Lingual Braces Top, Ceramics Bottom (2 and 1/2 weeks in)...Claustrophobia

[csoliver]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this board, but I figured it'd be the best place to start. So, I've had my lingual braces (top) and ceramics (bottom) for almost 3 weeks now. The soreness has subsided and my lisp is pretty much gone. However, I am struggling with something I never imagined I'd struggle with...the feeling of claustrophobia. The bottoms are fine, but because I feel like the top lingual braces takes up so much space from my tongue, I find myself having anxiety because I can't just take them out when I want. The feeling is intensified when I travel because I feel like I couldn't take them out if I really needed to. I only wanted bottom braces because I've had Invisalign already and my top teeth look amazing (I finished it out). However, I know teeth can always get better. To be honest, the only thing holding me back from getting the top braces removed is I will feel defeated if I know I didn't fight through this. On the other hand, I don't want to feel like I'm putting myself through unnecessary anxiety. My bottom braces are fine, they don't bother me at all really. Any words of advice?

[flaav001]

Hi,

You are not alone! I know exactly the feeling you are talking about. I'm 4 weeks tomorrow into my lingual braces (top and bottom) journey. My claustrophobia has definitely gone now, but it took me a couple weeks. My lisp has actually come back a bit this week, which is frustrating. It's hard to give advice so early on, but I can encourage you to persevere! We did the for a reason and it will be so worth it! I'm quite confident that by the 6 month mark they won't bother me much at all. How long are you meant to have them on for?