Braced at 44! (And a question...)

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OCKeith
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:14 pm

Braced at 44! (And a question...)

#1 Post by OCKeith »

Hi Everyone! Got started on my braces about 3 weeks ago, at age 44! They put brackets on my top front teeth (so far), and then inserted those irritating spacers between my top rear molars. Had to wear those for two weeks before they then put the metal bands around my top molars. Boy, I was sure glad to get the spacers out, but I had no idea what fun the molar bands would bring in the days to follow, LOL.

The brackets on my top front teeth didn't bother me. But man, the molar bands sure did! As you all know, they have all kinds of doo dads poking out every which way, and those proceeded to tear up the insides of my cheeks. I only survived because of the dental wax they gave me. Now, after almost a week with the molar bands, I think my cheeks are starting to develop callouses and not hurt as much. Just last weekend they were actually bleeding slightly, so this is a huge improvement!

I have to wait for my top teeth to straighten a bit before getting braces on my bottom teeth, which I guess will happen in a couple months. Then I get to go through the whole process over again, lol. Fun! At least I know what to expect this time. And I'm sure I'll be using elastics too, at some point, so I have that to look forward to as well! :)

Anyway, so far I'm still happy with my decision. Sure it's inconvenient and a bit painful here and there, but I'm so happy I'll finally be getting straight teeth, and a nice smile! The hardest part though will be the jaw surgery that they also recommend, to fix my overjet/overbite. I don't need to decide just yet on that, though, which is good.

So my question is this... do any of you notice a peculiar twitching sensation in your teeth now that you have braces? Specifically, every now and again I'll notice what feels like a really tiny spasm or twitch/tug in individual teeth. It's very brief, and not at all painful. I've asked friends who've had braces, and none can remember feeling anything like that. Is it possible I'm actually feeling the tooth move slightly? It's not bothering me or anything, I'm just curious.
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MetalMedic
Posts: 57
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:23 pm

#2 Post by MetalMedic »

Hey OCKeith!

I know exactly how you feel. The shredding of your cheeks which reminds me of parmesan on a cheese grater will eventually go away. The tough part is waiting for them to heal since the metal is constantly rubbing in that area. Remember, wax is your friend.

As for your "twitching" of your teeth, I think I may be able to shed some light on this. I think that since you are older than most people when they got their braces (I’m 24, btw, so well above the average age), we tend to notice more details than someone that isn’t as in tuned as we are. Believe it or not, I'm still experiencing these "twitches" after 13 months of treatment so far. So maybe this is why your friends don't remember this sensation.

What my personal, and certainly not professional opinion is that this sensation is produced by the ligaments that hold your teeth in their sockets are loosening up, which allows your teeth to move and become "straight" with the braces. When we move our jaws in a certain directions, chew, or even simply push with our tongues on certain teeth, you can feel the tooth move ever so slightly due to the loosening of the ligaments and space that was left behind from your tooth's former location in the bone. Every now and then I find myself playing with certain teeth as this sensation occupies my time when waiting for something. A bit of a habit I guess. Hehe.

It isn't painful, just, interesting.

Hope this helps, and maybe describes a little bit of what you’re experiencing.
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catgyrl
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#3 Post by catgyrl »

OMG - I was just going to post this very same question!

Just got my braces last Friday, and over the weekend I was just sitting around, minding my own business... when I heard AND felt a very obvious "click" on/around my front bottom teeth. I freaked out and was so excited and thought "THEY'RE MOVING!!" Thank you for the explanation - makes perfect sense.
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OCKeith
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:14 pm

#4 Post by OCKeith »

Thanks for the replies, MetalMedic and Catgyrl! That explanation about the periodontal ligaments make perfect sense. I keep feeling the sensation, but not as frequently anymore.
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a*young*51
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 1:24 pm

#5 Post by a*young*51 »

Just got my top metals on on April 6th, yes everything is loose up top. All kinds of pops and clicks! Somehow I cannot leave my teeth alone, keep pushing them with my tongue and lips to feel the pops and clicks :-*
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OCKeith
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Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 5:14 pm

#6 Post by OCKeith »

a*young*51 wrote:Just got my top metals on on April 6th, yes everything is loose up top. All kinds of pops and clicks! Somehow I cannot leave my teeth alone, keep pushing them with my tongue and lips to feel the pops and clicks :-*
I know how that goes!! I'm constantly pushing with my teeth and tongue -- probably shouldn't be doing it, hehe.
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loradora
Posts: 165
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 4:11 pm

#7 Post by loradora »

catgyrl wrote:OMG - I was just going to post this very same question!

Just got my braces last Friday, and over the weekend I was just sitting around, minding my own business... when I heard AND felt a very obvious "click" on/around my front bottom teeth. I freaked out and was so excited and thought "THEY'RE MOVING!!" Thank you for the explanation - makes perfect sense.
Minding your own business, eh? :lol:
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