Your First Week With Metal Braces: Pain, Diet, and Care Tips

By Dr. Reji Moideen · Medically reviewed by Dr. Ketki Rajebahadur · 21/11/2025 · Braces in Dubai

Your first week with braces is the hardest stretch of the whole treatment, and it is almost always the easiest to get through once you know what to expect. Yes, braces hurt a little at first, mostly a dull ache and tender teeth for two to five days as the brackets start moving them. Stick to soft foods, use orthodontic wax on any bracket that rubs, rinse with warm salt water, and take a standard over-the-counter painkiller if you need one. By day seven the soreness fades and the metal stops feeling foreign. This guide walks you through the first week of braces day by day, from what to eat to how to keep everything clean.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Reji Moideen, Specialist Orthodontist at Mint Dental Care, Dubai.

Your First Week With Metal Braces at Mint Dental Care Dubai

Do braces hurt in the first week?

Braces do cause mild to moderate soreness in the first week, but it is pressure and tenderness rather than sharp pain. The wire your orthodontist places is applying gentle, steady force to shift your teeth, so they feel bruised when you bite. Most patients tell us the ache peaks on day two or three and then eases off. Alongside the tender teeth, the inside of your lips and cheeks may develop small sore spots where they meet the brackets. This is normal. The soft tissue toughens up within a week or two and stops catching on the hardware.

How to relieve braces pain the first week

Warm salt water rinses. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water and swish for 30 seconds, three to four times a day. It calms mouth sores and reduces inflammation.
Orthodontic wax. Roll a small piece and press it over any bracket or wire end that is poking your cheek. It creates a smooth barrier so the tissue can heal.
Over-the-counter relief. A standard dose of ibuprofen or paracetamol handles the ache on the sorest days. Follow the label and check with your pharmacist if you take other medication.
Cold therapy. Sip ice water or hold a cold compress against your cheek to numb the area and settle the swelling.

If a wire is genuinely digging in or a bracket has come loose and is cutting your cheek, that is not something to wait out. It usually means a bracket has shifted, which you can read more about in our guide on what to do with broken braces after eating something hard. Call the clinic and we will smooth or reattach it.

What can you eat the first week of braces?

In the first week of braces, eat soft foods that need little or no chewing so you do not stress tender teeth or knock a bracket loose. Think of it as a gentle reset for your diet rather than a punishment. Your teeth are sore, so anything that lets them rest is your friend for the first few days.

Soft foods to stock up on

Yogurt, smoothies, and pudding
Mashed potatoes and well-cooked pasta
Soup and broth-based dishes
Scrambled eggs and soft cheese
Soft bread without a hard crust
Steamed or soft-cooked vegetables
Bananas and other soft fruit

A simple first-week meal plan looks like scrambled eggs or yogurt for breakfast, soup or mashed potato at lunch, and pasta with a soft sauce for dinner, with smoothies to fill the gaps. Cut everything into small pieces and chew with your back teeth rather than biting down with the front ones. For the full picture beyond week one, our complete guide to braces and food covers what stays off the menu for the length of your treatment.

Foods to avoid with new braces

Hard, sticky, and chewy foods are the ones that break brackets and pop wires, and every breakage adds time to your treatment. Steer clear of these while your mouth settles, and mostly for the whole treatment:

Hard candy and ice. Crunching either one is the fastest way to snap a bracket.
Sticky sweets. Taffy, caramel, and toffee cling to brackets and pull them off.
Popcorn. The kernels and hulls wedge under wires and are miserable to clean out.
Nuts. Their hardness puts direct pressure on brackets when you bite.
Whole raw apples, carrots, and corn on the cob. Slice or strip them instead of biting in.
Crusty bread, pizza crust, and hard bagels. The density strains the wires.
Tough or chewy meat. Cut it into small pieces before eating.
Crisps and pretzels. Sharp, hard edges chip brackets.

