Metal Mouth Message Board

I feel like I have a bus in my mouth.

I know it has to get better because no one would live like this for one to three years.

I had a very hard time with the spacers all week. My teeth weren't sore but I just did not feel well. It never got better.

I might have bailed today, except I kept thinking that I had put myself through a week of misery for nothing.

I made a deal with my ortho. If I can't adjust by the second visit (8 to 12 weeks), I can opt to have them taken off.

Oh, and on the way home, one of my front brackets came off. I had to turn around and go back to have the bracket reglued and the top wiring redone.

I was too nervous to eat lunch and I have absolutely no desire to eat dinner. This could be like the divorce diet. Only I really don't need to lose 10 lbs.

The insides of my cheeks feel raw and I'm not sure I could chew without biting them.

Time for a warm salt water rinse.

Sad me, Elle

I'm totally feeling your pain. I have wax on every bracket just about. I had to drink my soup ha ha. and the stars were stuck in my brackets.
My bottom lip is very irritated, i feel like a thousand pins have stuck it!

I'm totally feeling your pain. I have wax on every bracket just about. I had to drink my soup ha ha. and the stars were stuck in my brackets.
My bottom lip is very irritated, i feel like a thousand pins have stuck it! I had wire spacers and they were comfortable, even having them removed was fine.

Hang in there Elle! It will get better! Give it a few days; I know that seems like a lifetime when you're miserable but it will be worth it once you see how awesome your teeth can really get with braces!

I really can't sympathize with you enough. The first few days were very trying and I seriously thought I had done something terrible to myself. I hope that you can take a deep breath and realize why it is you're doing this. A few days of discomfort for a lifetime with a beautiful smile that you can be proud of. It's hardly a sacrifice. Keep your chin up and push on. Treat yourself to some yummies while you're not feeling well. It does get better, I promise.

Erin

Thanks. Well, half a lifetime anyway. I'm close to 50. But my bite has shifted over the years. I could probably have lived with it. I just started thinking about improving it when my daughter got her braces a few years ago, but I put it off until now. And now I think I must be a lunatic.

But all of you wouldn't be doing this if it was as unbearable as it feels this minute. I just talked to a friend of my daughter and he said in two weeks I will be used to them and when they come off I will feel just as weird.

I'll probably be spending some time here in the next days and weeks. I'm so glad I found this forum.

Hugs,

Elle

Aw, I'm sorry you're feeling so rotten, elle. Getting used to the dreaded hardware affects us all so differently.

I think it's great that you've given yourself a time frame to get used to your braces. I can almost guarantee that within 8 weeks you'll be feeling much better about them.

As for your bracket falling off, dealing with emergencies is something you will get used to. It happens to most of us here.

I know that whatever your time frame is probably seems interminable right now, but rest assured that the time will absolutely fly. And in that time you will see improvements that will make you glad you did this.

Yea i felt really dingy the first day i got them. I have to be honest with you i have up and downs when it comes to braces. Im a guy and in my university im the only one with braces so sometimes i do get narked off having to give presentations when my mouth is cut up inside and im struggling not to spit on my audience. Although, some days i am really happy im braced and think to myself why i waited so long. I have more good days than bad but there are bad ones. The way i see it, i wont be happy for a year or so in braces, but i wont be happy for a lifetime if i dont get braces...you see my logic? Stick in there,it will get better. The first couple of weeks i found were the most daunting.

Good luck my friend

Newmetal

Good luck.
From experience I can tell you the first few days are the worst. Had mine installed on a Thursday. If the ortho had been open on Friday afternoon I would have chalked it up as an expensive experience and had the things removed. Two days later they felt like a part of me. Two weeks later I loved the fact that I could see teeth when I smiled, which I could not do prior to braces. Now I'm thrilled with them and am ready for any new excitement my ortho wants to throw at me. The important thing is this is a procedure (most people on this forum refer to it as a journey) that hopefully will make a positive improvement for the rest of your life.

As for wisdom (thanks to KK), this is what she was told from her ortho on the day she got her braces:

Don't let braces change your daily life ...
Let this be a positive experience ...
Braces don't stop you from doing things, you do that ...
Attitude is everything ...

Its a good thing you have taken pictures. When you get disgusted with the process, look at the progress shown in those pictures. Even after a couple of weeks, they’ll give you great encouragement.

Welcome to the family of people with an extra sparkle in their smile.

Mike

My first day wasn't so bad -- it was a novelty.

The second day? Oh. My. God.

I felt like I'd been kicked in the face. My teeth ached. The brackets were rubbing up against my lip and cheek. I felt almost claustrophobic - there was something foreign in my mouth and I wanted it GONE. If I could have ripped the damn things off, I probably would have (if I hadn't just shelled out $1500 on my first visit, that is!)

Within a week, however, I had gotten pretty well used to it. Dental wax was a lifesaver.

Six months in, I'm at a point where it feels bizarre to have the wire taken out at adjustments. I actually can't wait until they put it back in -- it feels so much more ... secure somehow.

I hear your pain, but it DOES get better.

Elle,

It does get better! I promise!!!!!! I barely even notice mine anymore....Except for the fact that I was at the Orthodontist's office today! I know it seems like this will be bad, but it really won't!! I'm glad you are giving yourself 8-12 weeks, because by then, you will be perfectly comfortable with them and will wonder what it will be like not to have them....

I just got cut down on the amount of elastics I have to wear and my teeth feel kind of.....well......Naked! And I still have a FULL set including my 2nd molars in bands!

Get through the next few days and you will be fine. Get a Denta-Kit for certain, get a set or two of the comfort covers to give your lips a rest (Remember to run them under warm water before applying as your teeth will be sore right now) and by all means get a "Quick-Pik" for your sink. I really think you'll be fine......

Keep us updated! !!

I know what you mean, Kodius! My archwires were out for awhile today and I really did not like it!

I agree with the post above that says that the second day was the worst. After the second day it only got better and better every day. I was just happy it didn't get any worse. I promise you it won't be as bad as it now for very long. So far I've had some adjustments that made my teeth pretty sore again but nothing compared to day 1 & 2 and anything that hurts now only lasts a really short time. Hang in there.

Ok I'm going to sound harsh because you need a reality check.

At the begining of getting your braces on you will feel uncomfortable it's very normal as the treatment goes on you will forget that you have braces because you get use to them being in your mouth.When you see your ortho for check ups and they tighten your teeth it will hurt for a few days but it gets better.

Think of the outcome don't give up wimps give up.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

I wish you all the best

Karen, I do wonder if your pain-free situation to date might be partly to do with the fact that your ortho doesn't change your wires regularly (I seem to recall you said you've only had 2 wires) and also you don't have molar bands do you? I've found personally that if I just get a re-tie of the same wire I don't really notice discomfort afterwards, but going up to a new stronger wire means a couple of days' discomfort while the teeth get used to the stronger pressure. And molar bands can REALLY chafe while your cheeks get used to them.

Elle - it does get better honestly. I think a lot of us go through the braces blues soon after having them fitted. You've had all the excitement build-up and then suddenly you're faced with the reality of all this hardware in your mouth which you know is probably going to be there for a good while. It's a shock. So be patient, do your salt rinses and wait it out. I bet that within a week at the most you will wonder why you felt so awful today.

Hugs
Lisa