Kara's Braces Story - UPDATE WITH NEW PICS

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#1 Post by **Kara** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:51 pm

Well darn it! I put my braces story in the wrong place. I'll have to find it and move it to this forum somehow. I've still got to figure out this site and how to do things.

#2 Post by **SDFD TSchott** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:55 pm

Here is your story Kara:

I am new to the forum and have actually learned quite a bit in reading some of the user posts out here. Wow. I'm so glad I joined. I thought I would share my story....

I'm 26 years old and I've lived with an overbite (about an inch) for what seems like forever. I was a thumb sucker. I HATED my overbite so bad but could never afford to get it taken care of. Plus.... I became a pro at concealing it so that no one really noticed. I was lucky enough to have fairly straight teeth but from the side and when I spoke or laughed out loud my overbite was OBVIOUS. So.... late October I set my mind to getting braces and fixing my teeth. At first I was hooked on the idea of invisalign but was told that invisalign would not do what I wanted it to do in bringing my overbite back and lining my bite correctly so I went with SELF LIGATING BRACES. I've heard them called Damon braces too.... anyway... I love them. They are not very noticable and I've had them on since DECEMBER 5TH, 2007 and my teeth are ALREADY moving!! They are in align with each other and look a lot straighter already.

The spacers were a nightmare and more painful than the braces I thought but they're out now. On 12/5/07 they put the brackets and arch wires on my top and bottom front teeth... I had the spacers in the back molars still so they didnt do the bands in the back yet. I had my bicuspids on top extracted this past Friday (OUCH!!!) and so now I'm waiting to go back to the dentist for a cavity to be filled and then on the 16th the braces will FINALLY be done!!!! I'm so excited to get it finished up!

Apparently I'll have power chains on the top to close the space from the extraction but I just cant wait to see how much my smile will change! I've been told that I'll only need these braces on for 18 months and that with this type of braces your teeth move much quicker and easier. I've been doing my research on all there is to know about braces and I'm still learning the lingo. I cant wait to talk with new people going through the same experience that I am!

#3 Post by **Kara** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:04 pm

well thank you SDFD TSchott. I was getting ready to fix the post and you beat me to it.

#4 Post by **LadyJ** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:06 pm

Welcome, Kara!

I, too, am 26. I'll be getting Damon self-ligating braces a week from Thursday! *gulp!*

I can't wait to see pictures of your teeth and how they're already moving. Very exciting. And I look forward to following your story as we both go through this!

#5 Post by **Kara** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:01 pm

Well Hi Lady J!

How exciting! Meeting someone here that is my age and will be getting the same type of braces as me! I wish you the best! It's been tough getting used to them but I absolutely love the progress I'm seeing already. My teeth werent too bad as far as being crooked goes but I did have a bad overbite. My front teeth stuck out a little more than a centemeter from my bottom and I absolutely HATED IT. I got my braces on December 5th and I can totally see a difference. My teeth are lining up beautifully and my bite is already coming back some. I had to have two teeth pulled and hopefully that will make the room needed for my overbite to dissappear. I cant wait.

It's unreal how quickly your teeth will begin to move. It is painful at times but I keep telling myself it will be worth it. I hope to get pictures up soon.

Cant wait to hear your story!

Kara

#6 Post by **Kara** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:29 pm

I've had my braces on since December 5th and I really think my teeth have moved quite a bit. Maybe I'm a total WUSS but I think it's been rather painfull and I'm sick of eating nothing but yogurt and pudding! I've been on the braces diet I guess ever since I had my spacers put in. I think the spacers were the most painfull. Since then it's just been a tooth here and there will feel more sensitive. I'm used to them now and rarely use wax. I'm just so glad to see progress. I'm trying to find a good picture to show my "before" but I was so good at hiding the overbite before I got braces that I'm sure any pic I put up here will just look like a "normal smile" but with some slightly crooked teeth I guess. Anyway. I'm going to add some pics of my teeth with the braces that I took today. This is the first time I've really taken pictures of my braces and my camera sucks ass but it will have to do.

Excuse the language... I really dont like my camera.

Here goes....
I'm adding pictures of my smile and my overbite (which I TOTALLY HATE!!!!!!!!!!!! The number one reason that I got these braces. I cant wait to see it GONE!!!)

I'm way to anxious for my teeth to move back. I've had two extractions of my pre molars on top. That sucked! But it will give me the room I need to bring back those front teeth. My bottom teeth arent too bad... just some crowding in the front. They've moved the most I think! My front two teeth were crooked and you can still see where one tooth is behind the other. When I first got the braces... the brackets were touching eachother because the teeth were so close but now they're looking more "normal" and have moved A LOT. I'm so excited to see progress so quickly. I'm so glad I finally got braces! I keep telling myself that all of the extractions, wax, tylenol and Ibprofen, a million tubes of chap stick, cut up lips, soft food diet, etc.... will be soooooo worth it!!!!!!

Here's a couple that I found that kinda show my smile before braces. Like I said... I was pretty good at hiding the overbite and my crooked bottom teeth so it's rare to find a pic where I wasnt thinking about my smile....

This one was taken right before Thanksgiving during family pictures. Didnt look too bad... but I knew I needed the braces....

#7 Post by **kittymeow84** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:34 am

Looking good! Those Damons are really discreet too - they look so small and neat. Its great to hear how much progress you've noticed!

#8 Post by **EmbraceJCT** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:34 am

Hi Kara!

Your teeth look great! I'm so excited to watch those front teeth just slide right back with the room left by the extractions and you'll have the perfect smile! Your archwire is already super straight. Keep us posted!

