Pain in orthodontic treatment: etiology and management

Orthodontic treatment is considered, by most patients, as a painful procedure. Studies have shown this reaction to have a major negative effect on orthodontic treatment and was reported to be an important reason for discontinuing treatment. Pain can be experienced during different orthodontic procedures like separator placement, banding, bonding, as well as archwire activation and debonding. This review attempts to highlight published literature regarding pain during different stages of orthodontic treatment, with an overview of current management strategies used to alleviate orthodontic pain.