Dear Mari,

Congratulations on having come all this way!!! You sound like you are on top of things, as frustrating as it may be.

the mouth lining where your braces are hitting will heal and become more resistant to the braces, and will not get eaten into as is happening now. this is just a part of the initial crud. it won't happen for the whole duration. (had metal braces, know what you mean.)

meantime, especially if the skin is cut, wearing the mouthguard during a few daytime hours sounds not to be a bad idea. the faster the lining heals the better, and once broken, having the metal hitting it makes that go slower.

anyway, it is transitional. it will stop happening. it is somewhat comparable to when one starts wearing contact lenses - especially hard contact lenses. they irritated the cornea all to heccc at first... and the conjunctiva can "feel them" when one blinks... then in a matter of days/weeks, the eye is desensitized and it is as if they are not there. the shape of the braces you will feel, unlike contacts, however the mouth lining will "toughen" to their presence and not be subject to injury as it is now. do not worry.

((( hugs )))

~ waves ~