Lingual Braces Journey started . . .

[satbee]

Hi Everyone

Good to find this forum, it is an immense support as it is quite an experience to have lingual braces fitted.

I have mine applied on the 19th February 2011. I'm getting used to them quite well now.
Main difficulty is I've had to switch to very soft food as I cannot chew properly. There is always a fear of breaking the brace if you bite on any hard stuff or it gets caught under the wire. I don't mind staying on this diet for the treatment period, since I like yoghurts, custard, soups, scrambled eggs, etc. Miss the nuts though, but I can still get these grinded and added to yoghurt.

A problem which I encountered was with excess glue which then lifted off while I was eating. It was a very scary experience, as I thought I broke the plates, then saw it was just a small piece of glue like plastic !

I'm due for my first change in wire on the 18th March, so hope for the best!

Regards to all, satbee

[jessicamay]

Hi satbee,

Congrats on starting the journey!

Don't worry you'll get used to eating with them...and you don't need to stick to soft foods forever! I've tried eating pretty much everything and nothing has ever broken the brace or made the brackets come off. I'd say the only thing I've avoided is popcorn only because it's annoying when it gets stuck!

If you get any food stuck under the wire, just carry a brush with you to brush it out or I usually take a mouthful of water and swill that around to dislodge it (which is a bit more discreet than having to go off to brush!)

Let me know if you have any other qus

[upthebracket]

I find that if I only eat small pieces and chew with my back teeth, I can eat almost anything (a couple of brackets came off early on as I got used to doing this, but since then it's been okay).

[oasked]

Hello,

I'm new here too - good to see someone else starting down the road of lingual braces. I had my bottom arch done yesterday, with the top half due in 3 weeks time.

First of all thanks for this forum, I wouldn't have got my braces installed without it! Having said that, I'm not having too much fun with my new brace! When I was about 15 (I'm 25 now) I had a conventional brace, but my teeth moved around after the end of that treatment. I don't remember eating being this painful! I hope the pain fades, because I can barely chew at the moment. The other source of pain are all the metal blocks on the inside of my teeth - my tongue keeps on rubbing against them.

One of the first things my orthodontist told me was that I could use the wax on my teeth to cover these metal bits up, or blu-tack if I'm desperate. Needless to say, whilst at work today I couldn't eat any lunch due to pain - so cue the blu-tack. It helped, but it was still pretty painful.

I hope I've gone down the right road in starting with this treatment, I hope my tongue gets used to my brace soon!

How did people find the addition of the top brace - was it much worse than the lower brace?

Thanks, Chris

[satbee]

Dear All

Thanks for your replies and support. I have found this really helpful.

I've been to my first follow-up yesterday, one month after having Incognito braces put on.
Seems that things are improving and my front teeth have started approximating already.

Getting used to eating more and more, but still prefer to have soft food as it is so much easier to eat. I do not want to risk any breakages to my braces! Can also eat pasta with tomato sauces or instant rice noodles. I prefer minced meat (including chicken) and add these to sauces. Also need to boil fruit like apples and pears as otherwise these will be too crunchy.

Satbee

[oasked]

Good to see you're getting good progress already.

My tongue is still suffering (a lot) from being lacerated by the metal clips. It hasn't bled yet, but it sure does hurt like hell whenever I eat or clean my teeth. I'm having to use a little bit of wax on one particular clip that gives me grief and I'm washing salt water around my mouth occasionally to try and toughen up my tongue.

Has anyone else tried using salt water - does it work?

[satbee]

Hi Everyone

It's been now 3 months since I got my Incognito braces (upper). I've had 3 follow-ups at my dentist for adjustments and review.

First follow-up was just an adjustment

Second follow-up: 2 days before my appointment I felt something sharp in between teeth and noticed that my archwire had broken in two! I went to my dentist and said it's nothing to worry and he replaced my archwire with the next one.

Third follow-up: my problematic crooked front tooth needs space to be move in, so would not be able to make any more progress unless adjacent teeth move. I've had a premolar extraction in February, to allow such movement. To facilitate the process, the dentist changed my archwire to a thicker one and inserted some springs as well. Hope there will be progress next visit!!

Regards

Satbee

[memyself&irene]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum but as I got my lingual braces fitted yesterday (upper and lower row) I'm gonna be needing some support from you (cause only you can understand me well!)

My main problem so far is eating...I have an overbite so now the front brackets touch my lower teeth and I can't close my mouth properly and my upper molars never get to touch the lower ones so chewing is completely IMPOSIBLE. Has anyone had the same problem?Does it ever become better? Cause I'm really scared at the moment thinking I won't be able to eat solid food for the next two and a half years :S.

Thanks!

Irene

[oasked]

[b]memyself&irene[/b] - Sorry I can't help as I haven't had that problem - I would imagine that as your teeth move you should be able to eat properly again - in any case you should get used to it. If the problem persists - ask your orthodontist!


[b]Self-Update[/b] - Since my last post back in March I have got used to my lower lingual braces so that now I almost don't notice them at all. Salt water might have helped my tongue get used to the braces - but I think it was mostly just time and some slightly different chewing techiques to minimise the pain!

I (finally) had my top lingual braces installed today wooo! (this is where my teeth need the most correction) They feel a bit weird and eating is weird again (but not painfull!) but with time I imagine I should get used to them too.

Both braces installed and no-one has noticed a thing. My speech isn't as bad as I thought it would be either! Very glad I got the braces installed - once you get used to them, linguals are great.

[pinkgecko]

I've considered linguals, but the cost is putting me off. It's also quite hard to find a ortho skilled in using linguals

[jenchien]

@ satbee, usually it's not a big problem when that glue-like-plastic is coming. Usually it's just excess glue, which means you've properly adjusted to them, which is good. But I hope for the best for you and that all goes well on your next ortho visit.
@ pinkgecko, did you know that it's usually the advanced hardware in these braces that makes them a bit pricey? You should check out Boston dentists to see if they're around your price range.

[satbee]

Hi to all,

Thank you for replying on this thread.

It's now a long 8 months since I've had my Incognito brace fitted. It is surely a slow process, but well worth it!

In my case, the first phase was moving some teeth laterally to make space for the incisor tooth to be aligned in place. Now I've started the second phase of the journey and it is expected it should take around 1-2 months. Can't wait till Christmas!

I would like to share a useful tip which has helped me improve my oral hygiene and take care of my braces. I have purchased a "Waterpik" water flosser which really works wonderful removing every since fragment of food that gets lodged in between teeth or brace.

satbee

[itsleelance]

[quote="pinkgecko"]I've considered linguals, but the cost is putting me off. It's also quite hard to find a ortho skilled in using linguals [/quote]

I'm in the same boat. I was only able to find one in Charleston, WV so I hope they are good...and reasonably priced!