Old and Frustrated

[Reader]

I'm 42 years old and have had braces for about 8 months. My teeth weren't crooked, necessarily, my bite was edge to edge which caused my front teeth to chip. Because my bite was such a mess, the orthodontist said braces were the way to go. No Invisalign for me--wouldn't work. Anyway, long story, short. I'm so sick of these braces. I have noticed some movement in my teeth, but my bite is still edge to edge, and this last trip to the doc resulted in me having my mouth filled with more araphernalia than I ever thought possible. I've got power chains in front of and behind the wire on the bottom, springs on two top teeth, 4 wire wrapped teeth, and the heaviest rubber bands available (or so I'm told). My mouth HURTS. It's been 2 days since I've had any real food---all soup and ice cream at this point. And I'm so frustrated---it's so hard to try and find white, or colorless food to eat, so that I don't stain the darn ligatures. I get the clear ones--I have ceramic braces on both top and bottom. I don't know who I think I'm fooling---the things are not invisible. :-)

I was told I'd be in and out of these things in 18 months. Does it seem possible to anyone? Will my mouth ever stop hurting? Is 8 months too soon to expect to see major results?

Just havning a bad day, sorry to whine.

[TumbleDryLow]

I completely understand how you are feeling. At times, I had just as much stuff in my mouth as you have now, and yup--it hurt like hell. (I think I now know what it must feel like to be punched in the face.) This pain is temporary. In a few days you will feel much better. Keep taking Advil--2 every 4 hours, and especially a half hour before you eat.
Have you considered other discrete colors for ligs? I had ceramic on top and I always used smoke or light gray ligs. I still needed to avoid curry and yellow mustard, and I drank my coffee with a straw, but for the most part, those ligs still looked pretty good after 8 weeks.
Bites are slow to be fixed, and it sounds like that's your main issue, but 18 months does seem reasonable. Hang in there. I promise you it will be worth it.

[ashesgap]

At one point I had a spring on the top left, plus two lingual buttons behind that and I had a power chain on the upper right and some wire ties under the o's for good measure. I remember crying while trying to eat spaghetti, and not just because of the pain but the frustration with all that crap in my mouth. But like TumbleDryLow said keep up with the advil to make the pain more tolerable, and it will slack off soon.
And yes I think 18 months sounds like a standard amount of time to get teeth moved and in a happy place.
The good thing about this site is we can come on and vent during our worst braces moments and there are a ton of people who understand. I hope you start feeling better quickly.

[belistic10]

big hugs, i hope it gets better soon, being in pain is not nice

[Jaassa]

I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way. Venting is healthy! At the age of 56, I've had my braces on for 14 months now and just got some kind of TADS appliance installed on the roof of my mouth to correct my overbite. While I'm excited to be in this new phase, the appliance is truly awful: it makes me talk funny, and a protruding wire out the back of it makes it nearly impossible to eat! I have to cover the exposed wire with wax just to tolerate it, and of course when I eat anything the wax comes off (thank goodness it's not caloric!). I know just how you feel -- you just want the darn braces off already. I know we'll love the results, but this truly is a lesson in extreme patience, isn't it? :-( When I think of how far I have to go yet, I panic a little, hoping I'm not going to end up in braces for longer than 2 years. I'll be tempted to remove the d*mn things myself if that's the case!

[tennesseeditto]

Reader, I am sorry to hear of your pain. When my IAs hurt (before my dentist adjusted them), I took 2 Aleve every 12 hours as well as swabbed where the gums hurt with zilactin-B. It is for mouth sores and does a pretty good job of numbing. The pharmacist had to order it for me but it arrived the next day.

Hope you feel better soon.

[belenov]

im eight months in myself. i dont have any additional pieces yet but have had the odd truly horrible days. im lucky my partner is so sympathetic. its good to have a moan and let it out.............................

[tennesseeditto]

im eight months in myself. i dont have any additional pieces yet but have had the odd truly horrible days. im lucky my partner is so sympathetic. its good to have a moan and let it out.............................

Yes, I found lots of information as well as support in this forum. Keep up the healthy moaning. We will have straight teeth and prettier smiles soon!

[pattikq]

Let us know how you are doing...I am 58 and feeling frustrated as well. I've only had them two months! I have sensitivity around the molar gum line and that's where the bracket is holding the wire. I worry about that.

[BrAcEfAcE4547]

I have found that Ecotrin (or a generic coated 325mg aspirin) alternated with Ibuprofen has made a huge difference for me.

[tennesseeditto]

Let us know how you are doing...I am 58 and feeling frustrated as well. I've only had them two months! I have sensitivity around the molar gum line and that's where the bracket is holding the wire. I worry about that.

I'd see my dentist if you are having pain. I did and mine was able to make adjustments.

[tennesseeditto]

Let us know how you are doing...I am 58 and feeling frustrated as well. I've only had them two months! I have sensitivity around the molar gum line and that's where the bracket is holding the wire. I worry about that.

You might also want to get zilactin-B (spelled correctly) for tender/sore spots. I had the pharmacist order it for me and it came the next day. It doesn't require a Rx but they don't keep it on the shelf. It's a little pricey ($~6.50 US) but certainly worth every penny! It numbs the area AND heals it. Best wishes!

[purplepetunia]

Hi Reader, I just turned 50, have had my braces 21 months with about 4-5 months to go. I can relate to your feelings of frustration, and having a sore mouth is no fun. The flip side though, is if your mouth hurts it means your teeth are moving, which is a good thing. I reached a point midway through my treatment where it felt like nothing was happening, which was even more frustrating than having a sore mouth. I'm at the point now where I keep telling my ortho to crank it up—if it doesn't hurt, nothing is happening! For me a couple of Motrin help to take the edge off any soreness after each adjustment.

As for the power chains, I found the clear ones are the worst. On one of my recent ortho visits the tech put a clear chain on my upper teeth (I have ceramic uppers and metal lowers) without consulting me and I went back a few days later and asked to have it replaced with a light gray chain b/c the clear one discolored immediately. I do avoid mustard and curry, but I am a coffee and soda drinker so I brush and rinse several times a day; the light gray chains hold up very well for 5-6 weeks between adjustments.

Best of luck to you.