Braces at 25

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#1 Post by **AprilONeil** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:46 pm

I just celebrated my 25th birthday and am starting the braces journey. In the last couple months, I have had three wisdom teeth removed (two at the dentist and one at the oral surgeon). Last Monday, the 23rd, I had spacers put in and they were (thankfully) removed today. I was fitted for my bands and received my bite plate which I will need to be wearing for the next few months. I am excited to be finally correcting my smile.

When I was 10, my dentist referred me to the orthodontist who suggested I wear headgear for a year and then get braces..so I got headgear and wore that for about a year..but due to my family's finances, I was never able to get braces until now. The good news is that my new orthodontist said that wearing the headgear then wasn't a total waste as it probably did keep my teeth from shifting even more during that year.

I have a severe overbite (Class II) with a large gap in my front two teeth. The severe overbite means that my bottom teeth hit the roof of my mouth causing an indention...so my orthodontist says. I never noticed it until he pointed it out using mirrors. I have always hated my smile..you will never see a picture of my showing my teeth in a smile until I have straight teeth.

I have found a lot of helpful information on this site already and I am glad to have found a place to share with other people my age. Actually, a girl in my youth group (I'm a youth leader) got her braces last week, so I'm not alone in my journey, but it's nice to have this place too!

Monday, is B-Day..the day I get all the brackets and all of that. I'm really excited...I'm probably going to have braces for the next three years, but the sooner I get them on..the sooner I get them off....maybe even in time for my 10 year reunion.

~Amanda

#2 Post by **AprilONeil** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:54 pm

Thanks...I just tried the salt water rinse. I am having trouble getting wax to stick to my bands...I keep putting it on there and I guess I have too much saliva from the bite plate to get it to stick...because it doesn't stay on at all...so I've already developed some raw places on my cheek...ouch. I was told the saliva would go away after my mouth gets used to the bite plate. I hope so.

#3 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:04 pm

Sometimes when I have trouble with getting the wax to stick because of too much saliva, I lay on my back. You're probably going to think I'm crazy as will some others who will read this comment.

I lay on my back and breathe with my mouth open and try to suck all the saliva off my brackets. When my lips feel pretty dry, I put a good size ball of wax and make sure I seal it around the bracket. That tends to work well for my slobbery days. Don't worry, you're not alone. This forum is here to unite all of us brace faces and help one another get through this without annoying the brains out of our friends and family.

Oh and I hope that helped!

#4 Post by **Bellita** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:57 pm

Amanda, I also have an overbite which i was not aware of but now i see that it is pretty ovious and i have a gap between my two front teeth.
I am turning 23 by the end of this summer and I will get braced Monday August 6th.

So we are in the same boat and at the same time. I am really anxious for my gap to close (that is the reason why I got braces)
Hopefully we can be support for each other as it seems we will be going through much of the same things.

Here is to our gaps closing soon!

#5 Post by **victor36** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:06 pm

Hello, Amanda and congratulations on the decision to get braced! You're going to LOVE the end results... As for me, I'm 36 and have had my braces for 6 months and I've already seen progress... so who knows... maybe you'll have your braces for less than 3 years??

If I can give you two pieces of advice they would be: 1) Salt water rinses work wonders when your mouth is feeling raw or irritated (especially since wax is not sticking to your bite plate), and 2) wear your elastics as prescribed by the orthodontist... i had to wear the ones in the back (see my story) and my bite was fixed in just a little over 5 months because I forced myself to wear them 24 hours a day.

Here's to a great treatment, and to lots of support from your friends at ArchWired!

~Victor

#6 Post by **AprilONeil** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 8:56 pm

Hi everyone...it's nice to have so much support from this site.

I tried the laying on the back trick and I guess it did work

I am trying to keep as much saliva out of my mouth as possible...and that's helping. I've done the salt water rinses a couple times so far..will probably do more often once I get braced on Monday.

I hope to post pictures this weekend. I keep forgetting to get new batteries for my digital camera. I want to track my progress so hopefully that will keep me motivated.

The bite plate has been a big adjustment for me. It's not painful but it makes it hard to talk. I am a reporter for a newspaper and I spend much of my day talking, so I keep having to take it out to get people to understand me...sigh. I know when I get the braces on Monday..I need to leave it in all the time except when eating or brushing my teeth.

