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Hey there!! New to this site, I thought it was pretty cool to post your treatments and experiences. Well here goes my journey!!
SPACERS----- Why didnt anyone tell me they suck!! lol I asked the ortho if it was really necessary since i wore braces once before and didnt need them on, Unfortunately for me he said yes. To be honest they arent that bad, even though my teeth are sore, it is very manageble, havent taken any pain killers or anything, but its only my second day in them. They are just very irritating thats all but i think if i can handle whats supposed to be the worst of it, i can take another 5 days.
Good luck on the spacers. I am glad you only have 5 days left. I had them for 27 days. It was the hardest part for me............life is much better now. Hopefully you will have an easy ride the rest of the way!
good luck with your spacers! once the 7 days are up, you'll be so sick of them that you'll actually be itching to get you're braces on, well at least I was!
Pearls.
Spacers in: 9/4/2008
Braces on:16/4/2008
Sentanced for: 18 months
Metal upper and lowers
Actually the third day is worse, it hurts so bad. The funny thing is i thought i swallowed one when i was eating some lasagna last night ( i secretly wish i did) But i cant wait to get these out next week, hope my whole 3 day Memorial Weekend will not be ruined by pain.
Question: I opted to get Ceramics on Top and metal on the bottom, is the Ceramics really worth the extra money?? Does it make a whole lot of difference regarding aesthetic purposes?
Yes! Ceramics on top are worth every penny. Mine are actually the ICE (sapphire) and no one notices them at all. I've been able to appear onstage with no one noticing, and there are people who are just noticing that I have them, when they've been on over two months. I wish I could get them on bottom!
Spacers are the most horrible part of braces that I have experienced. It feels like giant pieces of steak are stuck between multiple teeth. For me it's not the pain, it's the annoyance! LOL You're a few days into it....it'll feel like nothing soon. I had to get them twice (surprise for me!) and I pouted like a three year old the second time.
You can do this!
Tops went on March 4, 2008
Lowers go on May 30, 2008
Bracket Mullet---metal on the bottom (business), Ice (party) on the top!
The first time I got spacers was on my bottom molars and it hurt like he--!the pain was pretty bad for a week.
About a week ago my ortho said I would need 2 spacers on top for a new molar band. I said "Please tell me you are kidding!!" and then they popped the spacers in even though one spacer kept popping out and the floss kept snapping. Well I dont know why this time is totally different. I was terrified waiting for the pain but I NEVER felt a thing. I kept sticking a mirror in there to make sure they were still on!lol they just didnt hurt. Maybe the bottoms are worse since the bottom bone is denser?
meryten, I think I will have to agree with you! The first time spacers were put on were in the very beginning of treatment and they hurt real bad.These 2 spacers were put on about 22 months after braces were put on and those molars were already moved ...
I have a question about spacers. Where do they go and does it vary by patient? I don't have any wisdom teeth and one of my 2nd premolars is a baby tooth. I know my orthodontist does use molar bands and from what I've read, it seems some do not.
After reading all of these nightmare stories about spacers, I'm worried the spacer will loosten my baby tooth. I know down the road I may lose my baby tooth, I'd hate to traumatize the little thing before it's time. There isn't a lot of space back there.
I still have about two weeks before I get the (awful) spacers. Can anyone offer any advice or experience regarding this?
you usually have spacers in front of and behind your next to the back molars. So you would have 8 total (as long as you're not missing any molars). I don't think it will cause you to lose the baby tooth, it just creates enough space to fit the molar bands. And although they are a nuisance at first you get used to them as long as you take it easy and eat soft foods for a couple days. Also don't be shocked that it feels like a big hunk of meat stuck between your teeth. Hope this helps.
I had spacers fitted for a week and to be totally honest they didn't hurt that much, more annoying than painful. As other have said it feels like there is some food stuck between your teeth.
Jex wrote:Yes! Ceramics on top are worth every penny. Mine are actually the ICE (sapphire) and no one notices them at all. I've been able to appear onstage with no one noticing, and there are people who are just noticing that I have them, when they've been on over two months. I wish I could get them on bottom!
Yes they are... but I'm not sure what kind I have, need to post visuals some time
-S
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braces on: Feb 2005
braces off: Nov 2008
I agree, my spacers are getting annoying, I have had them on 5 days and they are supposed to come out on Thursday when I get my braces on. The don't hurt all the time, but I still cannot eat normal food because chewing is very painful. I hope this isn't what life with braces is going to be like, because I love crunchy veggies! : (
i didnt use pain killers either ... 
