Metal Mouth Message Board

Yesterday I had upper and lower appliances put in. I am in pain, can't eat or speak very well. Please tell me when will this get better. I am 40 something and have always been embarrassed by my teeth. When my 16 year old got his off in April I decided it was time for me to do it too.
Now I feel like I've made a big mistake. I'm also a teacher and can't imagine being able to talk clearly enough to teach in September! My poor husband he's been supportive all the way, but does not look anxious to try kissing me!! Any reassuring words would be appreciated.

I don't have any experience with any appliances, but I would like to say it may be difficult at times and you just have to keep your head up high.

As for you hubby.....maybe he is just giving you some time to get used to your new additions to your mouth. He probably doesn't want to pressure you into doing something that would make you uncomfortable right now. When you feel confident enough....you should make the first move.

Good luck.

If, by referring to appliances, you are referring to braces (I remember an ortho calling them that many years ago), then, yes, it will get better.

It takes a while to adjust to all this new stuff in one's mouth, and it takes some people longer than others. Use wax and salt water rinses to ease abrasion and pain.

Give it a couple of weeks and you will probably find things easing up.

Hi,

I'm also a teacher (elementary). I have now had my braces on for 8 months. There are days when all the talking I have to do at school seems to aggravate mouth soreness, but what I have found out helps the most is to drink alot of water and to wax any spots that are causing canker sores RIGHT AWAY. Sometimes at school I would get distracted and just work through the pain, but that is not a good idea. You will get used to talking. I still have many days where I get fatigued with all this metal in my mouth...usually on the days where my job has equally worn me out. But overall, they don't affect my job at all.

I had my 7th adjustment today and got to brush and floss without the arch wires and I had to say I am already pleased with how my teeth are looking. This whole experience is helping my appreciate and value my teeth, where I used to try hard to ignore them.

Hang in there, you will be ok. The kids will think it's cool, too.

What grade do you teach?

Becky

It sounds like your hubby is probably just being considerate. You are obviously in alot of oral pain and the last thing he thinks you probably want to do is use your mouth as you can't eat or speak well right now. Have you two had a talk about it yet?

I had the same feelings when I had my appliances put in. I couldn't eat, couldn't speak, and I drooled so much more in my sleep. But it's been just over 2 weeks now, and my speech is SO much better already. I had to use a ton of wax in the beginning then cut down on a lot after my ortho made some adjustments to some hooks etc, and my mouth toughened up. Yesterday was my first wax-free day. My tongue is a little sore right now on one side cuz I was talking a lot today, but it's nowhere near the pain I was feeling just a week ago. So don't worry, it'll get better.

It's 2 weeks today for me too, and I have to say after a week I hardly even noticed the braces anymore.
I didn't need the wax after a week and the only annoying thing is de-clogging them after eating.

Hang in there you will be fine!

ghotieyes sounds like you were right where I am now. It's nice to know that my speech really will improve.

Katiari Yes hubby was being considerate.

Stich Nice to hear from a fellow teacher. I am a special ed teacher in an elementary school. You are right my kids probably will find it cool. It always made me uncomfortable when a student would comment on my teeth. Many of my special ed students don't possess good social skills. One of my kids once told me that if he was my dentist he would punch me in my mouth! He was a motivator!

I know that this will all be worth it in the end.

All your encouraging words are helping me to get through these first few days.
Thanks!

Oh, you poor thing - 2 appliances? I had one but I will tell you it does get better. I was biting on metal bars and thought I'd never be able to eat but I found a way. I did, however, give up trying to eat things that required a lot of chewing, like steak, or things that wound themselves around the wires too much.

It's true, you will probably drool more - it's the mouth responding to something foreign but that will stop when the appliance is removed. I don't really know if wax will help you - I rarely have used it and it wasn't the solution with my appliance pain but I would recommend a waterpik to help clean around it and the warm salt water rinses if you feel pain under the appliance. Be sure to tell your ortho right away if your palate gets sore.

The more you speak with the appliance in, the more you will adjust to it. I never had any real issues with speech during the time my appliances were in. Good luck to you! Oh, and it's a wonderful day when you get it removed.

I forgot, I had to use a food processor to grind up meat and you might find that helpful in case you have trouble chewing like I did.

fins
I wish I'd known beforehand what it was going to be like. I would have had one special final meal. My ortho just said that I wouldn't be able to chew nuts or chewy things like bagels. I would have appreciated a more realistic comment on what to expect. I did manage to "gum" some mac and cheese tonight. They did tell me to practice reading things aloud and I haven't tried that yet. Will give it a shot in the morning when my teeth don't hurt so much!!
Thanks for the info!

It gets better My first week, I NEVER thought I'd be able to eat steak again! My family eats steak basically all of the time. Here I am eating mashed potatoes and baked fish, and I see them chomping down on 100% Angus Beef Steak! But by my third or fourth week, I was eating steak and other things like that like it was nothing!

TooOldForthis,
What kind of appliances did you get? I had to wear the RPE expander appliance for 4 months, then got the TPA for 2 more, and it was really awful! Trust me when I say that I feel your pain! How long do you have to wear these appliances?

I'm an elementary school counselor, and my job involves talking all day long. It was really hard, my tongue was sore, and my speech was very hard to understand. It did get a bit better, eating wise, and just dealing with it, but trust me when I say....it was the hardest 5 months of my life and I couldn't wait to get them out.

After seeing the results now though....it was so worth it! Hang it there! You won't regret it!

Brandy

TooOld ForThis,

Hey, I am also a special education teacher at the elementary level! I teach in the behavior unit...so I know how that lack of social skills is. When I first came to school with my braces on, one of my kiddos who has autism and likes things to be the same, demanded that I go right back to the dentist and get them off! I think it might have taken him longer to get used to the braces then me (ha-not really).

Hope your teeth are feeling better. Ibuprofen really is a big help, too.

Becky

I don't know what type of appliances you have. Can you take a picture? I'm wondering if it's a palate expander. I know if you get uppers and lowers on at the same time it takes time to speak normally again. You might be surprised that you will start speaking normal real soon and be ready for when school starts.
Your hubby is probably trying to be very supportive and not want to hurt you right now.My husband has been very supportive and we really didnt try to kiss the first week. I've had braces for 6 weeks now and things are back to normal. You will kiss again,just like you used to.

Gennel