Getting braces tomorrow!

Message

#1 Post by **jcjc205** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:33 am

I'm so excited I'm getting braces tomorrow!

I may be even more excited to get these spacers removed

I am starting to get a little nervious tho. I feel like I'm not prepared and that there should be something else I should be doing or something I should be buying.

Any tips that someone can give me for the first few days or weeks are greatly appreciated. Is there something special I should buy to eat and/or for cleaning purposes? Anything that can help with the pain? Is there going to be a lot of pain? These spacers already hurt a lot, is it going to be worse or better? Will my ortho answer all of this, or is there anything that I should do today in preparation for it all?

Thanks

#2 Post by **TumbleDryLow** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:12 am

Spacers hurt differently than braces. Do braces hurt more? I personally didn't think so. Spacers suck and that's all there is to it.

You'll probably get a "goodie" bag at your banding appointment so you may want to wait on buying supplies, but basically I found that I needed very little to keep me happy in braces:
A manual toothbrush (soft)
Any toothpaste
Any floss as long as it's stiff. If it's stiff (as opposed to soft and fluffy) you don't need a floss threader to get it between most teeth. Others will swear by Oral B Super Floss, but I found I didn't really need special floss.
Christmas tree brushes. (I rarely use these, but when you need one, nothing else will do.)
A little dental mirror to see what's going on in the back of your mouth.
A dental scraper/hook thing (like the hygienist uses). I've actually used mine to reattach a powerchain that had come off. It saved me a trip to the ortho.
Act fluoride rinse
At first, wax. I ran out my first week in braces and had to run out to buy some. Stock up on the free stuff from your ortho--there should be a basket of the stuff at the check-in counter.
Advil for pain

As for what to eat, try not to baby your teeth too much. After a day or two try to eat normally even if it means cutting things up and chewing very slowly. Take some Advil about a half hour before a meal. That helps.

Ask any question that comes to mind at your banding appointment. The assistants expect you to be full of questions so don't hold back.

Congratulations on getting braces!

#3 Post by **beth1966** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:03 pm

What kind are you getting? Ceramic or metal? Traditional braces (with ligatures) or self ligating (no ligatures)?

#4 Post by **beth1966** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:04 pm

Sorry i don't have any words of advice (I hit post before I was done with the message) but I did want to say good luck!

#5 Post by **jcjc205** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:10 pm

I'm getting ceramic on top and metal on bottom. Traditional with ligatures.

Thanks!!

Is ice-cream a good thing to eat? It has helped with the spacers a lot

#6 Post by **ARStooge** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:08 am

Good luck and if you are in pain do not take advil or ibuprofin as they slow the movement of the teeth.

#7 Post by **Megan11** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 10:45 am

ARStooge wrote:Good luck and if you are in pain do not take advil or ibuprofin as they slow the movement of the teeth.

Really.....?

#8 Post by **blueeyedboy** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 1:14 pm

ARStooge wrote:Good luck and if you are in pain do not take advil or ibuprofin as they slow the movement of the teeth.

Where did you hear this from? It's hard to imagine how occasional usage of these pain relievers would change the rate at which your teeth move.

#9 Post by **hal2me** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 12:11 pm

Good luck! I've had mine (ceramic top and bottom) since last Wednesday. All I can say is make sure you eat as normal as possible. Take some advil to dull the pain. Be sure to chew, even if it hurts. It does get better.

Congrats!