4 days in and thinking of giving up

[bracedat36]

Hi everyone,

I just had traditional metal braces placed on both my upper and lower teeth on Friday and it has been complete discomfort since then. I wonder if anyone else has ever felt they could not make it past the first week. I am seriously considering having the braces removed and have already made an appointment with my orthodontist for this purpose.

I really appreciate everyone's stories of their experiences and the positive outcomes, and this has helped me to make it this far, but I still feel for me it is just not worth it. Between the spacers, which I had on for almost two weeks before getting the braces and now the braces themselves, I have not eaten a healthy, decent meal in almost 3 weeks. The inside of my mouth is so cut up, even with the copious amounts of wax I use. Today I start work since getting the braces put on and I'm dreading having to talk to people because my speech is so badly affected and moving my mouth causes more cutting.

I have a full time job and two children to take care of, and the constant need to take ibuprofen, brush, floss, and re apply wax is taking way too much of my energy and time. I am guessing I am not the first person to go through this, but I wonder if anyone else gave up and have traditional braces removed without finishing the treatment. Did you try another approach?

I know I sound desperate, because I am. I've been thinking about getting braces for over a decade as was ecstatic when I was finally in the position to get them. Now that I am here and realizing it's not going to work out I am so disappointed.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[lu lu]

Hi hun

Don't give up. You've come so far. You'll only regret it if you do.

I do know how you are feeling. I'm having 1 of those days today myself & really can't wait until it's over & i'm 2 months into treatment. I'm normally ok with it but today I feel I look ugly, my teeth are ugly, my teeth aren't moving as quickly as i'd like, i'm battling with my speech, it's an effort to talk at times since my adjustment last week (I have a lingual brace though, behind the teeth) & it all just feels like a chore BUT when I sit back & think wow 2 months in & i've finally done this I feel pretty chuffed I finally went through with it.

Just know you are not on your own & i'm sure other people feel the same too

It WILL be worth it in the end & the initial pain / discomfort you are feeling does subside. Once you see your teeth have moved those inital doubts will be gone. It's early days at the moment. It's all new but once you've adjusted it's Ok

Hang in there

xx

[seriousthinker]

I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with your braces at the moment. I feel that so far I have gotten off fairly lightly but I only had the odd day where I ached in different places and that wasn't nice so I can only imagine how much it can get you down. If the ibuprofen is working the go for it until you feel better.

Please don't give up! It will be worth it, you took a huge leap having it put on in the first place and no doubt at a price. I got so fed up of applying wax to one little bit that dug in. Wax that crumbled off when I ate and had to be swapped every time I brushed but in time I needed it less and less (until my first adjustment where the wire now pokes me again).

Also, you will be eating normally soon! I thought I'd never be able to chew ever again but a few weeks in and I was eating everything I ate before. You will enjoy your favourite foods and have a full meal soon.

Hope you feel better soon!

ST

[anniegirl]

Hi, my orthodontist told me there would be days in the beginning when I would feel like ripping my braces off, and he was so right!! I got mine fitted last November, and like you, I have the tradition metal braces, though only on my top teeth. They hurt the inside of my mouth like crazy for the first while, but then they really settled down, while my teeth have only stopped hurting in the last 2 weeks.....the upside of this is that I have really seen movement in my teeth, which must have been why they were hurting!! I waited for ages to pluck up the courage to get braces on, and I don't regret it for a second, as the improvements already are amazing!! Now I can't wait to go back and get another adjustment, so I can see more movement again!

My advice: stick with it!! I work with adults and young people, I'm 37, and am a mother of one, so I am crazy busy too, and have to face the public alot, so I know what you are going through. If you get them removed, you will only regret it so much, as you should see some improvement in your teeth soon! everyone has days when they feel they want them off, that is only natural, but those days will end soon, and you will be used to them so quickly, and wonder why you ever thought of getting them removed!!

Good luck!!!

[TumbleDryLow]

4 days is nothing. You need to get over this hump and give your mouth a chance to toughen up and heal. You are in the "what the hell have I done" phase. This phase sucks. Everyone goes though it to some extent, but keep going. I promise you that in a few months you are going to look back on this and be so grateful that you didn't give up. Your mouth will heal, the cuts will go away, the pain will subside, you'll stop using wax, and you will start eating normally again. It really does get better. Really!

