Your Kid Is Getting Braces: What To Expect, From A Mom Who Just Had Them

Even if you’ve had them yourself, it’s hard to know what to expect when your child gets braces — you’ve lived a lot of life since then, and the details are a bit hazy. Maybe you remember you were sore after you got them put on, but not for how long, which is important info when you’re trying to figure out just how much soup and ice cream to add to your grocery order. And how can you make sure they’re taking care of their teeth between meals and snacks at school?

Fear not: I’m 31 years old and almost finished with my 24 months of life with braces, so the memories are fresh. Here’s everything you need to know to prepare you and your child for their orthodontic adventure.

What to expect the day your kid gets braces

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, you should prep your kid by talking positively about the process of getting braces and all the benefits. Getting the braces put on the teeth is painless. An orthodontist’s assistant will polish and dry your kid’s teeth and then apply the brackets using special glue and a UV light (like going to the nail salon but… with your face). Your kid will have to have wear one of those cheek retractors during this part, which can be a little uncomfy after a while, but it’s not the worst.

Once all the brackets are in place, the orthodontist will insert a wire into them and trim the ends so it doesn’t poke or jab inside the mouth. Finally, they’ll place rubber bands onto each bracket to hold the wire in place. Because of the new tightness of the wire, you can expect your child’s teeth to be pretty sore shortly after their appointment, and for a few days afterward.

How to help your child with pain from braces

Within an hour of getting my braces, my whole mouth and face felt tight and uncomfortable. By dinnertime a few hours later, it was truly too painful to chew, and I felt that way for a couple of days. I recommend having lots of soup in the pantry — you don’t have to chew chicken and stars — along with mashed potatoes, ice cream, and smoothie ingredients.

After a few days, your kid will probably be back to being able to chew, at least some softer foods. That soreness may return for a day or two after each monthly adjustment, when they get new wires or power chains (a fancy, intimidating word for rubber bands that are all connected to close the gaps in your teeth). Taking ibuprofen ahead of the appointment and every four to six hours for the rest of the day eased the soreness for me.

By about halfway through my treatment, I stopped getting sore after my appointments. I think all the major straightening and gap closing had been done, and the small tweaks my orthodontist was making didn’t really register anymore. Hopefully the same will be true for your kid!

What to expect when your child gets braces: The first week

When I left the orthodontist’s office with my new braces on, I was honestly taken aback by how bad I felt in them mentally. When you have crooked teeth, it’s one thing — and mine were very, very overcrowded — but to have them emphasized by all that shiny metal is another. So, if your kid is self-conscious, it might be nice to plan something for the weekend that’ll give them a confidence boost: a new haircut they’ve been wanting, a pair of cool shoes off their wishlist, whatever it may be. Remind them that their teeth will look visibly straighter pretty quickly, and they’ll also get used to the sight of the braces on their teeth in a few weeks.

This may not be a universal experience, but if your child has any sensory issues, it’s something to be mindful of: After a few days of having my braces on, I realized my anxiety had been higher than usual because I couldn’t take them off. It was just a new, foreign sensation that there was no escape from. Distracting myself was the only thing that helped while my brain adjusted to the presence of the braces. Again, planning some outings with your kid — hanging with friends, seeing a movie, anything — will help occupy their minds if you think they’ll feel similarly.

How to help your child take care of their teeth with braces

To properly clean around their braces, your kid is going to need some supplies. A water flosser helps blast any big pieces of food out from between your teeth and your brackets, and an orthodontia-friendly floss pick can get between your teeth and the wire to handle the nooks and crannies. (Your orthodontist might recommend the little thread flossers, but I could never get the hang of them, and the picks work just as well.)

I recommend grabbing some cheap toddler toothbrushes from the store to brush the space between the tops of their braces brackets and their gums. The tiny brush head can fit in that small space, and the ultra-soft bristles ensure your kid won’t accidentally scrub the hell out of their gums and cause gum loss. I have a 3-year-old, and his spare Hot Wheels toothbrush has worked beautifully for this.

And while I have never struggled with tooth sensitivity before, during my treatment I couldn’t even talk on a breezy day without the wind hitting my teeth and causing me pain. Switching to Sensodyne while my braces are on has been a lifesaver. If your kid tries it and it’s not quite enough, your orthodontist can prescribe an even stronger version of the toothpaste you pick up at the pharmacy.

Finally, you’ll want to make a little on-the-go bag for your kid’s braces care at school and away from home. Here’s what I always keep in mine:

Floss picks and orthodontic brushes to get food out of my braces after eating
Extra rubber bands
Wax in case a wire starts poking
Antibacterial wipes or hand sanitizer — rubber bands and wax require putting your hands in your mouth, and sometimes you don’t have access to a sink to wash your hands first.

It can seem like a lot of information right now, and your kid is probably going to hate the braces at first, if we’re being honest. But in a few weeks, things will feel more manageable for both of you, and it really is true: The year or two of having them goes by much quicker than you think it will.