Patient pain response and discomfort during self ligation mechanotherapy

Aim: The aim of this research is to assess the patient's pain response and discomfort in patients treated with self-ligating bracket system. Objective: Patients undergoing orthodontic treatment quite often complain about pain and discomfort during various stages of orthodontic treatment, and hence, sufficient precaution should be taken to minimize them. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on a sample size of 15 patients who were reported to the Department of Orthodontics. The patients were undergoing orthodontic treatment with self-ligating brackets. The patients were requested to complete a questionnaire about duration of treatment, pain, or discomfort experienced after regular monthly activation of brackets, duration, onset and severity of pain, difficulty in brushing or chewing food, and food accumulation between the teeth. Results: Out of 15 patients, only six patients were aware of that they are wearing self-ligation bracket while nine other patients do not know that they are wearing self-ligation bracket. Almost 80% of the patients experienced pain and discomfort after regular monthly activation of brackets, whereas 20% of the patients did not experience any pain and discomfort after regular monthly activation of brackets. Thirteen percent experienced slight pain, 47% experienced mild pain, 7% experienced moderate pain, 7% experienced severe pain, and 7% experienced very severe pain. A great majority of patients (67%) stated that the pain started few hours after activation while 13% of patients stated that the pain started few minutes after activation. Seventy-three percent of the patients stated that the pain lasted for the whole day and 7% patients stated that the pain lasted for hours. Fifty-three percent of the patients reported difficulty in brushing and chewing food while remaining 47% did not have any difficulty in brushing and chewing food. Most of the patients about 87% reported food accumulation in between the teeth. Conclusion: This study highlighted the pain and discomfort experienced by the patient during self-ligation bracket system. Pain and discomfort caused in the initial stage of fixed orthodontic treatment can be moderate to severe and might last for few days. Brushing teeth might cause mild discomfort and pain can be minimized by consuming soft food. Most of the patients undergoing self-ligating bracket system experienced pain and discomfort after regular monthly activation of brackets.