Metal Mouth Message Board

This is a topic that I just had to weigh in on.


I'm doing this for me. There are medical issues due to TMJ and the medications I took for it. Those issues were things being done to me.

My ortho normally comments on how happy I am with this process. Let's see why....
I have had a need for pain releiver twice in four months, my top teeth are showing (after hiding for twenty years), I actually smile, and my grinding may get better. I have more TMJ pains with braces than before but they last for five or ten minutes instead of hours. Before braces, I ws needing pain medication two or three times a week. My overall health is better.

This is something I'm doing for me. No one forced me. I had options. I like the results. Yes its a lot of money, but a new used car can wait a year or so. By then, what I really want will be a price I can afford.

If braces were forced upon me, I would hate it. I had them once before when i was in high school. Bad experince.

As some say on this list, braces and life is what you make it. So far they have been good. Anything this good isn't being done to me, but rather for me.

Mike

Being braced is something I'm doing FOR myself! I have terrible TMJ and migraines and, even though it a short period of time, I've not had a migraine since being braced!

Also, I never liked my smile as my bottom teeth are terribly crowded. At the end of this, I will smile confidently and be proud of what I've accomplished for me, and me alone!!!

I'm not sure I fall into either camp here. I have braces because... I needed braces. I've always known it'd happen at some point or another. It happened when it did because my mother offered to help pay for it. (Which unfortunately fell apart later; I'm now making the whole payments on my own.) To me, it's basically a medical treatment, not optional but not really nearly as inconvenient as most medical treatments would be. So, I suppose it's "for" my teeth and "to" my bank account... sort of like the inhaler for my bronchitis.

I definitely wouldn't be doing this if it was just cosmetic, though.

I'm definitely doing this FOR me. Never any doubt about why I have braces and I'm sure I will never change my mind. I have wanted braces since I was 16 (I'm now 42). My parents couldn't afford it and 10 years ago when my husband said go do it, we can afforded it - I had 2 consults and the fear and expense of surgery made me say no to braces even though my husband was very supportive of my going through with it. But I always kept up with new techniques hoping that something would change to make me willing to go through with it. And it did. So here I am with my horrible new friend, RPE, and the hope that I can get good results without surgery - fingers crossed.

C.

I unfortunately fall towards the more negative end of the spectrum, but only on some days. I have some really hard moments when I get down on myself and my appearance. I get extremely frustrated when I get food stuck in my teeth. However, I have learned to accept the way I look with my braces and haven't been as upset about them as of recently. This forum has helped me become more confident, even though I joined when I had only a month left. They come off (GOD WILLING, I am SUCH a pessimist, haha) tomorrow and i'm almost sad because I wish I would have known about Archwired for a longer period of `braced` time.

I also am surrounded by a supportive family and boyfriend AND friends, so when I get down on myself about my braces, they set me straight

I felt like surgery and expander was something I was doing TO myself (heck actually that would have been much much cheaper if I had ), but I feel like braces are definitely something FOR me.

I guess the reason for the difference was that I had always anticipated and wanted straight teeth, which in my head I connected with braces- I didn't know I'd need the surgery/expansion and given that it wasn't terribly enjoyable it felt a bit more punishing, if you will. That said I knew I needed to go through that to get to the braces bit, so it was all good in the end.