Tips for the Newbies and Miserable

[occamsblazer]

Make sure you take pictures! Documenting your progress is really good for keeping you motivated - I look at my teeth now that I'm six months in and pick faults, then I look back to week one and it blows me away!

And dental wax. ALL of the dental wax. You can go 2 months without a single sore and BAM.

Finally, smile your face off. I have a ridonkulous overjet at the mo but I still give people a massive metal grin, helps you feel more confident and somehow less self-conscious I think!

[littlething]

Make sure you take pictures! Documenting your progress is really good for keeping you motivated - I look at my teeth now that I'm six months in and pick faults, then I look back to week one and it blows me away

This! I was miserable my first few weeks in braces, but I was constantly taking photos of my teeth and seeing that early progress definitely kept me motivated. Two months in, and it still keeps me going!

Also, don't be stubborn and try to fight through the discomfort. Take painkillers if you need them. Use lots of wax if you need it!

[Roxxm]

I'm on day 2 of my second go around at braces. I actually kind of like how they look, certainly plays up my youthfulness and I suspect may have helped win over a respondent at work today. This morning I took off my wax before brushing and the bracket on my back molar came off with it, leaving a long painful wire poking my cheek. As it's the weekend, I'll have to live with it until I revisit my ortho on monday. I decided to get creative and pin the wire to my gum by wrapping floss around the tooth. Perhaps that was a mistake, but I do feel some relief currently. My estimated treatment is 18 months and I'm wondering if I can thrive on a nearly liquid diet that long. I'm fairly neurotic about oral care, I'd rather starve than have any food stuck in my brackets.

I plan on starting my morning routine by doing an oil pull with sunflower oil, something I've tried before and definately noticed how clean my mouth felt all day. I use a novamin toothpaste but I'm thinking of getting ACT mouthwash so I have the extra oomph of floride. I wonder if there are any food or supplements I can take to help the process. I'm going to increase my occasional dose of calcium/magnesium suppliment to daily.

I'm extremely aware of anything that goes on in my mouth, hating how it feels right now. I have boosters on my front teeth because of my overbite, but it prevents any of my teeth from touching when I bite down and I'm a little concerned with all of the pressure being exerted on my two lower front teeth. Also terrified my teeth will fall out, which I've been assured will not happen but they're all very loose.

Anyways, I'm glad to find this online community. Having a space to share and learn from other's experiences is going to help make the next year and a half more tolerable.

[Roxxm]

Switched to stuffing cotton balls in my cheek to sheild the wire from my flesh. Ate some watermelon today and some mashed up tuna. Counting down to Monday morning when I can go back to have my end bracket reglued. Need to be more frugal with wax, 3 days in and I've used 2/3rds what they gave me.

[blackwidow]

Thanks so much for all the tips! I'm getting braces in August and I'm gonna need all the advice I can get.

[musicbrace]

Thanks so much for all the tips! I'm getting braces in August and I'm gonna need all the advice I can get.

Good Luck!

[Vicki04]

I would like to hear some tips regarding mouth sores, how do you cope, random tips or treatments you've discovered on your own that google doesn't provide, how do you stay sane etc?

My treatment has been really good, I can deal with adjustments and with teeth hurting and random points when moving (I love mash and yogurt ) but I cannot stand mouth sores especially now that I have braces because they take longer then usual to heal or because I'm trying to protect them I wind up accidentally biting in other parts causing new ones.

My current problem is the result of me getting emotionally involved in my food(like thoroughly enjoying it while mindlessly chewing away - where you just zone out in praise of the taste) that I bit the inside of my lip twice, two little sores merged in one larger one due to it being right on top of my lower cuspid/lateral incisor where the braces have full access to dancing with it with every smile and word I say.
Any way I've done the standard salt rinses 2x a day, have been using my wax and this oral ointment meant to treat mouth sores but even though its only been a few days I am just being impatient regarding the healing and I'm ready to rip out my braced teeth (and tongue because last night I bit the back of it and its sore too), it's like a whole new level of frustration man.