Worried about your appearance with braces? Don't be.

Message

#1 Post by **DireWire** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:59 am

All,

worried about your appearance with braces? Don't be.

Before I got my braces, I was (not overly) but solely concerned with how they would make me look. Well, I got ceramics and they are quite discrete, so my focus shifted quickly (within hours) from how they look to how they feel (torn lips, can't bite etc) and how to eat with these damn things.

Now, coupla days later, I got a bite plate to treat my developing TMJ predisposition (should have gotten the bite late right away, but got it two weeks late by accident). Ever since, my concerns about wearing braces have gone. My sole concern are the bite plates. I'm supposed to wear them 24/7, and it is not exactly easy to speak with them. My pronounciation in general, of S and TH in particular is ... interesting: I tend to sound like a slowly thinking mentally retarded who wrestles with thoughts as much as with speach. And the attempt to say words with 's' ends in flying saliva. This is all very embarassing.

I still adjust to suffering thru business meetings, phone conferences and discussions with this ugly tool. Sometimes, for the really big meetings and presentations, I take them off, and I feel quite liberated each time.

I can tell all newbies here, nobody cares about your braces, and neither should you. If you are worried about your appearance with braces, simply don't be. Braces are a minor thing. Call yourself happy that you don't have a bite plate!

Yes, and I intend to take a sheet out of my own book and tell myself the same for the bite plate (nobody cares, and it is my mouth, my jaw and my health), but man, this is more difficult than with braces ! The only good thing is that I don't have to wear them during the whole treatment, it is more like 3 mths... another 2 mths and 3 weeks to go!

DireWire

Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:55 pm

Thanks for that posting! I go back to work on Monday after taking some holiday (had the time to use up anyway so thought - opportunity to get used to braces!), and I was wondering what everyone's reaction would be. I told everyone beforehand to save shock-horror looks but still!

But as you said, there are worse things.

However I am currently suffering with mouth ulcers all down one side of my tongue and so my speech isn't great right now!

Hope the bite plate time goes VERY quickly for you!

#3 Post by **shaolin** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:50 pm

I'll second that DireWire, I was so hung up about how I would look in braces and what other people would think that it hardly entered my mind about how they would actually feel.

2 months in and I assume that people won't notice them (they hardly ever do unless I tell them), however I am aware of them and my own comfort is the most important thing.

I sound exactly the same and don't have to wear anything like you do fortunately, but spend a lot of my working time talking which can give me sores at the ends of the wires in my cheeks which wax fixes wonderfully (What would I do without wax!?).

Keep at it DireWire - I tell myself that this stuff in my mouth is on my side when I feel like ripping it all out, the negative feeling doesn't last long.

#4 Post by **fitchick** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 2:38 pm

Hi DireWire,

I did have a chuckle to myself when I read your post. I had a bite plate for 14months and I recall not being able to pronounce my 's' 'k' 'th' and many other letters of the alphabet. I went back to work after having the appliances fitted feeling very self conscious. The first colleague I spoke to said 'Ah, you sound really cute'! I thought, 'I can deal with cute' and that comment made me feel a whole lot better. The strange thing is, after having lived with the bite plate for 14months, I didn't want to give it up when the time came to stop wearing it. It took me 3 days to whean myself from it. My thoughts were the same as you at the start, but it surprising how quickly you get used to things and how you feel you can't live without them. I wore it at all times (even eating) and only removed it to clean my teeth and the results I got were amazing. Good Luck, that contraption is worth its weight in gold!

Fitchick

#5 Post by **vector** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:06 pm

I totally agree. When I got my top braces I was worried about what
people would think/say. No one noticed. After getting my bite plate
my co workers noticed my change in speech and asked what was up.

In the two months since having my non removable bite plate I've learned
to speak again. Now I could care less what other people think.

On the plus side I've noticed my molars have started erupting so the
bite plate is doing it's job.

#6 Post by **Pebbles** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:27 pm

I totally agree.... because of how they look, I got Damon 3mx on all my teeth, except the front top 6, which I got Clear Ice.

In 2 weeks, I knew those 6 were a mistake. They are much larger than the others, they tore up the inside of my top lip, while all the others were doing fine.... but I continued to tell myself that it helped me go around and no one would notice I have braces -- NOT ! Everywhere I went, people talk to me about my braces, sharing their brace story, giving me support.

Then my Ortho told me how the Damon 3mx move my teeth much faster than the Ice so I will have a distorted mouth during my treatment and he is already seeing it. He said he wished I'd let him put the Damon 3mx on those 6. So I agreed! I'm going on Tuesday to change them out.

I am thrilled to have these huge Ice brackets replaced with the smaller Damon 3mx. Sure I'll be full metal mouth, but inside I'll be much more comfortable and my time for having my braces will be reduced by several months. At this point, how I feel inside my mouth is more important than how I look!

Good luck with your Bite Plate!!
Take care,
Pebbles

#7 Post by **Becca** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:19 pm

Yeah, I was a little worried at first about what people were going to say. But honoestly, nobody even cares. I agree with everyone on the whole pain over vanity issue. I knew they would hurt but I didn't think about the shredded cheeks or the daunting task of eating. Which now I've grown pretty used to. The braces are no longer irritating the insides of my cheeks and eating is getting easier. I don't have a bite plate, but I do have Turbo Stops, which I despise. They make me have a lisp and I can't bite into food. So I feel your pain, there, lol.

Not to mention I came down with the flu 3 days ago, so right now my braces are pretty much the last thing on my mind....

And on the original topic, I think we should be more proud of ourselves for taking the action to get our teeth straightened than worrying about what other people are going to think. Just think how nice our straight teeth will look one day!!

Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:45 pm

I don't like the way I look with braces. I look really ugly.

#9 Post by **jennielee81** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:20 pm

I think you look cute....

Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:35 pm

Ummmm thanks.

#11 Post by **TigerLily** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:51 pm

You will get used to your bite plate!

Oh how I hated mine.. I am in month 3 of an expected 6 months. My teeth have moved so fast it's definitely made the difference. Initially my ortho said 18 months & I mentally set aside2 years.. But I think I will be finished in 18 monthsif not before.

I also could not talk properly for ages but now my colleagues say they don't notice it in my speech anymore

I take it out for important meetings or social events but my ortho is fine with that, she thinks its good I have adjusted to it. She'd just been worried I would take it out then get inyo habit of not wearing it at all.