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Hi Erin!
It's only been 10 days since I got my braces and although I haven't had a real "down" day, I have wondered what on earth possessed me to go for this! Regarding seeing movement, well I have been studying my teeth and taking pics of them twice a week and I can already see that I have a teeny tiny gap between my bottom front teeth which wasn't there before, and the initial pressure and tenderness I felt has disappeared. So I bet your movement has already started too.
Don't be scared to use your wax as being in pain will make you feel worse. Stick to soft food which doesn't need too much chewing, or cut it up into bite sized pieces. Hardly anyone at work even noticed my braces until I showed them, and so I think they are much more obvious to you than they are to anyone else. I am sure that once your teeth move back a bit then your lips won't catch on them so much and they will feel more natural again.
It will definately get better......use lots of wax and continue with the salt water rinses. When I first got braced I was wondering what I was thinking. I was telling my husband what it felt like and I was showing him the sores in my mouth. He basicly had gotten sick of hearing about braces because I had been talking about them for 3 months straight. I have only had my braces for a little over a month and most of the time I forget I have them now. As soon as the sores heal in you mouth you will start to feel better about your braces.
Chances are you will feel movement before you can see it. I can't see any difference in my bite, but I started to feel a difference within a week. I noticed different teeth were touching than before. After about 2 and 1/2 weeks, I noticed that if I bit down hard I could feel my teeth cracking and squishy. I was so excited......that definately meant movement!
Cheer up....eventually you will get comfortable with your braces. Try to think about how beautiful your smile will be when your time in braces is done. It will all be worth it!
Erin I can relate to your feelings 100% I also wished that I had minor imperfections with my teeth while wearing braces. The truth is that I don't. Ihave SEVERE crowding on uppers and lowers. At first I did not want anyone to notice my braces but to be honest ,people will notice them way more when you make weird movements with lips to try to hide them. I've been braced for about 5-6 weeks right now. You will get used to them, I promise! It does get much,much easier and soon you will forget that you are wearing braces! My speech was impaired for about the first 10-14 days. I think it's just because you have stuff stuck on your teeth and you are afraid of getting your tongue,cheeks hurt somehow. My hubby is very supportive and we now make a joke about the braces and he often licks them to let me know that they don't bother him and they're kinda cute. Things will get better. You have to realize that in a few months you will see a huge difference in your teeth. You will start to realize what a great decision you have made and that alone will make you happy about what you are doing. Right now I am focusing on the positive things that will come out of this: I will smile with all my teeth showing,my teeth will be in all pictures taken of me,I am going to a studio to have pictures of my hubby and myself taken for the first time ever as soon as the braces come off, I will be able to have the truely proud smile of a mother in her daughter's highschool graduation pictures! These are all such minor things to people with a perfect smile and things that are often taken for granted.My daughter and myself are wearing braces at the same time. I told her I would go to "Glamour Shots" to have photos taken of both of us to give to her dad as a thank you gift! You are going to feel so good about yourself, I know it. Right now i'ts normal to feel like you do.There is nothing wrong with you. Most people with "good" teeth don't and won't understand how and why you feel this way. Remember that you are on your way to have the smile that you've always seen in your dreams
Hi Erin,
I hope things are improving for you! I have had my braces for 8 months and I don't even feel them any more. It took me about a week to get used to them so I am sure you will feel better VERY soon. My teeth started moving pretty fast. I was absolutely amazed after about two months.
Remember, you have nothing to be embarrased about! When I first got my braces I had a lot of people come up to me and say "HEY DID YOU GET BRACES?" and I got so tired of it. I wanted to say something back like "Umm no, actually I just glued bits of metal to my teeth for something to do". But nobody says anything about it now.
I was actually so relieved the day I got braces and started smiling a whole lot more than I did before the braces, because although my teeth may not be perfect yet now at least I know I am doing something about it!! Before that I just felt hopeless and ugly. So for me it's totally worth it.
and I can already see that I have a teeny tiny gap between my bottom front teeth which wasn't there before, and the initial pressure and tenderness I felt has disappeared. So I bet your movement has already started too.