Certain foods do more than damage the hardware. Sticky and sugary items lodge in the extra nooks that brackets create and raise your risk of decay, which is exactly why the cleaning routine below matters so much in these early days.

Smile Correction using Orthodontic Braces

How to clean your braces in the first week

Cleaning braces takes more care than cleaning bare teeth because food gets trapped around every bracket and wire. Do it gently in the first week while your gums are still tender, but do not skip it, because plaque left along the brackets causes white marks and gum inflammation.

Brush at an angle. Use a soft-bristled brush and clean above, below, and around each bracket. Two minutes, twice a day, more if you can after meals.
Floss daily. Thread floss under the wire with a floss threader, or use an orthodontic flosser or interdental brushes to reach between teeth.
Rinse after eating. A quick water rinse clears loose particles before they settle in.

Getting into a solid habit now pays off for the next year or two. Our step-by-step braces cleaning and maintenance routine shows the exact brushing angles and tools our orthodontists recommend.

What to expect day by day

The first week of braces follows a fairly predictable arc, so knowing the pattern makes it easier to ride out. Here is what most of our patients experience.

Day 1. The braces feel bulky and strange. Your tongue keeps finding the brackets. Teeth are not sore yet, so eat softer foods to get ahead of it.
Days 2 to 3. This is the sore stretch. Teeth ache when you bite and cheeks may have a spot or two. Lean on soft food, salt rinses, and wax.
Days 4 to 5. The ache starts fading. You can add slightly firmer soft foods as comfort returns.
Days 6 to 7. Most of the tenderness is gone and the brackets feel normal. By now you barely notice you are wearing braces.

Worried the metal looks obvious? Almost everyone is by day one, and almost no one is by week two. Your lips and tongue adjust, and so does your reflection in the mirror. If the look is a real concern for you, it is worth reviewing the different types of orthodontic braces we offer before your fitting, since some are far more discreet than classic metal.

Protect your braces during sport

If you play sport, wear a mouthguard from day one of your braces. A blow to the face can drive the brackets into your lips and cheeks, and it can damage the hardware badly enough to set your treatment back. A custom mouthguard sits comfortably over the brackets and shields both your braces and your soft tissue. We fit bespoke guards at Mint Dental Care, and you can read why they matter in our piece on mouthguards in contact sports.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do braces hurt in the first week?

The soreness usually lasts two to five days, peaking around day two or three and easing off by the end of the first week. You may feel a similar but milder ache for a day or two after each adjustment appointment, which is completely normal as the teeth respond to the new wire.

How do you eat with braces the first week?

Eat soft foods cut into small pieces and chew slowly with your back teeth. Yogurt, soup, mashed potato, pasta, eggs, and smoothies are ideal. Avoid biting straight into anything hard or crunchy. If a food takes real effort to chew, it is too much for your first week.

What can you not eat the first week of braces?

Skip hard candy, ice, nuts, popcorn, sticky sweets like caramel and taffy, crusty bread, tough meat, and crisps. These break brackets, bend wires, and get stuck in ways that are hard to clean. Slicing whole raw fruit and vegetables into pieces keeps them safe to eat.

Is it normal for braces to feel loose or for a wire to poke?

A slightly loose feeling as teeth begin to move is normal, but a bracket that has clearly come off or a wire that is poking and cutting your cheek is not. Cover a poking wire with wax as a temporary fix and call your orthodontist so we can adjust it. Waiting can slow your progress.

Does the warm salt water rinse really help braces soreness?

Yes. A warm salt water rinse gently reduces inflammation and helps small sores on the inside of your cheeks and lips heal faster. Use half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water, swish for about 30 seconds, and repeat a few times a day during the sorest part of the first week.

How much do braces cost in Dubai?

Metal braces in Dubai typically range from around AED 8,000 to AED 20,000 depending on the complexity of your case and treatment length, with instalment plans widely available. Prices are indicative, so the accurate figure comes from an in-clinic assessment. Book a consultation with our orthodontists and we will give you a clear, itemised quote.