Metal Mouth Message Board

I got braces in December 2010. The other day, the ortho finally bracketed my 4 back teeth. My cheeks are so sore/torn up/swollen I can barely eat. Is it normal for them to wait so long to bracket those last 4? And how long does it take to stop hurting? Thanks!

At first I felt like my ceramic uppers were extremely noticeable, but my family swore up and down they only noticed up close. Now, 10 months into it, I'm SO glad I did ceramic on top... if only for the nifty fact that they don't show up in photos. I had to get my photo taken for our law school compo...

Random update - I was feeling particularly reckless this summer and had corn on the cob a few times... (I've never had any problems with food so why not?) ... Didn't have have any mechanical problems, but my siblings had a field day over it. Talk about food stuck in your teeth, yikes! Thank goodness...

I just got my first powerchains today, all the way across top and bottom teeth. Yikes! These are not pleasant. Normally I don't mind the pain, but I feel as much pain as I did the first couple days of braces. Hopefully they move stuff along, though, then it'll be worth it!

Mine are all about 8 weeks apart! Glad to hear that I shouldn't worry. I've seen pretty good movement so far (pics at missmetalmouth.wordpress.com) so I 'spose the 8 week plan is working!

I (of course) waited until I was booted off my dad's health insurance to get braces. I have to pay him a flat fee every month just for health insurance, and it was double that to get dental. Everyone I talked to said to just pay for ortho out of pocket and not bother with insurance. I heard it comes...

I've slowly tried just about everything. I waited 2 months to chew gum, then finally got desperate, and lo and behold - it was fine! As long as you chew sugar free gum nothing sticks. My first meal after being braced was pizza, crust and all, lol. I eat chips with no problems. Celery's been tricky -...

I was bracketed 12/28/10, and within a week had all 4 second premolars extracted. I thought I might lost a pound or so, but it turns out I really like food. I think if you want to badly enough, you'll eat. I would go to Max -n- Ermas and get 2 or 3 bowls of soup at a time. I also stocked up on puddi...

Thanks for all the help, everyone! Hopefully it starts improving soon, it's driving me crazy. VA5 - I ask a lot of questions, but I have never asked what the crimp in the wire is for! I've had it on every wire so far... anyone else know what the purpose is?

I love this! Such good advice. I wish I had done this years ago. The only positive is that at least I have pretty good self esteem at 23, kind of over worrying about little things. So I guess I had a higher point to fall from, haha. But really - I just need to forget about it, because people may not...

I got braces a little over 3 months ago. I had my 4 second premolars removed in the first week. Since then, the crowding has gotten better. Right before my second adjustment, I took photos (http://missmetalmouth.wordpress.com/) and the angled teeth had straightened out dramatically. The bottom was v...

Forgot one thing - Right after I got braces, I bought a Vera Bradley cosmetic bag for all my ortho stuff. Totally unnecessary, but it made me hate them a little less since I got a cute bag out of it. Silly I know, but I was pretty depressed for a couple weeks! And definitely soft foods, as someone m...

Hey! I had to wait over 2 months from my initial phone call to my consultation. After that, it all went pretty quick! But to tell the truth, I just tried not to think about it. The time flew when I wasn't constantly googling and stressing (which I'm prone to doing!). Hopefully it'll be summer before...

I got an Oral B Vitality toothbrush (I tended to brush really hard with a regular toothbrush and had gum recession, so this helps control that), and I also got a Waterpik. Other than that, I wouldn't really stress. I bought a TON of little things - every time I went through the dental section of the...

Wow, that's really phenomenal! I can't believe the difference in 6 months! Hoping I can see that kind of change soon!