I had them.
Putting them on was the easiest thing in the world.
Getting used to them took about two weeks.
Teeth got sore occasionally.
If it was as awful as you imagine, nobody would do it, they would all DOR and you would never see anybody in braces.
Just another self improvement project.

I have retainers.

< is a dentist. Depending on your case; you might have spacers placed 2 days prior. Maybe not. You will have brackets glued to your teeth. Wires will be attached. These are tightened slowly over the course of your treatment. It hurts at first. You will have an appointment or two every month, then the magical day where they are taken off. When you have braces, clean your teeth carefully so you won’t have any scars on your teeth at the end.

Ps no they don’t drug you .

My experience, and I had very buck teeth, was they didn’t hurt at all getting them on when they stick them on (if you are getting traditional braces) but when they tighten them it feels a little sore, almost nothing though at first. Then for two days my teeth were painful when I tried to eat, and then it started going away. You just eat soft food for a couple of days.

The worst part for me was when they took the mold, and the assistant didn’t measure the stuff they do the cast with, and made it too runny. It when to far towards the back of my throat and I have a fear of throwing up, which was especially intense when I was younger. It caused my gag reflux to engage. The orthodontist told her in front of me not to do that again. I didn’t throw up, but I was really pissed off. Now, whenever I get a mold done, I tell the dentist I want it measured out. I think most dentists do measure and probably think I’m neurotic, but I don’t care.

No drugs to make it easier.
There is a lot of pain, initially, and when they tighten. Lots of little kids go through it.
The results are mostly worth it, mostly. When you get 30 or 40 years older, your teeth will start to shift back, but not as bad as they are now.
And sometimes they want to break your jaw to correct alignments. My nephew had this done, and he is happy with the result, though it did mean having his jaw wired shut for a while.