Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi All,

I had my molds and x-ray done for my lingual braces about a week ago. My orthodontist told me that I would be wearing the braces for approximately a year and a half to perfect my smile. I am very curious about the timeline that others have experienced starting from the beginning. I know there are a lot of "braces journey" threads that provide this information, but I thought it might be helpful to have a thread with more summary level responses all in one place.

Why did you choose lingual braces?
How long did it take between completing molds/x-ray and having your braces put on?
How long did it take before you could eat and speak normally again?
How long did it take before you first started seeing results?
Did/will your treatment finish earlier or go longer than initially thought?
Did/will you have to wear a retainer afterward? If so, for how long?

Thank you!

>> Why did you choose lingual braces?

I didn't want the braces to be visible and I liked the prospect of very personalised brackets

>> How long did it take between completing molds/x-ray and having your braces put on?

Initial quote was 4 weeks, this was delayed to 6 weeks (due to high volume of orders in Germany), which was further delayed by another 2 weeks because of a problem with one of the impressions which had to be re-done

>> How long did it take before you could eat and speak normally again?

I still can't speak normally (after 3.5 months) and I probably never will until the darn things come off.
I still can't eat normally and mainly have soup and smoothies, although occasionally I will have mashed potato/cauli cheese/moussaka. Mainly this is because my bite is so awful (since the brackets were fitted) that I just cannot chew, but it's also because of the difficulty/hassle of food being stuck in braces after eating.

>> How long did it take before you first started seeing results?

About 10 weeks for me, but once that happened it was a wonderful feeling!

>> Did/will your treatment finish earlier or go longer than initially thought?

I have no idea. I hate them so much that I actually don't dare ask the ortho for an update of how long the treatment will take, as I cannot bear the thought of it taking longer than the initially predicted 15-18 months. I am still one 'phone call away from asking to have the braces taken out again or finishing the treatment early, as the experience (for me, I appreciate most people have a better one) has just been absolutely horrible.

>> Did/will you have to wear a retainer afterward? If so, for how long?

My quote was for both a fixed retainer and a removable retainer, and I intend to wear both, forever, assuming I actually get to the end of my treatment (well even if I don't, I will want to retain the progress that has already been made). Compared to wearing linguals, any retainer must be absolute bliss!!


Good luck with your journey, most people seem to get on ok after the first couple of weeks, but I certainly have had a far rougher time.

1. Why did you choose lingual braces?

When I chose to fix my teeth, lingual braces always were the option I had in mind. Although I am 26, I look very young, and couldn't imagine myself going to work looking like a teenager! So, when my ortho suggested the "incognito" treatment as an option - I didn't think twice. In hindsight, I should probably have done more research about it so I would have been more prepared psychologically!

2. How long did it take between completing molds/x-ray and having your braces put on?

I had my impressions taken in May and had my braces fitted in August. I could have had them fitted early July; but I was going on holiday and didn't want the braces to interfere and spoil the enjoyment, so I decided to wait an extra month.

3. How long did it take before you could eat and speak normally again?

It took about 2-3 weeks. During the first week I couldn't eat anything except soup, very soft food (like risotto and scrambled eggs) and lots of liquids. I would treat myself with chocolate almond milk! Then I moved on to chunkier foods, and now I can eat pretty much everything except very crunchy or hard food, because it would damage the brackets (but technically I could have them - it just wouldn't be very pleasant and worth the effort). Also things don't taste as nice as they used to.

Regarding the speech, it took about 3 weeks before I stopped obsessing over my speech. Like winwired, although my speech has massively improved, I still don't speak normally and don't think I ever will until the braces come off. But... I got used to it, and my friends/family/colleagues don't care or notice, so I just got over it.

4. How long did it take before you first started seeing results?

About 3 weeks - one of my teeth started moving really quickly and it made such a difference.

5. Did/will your treatment finish earlier or go longer than initially thought?

I don't know ! I don't want to ask my ortho because I'm scared of the answer. My estimated time is 24 months... it really sucks!

6. Did/will you have to wear a retainer afterward? If so, for how long?

Yes, I will have to wear a retainer every night for a couple of years and then once to twice a week "forever". Even if it's annoying I will definitely wear them as I don't want my teeth to move back to their original position!