Changing method of treatment? What would you do?

[Norrie]

Hi there.

As of tomorrow, I'll have had Incognito lingual braces for three weeks. While I don't have molar build ups, I do have these huge, weird covers over two of my upper teeth that have crowns on them. They keep my bottom teeth from hitting my top teeth.

In terms of movement and tooth pain, I'm doing well. I feel tension sometimes, and am seeing movement in my teeth. Those are both fine.

But I'm really, REALLY struggling with talking. I still sound like I have marbles in my mouth, and no one understands what I am saying the first time I say it. I've practiced the Rainbow Passage, I've been singing along to music in my car. I talk as much as I can. But it is really painful (my tongue is miserable), and aside from the pain, I just can't speak well. This is causing massive problems for me at work. If I leave voicemail, no one can understand what I've said.

I'm also really struggling with eating. I am still eating very soft food, and any form of meat/chicken is impossible to manage. I'm gluten-intolerant, so I can't even rely on pasta, and figuring out meals is miserable. My family is here visiting from Australia right now, and we keep going out to large family meals. I basically sit there with soup and water.

I'm totally dependent on silicone wax, which I'm fine with buying for the duration of my treatment (estimated time is two years). It is a total pain to deal with though.

Okay. I think that I'm done. Almost.

My teeth are really pretty straight, with just mild crowding and a small overbite. My bite in the back is waaay off though, which is why I'm looking at two years. When I went to see about getting braces, my orthodontist said, "most of my adult patients hope that their teeth end up looking like yours do now". I keep thinking about that and wondering what I was thinking. I should have left well enough alone.

I'm getting pretty depressed about my speech and lack of meal options. I've been daydreaming about asking my doctor to switch me over to Damon braces (um, mostly because I like how they look, not because I really know anything about them), but hate to be that patient who harasses him, and hate to waste the money. My next appointment is November 12th, and my plan had been to wait until then (which would be six weeks in), and if I'm still unable to speak and eat well, ask for a change then. My family all thinks that I should do it sooner than that.

What do you think? Push through and give it more time? Change to something more comfortable? I really, really need to be able to speak professionally, or it's going to become an issue at work.

Thanks for sharing any opinions, advice, or stories of your own. I feel like a giant, whiny baby.

[chichi]

What made you decide on lingual braces? If you chose them because you didn't want people to notice you had braces, then you need to consider whether you can put up with them being visible for 2 years.

Your issue does seem to be your speech. Is the problem the braces themselves or is it whatever they put on your teeth to keep them from hitting? Is it possible molar buildups would work better for you? It takes time to learn how to speak with regular braces too. I have Damons and molar buildups and I had a decent lisp in the beginning because of that... I can't imagine how hard it must be with the braces in the way as well.

And, unfortunately, even in regular braces, you might still be on a relatively soft diet 3 weeks into treatment (and after adjustments).

If I were you, I would consider the things you and I have said and I would wait until the next appointment. Unless you're already absolutely committed to switching, 3 weeks isn't enough time to fully get used to any kind of braces, even if you had Damons and didn't have dietary restrictions.

So... with that, know that you've got a great support system here and you're definitely not alone

[Lorianne]

Hi there.

As of tomorrow, I'll have had Incognito lingual braces for three weeks. While I don't have molar build ups, I do have these huge, weird covers over two of my upper teeth that have crowns on them. They keep my bottom teeth from hitting my top teeth.

In terms of movement and tooth pain, I'm doing well. I feel tension sometimes, and am seeing movement in my teeth. Those are both fine.

But I'm really, REALLY struggling with talking. I still sound like I have marbles in my mouth, and no one understands what I am saying the first time I say it. I've practiced the Rainbow Passage, I've been singing along to music in my car. I talk as much as I can. But it is really painful (my tongue is miserable), and aside from the pain, I just can't speak well. This is causing massive problems for me at work. If I leave voicemail, no one can understand what I've said.

I'm also really struggling with eating. I am still eating very soft food, and any form of meat/chicken is impossible to manage. I'm gluten-intolerant, so I can't even rely on pasta, and figuring out meals is miserable. My family is here visiting from Australia right now, and we keep going out to large family meals. I basically sit there with soup and water.

I'm totally dependent on silicone wax, which I'm fine with buying for the duration of my treatment (estimated time is two years). It is a total pain to deal with though.

Okay. I think that I'm done. Almost.

My teeth are really pretty straight, with just mild crowding and a small overbite. My bite in the back is waaay off though, which is why I'm looking at two years. When I went to see about getting braces, my orthodontist said, "most of my adult patients hope that their teeth end up looking like yours do now". I keep thinking about that and wondering what I was thinking. I should have left well enough alone.

