Metal Mouth Message Board

Bet your cheeks and gums and killing you by now? Keep the faith! Another 10 days or so and you'll be free of pain and eating normally again. I've got braces for the second time around and 6+ months in, my teeth are starting to look A-1 (again) - it's worth it. But they'll be days when you will wonde...

I always seem to have one or two teeth that are more sensitive than they used to be at any given time. Then they settle down and the archwire 'attacks' some other teeth instead. It's sort of the like the ebb and flow of the tide. It's just 'one of those braces things' you learn to live with after a ...

I had braces as a teenager and (now again) in my late forties - and I can relate to you all fronts. The first couple of weeks is tough. Your mouth hurts like hell, you're self conscious and life kind of sucks. Once your cheeks toughen up the pain will diminish. I can't in all honestly say you'll for...

I was the same at first. My top and bottom teeth didn't meet (paper would easily slide in and out) when I hate my teeth (semi) clenched. But sure enough after a month everything settled down and they now meet just fine - again. Seems like the lower jaw actually floats and it will realign all by itse...

Some Advil, dental wax, and a shoulder to cry on. That said after a week you're cheeks and lips will toughen up and you'll be fine. I second the Oral B superfloss but also you might try switching Sensodyne tooth paste (right now) to deaden your nerves a bit.

GUM makes a special "ortho" line of toothbrushes. They're extremely soft, with a small head and the brushes are cut like a V (to fit on either side of the brackets). I had to special order them in but at 3.99 (CDN$) they're a deal.

I really like the Oral B product. I've used floss threaders as well and they're OK but not as easy to use as Oral B. The trick is to go straight up under the arch wire and out the top (i.e. not through the tooth). Then just grab a hold of the floss with both hands and come down to the gum line as in...

I travel a fair amount so opted for metal - less prone to failure and quicker acting. I figured, the last thing I need is to be stuck in some European country where I don't speak the language looking to get a bracket replaced. I'll admit silver stands out at first but after a month or two you probab...

A couple of days after getting the archwires changed I ate some cold apple sauce (straight from the refrigerator) and just about dropped dead in my tracks. For a few seconds the pain was astounding. Bit after a few more days things settled back to normal. Having learned my lesson, post adjustment no...

Don't sweat it. You're new to the game and these things take time. You can't move teeth too fast (they say about 1mm per month) so it's a bit like geological time. Slow but sure. That said, I find I can easily sense change when flossing. The gaps between my teeth change almost daily with new archwir...

Always for about a week after the archwire has been played with. And anytime I eat a wrong meal after about an hour I feel it. Just one of those brace things you learn to endure.

I'm going against the trend here but ... I had braces when I was in high school (mid to late 70s) and by the time I graduated from Uni my bottom teeth had crossed over again. At 22, my ortho offered to fix them for free and I declined stating I'd enough metal in my mouth to last a lifetime. As the y...

I'm losing weight too. Snacks present just too much of hassle to clean up after so I just skip them now.

The dreaded list:

Rice/Noodles
Granola or Nut Bars
Crusty Bread
Cookies

Oh, can I relate. I'm 47 and have braces for the (groan) second time in my life. In my high school years, I lived with the few meal deal - all around every single tooth bands. So 30 years later, it's a bit cleaner - mini brackets but arch wires that just keep on pushing. Still the tough stuff's all ...