First day post braces - please tell me it gets better!

[kitsune]

I don't think I fully comprehended what I was getting myself into! I am feeling regretful and quite grumpy (due to hunger) about braces right now. It hurts to suck things through a straw, it feels like it takes about an hour to floss, and I just learned the hard way that I think I'll have to give up my lipgloss addiction.

Also, I have to go back to my ortho in 3 weeks to get the metal bands redone on the entire left side of my mouth. Despite having spacers for a week, there was not really enough room to band my teeth so the metal bands came out looking kinda funky. Stupid teeth...causing trouble for me up to the bitter end.

I know it will get better and the pain will be worth a lovely smile, etc., but that all seems so very far away right now...

[PrincessLea]

It will definitely get better trust me! I felt the same, I was so annoyed at myself for putting myself through it! It took me about a week to adjust!

[francis29]

It gets better every day you are in the braces and the more movement you see the better you are to withstand having the braces on. Oh, I never gave up my lipgloss addiction and I have ceramic tops. I make sure I put all my lip gloss on then take a big sip of water from a straw barely touching my lips to the straw then swish the water around to make sure all the lip gloss that was on my braces was gone. Then smile in the mirror, teeth have no gloss on them, lips glossy and ready to go...(it is a pain but I have been doing it for 6 months now and am used to it).

[Snowglobe32]

Why do you think you need to give up gloss? There is no reason to give up lip gloss! I wear nothing but lip gloss since being braced. Benefit makes a gloss that is supposed to make your teeth look whiter. Not sure about that but I like it anyway.

As for the hunger issue, stick to pasta (easy to "chew" with the tongue and roof of your mouth), soups, puddings, smoothies etc. The rest of stuff, you can cut up into small bites. Cereal is okay as long as you let it get a bit soggy. Oatmeal works well also. I think I had a grilled cheese on day 2 of being braced. It is possible to eat, it just takes longer than normal.

For flossing, I don't think I flossed for the first 4-5 days. It hurt too much and I figured since I wasn't eating much at the time, it was okay.

Don't worry, you made the right decision. Stick it out, you will regret it if you do not. The end seems so far away but my 23 months has flown by. I told a co-worker the other day I was almost at 2 years and he was shocked. After a while, the braces become like your arm.

Good luck, keep coming here when you have a bad day and we'll get you through it!

[klobird]

Oh, I am soooo jealous of Snowglobe!! But very happy too that her journey is almost done!!

However, I am telling you--the time is FLYING by--and you will get so totally used to them that you truly will not even notice them..and the cleaning and flossing will become easier and easier until it's second nature to you. And you will wonder why you didn't take care of your teeth as well before braces!!!

You find yourself having to adjust to a lot of things in the beginning. But then one day--well, you just are adjusted to the braces, and it's no big deal!

Don't worry, it happens so fast!! It gets better!!

[microbrew]

Kitsune, I had the same exact thoughts when i first got my braces put on. The first few days i thought "why the hell did i do this?". The regret went away within a couple of days and so did the pain and soreness(minus my cut up lips haha).

After a few weeks i stopped noticing they were even there. Im one month in now and think if i took them off it would be as shocking as when i first got them on. By this time next week you'll feel 95% better. Its all about your outlook im beiginning to learn and want to pass that on. Once i realized it was the right choice i became more accepting of that fact i had gone through with it. Best of Luck on your journey.

[sibilla]

Hang in there Kitsune - it really does get easier and better. I spent the first week feeling quite low, wondering what on earth I'd done. Whilst not exactly regretting it, because I've hated my teeth for so long, I was glad I'd done something, I did realise that the reality of braces was nothing like I'd imagined and did struggle with it all.

7 weeks in, I can honestly say I'm glad they are on. I've seen movement already, which is sooo encouraging. The cleaning/flossing/waterpik routine has got easier and less of a hassle. I've got used to eating things in a different way, rinsing after mouthfuls of anything likely to get stuck and generally got used to living with my top brace - bottom brace to come in a few weeks.

Good luck to you - be nice to yourself, take whatever you need to help with the discomfort and don't give up the lipgloss - I went out and treated myself to some new lipstick the day after I had the brace fitted!

[MBriar]

kitsune I also got braced on Friday and have been struggling with it. I keep telling myself it will be worth it in the end but dang it that is a loooonnnnnggg way off. It has gotten better the last couple of days as I've somewhat learned how to chew. I even had grilled chicken at a cook out yesterday! I had to cut it into tiny pieces to eat it but it was so good! I was starving!!