[JennyLaughs]

I second everything Tumble has said. The first few days with my braces on I was feeling really negative. I think it's a bit of a grieving process caused by losing your "normal" self. Anyway, as everyone else has stated, it does go away (mine only took three days). Maybe to help speed up the process a bit, you could make a list of all the reasons you wanted to do this in the first place, make sure to list ALL the reasons, even the little pointless ones! You could also try looking at some of the pics on here of people's beautiful smiles when they finished up their treatments. My favorites are the really dramatic before/after pics! (I guess becaues mine will BE one of those someday).

As to the physical discomfort aspect, once again I second everything everyone else has already stated. The soreness in your mouth, both your teeth and cheeks, gums, tongue, etc. will go away eventually. The bottom bands on my molars literally sliced the bottom of my tongue everytime it moved! It was TORTURE for almost a week. I was using salt water rinses about 5-6 times daily. (I even asked the stupidest question on these boards: can too much salt water rust my braces?!? DUH!) After a week, my tongue healed and I haven't felt anything from the bottom bands since, so I'm assuming my tongue has gotten used to them. I could eat pretty normally after a week also, and as of week 2 with my braces on, I can eat anything I want (except those "forbidden" foods) and I've already somewhat forgotten I have these braces in my mouth.

I am mother to 2 little girls, 5 and 2 and I have a part time job that I work at night. I know how stressful getting my braces on was in my already hectic life, but I also know that if I did not do this right now, I would lose some of my teeth permanently and that thought scared me more than the stress. I feel like no matter what, you really want your braces off and I can totally respect that, but I would say give them 2 full weeks (14 days) and if you still feel the way you feel now, by all means take them off! I would call it giving your braces the benefit of the doubt, if for no other reason that to validate having those most horrible, torturous, painful, demon-spawned SPACERS in your mouth for 2 weeks. (I too had spacers for 2 weeks due to the odd timing of me getting them right before my ortho went off for Christmas break. OMG was that AWFUL!!!) I can assure you, nothing on this planet is worse than spacers, so braces are a cake-walk in comparison.

No matter what you decide to do, please keep us all updated. We're rooting for you either way!

[luchababe]

If your kids had to get braces and they said they hurt and were uncomfortable and begged you to let them get them off ASAP, but you knew braces were for the best and were going to do them good in the long run, what would you say to them? Try saying that to yourself. Your panic will go away and you'll back at this post and wonder what you were going on about!

[Ellebraced]

Hi bracedat36

I am 1 month in and the first couple days I was where you were and people told me it would get better and I thought these people are totally crazy BUT.....IT DOES GET BETTER!!! and the best part is when you see movement and you remember why you are purposely torturing yourself. I like to refer to the beginning as OH DEAR GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE or ODGWHID

YOU CAN DO IT. DIG DEEP!!!!!

You got to find the humor in it or you will go crazy. There is a lot of hilarious posts on here of how people are thinking.

I am happy to report, 1 month in, I have TONNES of movement and have been eating great and have very little sore spots.

My advice is the same as most, WRITE a journal to yourself or write a blog on here.

This website is THE BEST SUPPORT and adult braceface can get!!!!

You did this for a reason you just got to remember why and SUCK IT UP. LOL, I know that's not nice, and I mean it with no disrespect but that's what I told myself and it worked!!

Good luck bracedat36, I look forward to hearing your journey and seeing your progress pics.

Elle

PS I may not be so happy tomorrow as I get my 1st adjustment and 2 more molar bands but I know this is a process and I was so unhappy looking at me teeth and not wanting to smile and take pictures, so I have to do this and I have to remember this is not forever at the most a couple years, people deal with far worse things like disabilities or pain or bad health that will not go away.
We are very blessed to be able to be going through this process.

[bottlecap1990]

The first week of braces wasn't even that bad. I literally had chicken fried rice the day after I got my full metal braces. I even had a palatal expander.
After 2 weeks, you won't feel anything. I have been eating whatever I want to be honest.

