Braces while Pregnant

baby3forme

Anyone have any experience with getting braces put on while pregnant? I've read that you can as long as you don't need to get any teeth removed. I don't need to since I did that back in December. Obviously I'm going to tell my dentist and OB about it but I was just looking for some personal stories. I don't qualify for Invisalign and am too cheap for ceramic so I'm getting the traditional metal braces (how 15 of me, right?). Right now, I'm scheduled to have them put on in June. Any stories, tips, opinions would be helpful! 

slaven

I had braces when I was younger. The one thing I would say might cause a problem, at least in the first trimester, is when they take molds of your teeth. I think I had a mold done almost every month to track how alignment was going and the goop they use made me gag even then. Not sure how far along you will be in June but that may still be an issue. 

NYTino24

I got my metal braces when I was 25. I had appointments to tighten them every two weeks. I was in a fair amount of pain due to them moving so fast and the wires often cut my cheeks / lips. Wax and Magic Mouth Wash (lidocaine and Benadryl mixed) helped. That being said, you can only take Tylenol for pain relief, so that's something to consider. I had a removable palate expander before that and the gag reflex was real.

baby3forme

@slaven  I have to get my first mold done in a few weeks. I am not very excited.  I'm not sure how many they'll have to do in total but my teeth are pretty bad and I'll need the braces for 3 years so I'm guessing a few! Yuck, I remember from when I was younger and had a retainer. 

@NYTino24 I was thinking about that and that will suck if I'm in a lot of discomfort but I'm not really the type of person to take anything other than Tylenol anyway so we shall see! 

captainfoxtrot

I have braces right now, and it isn't too bad. Stuff does cut my mouth but you can stick stuff on the braces to protect from that. I don't really run into too many pain issues - only right when I got them on.

baby3forme

captainfoxtrot said:

I have braces right now, and it isn't too bad. Stuff does cut my mouth but you can stick stuff on the braces to protect from that. I don't really run into too many pain issues - only right when I got them on.

Did the dentist give you the wax or did you have to buy your own?

captainfoxtrot

@baby3forme Gave it to me whenever I asked!

NYTino24

@baby3forme I still use my wax sometimes and I'm now 34! I have one of those "chains" - permanent retainer - behind my lower teeth and it feels like I still have braces. It keeps them from moving like they often do after adult braces. For me, the one right next to, but not on the chain, moved and they crowned it instead of putting the braces back on. I somewhat regret not fixing my bite (it would have taken longer and I was always in pain) because I now have TMJ due to the misaligned jaw. I also got veneers since they were chipped and wouldn't whiten much. My teeth look amazing, though! I'd definitely get a WaterPik to get food out.

baby3forme

@NYTino24 I have an overbite and crossbite that I have to get fixed because it's really bad! I have horrible TMJ because of it. I have to get crowns on my front teeth afterwards also because they are chipped and discolored from previous work done on them.  So much work on top of a new baby!!