“Are braces supposed to make your teeth feel tight?”
My 13 year old son just got braces. He said his teeth feel tight. Are braces supposed to make your teeth feel tight?
12 Answers
Yes. Forces from the appliances create pressure and can be interpreted as "tightness"
Patients' responses vary and "tighten up" is a good expression for treatment visits. We can't make any progress by "loosening up". Teeth have very sensitive feelings so I accept what your son said.
As teeth are moved some of them by necessity are pushed together more than others, resulting in a feeling of tightness.
Yes. Before his brackets were placed, each tooth was independent. Now that he has braces, all the teeth are now connected through the arch wire and are beginning to move. This is where the tight feeling comes from.
Yes. Right after tightening it feels like that but it would be relieved after couple of days.
When all of the teeth are “wired together” they may indeed feel tight however in reality, as they are moving, the ligaments holding them to the jaw are actually being stretched and the teeth are therefore slightly looser. This feeling of tightness usually dissipates a few days after each adjustment.
Yes, braces will make your teeth feel tight. Braces work by applying pressure to the teeth which causes the bones that hold the teeth to remodel. This process will initially have a feeling of pressure followed by some mild pain for a few days. As the bone remodels the teeth will continue to move until the orthodontist adjusts the braces again. I hope this helps! -John Ballrick
When pressure is applied to the teeth, sometimes it does feel tight. It usually only lasts up your 72 hours from the time of adjustment. If the teeth are sore at any time Tylenol or Advil are helpful.
They could. That is how the move them. This should ease up in a day or two.
Yes. Braces can make your teeth feel tight. They can be sore for a couple of days. Thanks. Dr. Price
Yes, this means they are actively applying slow pressure to teeth to get the desired movements. They will probably alternate between a tight feeling and a looser feeling between orthodontic visits. Generally, they will feel tight for a few days following an orthodontic visit as they were just adjusted to continue treatment.
Yes, braces put a force on the teeth to straighten them. This force is transmitted to ligaments that connect the roots to the bone and the result is that the teeth can feel "tight". Periodically, the orthodontist will change wires and this can make the teeth feel sore all over again as the force is changed and teeth start to move again. I would recommend having him take some ibuprofen and discussing with the orthodontist if the braces are too painful.
Marc D. Thomas, DDS
Marc D. Thomas, DDS