The biggest thing I regret right now is the ceramic brackets on my uppers. I'm growing tired of worrying about the color of the food I eat because I don't want to stain the ligs. I'm hoping this gets better. And I'm actually thinking about just getting colored ligs at my first adjustment in 6 weeks so that it won't matter.

I am encouraged by everyone's stories here on the forum that all of this doubt will pass and it truly will be worth it in the end. Hang in there and keep us updated on your progress!

[sea54change]

Kitsune-
I've had my braces for 12 months now, uppers and lowers. I never ever forget they are in my mouth, except when I'm asleep. Maybe because my mouth is so small. Or maybe I just don't like foreign objects in my mouth. Whatever the reason, I know they are there. However, through all the pain, the wax, the tightenings, the Advil, the wax, periodic limitations in my diet, the wax I see the carrot in front of me. Perfectly aligned teeth with no teeth overlapping other teeth, that is my mental carrot.

Like you I did not totally comprehend the pain or the aggrevation. But, I'm not regretting one moment of this past year, becasue the benefits far outweigh the cons!

Braced: 9-1-10 Lowers, 12-1-10 Uppers
Debrace date: 9-23-11

[sea54change]

Snowglobe-

Your post was right on with lots of great suggestions and work arounds.
I only wish I had found MMF much sooner than I did.

Braced: Lowers 9-1-10; Uppers 12-1-10
Debrace date: 9-23-11

[kitsune]

Thank you all SO much for your responses...they really cheered me up and gave me the encouragement to hang in there! Things have improved a lot. I'm getting faster at flossing and the throbbing tooth pain has greatly decreased. I've also *gasp* been able to eat a little bit of non-total-mush food.

I will definitely keep you all updated on my progress! I plan on making one of those "braces stories" posts once I figure out how to take a good photo of my mouth. Oh, and I guess I'll keep practicing with the lipgloss until I get it right.

MBriar - Hey we're braces twins! We both got ceramic on top and metal on the bottom on the same day. I too am thinking about getting colored ligs at my next adjustment in 3 weeks. What color are you thinking about getting?

[MBriar]

MBriar - Hey we're braces twins! We both got ceramic on top and metal on the bottom on the same day. I too am thinking about getting colored ligs at my next adjustment in 3 weeks. What color are you thinking about getting?

I'm leaning toward either blue or pink as those are my favorite colors but I have six weeks to decide so I'm sure I'll change colors by then! hehehe Let us know what you decide on!

[tackybrackets]

MBriar
I have had ceramic ligs on my uppers for nearly 5 months now and ive yet to see any stains on mine. I'm a big morning coffee drinker and i very much love my red pasta sauces =) Dont stop eating what you love, I promise you that your ceramics wont stain! Only caution is when you get any sort of color on your brackets, those WILL stain lol. I might be boring but i find it much easier to just go without color on my brackets so i dont have to worry about which colors stain better than others. unfortunately i ended up having to get a color eventually when i got my "power chain" (closes my gaps. if you arent sure what that is then you can just do a quick search online and you'll know what i mean) so i stuck with darker colors. Good luck, and go ahead and have your favorite foods!

p.s. if it would make you feel better you could always be sure to brush immediately after you eat. =^D

[sibilla]

I have ceramic brackets, with wires, and have been warned by my orto that they will stain. As I will not (cannot!) go without red wine for the duration of my brace sentence, I always drink some water straight after I drink red wine, the same with anything with tomato sauce to minimise the staining. Am about to go to India for a holiday and will be eating a ton of curry while I'm there so will be rinsing non-stop!

[ArchWired28]

I am still kinda new to braces myself, but I have learned that every new appliance will initially cause me discomfort and pain.

When I got my top braces about 12 weeks ago (was it that long??? WoW, feels like it was more recent than that!), they felt like horrible torture, and my teeth got so sore that I could not bite into anything. They caused my mouth to have ulcers and sores, and my upper lip just never felt right. But time went by, and right now I hardly even know they are there.

Same with spacers, when I got them a week ago, they made my lower teeth so sore and the bite so uncomfortable, but now I hardly even know they are there.

I will be fitted with the lower braces tomorrow. I am looking forward to it with great enthusiasm, despite knowing that I will probably be very uncomfortable for the first 2 weeks or so. I was told that the lower braces may even feel worse compared to the tops. But I know that pain will go, and my bite will eventually improve. I think about my TMJs and how many problems I will be avoiding in the future, and that keeps me motivated EVEN in my hardest times. I wish that when the situation looks very dark and no light is visible in front of yout long way, you could think of the benefits that you are gaining RIGHT NOW and feel better. At the end of the day, ALL of us are doing it for a reason. Good luck.