Well I say them, I have had the lower ones put on today so far no pain and have managed to eat (am just trying to eat as I normally would but I realise this might have to change). So far it doesn't feel that bad but speaking can be a real challenge. I seem to be fine doing it on the phone but as soon as i speak to anyone I find the lisp comes on very strong and its really irritating. I am getting the top ones on in a couple of weeks time and I only see this it getting much much worse. Everything I can cope with except not be able to talk properly! Does anyone have any tips/words of comfort to make me feel better?
The problem is that I can feel when i talk that my tongue touches the back of my top teeth so surely when a brace is occupying that area there is going to be all sorts of mayhem. Grrrr 18 months cannot go quick enough...
Just got them today!
Moderator: bbsadmin
hi, well i have linguals on the top and normal on the bottom, i got mine on a week ago today. I can not speak properly either and it can be really embarrassing.
i put heaps of wax on at night though and first thing in the morning i can speak quite well. At least yesterday and today i have noticed it. So i am thinking things will improve from here...
I have ordered some silicon wax from this site actually and i am hoping that will improve my speech as i should be able to wear it during the day without it crumbling up like normal wax does....
Be patient as from what everyone says it will get better.......
i put heaps of wax on at night though and first thing in the morning i can speak quite well. At least yesterday and today i have noticed it. So i am thinking things will improve from here...
I have ordered some silicon wax from this site actually and i am hoping that will improve my speech as i should be able to wear it during the day without it crumbling up like normal wax does....
Be patient as from what everyone says it will get better.......
It's surprising how quickly speech improves. I found singing along to music in the car helped as well as lots of water and wax - I prefer the silicone one.
As for uppers, they are quite high up on the back of my top teeth, about halfway up the tooth if that makes sense, so it has less impact than I thought it would.
It may not be as bad as you anticipate.
As for uppers, they are quite high up on the back of my top teeth, about halfway up the tooth if that makes sense, so it has less impact than I thought it would.
It may not be as bad as you anticipate.
Hey, it does get easier. Oddly enough, I found that my speech improved when I stopped trying so hard. The harder I tried, the worse it was (I have upper linguals). Then I realised that in my anxiety to get the words out clearly I was pressing my tongue too firmly against my teeth (and brackets) and squeezing the sound out which didn't work! It can be difficult speaking face-to-face for the first few days (perhaps because in the back of your mind you're thinking people can see the brackets, when of course they can't), but try to relax and speak slowly. Also, avoid words which are hard to say at the best of times. After a while, your tongue adjusts to its new habitat, and most of the time you forget the brace is there. Keep drinking (water). Sorry to hear that lower linguals create speech difficulties in the early days. I've opted for upper and lower linguals too, and I can see that when the lowers are bonded I'll probably have to go through the adjustment process for a second time. Oh well ...
UPDATE:
So I had finally sorted out speaking with the lowers and really wasn't minding them at all. Today I got the uppers on and basically I have really narrow mouth (the are arched in) and anytime I say anything, i mean anything my tongue hits the brace and all I get is a thhhhhh sound. It is totally ridiculous and it is at a level where I can't actually have a conversation with someone. What the hell am I going to do. I understand that speech gets better over time however literally there is no-where for my tongue to go so how can it get better?
I can not actually function in everyday life if it is going to be like this (seriously, this is no dramatisation). I wanted them so it wasn't obvious that I had braces however now I kind of think I would prefer it to this... Seriously tempted to get the top taken off and look for an alternative. Wish I had just done this anyway...
So I had finally sorted out speaking with the lowers and really wasn't minding them at all. Today I got the uppers on and basically I have really narrow mouth (the are arched in) and anytime I say anything, i mean anything my tongue hits the brace and all I get is a thhhhhh sound. It is totally ridiculous and it is at a level where I can't actually have a conversation with someone. What the hell am I going to do. I understand that speech gets better over time however literally there is no-where for my tongue to go so how can it get better?
I can not actually function in everyday life if it is going to be like this (seriously, this is no dramatisation). I wanted them so it wasn't obvious that I had braces however now I kind of think I would prefer it to this... Seriously tempted to get the top taken off and look for an alternative. Wish I had just done this anyway...
RB1999
hanging in there. I am on my day # 6 and fearing the next day coming up. But all I can say, speach comes and goes. I work in a restaurant, and over few days I have to repeat myself to my guests and coworkers. Silicon gel is great, but it starts to dissapear after several hours. But what is worse, years of not smiling like a winner or several months of this semi mysery or journey to make it. good luck
hanging in there. I am on my day # 6 and fearing the next day coming up. But all I can say, speach comes and goes. I work in a restaurant, and over few days I have to repeat myself to my guests and coworkers. Silicon gel is great, but it starts to dissapear after several hours. But what is worse, years of not smiling like a winner or several months of this semi mysery or journey to make it. good luck
Granite, it's a fairly tedious process so go to the toilet beforehand otherwise your bladder will burst! Also, apply some lip balm because you tend to dry out with everything that is happening.
