Got the braces on finally....???'s ***PICS now***

[jbjalways]

Ok, I got my braces on today top & bottom. I got Damon 3's on the the top 6 and Damon 2's on the bottom. That didn't hurt at all.

They began putting in spacers and got 5 of 8 in, but then decided not to overwhelm me today. Took them out and said come back in 6 weeks. Kind of perturbed about that they tortured me with putting 5 in and then took them out. Would have liked to get them over with. After they put them in come back in 2 weeks for molar bands since all my molars have crowns.

Some concerns if anyone knows the answers:

1. I didn't realize the brackets are placed on the teeth crookedly. They said they put them on the tooth based on how they want the teeth to move. So I am horrified how they look.

2. Only 4 teeth touch each other and that's because they built up two bottom teeth since I have an overbite they didn't want me bite off my bottom brackets. Not an even touch either, just the built up ones touching top. Not normal just bumps. What do I eat?

3. My poor lower lip is so sore from braces tearing into it. Please tell me I don't have to deal with this for 2 years??


I sure hope time flies. I've only had them two hours and I'm thinking why did I do this. But then remind myself that they said I would lose two front teeth if I didn't. I hope it all works out.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

Frances

[KJM]

Congrats on your brace day jbjalways!

1.Dont worry that your braces look wonky- we all looked that way! Within a few weeks your teeth with shift and the wire/brackets will look normal. I remember feeling pretty shocked at how bad they looked the first day, but seriously within a couple weeks the wire had straightened out considerably.

2. Many people get bite blocks ( I didnt so I cant speak from my own experience but my son had them) and you get used to them. Just make sure your taking small bites, so its easier to chew and you dont choke.

3. Make sure your using as much wax as you need. Don't buy into the hype that your mouth will toughen up faster if you dont... your mouth WILL toughen up and there is no sense in suffering in pain. Make sure your taking some over the counter pain relievers if you feel you need them, WAX WAX WAX ( I used a ton the first week, and hardly use it at all now) and warm salt water rinses are said to really help the healing process.
Just take it easy the first few days, eat some yummy ice cream ( it summer so take advantage! LOL) and hang in there.

[jbjalways]

Thanks for the response. I didn't realize they would look like that. I think they should have warned me. I freaked out when I saw them. Hopefully it straightens out quickly.

Eating ice cream now, yummy! Then I will brush, rinse with salt water and wax.

Now I have 6 weeks to dread the spacers being put in. Since now I know how it feels for them to wedge them in there it makes it worse Wish they would have finished.

[Gennel]

My brackets were put on according to how my teeth were positioned.It looks weird but if my tooth is slanted like this / they put the bracket on the center of that tooth in that same position / Once my teeth straighten up the brackets will look straight also. I'm sorry to hear that they put 5 spacers and then took them out They also started to do that to me but realized that I need a filling on that molar that needs to get banded so he decided to take out the spacers until I get that filling. I will wear the spacers for 4 wks. I am just glad that I will have 1 spacer on each side . I won't need a spacer on each side of the molar since that next molar had been extracted. I felt the spacer on for about 4-5 min and it wasn't too bad since that side does have a small gap in it already the dental assistant was able to slide it in really easy. Now the other side was a problem and the floss kept snapping.

[Attagirl2]

Welcome jbjalways. I feel for you with the spacers going in and then having them removed. But, think how you would be feeling if you had to deal with that pain along with your lower lip being all chewed up. Take some ibuprophin before you appointment to get spacers, it will help.

I wish you well on your journey, Attagirl

[jbjalways]

Thanks everyone for the tips.

My mouth is really sore. The brackets are aligned with my teeth so I guess that's why they are so crooked because my teeth are whacked. lol I didn't realize that going in so it shocked me a bit. Not sure where the teeth are going to move during the 6 weeks waiting for spacers there is nowhere for them to go. The molars aren't hooked up yet.

All day today I kept thinking I wonder if it's too late to back out, can they remove them? I honestly don't know if I can deal with this for two years or more.

Tonight I discovered I can eat a baked potatoe and that was wonderful since I'm starving. lol

I still have to go buy an Interplak and electric toothbrush. Didn't realize these things catch everything, even cottage cheese. Have to figure out something else for lunch. I work outside with nowhere to heat something up.

Thanks again everyone for helping me get through this.

Frances

[mad_scientist]

All day today I kept thinking I wonder if it's too late to back out, can they remove them? I honestly don't know if I can deal with this for two years or more.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I got the brackets put on my teeth! When I first looked in the mirror, I almost cried. I had to get extractions done before my ortho would put my wire in, so I had to wait almost a month with crooked, bare brackets on my teeth, just sitting there and looking ugly.

But, after only a couple of weeks of having my wires put in, the teeth that were most noticeably crooked had already started to come into line, so now it doesn't look as bad, and it looks better every day.

When faced with those moments where I question my decision to get braces, it helps me to remember that I'm making an investment in not only my appearance, but also my health (my teeth were so crooked that I couldn't clean them properly).

It really does get better. It just takes time.

[jbjalways]

Before

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i206/ ... G_0154.jpg

After

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i206/ ... G_0001.jpg


Not sure why the actual pics and ticker don't show and it just shows links. I read the directions. Obviously I'm not good at this.

[Metal smile]

Frances your pictues looks so similar to mine! when I saw myslef in the mirror I wanted to call the ortho and tell him "thank you very much. Great job, now please remove them" lol the first couple of days, I wanted to remove them myself, then I calmed down and tried not to think of it too much.

It has been a week now and I got used to them. Think ice cream, milkshakes!

[mackenzie]

You have really nice shaped teeth, I bet they will look amazing when they're done!

[jbjalways]

You have really nice shaped teeth, I bet they will look amazing when they're done!

Thank you. I hope it turns out that way. I think I will need some veneers one on each side of the two front teeth, but we'll see. They said they can't really tell till they straighten out.

I will do whitening as soon as these are off.

[jbjalways]

Looking good Frances!

For pics to show up they have to have the closing code at the end. I don't use photobucket, but with imageshack it gives two codes for posting to forums ... one is for larger pics, and is the thumbnail code and the other is the direct link for pics of 500 px or less. The direct link code shows the pic in your post.

Here's your second pic ... and all I did was add the



For your ticker. If you go to the 'How Do I Do It ... ' forum
viewforum.php?f=20
You'll find that Lynn has written about how to include a ticker in your signature. If you follow her instructions, you should find it straight forward.
viewtopic.php?t=11743

Good luck!

Thanks for posting those for me. I fixed the ticker thing too.

[Skinny]

Hang in there it will get better after the 1st week. I wanted mine off after the 1st hr of having them. Your teeth will strighten out and youll look great! So dont worry it will all be worth it in the end. Use lots of wax. Take care!