Metal Mouth Message Board

I took the plunge so to speak and got upper and lower ibraces a few days ago. In that time I have come to the conclusion that orthos are sadists and braces are torture devices. That's makes us masochists and we pay for the privilege.

My biggest problem is that I can't speak properly. With effort and retraining I can or will be able to say most things, but I cannot figure out any way to make a good "s" sound. I've tried holding my jaw and/or tongue in different positions as well as putting wax on my front teeth, but no joy. It's one thing if I have to make sounds in different ways, it's another if I can't clearly make them at all. I've tried every suggestion I could find in previous posts, but I'm desperate so I would appreciate any more.

I have pain from pressure and from my tongue rubbing against the brackets, but not being able to speak is actually causing more problems. I really can't chew even soft foods either because my molars can't meet due to my lower front teeth hitting the brackets on the ones above. That means I'm on liquids and finely cut foods that I can just swallow indefinitely, not a great prospect.

I won't take anymore of your time or mine right now with more details since it seems that it's mostly typical. I have found a lot of helpful information here, but if anyone has anything to add I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and good luck to all of you.

How come 3 weeks before my appointment all I read is stuff like this

I was in the same boat as you are now. A few months ago right before my appt I was reading most horror stories of all times. I had several sleepless nites before my braces came. Well, the Day happened first week of june. Not a joy the very few days, but I lived with it. It wasn't as bad as i thought. Speech is back to normal, gaps and mislined teeth are happening with each adjustment. After 3 months all my teeth are tied in except of one. That will occur in 3 weeks. Yay. So no worries. Getting closer to a great smile. And look at all the support you have here. Amazing. I feel it is like Myspace for Braces.

anoushka wrote:I was in the same boat as you are now. A few months ago right before my appt I was reading most horror stories of all times. I had several sleepless nites before my braces came. Well, the Day happened first week of june. Not a joy the very few days, but I lived with it. It wasn't as bad as i thought. Speech is back to normal, gaps and mislined teeth are happening with each adjustment. After 3 months all my teeth are tied in except of one. That will occur in 3 weeks. Yay. So no worries. Getting closer to a great smile. And look at all the support you have here. Amazing. I feel it is like Myspace for Braces.

So would you say your speech is as it was before? I don't mind talking funny for a few weeks I'm just worried it'll last the whole time :\

Badteeth, stick it out for two weeks and then tell us how you feel. Chances are, things will have improved at least a little bit by then.

How come 3 weeks before my appointment all I read is stuff like this

xTc - Don't be discouraged, just be prepared. A few things are worse than I thought, but others are better. These braces may be a very serious pain in the ass, but they are a necessary evil. I think that of my options, ibraces were still the right choice. My problems are way too severe for Invisalign and traditional braces would just be a different and more visible cause of pain. I just wasn't fully prepared for how difficult and painful it is to eat and talk and how much more time everything takes with braces. The price tag hurts too.

I don't mind talking funny for a few weeks I'm just worried it'll last the whole time :\

I'm with you on that. That's why I actually am getting discouraged. I know that everyone feels terrible at the beginning and that some of it will get better, but I also know that some of it won't. The difficulties each person has and how severe they are depend on their teeth and their pain threshold. I think it's possible that I may be having some of the difficulties I am because my teeth are so severely misaligned.

It's still early and I have to have a few teeth pulled still, so things will keep changing. I can only hope it's for the better.