You seriously WILL regret if you remove the braces

stop being a baby

[drgnchsr36]

Hang tough, you can do it!! I'm a single mother of one and work full time. I know your pain. It seems like you don't have enough time in the day for everything.. and on top of that it's not comfortable.

It does get better and just think when you're done - it'll be awesome!!

This site is awesome for support - any questions or fears - people are great here. I agree with the blogging, it helps to see how far you've gone.. and you can see it's all worth it!

What did your ortho say when you made the appointment?

[38Illinois]

I know what you are going through. I had a very rough time during my first few months. My advice would be to express in detail your discomfort to the ortho and if it is the hooks on the bands they can flatten them down. My ortho probably thinks I am baby as I ask about everything and ask for them to do something about it. My biggest problem at first was a quad helix they install on the roof of my mouth. I couldn't talk and they applicance was cutting my tongue. I told them to find an alternative or remove everything (hoping they would remove everything), but they understand my discomfort and remove the quad helix and will address my cross bite differently. It may be less effective, but I can live with the solution. Hang in there. You might have trouble eating for a few months, but there are several foods you will be able to eat without any issues. In 6-8 weeks your wires will be straight and you will notice a better smile is emerging. I know if sucks, it is a pain, but remember why you did it to begin with. I did it so I would smile big when taking pictures with my daughter. I would recommend getting clear brackets on top. They don't show up in pictures.

[SilverGirl]

I totally wanted to rip my braces off the first week! (I'm 40 and mother of 2 kids). I would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic attack feeling claustrophobic. And I hated, hated, hated the way I looked - I felt like a total freak. I came on this forum, and everyone assured me the first week was the worst and to hang in there. And really, after the first week things calmed down quite a bit.

Definitely take photos. Once my teeth started moving, I was really happy I did it (and I saw significant movement in just 3 weeks). Now that I've had them on a while, I'm starting to take the straightness for granted and am getting impatient with the braces, so I look at those early photos to remind me how far I've come.

And - for about a month now I've been eating absolutely everything I used to eat with no issues. I just might chew a little more carefully, but eat steak, burgers, granola bars, etc.

In the end, what finally kept me from going to the ortho to get them off was remembering how annoying it was to sit in the ortho's chair with my mouth propped open to get them on. I never want to go through that again, which is exactly what would happen when I would change my mind back months later when I'd once again hate my crooked teeth.

[bracedat36]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement -- and for being tough on me as well. I know you are right, although I'm not sure I'm ready to not give up.

I made it through my first day of work and it was hard. Talking during meetings was difficult - it's hard to work around all this metal and the little cuts to my mouth, tongue and lips sting. I had several people at work who've been through this tell me it will get better. I know it will, but I wonder when and how much better. Right now it's pretty bad.

I really love the comment of 'oh my god, what I have done', because that is definitely how I feel. I know I am having the freak out, but I also know that I need to be able to talk at work without grimacing and making crazy facial expressions. I feel like my ability to be a professional has been greatly reduced.

I admire you all so much for getting through it and focusing on the goal at the end. I hope I refocus my energy on that as well. I am going to get my appointment with orthodontist and talk about my options (and, at the very least stock up on more wax!). I was told by the receptionist (who has braces as well) that the first week is the hardest.

I'm trying to find humor and I'm sure I'll feel better when I can eat again. ack!

[loradora]

Lots of good points here and I definitely agree that you should hang in there...it will get better. I also wanted to rip mine out of my mouth in the beginning, but now I'm getting very close to getting debraced. Take it one day at a time and try not to dwell on it. Please keep us posted.

[ashesgap]

Do salt water rinses as often as you can through out the day. They really help with those tiny cuts. And same as everyone else has said, it does get better. Little by little everyday it will get better. Wouldn't it just be a huge waste to get them taken off now? I know it hurts, but you should just eat, soft things like mac'n cheese or potato soups. My mother in law made me eggplant parmesian 6 days after i got my braces on, I ate a huge plate of it because i didn't have to chew. Get creative.
Good Luck