Hi all - first post here - I am just about to start on this journey.
I'm a 46 year old male. For about 10 years my dentist has been telling me that I have problems with my bite, and that I should really look into getting braces. I know that I don't have great teeth (probably could have used braces as a kid), but I've never been unhappy with them either, so I never really considered the idea of braces.
Fast forward 10 years - at my last cleaning, my dentist told me that my cross bite was really starting to do damage to my teeth and that I would need to have some major dental work in the future if I didn't address this now.
So I made an appointment with my son's orthodontist and had a consult. My dentist had told me that I probably wouldn't be a candidate for Invisalign, but I was hoping that the ortho would tell me otherwise. No such luck - she said that I could do Invisalign, but that I wasn't really a good candidate. If I went the Invisalign route, then I would need at least one extraction, and the results probably would be only fair. On the other hand, she could do regular braces with no extractions and get excellent results.
So Invisalign was out, but it still took me over a month to take the next step to have records taken - I still hadn't fully decided that I wanted to go through with this - like I said, I'm not really unahppy with how my teeth look. But, I finally took the next step and had the impressions and xrays done.
After a couple of weeks I went back and had the full consult with her. She explained that I had moderate crowding in my lower teeth and a cross bite in my right upper molars. My case seems fairly straight forward - she told me that I won't need any extractions and that the treatment would take somewhere around 24 months.
I have a very public job and do a lot of talking in front of large groups of people - the idea of a mouth full of metal didn't exactly appeal to me. I asked my ortho if I could do linguals. She said that she really wouldn't recommend linguals for me for two reasons - first, the potential for speech problems would be far greater with linguals, and that would be a problem for me given the public speaking required in my job. Also, I have some mild gum disease, and that can be more of a problem with linguals.
So, linguals were out as well. My ortho offered me either Damon brackets or standard ceramic tops and metal bottoms. She said that the Damon's might be a few weeks faster, but that I would get the same end result with either. Given the visibility of my job, I decided to go with the ceramic brackets on top. I would really like ceramics on the bottom as well, but my ortho said that with my bite, my top teeth will be touching the bottom brackets. As such, the risk of chipping my top teeth on ceramic bottoms would be great.
I now have a date - spacers on November 3rd and the braces on November 10th.
I must admit that I am still rather apprehensive about the whole thing - never saw myself getting braces. But I know that it is the right thing to do in the long run.
I'll post some 'before' pictures soon.
Shutter's Story
Moderator: bbsadmin
Before Pictures
Here are the 'before' pictures -
My front-on picture. My lower teeth are crowded and my left lower incisor is very rotated. However, you really don't see my lower teeth when I am smiling, so I'm not really self conscious about how they look.
By shutter1 at 2008-10-26
You can see the crowding on the lower arch much better from the top:
By Shutter1 at 2008-10-26
On the top arch, I have a cross bite on my right pre-molar. This is the place where my dentist told me that I am really starting to have problems:
By Shutter1 at 2008-10-26
And the cross-bite, as seen from the side.
By shutter1 at 2008-10-26
I get my spacers a week from tomorrow. From everything that I've heard on this board, I think that I am dreading the spacers more than the braces. Hope that they won't be too bad.
My front-on picture. My lower teeth are crowded and my left lower incisor is very rotated. However, you really don't see my lower teeth when I am smiling, so I'm not really self conscious about how they look.
By shutter1 at 2008-10-26
You can see the crowding on the lower arch much better from the top:
By Shutter1 at 2008-10-26
On the top arch, I have a cross bite on my right pre-molar. This is the place where my dentist told me that I am really starting to have problems:
By Shutter1 at 2008-10-26
And the cross-bite, as seen from the side.
By shutter1 at 2008-10-26
I get my spacers a week from tomorrow. From everything that I've heard on this board, I think that I am dreading the spacers more than the braces. Hope that they won't be too bad.
Welcome to the forum. I was just recently braced...
You are lucky you have nice big good looking teeth. And I'm only a little older than you, but as I get older the looks matter a little less-although they still matter!--but the health of the teeth is something you can never get back, so NEVER compromise the heath of your teeth. The inconvenience for a couple of years can easily be forgotten, but your teeth will be with you forever. God, that sounds too much like a hallmark card, I didn't mean it to sound that sappy--just a lot of regret on my part that I didn't do this whole thing sooner since my teeth have been worn down so much and now I will face some of those problems attached to not getting it done earlier...I should end this post now cause I'm sounding like a grandmother and I'm not that old yet.
