Experiencing pain during your Invisalign treatment is normal. While most people only experience slight discomfort, we all have different levels of pain tolerance. What is slight to one person may seem more severe to another. Most people can get Invisalign pain relief using mild methods such as over-the-counter (OTC) medications and cold compresses. If you experience extreme pain, please contact Spain Orthodontics immediately.
Tips for Invisalign Pain Relief
Depending on your pain level, you may get relief using one or more of the following methods:
- Cold Compress against your jaw for intervals of 10 to 20 minutes several times a day. Cold compresses work to reduce inflammation caused by your teeth shifting. If you use an ice pack, be sure to wrap it in a towel.
- Eat soft foods during the first few days with a new set of trays or when experiencing jaw pain. Although you decided on Invisalign to avoid dietary restrictions, eating soft foods will help alleviate adjustment discomfort.
- Drink cold water to cool your mouth and ease the pain. An alternative to this would be to suck on ice cubes. Please do not chew ice cubes. Much like the cold compress, applying cold to the inside of your mouth will also help reduce inflammation.
- Gently massage your jaw to relieve tension and pain. When our bodies are in pain, our muscles tend to flex and become more rigid. Your jaw may involuntarily clench while experiencing Invisalign discomfort, which will aggravate the area and worsen your pain. A gentle massage to relax those muscles can reduce your discomfort.
- OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen can reduce inflammation and ease the pain. You may also use Aspirin. Please discuss the best OTC medication to use with the doctor or staff.
Tips to Decrease Invisalign Pain
Avoiding much of the discomfort involved with switching alignment trays is possible with a few tricks.
- Put in new trays close to bedtime and sleep through the first bit of discomfort. While this may not seem to make sense, it does. When we sleep, our bodies and muscles relax. When you are more relaxed, the shifting and adjustment of your teeth will cause less discomfort. Also, taking an anti-inflammatory OTC medication before inserting your new trays will help.
- Don’t remove your aligners to “stretch” your mouth or take a short break. When you remove your aligners, your teeth will tend to shift back into their original positions. When you put the alignment tray back in, it may cause even more pain and discomfort.
- Treat mouth sores immediately. You may experience irritation or sores from the alignment trays rubbing the inside of your mouth or tongue. Use a peroxide-based mouth rinse to keep raw areas clean and prevent potential infections. If your trays have rough spots, contact Spain Orthodontics so we can get them smoothed for you.
Don’t Avoid Eating
While it may be tempting to avoid the effort of chewing when your mouth is tender, this isn’t a great solution. The act of chewing will strengthen your teeth and jaw. Stick to softer foods when you are experiencing discomfort, but don’t avoid chewing.
When to Call Spain Orthodontics for Invisalign Pain Relief
The best time to call is anytime that you have a question about your treatment. Our staff can answer general questions and offer advice on most matters. They will also advise you to visit the office if you seem to be experiencing too much pain with your aligners.
If you have used the methods above, and need additional Invisalign pain relief, do not hesitate to contact the office.
