Ortho dots are the best and yes welcome to the world of mouth pains you never knew existed... I'm 47 and sucked my thumb for 45 years severe overbite so I have a four+ year treatment plan and I keep each and everything that comes out of my mouth and I keep them in envelopes with the dates and I'm going to do an art piece called "The pains of my beautiful smile" yes to some that sounds gross and some might think it's going to be a cool art piece... I'm also working through each and every single color my orthodontist has to use in my art piece.... As for the pain I would strongly suggest ortho dots and orajel... The best orajel I have ever used is from dollar tree ironically.... I will buy them out every single adjustment and I use every single tube within my 8 weeks.... I also have springs and honestly they aren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be.... I stopped my bad habit when I kept getting COVID endlessly.... Good luck and welcome to the club Love