Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey all, I'm getting braced in exactly 1 week..I go today to get my spacers put in. I have a question though. I'm 26 years old and recently decided to go back to college to finish up my degree. Well the class I am starting with starts the day after I get braces. Should I drop this class and wait until the next session starts up. The things I am concerned about is if I will be able to talk well or not. If anyone can offer any advice I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

I am 28 and got my braces 1 year ago. I was in the same boat as you taking a class that started the very next day. That day won't be the best day of your life but you will certainly be able to manage sitting in a class. After the first day or two, you should be fine. No sense in pushing things back a whole semester because of just one day.

Elissa

Thanks for your reply... I'm not really worried about the pain, I can deal with pain lol..I'm just more worried about all the "stuff" in my mouth and whether or not I'll be able to talk. I guess I'm more worried about being embarrased

Yeh you will be fine!! It will feel new and thats it, its on your teeth so it doesnt affect your speaking.

Your lips might poke out a tiny bit I suppose but that didnt happen to me!

Good luck!!

So long as the class doesn't grade on efficient eating, biting without tenderness, and overall impecable oral hygeine you should be fine in your second day of braces.

No reason to delay finishing up your degree any longer.

Well, I know a thing or two about that!

I had two extractions the day before an important final exam, and I had to change the gauze in my mouth DURING the exam. And you know what? I got an A!

My braces actually do affect my speech a little, because I have a bar that sits behind my lower teeth, a lingual holding arch. But you know what? If they ask you to introduce yourself or something like that, you can just say, "Hi everyone, my name is ..., and it's a little difficult for me to talk right now since I just got braces but on - I'm sure a lot of you have been through this as well." When I started classes about a month after getting my braces, and I had to introduce myself since I had smaller classes, and that's what I said. After the class, a lot of people asked me questions about it and thought it was cool that I was taking that step of self-improvement.

Anyway, you'll be FINE and you should certainly not change your plans because of the braces. At first, you think they'll be a really big deal, but they're not as big of a deal to other people as they are to you.

Good luck with classes!

I think you will be fine as well.....I got my braces just 3 weeks ago and even tho they feel really strange.....they definately aren't worth putting off a class for a whole semester.

I think my speach was a little different for a couple of days, but no one said anything about it so it might have just been in my head.

You should be fine. If you are asked to speak, which is probably doubtful ... first days of class are usually spent with the professor going over the syllabus, etc. I think I can count on one hand the number of professors that asked us to introduce ourselves or any such thing on the first day of class. The braces may make you sound a bit different due to just the hardware in your mouth AND the extra saliva you will generate until your mouth gets used to everything. When I got mine, my 22 year old daughter kind of giggled and said, "You sound like my friends in high school!" (It was said with love...)

I agree with what everyone has said,

there's always going to be a period of adjustment, but it's not severe enough that you'd need to put off classes. I've met new friends the day after I've gotten braces, and I don't mind using it as a conversation starter. As for random people that I may have to spit on a little throughout the day, college is usually big and laid back enough that no one really cares.
yup.
Good luck!

I went to class the next day. Got braced on a Thursday, had my college class on Friday at 8 A.M sharp! It shouldn't pose a problem for you unless that class involves eating, which I'm sure it won't. It's just like going to class with a sprained ankle; yeah, there's the discomfort but it shouldn't take away from your concentration.

The only problem I remember having was when I wasn't used to smiling with the braces on yet. I'd laugh at a professor or a friend's joke and my lips would get stuck, lol.

hey skittley!!!

i had to TEACH right after getting my braces, and i had NO problem at all, again, we're all different, but i had no problem speaking and teaching a university seminar...

good luck!


*aka

I had an exam the next day after i got my braces, it wasnt the best day of my life, let me tell you, but I got through it and passed the exam. I was able to talk ok, and apart from the pain, I went through the day as normal.

I don't see why you should!?!? If you're worried about being in pain for the first day, take some advil before you go. Think about it...If you put it off now, you're going to have to take it later. Why not get it over with now??? I was taking a college Public Speaking class when I was first braced...it didn't really have an effect.

I had my braces put on at 10:00 in the morning. I teach elementary special education so I went to work that morning, left to get braces (my two teaching aides covered for me) and was back at work by 12:00 (it is
VERY hard to get a sub in sped). I would have liked just to be quiet to keep the rubbing to a minimum....but there was no problem to start alot of talking right away. What actually affected my speech the most was my TPA device, but, as they say, you get used to it. So, yes, go to school!

Becky

I'll add another vote for don't worry too much, you'll be able to go to class! I went right back to seeing patients the day I got my braces on, and then closed on a house the following day! I definitely had some insecurity related to it all, but in the end it was no big deal. Be sure to keep some painkillers and dental wax handy though! Good luck!