I'm getting pretty depressed about my speech and lack of meal options. I've been daydreaming about asking my doctor to switch me over to Damon braces (um, mostly because I like how they look, not because I really know anything about them), but hate to be that patient who harasses him, and hate to waste the money. My next appointment is November 12th, and my plan had been to wait until then (which would be six weeks in), and if I'm still unable to speak and eat well, ask for a change then. My family all thinks that I should do it sooner than that.

What do you think? Push through and give it more time? Change to something more comfortable? I really, really need to be able to speak professionally, or it's going to become an issue at work.

Thanks for sharing any opinions, advice, or stories of your own. I feel like a giant, whiny baby.

hi norrie, first of all, you're not a big, whiny baby! You poor thing! It's been a miserable 3 weeks I'm sure! My guess is alot of your speech problems could be coming from that bite thing, but more than likely, it's the fact that your tongue is hitting the brackets on the inside of your teeth and causing the lisp. I had front turbos on for a few days and I was miserable too! I couldn't talk or eat and my tongue was getting raw too. I knew I would never get used to them! Thank God they fell off and so they switched to molar build ups and life got sooo much better! I have Damon braces, by the way. In 2 days it'll be 2 weeks since I got them on and I'm pretty much eating normally. Talking is fine, and I've had several people tell me I sound completely normal over the phone. My mouth is really getting used to them more everyday. It hurts most when I've spent ALOT of time talking. Then the elastics sort of get caught on the insides of my cheeks a little and cause discomfort, but not too bad. I'm with your family and think you should call your dentist asap! Tell them the issues you are having and ask them if they can fix! Do you think they'll switch them out for no cost to you? I hope so. Or at least, very minimal fee. How much can the actual brackets cost? It's more the 2 years of treatment that you're paying for.

[Norrie]

Thanks, chichi and Lorianne!

I chose Incognito mostly because of my job. I thought that it would be better to have hidden braces, and get through my days without people knowing that I have them. Well, there was no chance of that, as my speech is so severely impaired that I literally cannot be understood. I have to repeat myself 2-3 times to get my point across. So everyone at work knows that I have them, and at this point, I'd be fine with having visible braces. I was just being a diva, and it came back to bite me on the rear.

It's a good reality check to hear that I'd still be on soft foods in other braces too. Our daughter got braces in June, and was onto normal foods so quickly that I assumed that everyone is (but she's had a lot of serious health issues in her life, and is great at adapting and overcoming quickly and without complaint...I could learn a lot from her).

The Incognitos were fairly expensive, but I'm not sure how much of the cost was having the brackets custom-made, and how much is my orthodontist's fee.

Luckily, we just came up with a good solution. My husband is taking our daughter in tomorrow to have a spacer replaced, and he's going to talk to my orthodontist while there, and let him know about the continued speech stuff (this isn't a small lisp...this is completely distorted, marbles in the mouth, gibberish). Hopefully he can ask if it's an option to trade out in a few weeks, or if I'll need to push through. I really don't want to be the patient who is harassing and whining, but wah!

Thanks for listening. I feel much better just knowing that there's a plan for tomorrow.

[mapleleafman888]

Hey maybe I'm here after the fact haha, but honestly I had the same concerns about braces being visible to people. Now that I have clear braces I'm almost wishing I would have gone with the all metal and save myself a few hundred bucks because it's not a huge deal to me anymore, but anyways. Maybe this will help... I do have to say I am super impressed with the damon clear system as people really don't notice them at all. I've been living with my bro-in-law and sister ever since I got braces and they haven't noticed yet (it's been six weeks). My other sister didn't even notice and when I showed her she just said oh you have a retainer too lol! They don't even show up in photos either unless they are taken super close.

There is a girl who works at my ortho office with lingual braces, she is nearly done her treatment and she still has speaking troubles. It sounds like she has a mouth full of candy when she talks (not to be rude or anything but that alone is what made me inquire about why she was talking that way where as if I would have seen braces I would have just rolled along without much thought).

Damon clears are awesome and after the initial 2-3 weeks you forget they are even there. They are very comfortable and easy to keep clean, and again, very discreet. Front side braces aren't bad at all.

Best of luck with your decision.

[Snowglobe32]

I am so surprised that orthos are charging more for clear braces! Highway robbery!!!!

Thats insane to me...another reason why I love my ortho...but anyway, the reason why I am here...is to say a few of the girls at his office have incognito braces. To me, they are huge, I can see them when they speak and their speech is still effected, even though they have been wearing them for a really long time. One of the girls has elastics and her mouth is a mess..so much for ingognito. She hates them but my ortho is having more adult patients go that route and braces are free for the girls who work for him.

I would do what is more comfortable for you. I had my braces for 3 years and 10 months. After the first few months, they became a "part" to me. Like another arm or a mole. No one cares if you have braces. I would bet most people are jealous because they may have teeth issues but are too self-consious to wear them. I loved my braces so much that I didn't want to take them off. When they came off, I loved my teeth even more!

Wear those braces proudly, whether metal or clear, and smile big!!!

