Metal Mouth Message Board

I feel like that quite often.. even though I've only had them 3 out of 30 months - which I guess, as I'm trying to stay positive, means i'm 1/10 of the way done with my treatment! Hehehe!

I try not to think about them too much (or at least all the time). Time does pass quicker than we think and the mouth ulcers and sores will go. They do for everybody - although I know when you have them it doesnt seem like that.

My biggest beef is that I never feel as though my mouth is quite clean even when I have flossed and brushed and rinsed. Tme metal still makes it feel as though my mouth is gritty. Sometimes I doubt that anyone EVER gets de-braced and that we'll have them for life. Oh hang on, I was meant to be trying to be positive.

Evelyn - 43 months??!!! Words fail me. Do they give out purple hearts for wearing braces? If they do then you should be first in line.

I feel like this pretty often, too as do a lot of us. It's hard to stop thinking about them because they are so THERE all the time and not exactly comfortable. I think the hardest thing for me is that my bite is screwed up. As they are moving teeth around to correct my crossbite, my right side canines have lined up so they hit tip to tip. I can't bite down all the way. My ortho estimated this would take about 6 months to straighten out. I'm 2 months in and it's hard to stay motivated. I have to remind myself though that I started this to fix a big problem I have had most of my adult life and up to this point have been too chicken to do anything about. If I turned back now I would not be able to forgive myself. I try not to think of the next 16 to 22 months that I have left. I look hard for the little milestones. A front incisor that has moved into place, a gap that is narrower. I live for my adjustments just to have reassurance that everything is on track. And thank goodness for this message board where you can vent and get great advice and keep going for another day. Hang in there.

Johnny, I felt like that when I first had my braces put on. The first week and a half was so bad. I was ready for my teeth to be sore and I kinda new what I would look like because my sister just had them and she and I look a lot alike.
But that first week the inside of my mouth and my tough were so cut up that I almost called my ortho and told her that I changed my mind and get these suckers off . I also have had a couple of times that I felt like I was having an anxiety attack because I wanted them off. I had to lay down and just try to breath and relax.
When my sister and a few other people told me that there would be a day when I wouldnt even remember that I had them on I thought they were crazy. Like yeah right not possible . How could that be, I mean they were cutting my mouth up and I looked funny and eating forget it what a pain that was, when would all the madness stop
But it did happen, my mouth feels so much better and there are times (a few minutes really) that I forget they are there. On one hand I cant believe its already been three months but 18 to 24 months does still seam like a long time. I just try and take it one day and a time and keep my thoughts on the goal. Having straight teeth and a great smile .
You can do it too, before long it will seam like time is flying by and your mouth will feel much better(just give it sometime).
Good luck and I hope things workout for you.

Seeing all your posts I have to say 4 months in and all i really ever think about is my stupid Bite plate I have been on the verge of taking the darn thing out several times. Have to admit I am jealous that others have removable ones or the nifty sleek bite turbos. My brackets have never bothered me because my Bite plate is a total distraction. At my last adjustment I was hoping the ortho would take it out because I was going to get elastics and in the begining i wasnt supossed to have it anymore once i got elastics, but things never go as planed so i was one angry girl leaving the office that day and most of the next week. I got over it sort of now that I am used to the elastics, but the bite plate annoys me to no end I pick at it and pull on it in hopes it might bend and pop off the cleats on the inside of my bands that it seems to be very firmly hooked to. What i miss the most though is my taste budds!!!! at any rate hang in there it can only get better. Right????

I feel like giving up just about every day! I've only been in braces for six weeks. I've had a distal jet on for two months and I went in for my first adjustment yesterday. Terrible terrible terrible news. My teeth hadn't moved a bit. I was upset because I wasn't so sure they activated the distal jet when they put it in. The ortho said he thought it was activated and time would tell if it was. WRONG ANSWER!!! I won't work with him anymore. I now have one of the senior partners and I just love him. He suggested I get extractions. I chose the distal jet because I didn't want to lose any teeth, so I sure as heck wasn't going to go through this and still have to have extractions after all. I told him I didn't care about the pain (boy was I wrong) and to adjust the distal jet as far as it would go and check me in a month. Well, let me just say, I was in agony all night. BUT, when I woke up this morning there were gaps in my teeth!!!!! Albeit, not big gaps, but there was at least visible movement and overnight at that!

So, in conclusion, as much as I completely despise having braces and a distal jet, we've made the decision to get them and we have to just endure it. Like someone said earlier..... eyes on the prize.

Keep your head up. I'm right there with ya!