Teeth and lips usually feel sore for a few days after braces are placed or adjusted. Good cleaning and avoiding certain foods keep treatment on track.
Soreness
- Teeth may ache for 3–5 days after placement or tightening. Soft foods help.
- Take pain relievers or any prescribed medicine exactly as your dentist or pharmacist directed. Do not take more than the label or prescription allows, and tell us about any allergies or other medicines you take.
- Put orthodontic wax over any bracket or wire rubbing your cheek or lip.
Foods to avoid
- Hard foods: nuts, hard candy, ice, popcorn, hard taco shells.
- Sticky foods: caramel, toffee, gum.
- Cut apples, carrots and corn off the cob into small pieces, and avoid chewing pens or nails.
Cleaning
- Brush after meals and before bed, angling the brush above and below the brackets.
- Clean between teeth daily with floss threaders, an interdental brush or a water flosser.
- Use fluoride toothpaste. Food trapped around brackets can cause white spots and decay.
Sports
- Wear an orthodontic-friendly mouthguard for contact sports.
Call our office right away if
- A bracket or band comes loose
- A wire is poking and wax does not help
- Pain that is severe or lasts longer than a week
This handout is general information. Always follow the specific instructions your dentist gives you, which may differ from this sheet. For a medical emergency, such as trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading toward the eye or neck, or bleeding that will not stop, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Content last reviewed: 2026-10.