[chichi]

It's a good reality check to hear that I'd still be on soft foods in other braces too. Our daughter got braces in June, and was onto normal foods so quickly that I assumed that everyone is (but she's had a lot of serious health issues in her life, and is great at adapting and overcoming quickly and without complaint...I could learn a lot from her).

I assume your daughter is a kid/teenager? They seem to be able to adapt a lot better than us adults. I had people telling me it wasn't "normal" to still feel weird or to not be used to the braces when I was just a few weeks in... they all had braces as teenagers and I think that makes a huge difference in how we handle it.

[Gypsyphd]

Hi, I am sorry to hear you are having so much trouble talking. I totally understand your position as needing to speak for work as I am in the same boat. One day per week I literally speak for 6 hours non stop. Did your ortho tell you that the braces would impact your speech so much? See what you hear today and them make a decision that you feel is best for you. I was so nervous to get braces and I wanted invisalign badly, but I am now in ceramic on top (not Damon, just old school ones) and metal on the bottom. So many people at work barely notice them and the first few days I felt like I spoke funny and more slowly, but it feels so much better now (2 weeks tomorrow for me). The pain was rough for the first 5 days, and then it gradually eased up and I am back to my normal diet. I have heard of people switching from invisalign to brackets because they were not happy with the progress, so if it's impacting your speech/work, then that sounds pretty valid to me. Please keep us posted!

[Lorianne]

oh good! right, at least you know you have a plan to discuss a plan! I hope the ortho is sympathetic and wants to fix things so you are happy. Like mapleleafman, I have Damon clears too and nobody notices them! I literally have to point them out to friends, hah! My ortho does not charge any extra for clears, which is amazing. The 2 other consults I had did charge 300-400 extra for clear uppers. I have clear upper and lower for no upcharge and the total cost was in line with the average charge I've been seeing on here. I knew I did not want Invisalign. I know I wouldn't have liked them and I'd lack the discipline to keep up with them after a few months. I hear a lot of people stop using them 3-4 mos in and then it's just a huge waste of time and money.

[Featheryy1221]

I definitely think it's a good plan to at least talk to your ortho and see if you can change your mind. The last thing you want is to be miserable all the time. Especially if you're going to have braces for a while.

[Snowglobe32]

Just from having an essix retainer, I would not want to do Invisalign. Kudos to those who can handle Invisalign!

[Norrie]

Thanks, everyone! Your replies really did give me a good burst of renewed patience.

My husband took our daughter to her appointment this morning, and talked to the doctor a little bit. The doctor says that he'll trade out for regular metal braces at no cost, but if I wanted ceramic, it would be $400 extra for the upper, and another $400 for the lower. Ugh. I get it, and I don't want him to work for free, but $800 is a bit much. I'm guessing that switching to Damons would be even more, but unfortunately my husband didn't ask.

The ortho did recommend more salt water rinsing, and explained that it reduces the swelling in the tongue, which may help. I did salt water rinses religiously for the first week, but thought that by now I probably didn't need them. So I'm back on those. He also offered to prescribe a Lidocaine mouthwash to help with the pain. Fortunately, I've already gotten some from my mom (she had it left over from her chemo treatments). That's been helping a lot in terms of comfort, but I'm not especially uncomfortable...just unable to speak.

He really thinks that my speech will improve if I just hang in there, so I'm going to give it at least three more weeks, because that seems reasonable. If by six weeks my speech is still this bad, I will really need to change to regular braces. I can't talk like this for two years.

I also think that part of my struggle right now is that I have wicked PMS, so I'm a bit of a sensitive, emotional mess. I'll own that.

Thanks for the encouragement and support. I was feeling so down and sorry for myself, and you guys really helped.

[Lorianne]

Yippee! That is awesome! Give it a few more tan make the switch if you need too. Metal will be fine! You'll look cute I'm sure and you won't care who sees you in them once you make your first appearance and get that over with. Glad you have a plan now. Relief in sight one way or the other.

[Norrie]

Just another fast update. Today is exactly four weeks since I got Incognito (lingual) braces, and my speech has definitely improved some over the past few days. It's not perfect, but it's better, and I can imagine it getting better from here.

I took my daughter for her ortho appointment today, and he was really kind and asked how I was doing, told me that he could hear a lisp but that it's not as bad as I'm imagining it, etc. I didn't get too far into it, because I wanted to focus on my daughter and wasn't trying to get a free consult, but it was nice of him to check in. I even apologized for being their most neurotic patient, and they were all like, "you're nowhere even close to that". I'm not sure that I believe them, but it made me feel better.

I go back in two weeks, and if my speech continues to improve, I think that I'll keep the Incognito braces. Eating is still a trick, but I think that it would be with regular braces too, so it's not enough of a reason to switch out.

Thank you for giving me a place to whine!

[NW2]

Yea! I bet everything continues to get better as time goes on!!