprofen when the big rigs went in.

 

[mommyof1]

She just has these rubber band things on her teeth right now to get ready for the spacer and she hates them.

My kid found the rubber band spacers more uncomfortable than the actual braces.

Is she getting a palate expander before the braces, or just braces? The expander is a way bigger deal than the braces because it interferes more with eating and gets adjusted daily. I am still recovering myself from the trauma of having to crank that thing to expand my poor child's skull.

 

[Flyaway]

My kid found the rubber band spacers more uncomfortable than the actual braces.

Is she getting a palate expander before the braces, or just braces? The expander is a way bigger deal than the braces because it interferes more with eating and gets adjusted daily. I am still recovering myself from the trauma of having to crank that thing to expand my poor child's skull.

OMG yes!!! Major thumbs down to the palate expander! We have had to have 2 (out of 4 kids). It's miserable. Not only the cranking every day, but the slurping... oh dear lord the slurping!

 

[mommyof1]

OMG yes!!! Major thumbs down to the palate expander! We have had to have 2 (out of 4 kids). It's miserable. Not only the cranking every day, but the slurping... oh dear lord the slurping!

AAAAHHHH. I had forgotten the slurping!

We also went through two rounds of the expander ... with only one kid.

 

[Flyaway]

We also went through two rounds of the expander ... with only one kid.

Bless your heart. That is cruel and unusual punishment!

 

[MuggleMom]

oh nooo...pray for me we have an expander that's whats getting put in later this month I will be cranking morning and night I don't know for how long

Is that more uncomfortable or painful for her? I am not looking forward to this. And what do you mean by slurping???

 

[Flyaway]

@MuggleMom an expander is suspended in the roof of their mouth but is not flush against it. Therefore it interferes with speech (try to talk without putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth) and swallowing (same thing - try to swallow saliva without putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth - hence the slurping). At first before they are used to it they really need to be careful when eating, take smaller bites, etc.

The cranking is... not fun at first. You are literally moving their palate apart in miniscule increments. After the first week or so there will be less resistance and therefore less pain.

Expect the smile to change. It will get much wider and they will likely develop more gaps in their teeth (unless they are doing it concurrently with braces). Don't worry about this. They over-expand because once the expander is out the palate will reset some. Braces will take care of the gaps.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

As someone who just had 3000 dollars of dental work today, a contributing factor is they didn't have palate expanders back when I had braces. I would of taken that palate expander in a NY minute if I had the opportunity.

 

[mommyof1]

The good news about the expander is that it usually doesn’t need to stay in for that long, and after the expander braces seem easy. Pro tip: avoid foods that can get wrapped around the wires. My daughter had a scary experience choking on spaghetti that got tangled in her expander.

 

[mommyof1]

Also, I would keep a close eye on her caloric intake while she has the expander, and supplement with ice cream, milkshakes, pudding, Instant Breakfast, etc. if necessary. We had trouble getting enough calories into our kid while she had the expander, and that did have an impact on her gymnastics. We have not had the same problem with the braces.