In my case, they started by inserting cheek retractors/lip spreaders into my mouth to keep it held open for the duration. Don't try talking with these in place! They sanded the back of my teeth, then applied etchant (adhesive). The etchant has a foul taste. My brackets came in a tray which was then placed over my arch and held in place for quite some time. When it was removed, it felt like my teeth were coming with it!! (of course, this was all in my head) Finally, they shone a beam on the brackets to make the glue "take", then in went the wire and wire ties/ligs. I was in the chair for over an hour, and this was for one arch only (I did regular braces on the bottom which were placed later on).
Good luck with it all.
In my case, they started by inserting cheek retractors/lip spreaders into my mouth to keep it held open for the duration. Don't try talking with these in place! They sanded the back of my teeth, then applied etchant (adhesive). The etchant has a foul taste. My brackets came in a tray which was then placed over my arch and held in place for quite some time. When it was removed, it felt like my teeth were coming with it!! (of course, this was all in my head) Finally, they shone a beam on the brackets to make the glue "take", then in went the wire and wire ties/ligs. I was in the chair for over an hour, and this was for one arch only (I did regular braces on the bottom which were placed later on).
Good luck with it all.
Update Time!
Ok so a year on i posted this and as i found the looking through this community useful when i was considering braces I thought I would post an update.
So....Initially when I had the linguals attached it was horrible. Speaking was impossible and really got me down. At one point I was very close to getting them taken off however my orthodontist persuaded me to re-consider - something I am very glad that he did. So after three weeks of difficulty speaking gradually became much easier to a point when I could essentially talk normally without anyone noticing the difference.
Skip forward seven months of plain sailing and then I had to have two extractions. Jesus Christ. I think I got some sort of infection as for three days I was in excruciating pain but that again started to subside.
Three weeks later I had some temporary anchorage devices installed so the teeth could start to be brought back. This threw up similar speaking challenges but after a week or so I got over it.
So what have i learned?
1. Patience is key - things will get better
2. Be prepared for it being irritating - certain foods, cleaning, breakages - but remember its never that bad and just to think through things. (i'm looking forward to eating chewing gum again!)
3. Be prepared for milestones along the way which set you back but they get easier to recover from the longer the treatment goes on
4.The time goes very quickly!
Hope this has been helpful to read for people thinking of linguals and should show that things do get better - to a point where you can forget about them (for a bit).
Best wishes
Ok so a year on i posted this and as i found the looking through this community useful when i was considering braces I thought I would post an update.
So....Initially when I had the linguals attached it was horrible. Speaking was impossible and really got me down. At one point I was very close to getting them taken off however my orthodontist persuaded me to re-consider - something I am very glad that he did. So after three weeks of difficulty speaking gradually became much easier to a point when I could essentially talk normally without anyone noticing the difference.
Skip forward seven months of plain sailing and then I had to have two extractions. Jesus Christ. I think I got some sort of infection as for three days I was in excruciating pain but that again started to subside.
Three weeks later I had some temporary anchorage devices installed so the teeth could start to be brought back. This threw up similar speaking challenges but after a week or so I got over it.
So what have i learned?
1. Patience is key - things will get better
2. Be prepared for it being irritating - certain foods, cleaning, breakages - but remember its never that bad and just to think through things. (i'm looking forward to eating chewing gum again!)
3. Be prepared for milestones along the way which set you back but they get easier to recover from the longer the treatment goes on
4.The time goes very quickly!
Hope this has been helpful to read for people thinking of linguals and should show that things do get better - to a point where you can forget about them (for a bit).
Best wishes
Hi RB,
I'm glad to hear you're finding the experience a bit easier now. I am due to get upper iBraces and lower ceramics fitted next week, I'm really scared of how my speech is going to be (Nothing else bothers me at all as I had braces as a teen and know how much they hurt etc).
I'd say I have a large mouth
so hopefully I won't find it as hard as others who have don't. I've got a week off work to adjust, fingers crossed I'll be OK!
How long did it take before you noticed movement? I am looking to book a holiday in the next couple of months but would love to have a straighter smile for the photos!
I'm glad to hear you're finding the experience a bit easier now. I am due to get upper iBraces and lower ceramics fitted next week, I'm really scared of how my speech is going to be (Nothing else bothers me at all as I had braces as a teen and know how much they hurt etc).
I'd say I have a large mouth
so hopefully I won't find it as hard as others who have don't. I've got a week off work to adjust, fingers crossed I'll be OK!How long did it take before you noticed movement? I am looking to book a holiday in the next couple of months but would love to have a straighter smile for the photos!