Hey gang,

Katie from the Gold Coast Australia here.
Firstly, a big thanks - I have been lurking for yonks. Found you all to be supportive and inspirational.

Anyway, they're on! Speech is not great (I think mainly due to the wax, which I've been told to keep on for the first week).
More importantly, I'm so hungry! Can't imagine taking on anything more taxing than soup for the first week or so. Does anyone have any excellent low calorie soup recipes? Going to buy myself a juicer tomorrow because I am already craving fresh fruit and veges, and I figure I can have a nice big juice in the mornings to help out with that.

Think I can manage some scramby eggs for breaky, but then it will be soup town for lunch and dinner.

Will organise to get some piccies off the ortho because I know how much everyone loves pics!

Also, think I made a bit of a mistake today - had a cup of coffee with the wax in. I think it melded the wax to my teeth? I couldn't get it out!
Anyone had a similiar experience?

Thanks guys. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

Best, Katie.

hey! welcome to the gang!

unfortunately we all go thru the hungry stage (losing sometimes 5lbs in first few weeks lol). dont sweat the soup. after you get to the second week you'll be eating solids again I promise. once your comfortable eating solid foods you'll start to enjoy them again and soon gain any weight you lost in the first week!
So i drink coffee on a daily basis and have same issue with any wax i apply to brackets. It doesnt really melt it but it softens it with the heat of the liquid, thus making it incredibly hard to remove. I end up brushing teeth about 15-20min after coffee to let things cool down in my mouth and the wax becomes a little easier to remove. you'll learn tricks of your own as you progress in your treatment =) have fun with them and remember you'll have gorgeous teeth when this is all over!

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Thanks TB. Just managed my scrambies for breakfast. Yay!
Will let you know how I go with the rest of food.
Because I have a bit of an overbite, when I go to chomp, my bottom teeth go right where my top braces are.
I'm scared this will stop me really getting to eat?

Good to know I am not alone with the coffee thing.
I guess it's a case of not having to get every last little tiny piece of wax out?

Still can't talk properly. Not complaining though, I was expecting that!

Yeah it is very weird with eating and talking initially. Keeping food in my mouth while chewing was nearly impossible haha. I felt disgusting when i ate haha! I would frequently have a napkin or my hand over my mouth to hide the food rolling around. But it all when away after a few weeks (although i still find that i chew with my mouth open occasionally haha)

The talking and any lisping will go away.. but dont expect it to be better super quickly it was a good 2 weeks for me to get used to talking with them. but you'll soon find out that any abnormalities when you talk are more pronounced in your own head than it is to others. I've apologized to people for my lisping(mine was bad because of an appliance i had) and they nearly always said "what lisping? I barely notice it." That makes me laugh everytime. We brace people worry about everything when sometimes its just unnessesary. =)

I just reread your response and have a question.. when you bite do your bottom/top teeth hit any of your brackets? Because if that is the case you should tell your ortho as soon as possible. biting down on a bracket can cause stress on the bracket and then eventualy it can break on you. that would be bad. And costly if yur ortho doesnt cover anything that breaks during your treatment. (Most usually factor that into the treatment cost but their are some that dont)
Let me know how that goes!

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Hmmm... not sure about the question about teeth hitting brackets. My natural bite would see the bottom teeth at the front hitting the top braces. So I've had to adjust that. The ortho is pushing my top and bottom teeth forward, so it should improve over time. I haven't chewed yet, still on soups and scrambled eggs but I feel like I have already adjusted my natural bite so that my top and bottom front teeth meet (as opposed to my top teeth sitting slightly in front of my bottom teeth). Sorry, that was all a bit confusing! I'm back for the first check up in two weeks and I will sus it out a bit.

Re: food - I am going to stick to the super soft stuff for the first seven days and then see how I am traveling.
Last night I made a red lentil soup and it was a bit meh.
I bought a juicer yesterday and had a delicious juice with my scramby eggs this morning, with celery and apple and mint and pineapple and lemon.
So yum and made me feel better about missing out on the fresh fruit and veg I would normally be eating.
Big banana smoothy for lunch, some yoghurt for arvo tea and then making a broccoli and potato soup tonight.
Can you tell I'm hungry, I just talk about food haha!

You're so right about the lisping - I feel like I sound terrible, and people aren't even noticing til I tell them.
Thanks so much for your advice, it's great to have people that get where I am coming from.

I am in total whinger mode this week but have told myself after 7 days, no more whining.
Ultimately I'm three days in and pumped about my decision.
I could do it this tough for 22 months if need be, but I know it's going to get easier.
Some trials in there - pulling out my baby teeth and pulling forward the adult teeth behind them - but all in all, completely manageable.

BTW, how punishing is the wax! Like, it's a lifesaver when your tongue gets sore but getting it in and out is a nightmare.
My ortho reckoned to me that it was "reusable" - yeah right, it comes out in little tiny pieces.

Lol your funny =) You'll get used to the wax and become a pro at taking it off (and you'll be able to reuse it just like your orthodontist said) I will put wax on in morning right after i brush... then eat and drink coffee.. take wax off and brush again... put wax back on... eat lunch.. take wax off again and brush.. put back on.. etc. ect lol. but i usually put fresh wax on every morning and use it thru the day.

isnt it amazing how people arent observant at all? haha the lisping goes un-noticed by others and i once have a few people that didnt know i was wearing braces until got real close to them. When that happens it makes me feel so much better about being an adult wearing braces. I was so worried about being self concious.. but everyone was really supportive of my getting braces. And a few people that i work with also got braces later in life and we always talk about our braces and our struggles or laughs from wearing them. The only time i become self concious is when my picture is taken. I hate the way my smile looks with braces right now. So i tend to do the "lips only" smile when i see cameras. But its so worth it knowing ill have a gorgeous smile in the end.

funny side note: i get excited and anxious about going to my ortho appointments as if i were a kid excited about christmas day! haha

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Hey KatieGC?? How are your linguals?? You should be getting used to them by now.

I can't believe its almost been 6 months since i've had mine. I barely notice the are there now unless i actually think about it. First couple of weeks were hell but my tongue adjusted and I did not use wax because i wanted to completely adjust and not be dependent on it,, so technically I've never used wax. So you may want to give your tongue room to adjust to the pain.

It gets better!! I can't remember what it feels like to have my mouth not full of braces. I can't wait for that day hehe

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So, how are you coming along?

I have had my linguals on for one week today! I have also melted the wax with coffee and soup and yep, I just brush for a bit and it comes off (with some additional picking of with my fingers) I am actually trying not to use wax anymore so that my mouth can get better used to the braces.
My bottom teeth hit my top braces also, so my molars can not chew in "full power" like they used to. No steak or pizza for now!

I used wax for the first month and then my ortho encouraged me to stop using it and to make sure everything felt "comfortable" in my mouth prior to leaving any appointment with him. I'm really glad he got me to stop using the wax because I have had absolutely no need for it after my first month with linguals.

Hey I got my brace on yesterday top and bottom, all I can eat is soup even mash potato hurts my tongue when I slightly chew, I use wax but not a lot as I don't want to become dependant on it, can anybody tell me when my tongue will stop hurting please .
Cheers.

Hi guys, it's Katie, the original poster.

So it's coming up to 12 months and I am very happy with my decision to get lingual. Speech is 99%, I have lost ten kilos (I look great) and my teeth are still crooked but a million times better.

The big news is that my ortho is putting in TADs - yikes! They look pretty ouchy but I am pretty tough about what goes on in my gob!

I'll let you know how I go with the TADs.