#9 Post by **LadyJ** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:52 am

Looking good, Kara!

I thought the pics came out well, even if you don't have a great camera. I nearly drove myself crazy taking tons of shots before I got ones I thought were "post-worthy".

Glad to hear your teeth are moving so quickly!

#10 Post by **Kara** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:53 am

Thanks everyone! Glad to see the support! I like seeing the words of encouragement. This site is wonderful!
LOL Lady J!! I took around 30 pictures trying to get a good shot of my teeth for the site too. In some the flash was too bright and you couldnt see anything anyway and others it was blurry so I got lucky and got 5 shots out of the bunch.

Thanks again guys!
Kara

Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:54 am

Hi Kara

Your extractions seem to be exactly where mine are - I think it looks better when the braces are on as the brackets sort of hide the gaps from some angles - what do you reckon? Anyway, I have managed to post a pic (see pre-braces pic) in the bracket club section, I have a rotated front tooth as you will see, the main reason for this journey (although I am hoping my overbite will also improve some).

Can't wait until the braces are on now!

Nik

#12 Post by **Kara** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:34 pm

Hi Nik!

Your extractions seem to be exactly where mine are - I think it looks better when the braces are on as the brackets sort of hide the gaps from some angles - what do you reckon? Anyway, I have managed to post a pic (see pre-braces pic) in the bracket club section, I have a rotated front tooth as you will see, the main reason for this journey (although I am hoping my overbite will also improve some).

Those extractions sucked!

I took the entire day off of work and my whole face was numb! I think that was the worst part of the whole braces process but it will make things move along now so I'm glad they have healed well. And YES from some angles, the braces do hide the gaps. I cant wait until they are closed though. I saw your picture in the Bracket Club. I too have a rotated tooth on the top that has been a total butthead in getting in to position. It prevented me from getting one of the back brackets on top added last visit but they said it wont hurt my progress. They just want to turn to the tooth to the right position before adding that last bracket. It's on the top right. The tooth right after my extraction. It's been sensitive lately but other than that I'm doing great with these braces. I'm still careful when eating certain foods but for the most part I can eat anything if I cut it up small enough. It did take me almost 30 minutes to eat a big peice of pizza the other day.

But it was delicious!

I found the site that my ortho referred me to for info on my braces before getting them. I kept hearing the assistants in the office calling a few of the patients braces the Damon type. I guess that the kind that I got are either the same thing or comparable. Either way... they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

http://www.gacinovation.com/categories/ ... ntages.cfm

Good luck on brace day!!!!

Kara

#13 Post by **Kara** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:52 pm

Just added my tickers to my signature. Not sure if I did it right.

I'm going to Florida for vacation soon. I cant wait! Had to start the countdown today!!!

#14 Post by **victor36** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:01 pm

Hi Kara, and welcome to ArchWired!

You are off to an excellent start! Your teeth are in great shape so the end result is going to be awesome!

I'm sure you're heard/read this a million times, but drink lots of water, rinse with warm salt water if your brackets are bugging you (this has been my life saver... i've never needed wax thanks to salt water rinses) and wear lip balm.

Oh yeah. Take lots of pictures too. Hee hee

Welcome to "The Club" (The "Adults in Braces Club")

Kara wrote:I keep telling myself that all of the extractions, wax, tylenol and Ibprofen, a million tubes of chap stick, cut up lips, soft food diet, etc.... will be soooooo worth it!!!!!!

It will be COMPLETELY worth it... trust me!

~Victor

#15 Post by **Kara** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:18 pm

Well it's been a rough week. I'll try not to curse too much in venting my story. On Jan 16th I had gone to the ortho for the back brackets on top and bottom to be added. So I was fully braces and so looking forward to just getting the gaps from the extractions on top closed.... Well the other day I stayed home from work with my daughter who had been up sick all night. I'm glad that I stayed home though.... I was brushing my teeth and felt something really hard in my mouth. I go to spit and sure enough its one of my freaking brackets!!!

So I call my ortho and tell the "main nurse" what's up. She tells me to come on in and she would at least trim the wire that was now sticking out.... about a good centimeter anyway. I get there and she cuts the wire off at the next bracket and then starts looking at my teeth and such and says that she's just going to wait to put those very back brackets on until my next adjustment in Feb. I thought this was ok and was ready to leave the office then she says she needs to put a lig on the last bracket so that the wire wouldnt poke me. Then she says that she's going to put spacers back in my mouth and that they were going to put bands around my back teeth on top only at my next appointment.

I ABSOLUTELY HATE SPACERS!!!! They suck! So now I have two spacers on top on both sides and I'm back on what I'm calling the "spacers diet" now and cant chew anything without it hurting like hell. I had just gotten comfortable with eating real food again and chewing without pain and eating basically anything too....

I hate spacers.

My next appointment is Feb 20 I think and then I'll get bands put on the back top teeth and wire springs from my canines to those bands to begin bringing back my front teeth and closing the gap from my extractions.

Grrrrr.... it's been a rough couple days. Oh and my lips are so chapped that they are cracking and bleeding now.

I know, I know... I'm complaining and acting like a baby. I just need to suck it up. I know it will be better after a couple more days. It's just frustrating to finally be comfortable and then have to go right back to my entire mouth hurting again.

Metal Mouth Message Board

Kara's Braces Story - UPDATE WITH NEW PICS

Kara's Braces Story - UPDATE WITH NEW PICS

Hello there Lady J!!

Braces Update - Just Pictures (Hopefully)

Good pics!

Hi, Kara, and Welcome