{"id":123,"date":"2026-04-13T20:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123"},"modified":"2026-05-04T20:17:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T20:17:35","slug":"prevent-sores-traditional-braces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123","title":{"rendered":"Stay Comfortable When Wearing Traditional Braces with These Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Teenager<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Traditional metal braces<\/a> are a tried and proven way to address mild to complex misalignments like gaps, crowding, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites, and many people who have worn them now enjoy having gorgeous and healthy smiles that they are eager to show off. However, wearing them can lead to discomfort if you don\u2019t know how to protect your soft tissues. Here\u2019s a quick look at how you can avoid oral sores and abrasions while wearing traditional braces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Use Orthodontic Wax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you start wearing braces or after you have them adjusted, your inner lips and cheeks will probably need some time to get used to the metal appliances being there. While the brackets and wires of your braces can poke, scrape, and otherwise irritate your soft oral tissues, you can help prevent this by attaching small bits of orthodontic wax to pointy parts of your appliance that are causing discomfort. This will reduce how much your braces can irritate the inside of your mouth and make it easier for your tissues to adjust to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rinse with Warm Salt Water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rinsing with a solution of salt and warm water can be a great way to ease oral irritation, kill harmful bacteria, and loosen plaque and food debris. To help reduce your discomfort when wearing braces, mix a quarter teaspoon of salt into eight ounces of warm water and swish the solution about your mouth for about thirty seconds before spitting it out. This method can be a fantastic way to instantly relieve oral discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Your Orthodontist’s Dietary Guidelines in Mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Patients wearing braces should take care to avoid foods and beverages that are hard, crunchy, chewy, sugary, and acidic since these items can erode the cement holding the brackets in place or detach them from the teeth. These foods and drinks can also be stressful to the soft oral tissues by irritating sore spots and helping harmful bacteria multiply. It\u2019s best to make sure you adhere to your orthodontist\u2019s dietary instructions by sticking to a soft, mild diet that doesn\u2019t require vigorous chewing while drinking plenty of water when you are wearing braces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t let temporary oral discomfort discourage you from achieving a gorgeous new smile. Consulting with your orthodontist can help you understand the best ways to stay comfortable when wearing braces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Davis Witt earned his dental degree at the University of Connecticut and his certificate in orthodontics at the University of Washington at Seattle. He is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association and the American Association of Orthodontists. His offices in Holden, Shrewsbury, and Auburn offer traditional braces as well as clear aligner treatments. To learn more about how braces may be able to help you, contact him online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Traditional metal braces are a tried and proven way to address mild to complex misalignments like gaps, crowding, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites, and many people who have worn them now enjoy having gorgeous and healthy smiles that they are eager to show off. However, wearing them can lead to discomfort if you don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Can I Stay Comfortable With Braces? | Dr. Davis Witt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are ways to protect your cheeks and lips from discomfort when wearing traditional braces. Here are a few tips to keep your orthodontic process smooth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Can I Stay Comfortable With Braces? | Dr. Davis Witt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are ways to protect your cheeks and lips from discomfort when wearing traditional braces. Here are a few tips to keep your orthodontic process smooth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Witt Orthodontics, PC. Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T20:14:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-04T20:17:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"wittortho\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"wittortho\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123\",\"name\":\"How Can I Stay Comfortable With Braces? | Dr. Davis Witt\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T20:14:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-04T20:17:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0065c3363e270e1a0aa9b49d33781587\"},\"description\":\"There are ways to protect your cheeks and lips from discomfort when wearing traditional braces. Here are a few tips to keep your orthodontic process smooth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stay Comfortable When Wearing Traditional Braces with These Tips\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Witt Orthodontics, PC. Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0065c3363e270e1a0aa9b49d33781587\",\"name\":\"wittortho\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58185d2061a54c32acd32e19d21e8d78?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58185d2061a54c32acd32e19d21e8d78?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"wittortho\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Can I Stay Comfortable With Braces? | Dr. Davis Witt","description":"There are ways to protect your cheeks and lips from discomfort when wearing traditional braces. Here are a few tips to keep your orthodontic process smooth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Can I Stay Comfortable With Braces? | Dr. Davis Witt","og_description":"There are ways to protect your cheeks and lips from discomfort when wearing traditional braces. Here are a few tips to keep your orthodontic process smooth.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123","og_site_name":"Witt Orthodontics, PC. Blog","article_published_time":"2026-04-13T20:14:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-04T20:17:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg"}],"author":"wittortho","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"wittortho","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123","url":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123","name":"How Can I Stay Comfortable With Braces? | Dr. Davis Witt","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-13T20:14:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-04T20:17:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0065c3363e270e1a0aa9b49d33781587"},"description":"There are ways to protect your cheeks and lips from discomfort when wearing traditional braces. Here are a few tips to keep your orthodontic process smooth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AdobeStock_204751334_1___1744315105_13389-1.jpg","width":800,"height":533},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?p=123#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stay Comfortable When Wearing Traditional Braces with These Tips"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/","name":"Witt Orthodontics, PC. Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0065c3363e270e1a0aa9b49d33781587","name":"wittortho","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58185d2061a54c32acd32e19d21e8d78?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58185d2061a54c32acd32e19d21e8d78?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"wittortho"},"url":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127,"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions\/127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wittorthodontics.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}