And spacers can be a bit painful, but it's all relative. Just eat a lot of soft food and you'll be fine. Honestly I seldom notice it except when I chew. I was braced last week and they put the spacers in again cause there still wasn't enough room for the molar bands in the back, so chewing is still painful. Some think it's a great diet plan but I'm not so sure. Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meat don't work well, yet ice cream and beer goes down just fine.
You are lucky you have nice big good looking teeth. And I'm only a little older than you, but as I get older the looks matter a little less-although they still matter!--but the health of the teeth is something you can never get back, so NEVER compromise the heath of your teeth. The inconvenience for a couple of years can easily be forgotten, but your teeth will be with you forever. God, that sounds too much like a hallmark card, I didn't mean it to sound that sappy--just a lot of regret on my part that I didn't do this whole thing sooner since my teeth have been worn down so much and now I will face some of those problems attached to not getting it done earlier...I should end this post now cause I'm sounding like a grandmother and I'm not that old yet.
And spacers can be a bit painful, but it's all relative. Just eat a lot of soft food and you'll be fine. Honestly I seldom notice it except when I chew. I was braced last week and they put the spacers in again cause there still wasn't enough room for the molar bands in the back, so chewing is still painful. Some think it's a great diet plan but I'm not so sure. Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meat don't work well, yet ice cream and beer goes down just fine.
Ah, beer and ice cream ... the food of champions ... kind of reminds me of college -almost50 wrote:Some think it's a great diet plan but I'm not so sure. Fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meat don't work well, yet ice cream and beer goes down just fine.
You're right - probably not the best of diet plans. I'd better stock the fridge, just in case
Hey there Shutter,
Congrats on getting braced. It is never too late do get them. I am 30 and this is my second time. The first time I got braces I was 14 and I hated them so much that after 3 months, I took them off myself with SPAMMERS LIKE ME
so of course my parents will not ever ever pay for them again. So here goes round 2.
The first couple of days will be uncomfortable but you will get used to them and will be able to eat better. I can't say anything about spacers as I have not had them but heard they can be a bit annoying. Hopefully you wont have them for too long.
Your teeth are very nice by the way, nice size. As you, I also have a crossbite and I have been wearing elastics since day one broaden my arches and correct the crossbite. Do you know if you will you be wearing elastics?
I hope everything goes well and good luck with your treatment.
Congrats on getting braced. It is never too late do get them. I am 30 and this is my second time. The first time I got braces I was 14 and I hated them so much that after 3 months, I took them off myself with SPAMMERS LIKE ME
so of course my parents will not ever ever pay for them again. So here goes round 2.The first couple of days will be uncomfortable but you will get used to them and will be able to eat better. I can't say anything about spacers as I have not had them but heard they can be a bit annoying. Hopefully you wont have them for too long.
Your teeth are very nice by the way, nice size. As you, I also have a crossbite and I have been wearing elastics since day one broaden my arches and correct the crossbite. Do you know if you will you be wearing elastics?
I hope everything goes well and good luck with your treatment.
Hey Flaka,Flaka wrote:Hey there Shutter,
The first time I got braces I was 14 and I hated them so much that after 3 months, I took them off myself with SPAMMERS LIKE ME
As you, I also have a crossbite and I have been wearing elastics since day one broaden my arches and correct the crossbite. Do you know if you will you be wearing elastics?
I hope everything goes well and good luck with your treatment.
Took them off with plyers?? Ouch - I can't imagine. My son is 11 - he will be getting braces soon as well. I will have to remember to keep the power tools away from him.
In terms of elastics - I know that I will be getting them, but I don't think that it will be from day 1.
If I understood my Ortho's treatment plan correctly, she is going to pull the cross bite out with the archwire first. That will expand my arch, which will cause me to have a bit of a temporary overbite. They will then pull the overbite back into line with the elastics. At least, that is how I understood it. I guess that I will know for sure in a couple of weeks.
