Less than 24 hours before braces

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#1 Post by **clangjr** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:35 pm

Hello all!

I just found this site today, and since I am less than 24 hours to braces I thought I would post and say hello.

Backstory:
I started this process approximately 9 months ago. I had a crown that needed to be replaced, and also needed the 3 remaining wisdom teeth removed. The lower two were sideways and impacted. The surgery was easy, but the complications kept on coming. After 6 weeks I had an abcess removed that was preventing me from opening my mouth.

I had originally intended to do Invisalign, but between the research I did along with the reccomendation of the ortho, I am doing full-on braces. I've had messed up teeth since I was young. My parents couldn't afford braces as a kid, and I played trumpet and I used that as a rationale for not pushing the issue. My bottom teeth were getting squeezed by the wisdom teeth so they need fixed. I also have a crossbite as well as a 6mm protrusion on the top.

As of now I am doing standard braces on both top and bottom. No self ligating or ceramic. I was told that I will need elastics, but not sure if that is immediately or not.

I had spacers put in on 3/30 and go on 4/5 for the installation of Metal Mouth v1.0
Chuck

#2 Post by **threescompany** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:13 pm

Good luck tomorrow!

I have ceramic, and if I had to choose again, I think I'd go for metal. Wear that tin grin proudly!

#3 Post by **farmboy** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:40 pm

I agree with threescompany: Wear that tin grin proudly.

I got metal, and I've never regretted it. I just get the silver ligs so I never have to worry about the staining a lot of people on this message board talk about. Very few people have mentioned my braces, and most of those have been supportive comments.

I hope everything goes well during your installation. Remember to get lots of wax from the orthodontist and rinse frequently with warm water and salt.

And about elastics: I'm told most patients wear elastics at some point or another. It seems most are several months into treatment before they get elastics.

Good luck!

#4 Post by **clangjr** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:58 am

I'm sitting in the waiting room of the ortho, getting ready to go! I am so excited!

#5 Post by **lgee24** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:26 am

Good luck! I have had mine on for little over a month and I was so nervousu the first day I forgot to ask questions I was so excited!

#6 Post by **clangjr** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:24 am

They're on!

#7 Post by **ellen** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:47 am

Hi, Chuck - congrats on getting your braces! You're probably second-guessing your decision right now - the first few days are the worst, esp. the sores on your cheeks. Use lots of wax, rinse often and your cheeks will toughen up and you'll hardly notice your braces. But when you start to see your teeth move, which could be any minute now, you will be so incredibly happy!! And remember, each day in braces is one day closer to getting them off.

#8 Post by **clangjr** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:27 am

Thanks for the encouragement!!

Putting them on was for the most part uneventful. Three not so great things happened:
1) The dental assistant smelled like an ashtray. I truly almost had to ask to get someone else. I can't stand that smell.
2) When my mouth was pryed open and they were putting on the brackets the Dr. dropped one in my mouth. I caught it with my tongue and enabled him to finish the bottom. We had to take out the mouth guard thing, fetch the lost bracket, and re-prep. Oh well.
3) I found out I have to have 3 more teeth pulled more or less immediately to make room for the movement. I was really hoping to not lose that many healthy teeth. Obviously they are they experts and I'll defer to them, but ouch! Luckily, one of the ones to be removed is one that is twisted sideways. They said it will take 8-10 weeks to close the gaps created by extracting the teeth.

I feel pretty tight right now, but other than that it's not too bad yet. My gums/lip on one side keep getting caught, but I'm sure that will work itself out over time.

What's really kinda cool is that they checked my bite when I got there. After the braces were on they checked it again. I could feel one side hitting where it hadn't in the past and they said that it's due to the tooth already starting to move!

#9 Post by **Chicagogal** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:55 am

Welcome to our world

the ashtray thing: vom. I'd be afraid of making them mad on future visits if I asked for someone else, but that is gross. mouth breathing next time? a little menthol balm or lotion around your nose?

and what is that stuff they dry your teeth with when prepping for the brackets? it smells like acetone and tastest abysmal! I'm always worried that it's doing some chemical damage to my mucous membranes.

#10 Post by **clangjr** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:57 am

Well, I'm back at the ortho. I was having a conversation and a bracket popped off. The extraction is scheduled for next Thursday.

#11 Post by **Iam918** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:21 pm

worse part of getting braced for me was the weird feeling of the glue drying under the blue light. kinda felt like my teeth were going to implode.

I'm about 10days from getting braced and the inside of my cheeks still get caught here and there, mostly on the back hooks. It does get better though.

the brackets popping off was one of the things that worried me as well when I got mine done. So I made sure I went over everything I planned to eat for the first 24-48hrs (ice cream, ice cream, ice cream... oh, did I mention ice cream?)

w/ them to make sure the cold wouldn't hurt them.

And yeah I know I probably shouldn't have had ice cream (read somewhere it wasn't good to have w/ braces?) but I was craving it and couldn't think of any other soft foods.

Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:41 pm

Sounds like I was in a similar position to you.... had a molar removed last year that I had all sorts of problems with (filling, crown, extraction) and ended up with a gap. That seemed to make some other teeth move (or maybe I'm just getting old!) and I looked at Invisalign too but my dentist didn't think they would be the right thing.

Got full ceramics top and bottom a week ago. Still really suffering with ulcers and constantly biting the insides of my cheeks. Not the best week of my life so far :( but hoping it will all be worth it!!

#13 Post by **clangjr** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:47 am

/Sarcasm On
Oh fun. A little more than 2 hours to getting 3 teeth extracted. Yay.
/Sarcasm Off

#14 Post by **drgnchsr36** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:56 am

Iam918 wrote:
And yeah I know I probably shouldn't have had ice cream (read somewhere it wasn't good to have w/ braces?) but I was craving it and couldn't think of any other soft foods.

What??!! I've never heard that ice cream was bad!!

Hope not, I tend to eat that on hot days around here...

#15 Post by **clangjr** » Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:25 pm

So one of the teeth that got pulled had three roots! Overachiever!
On a side note, getting a tooth pulled that has three roots HURTS!

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