Pain and Discomfort After Orthodontic Appointments

Pain and discomfort are common complaints following orthodontic appointments. Treatment modalities such as separator or arch wire placement, activation of fixed and removable appliances, elastic use, orthopedic treatment, and even debonding causes some degree of pain for the patient. However, the patient’s discomfort is often neglected by the clinician since peak pain occurs during the first week of treatment and subsequent pain is not identified at recall visits. Despite the fact that the first days of orthodontic treatment are quite distressing to patients, only few studies have been published concerning this. This review aims to focus on pain reactions during orthodontic treatment, pain measurement, and discussion of the possible methods of pain control.