New to the club - Braced 05/02/06!

[Crensmeyer1]

Greetings All,

First let me start by saying I have been lurking around here for the last few weeks, and the information and support provided is incredible. I can honestly say that when my bracing day arrived on May 2nd, I felt as ready and prepared as I possibly could. I was still a bit nervous, but that was to be expected.

So here is my story so far, and of course I have a few questions.

I am 35 years old and have always had gaps between my front teeth. Like many others, it was not financially possible for me to have braces as a teen. I inquired about veneers with my dentist in March at my last cleaning, and he advised me that with teeth and gums as healthy as mine I should really consider braces rather than grinding my teeth down and adding foreign material to them. I took his recommendation and had two different consults with two different ortho's. Both had similar conclusions so it was a matter of preference from there. I went in last Tuesday and was fitted with 3M Clarity ceramic upper and lower brackets. I also received some spacers in the back for upper molar bands to go on at my next visit (5 weeks). I have had the typical discomfort and eating difficulties as I expected to have from reading the forums here. Although the first night I had them I was stuck at my office and broke them in on pizza, which was entertaining to say the least. I also popped a bracket on Thursday night while eating dinner. I think my top tooth hit it while chewing (2nd to last back bracket). My ortho's office said it was up to me if I wanted to come in and get it fixed right away or wait until my next visit. I was going to wait, but have noticed it gets lodged between my back teeth and tends to irritate my gums. So, I hope to get in sometime this week to get it fixed.

My biggest concern is that I do not have any ligs??? Is this normal in the beginning or is it because of the type of braces I have? I will be asking the doc next time I see him, but thought others here might shed some light on the issue.

The only other issue I have had is the dryness between my brackets and my cheeks. Sometimes it makes talking a little challenging. I hope that this feeling goes away soon. I also have had problems biting down since the braces went on. It seems my bite changes almost daily. This of course causes me to bite my lip on a daily basis. Other than these minor issues all has been as expected.

Again, I attribute my expectations to this forum, and look forward to sharing my experiences throughout my treatment. My doc estimates I will be captive for 18-24 months.

[jennandtonic]

Welcome to the braces club, Crensmeyer1!

I'm relatively new to the "club" as well, so I'm not sure about the ligs question, I didn't look at any other kind of braces before I got the type I have. I'm sure there are types of braces out there without ligs. Or maybe they didn't ask about the lig color for your first time.

I didn't experience the dryness between the brackets and cheeks at first...if anything, I noticed I drooled more! However, once in awhile now I notice that my mouth is dry and the braces irritate my cheeks. I just try to drink some water, that works for me but of course, everyone's different.

Bite changes are just a part of braces! Some days you will have no problems biting down, and other days eating will be quite hard. It's all a part of the experience is what I've noticed so far.

[Crensmeyer1]

Hi KK!

Thanks for the advice on hydration, and yes I have discoverd Carmex to be my new best friend .

As far as I can tell the only thing holding my archwires in place are the metal inserts in the brackets themselves. I dont know if I have wire ties or not? I have read of these in the forum, but don't know what to look for to see if I have them...

Oh well, I well inquire at my next visit and let you know.

Thanks again!