I am excited about finally getting my teeth fixed though. I know it will be worth it in the end. I was told the only way I will ever get a perfect bite is to have jaw surgery..but that's not an option for me. I don't see how I could have my jaw wired shut for a few weeks. I wouldn't be able to work or do hardly anything.
I will be happy about getting rid of the overbite and the gap and finally smiling in pictures (showing my teeth).

#7 Post by **Laurie** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:57 pm

Since I've gotten my braces I catch myself smiling SO MUCH more than I used to. I hope the same goes for you!

#8 Post by **kiwigirl83** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:24 pm

Hi there,

Welcome and good luck with your orthodontic work. It's so reassuring to know that other people in my age group are going through a similar procedure (I'm 24). It will all bw worth it in the end!!!

xx

#9 Post by **AprilONeil** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:12 pm

Well, I'm officially braced.
I went in Monday morning at 9 a.m. It was all over in an hour. First, they put the brackets on..I really tried hard not to get my tongue close to the glue..but I could still taste a little bit of it..yuck.

Then they put the rest of the stuff on and the wire...the actual process wasn't painful...but my teeth have hurt so much the last couple of days. I'm taking Aleve and trying to eat soft foods...we had a party at work yesterday, and I started to take a big bite of broccoli with dip before I remembered I couldn't bite into it.

I got a Sonic Care electric toothbrush which is pretty snazzy. It's included in the cost of my treatment. I like it so far..the clean setting is too rough for my mouth just yet..so I'm using the soft setting. My biggest problem (besides the pain so far) is trying to floss my upper teeth. I'm trying to thread the flloss up through my braces, but I'm not having much luck at all. It's a lot easier with the bottom teeth. The braces are rubbing up against the inside of my lips a lot..I used a lot of wax tonight which helped slightly.

I have a before picture, so I will try to take a new picture and post them tomorrow.

#10 Post by **cwatt1** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 5:13 am

Hi Amanda, and welcome! Congratulations on getting braced; you won't regret it!

My lips have been a little problematic too; for me they seem to be the last part of my mouth to become acclimated to the braces. I got a great tip from another AW member (thanks Linda21!) -- I make sure that after a salt water rinse, I rinse the lips again ith clear water to prevent drying (salt tends to do that), pat dry and then use your lip balm. That has helped a lot, as has staying hydrated.

As far as getting the wax to stick, I find the wax sticks much easier if you dry the area first (suggested by my ortho). I use a paper towel.

Best of luck on your journey -- looking forward to pics

#11 Post by **Milk n Cereal** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:27 am

Hello Amanda!

Hurrah to starting your amazing journey! I hope all is going well.

Ditto to what Karen said about superfloss - it has done wonders for me!

I'm looking forward to those pictures.

#12 Post by **Laurie** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:26 pm

I too have tried biting into things before realizing that it just won't work!

#13 Post by **cwatt1** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:03 am

I can now floss both arches within three minutes.

Wow, remind me never to get into a flossing race with you, Karen

I sure hope I can get to that point! I have to say that I also really like the SuperFloss, though!

#14 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:56 pm

I have to agree with the superfloss, I love the stuff. I started using it before braces to get under my bridge and a gap between two molars. Love the stuff, I wish it was a bit mintier like waxed mint floss.

Anyhow, welcome and I hope your lips are doing better. Hopefully you're not in too much pain. It took me a while before I was up and biting into foods again. I still have a tough time with sandwiches with romaine lettuce and shredded carrots. Don't worry, you'll soon get into a regimen that works for you. Next thing you know, you'll be biting into crackers, pizza, sandwiches, and almost everything else.

#15 Post by **AprilONeil** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 5:57 pm

It's been a while since I've posted..but I had my second visit today since getting braced and it made me remember this site! Today, I had my third (and thickest) archwire so far. I also now have the "chains" and rubberbands.
The goodnews...I don't have to wear the bite plate right now

My teeth are definitely hurting...worse than before. I took a pain reliever and I'm sure I'll be taking more tomorrow.

As for flossing, I'm still pretty bad at it...but I'm getting there. They said my gums were a little puffy so they want me to pay extra attention to my upper teeth (those are the ones I have the hardest time with!)

Metal Mouth Message Board

Braces at 25

Braces at 25

Welcome, Amanda!