Got my spacers today
Went to the ortho at 8:00 AM this morning and got my spacers. Six of them went in fairly easily.
The last two were really tight, so the ortho had to use the metal ones rather than the rubber ones on those two. The metal ones went in very easily, which I was glad about because they were really struggling to get the rubber ones in.
It has been about six hours - so far, so good. They certainly are a bit annoying (feels like you have big pieces of food between your teeth), but not a lot of pain.
From what I've read here, they usually don't start to hurt for a couple of days. Hopefully I will be lucky and the week will be relatively pain free.
The last two were really tight, so the ortho had to use the metal ones rather than the rubber ones on those two. The metal ones went in very easily, which I was glad about because they were really struggling to get the rubber ones in.
It has been about six hours - so far, so good. They certainly are a bit annoying (feels like you have big pieces of food between your teeth), but not a lot of pain.
From what I've read here, they usually don't start to hurt for a couple of days. Hopefully I will be lucky and the week will be relatively pain free.
Spacers
I've had my spacers for 4 days now (got them on Monday) -
The first few days were a bit uncomfortable, but nothing that a couple of Motrin couldn't handle. Wednesday was probably the most uncomfortable day.
Today, they do not hurt at all.
Braces in 3 days ... hopeful the braces are as pain free as the spacers have been.
The first few days were a bit uncomfortable, but nothing that a couple of Motrin couldn't handle. Wednesday was probably the most uncomfortable day.
Today, they do not hurt at all.
Braces in 3 days ... hopeful the braces are as pain free as the spacers have been.
Braced!
Ok - I've got my braces on this morning. I must admit that I woke up in the middle of the night last night and almost changed my mind, but I didn't.
My appointment was at 9:00 AM and I was all done by 10:30. Not a bad experience. It felt good to get the spacers out, but they were quickly replaced by molar bands on 3 of my teeth. They couldn't get the molar band on one of my molars, so they just bonded the bracket instead.
Probably the worst part of it was the cement, which tastes absolutely horrible.
The first time I closed my mouth on the brackets it felt really, really strange. The brackets feel absolutely huge in my mouth.
I went to work after my appointment and I was rather self conscious, but I told the people that I saw, and everyone was very nice about it. Many people shared their brace stories with me (as adults or kids) as well. Not a negative comment yet.
Talking does take a bit of getting used to ... Still not there yet.
There isn't a lot of pain, although I did take two Motrin before the appointment and another two before dinner. My teeth aren't painful, but they do feel very tight. I had soup for lunch and again for dinner. I tried chewing on a bit of soft stuff, but my teeth are still too sensitive.
I have a .014 NiTi wire on both the top and the bottom. Clear ligs on top and silver on the bottom. First adjustment in 6 weeks.
Here are the pictures. The white film that is on my teeth is the flouride treatment that they brushed on after the brackets were attached:
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008
My appointment was at 9:00 AM and I was all done by 10:30. Not a bad experience. It felt good to get the spacers out, but they were quickly replaced by molar bands on 3 of my teeth. They couldn't get the molar band on one of my molars, so they just bonded the bracket instead.
Probably the worst part of it was the cement, which tastes absolutely horrible.
The first time I closed my mouth on the brackets it felt really, really strange. The brackets feel absolutely huge in my mouth.
I went to work after my appointment and I was rather self conscious, but I told the people that I saw, and everyone was very nice about it. Many people shared their brace stories with me (as adults or kids) as well. Not a negative comment yet.
Talking does take a bit of getting used to ... Still not there yet.
There isn't a lot of pain, although I did take two Motrin before the appointment and another two before dinner. My teeth aren't painful, but they do feel very tight. I had soup for lunch and again for dinner. I tried chewing on a bit of soft stuff, but my teeth are still too sensitive.
I have a .014 NiTi wire on both the top and the bottom. Clear ligs on top and silver on the bottom. First adjustment in 6 weeks.
Here are the pictures. The white film that is on my teeth is the flouride treatment that they brushed on after the brackets were attached:
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008
By shutter1 at 2008-11-10
By shutter1 at 2008
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Click on www below to see my braces story.
Hi Cat Meow,cat meow wrote:Hi Shutter,
I've just noticed that we share the same "spacer day" and "brace day"
I think my first adjustment may be a day or 2 before yours.
How have your first few days with braces been?
Congratulations on getting your braces.
My first couple of days have been ok. I would say that the braces have been a bit uncomfortable, but not really painful. They still feel very strange on the inside of my mouth and my cheeks are getting a bit sore. Wax is definitely a good thing.
I tried chewing a bit on some finely cut up softer foods (pasta and cooked vegetibles) - I was able to chew lightly, but my teeth are still a bit to sensitive. Beer taste real good though
Perhaps the most annoying thing are the molar bands. The little tubes on the side of the bands touch, and keep my teeth from touching together. I don't have molar buildups, but the end result is the same - pretty much impossible to clench my teeth together to chew. I may call my ortho next week and ask if they can adjust the tubes.
Other than that, things are ok.
How have your first couple of days been? And how long are you expecting to wear your braces? My estimate is 24 months, but I (like everyone else) am hoping for less.
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Click on www below to see my braces story.
Hi Shutter,
My first few days have been surprisingly good. I only have top braces at this stage, so I'm sure when I have the bottoms on too it will feel a little different! I've had no pain, and only one ulcer that popped at the back of my mouth on day 1 which wasn't even sore and has healed since then. I haven't had to use the wax yet.
My mouth certainly feels full though. And eating has been a little challenging simply because of not being able to put enough force to bite anything in fear of snapping a bracket. I have ceramic braces too...and I think the most burdensome thing for me has been trying to avoid foods that will not stain the o rings! I love curries, and I enjoy red wine and coffee, and I've had none this week! My ortho did mention that if this becomes difficult she can do some sort of tie instead.
My other concern was changes in speech as I also need to talk a lot as part of my job, but thankfully it hasn't been affected.
My estimated treatment time is also about 2 years.
I look forward to seeing your progress as we go along
My first few days have been surprisingly good. I only have top braces at this stage, so I'm sure when I have the bottoms on too it will feel a little different! I've had no pain, and only one ulcer that popped at the back of my mouth on day 1 which wasn't even sore and has healed since then. I haven't had to use the wax yet.
My mouth certainly feels full though. And eating has been a little challenging simply because of not being able to put enough force to bite anything in fear of snapping a bracket. I have ceramic braces too...and I think the most burdensome thing for me has been trying to avoid foods that will not stain the o rings! I love curries, and I enjoy red wine and coffee, and I've had none this week! My ortho did mention that if this becomes difficult she can do some sort of tie instead.
My other concern was changes in speech as I also need to talk a lot as part of my job, but thankfully it hasn't been affected.
My estimated treatment time is also about 2 years.
I look forward to seeing your progress as we go along
5 Week Update
It has been just over 5 weeks since I got my braces.
My first adjustment is next Monday (6 week mark).
I decided to take a few pictures so that I could take a look at progress. All and all I am pretty pleased. The tops are leveling out nicely, and the top pre-molar that was in cross bite has moved quite a bit.
The bottoms have begun to move as well, although I think that they are going to be a bit more of a challenge - they were pretty crowded. I keep looking at the rotated canine that I have on the bottom and I cannot figure out how it is ever going to rotate into place, given that it is blocked on both sides. I am going to ask my ortho about that on Monday.
You can also see what 5 weeks of coffee does to clear ligs. It looks pretty bad on these big pictures, but the stains really aren't that noticeable in real life.
Here are the pictures - the left is brace day, the right is 5 weeks.
By shutter1 at 2008-12-17
My first adjustment is next Monday (6 week mark).
I decided to take a few pictures so that I could take a look at progress. All and all I am pretty pleased. The tops are leveling out nicely, and the top pre-molar that was in cross bite has moved quite a bit.
The bottoms have begun to move as well, although I think that they are going to be a bit more of a challenge - they were pretty crowded. I keep looking at the rotated canine that I have on the bottom and I cannot figure out how it is ever going to rotate into place, given that it is blocked on both sides. I am going to ask my ortho about that on Monday.
You can also see what 5 weeks of coffee does to clear ligs. It looks pretty bad on these big pictures, but the stains really aren't that noticeable in real life.
Here are the pictures - the left is brace day, the right is 5 weeks.
By shutter1 at 2008-12-17
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Click on www below to see my braces story.