Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi, I'm Cristie and I'm getting my braces at 8am tommorow, I'm excited and nervous. I'm wondering how hard it's going to be for me to eat on Thanksgiving and what kind of problems I'm going to have.

Most people on the list will tell you that the first few days with the spacers are the worst. If you’ve made it this far, the rest will have its difficult moments but they pass in a day or so. The important thing to remember 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):

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 ...

Finally take pictures before the braces, and pictures in the first two days with braces. 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.

Thanksgiving may be a challenge depending on what you eat. Most of the typical Thanksgiving meal is easy to chew. This is a good thing. I would recommend you cut the turkey into small pieces. You also have a good excuse to ask for the breast meat, which seems most tender.


Good luck tomorrow morning!
Mike

Good luck! Hope it goes well for you!

Good luck!Hope it goes well.

Newmetal

Goodluck and hope all goes well tomorrow.

SDFD TSchott

Cristie,
First of all, good luck! Good for you that you are doing this -- it is a long process, but like many things that are hard work, in the end the results are worth it!!

My experience was that I could eat VERY small bites of most "allowed" foods after the first two or three days (really hard foods of course aren't allowed at all, and I can say that I didn't try during my treatment).

But I also know that everyone is really different. Some folks experience a lot of pain and difficulty with eating after braces are put on and after adjustments; other's really don't. I think it's hard to predict who'll have an easy time and who will be more challenged.

Have some wax handy so that if you get raw spots on the insides of your cheeks, you can protect them, and pick out some favorite "soft foods" for Thanksgiving so you can "treat" yourself.

Most of all, I recommend continuing to visit and explore this bulletin board. The people here are GREAT. I'm really bummed out that I missed this BB until I was almost finished with my treatment -- there's a LOT of collective wisdom here. You can use the "search" feature at the top of the BB page to help you find information on specific topics.

Good luck, and have a great Thanksgiving, no matter what!

Tarheel89

As the day goes on, I'm getting SO nervous about getting it done. I'm 2 months pregnant and am sure to look lovely when I get bigger. LOL. I'm getting clear on the top and metal on the bottom.

2 Months Pregnant congrats and don't worry getting braces will go by smoothly.

SDFD TSchott

Congratulations cristie! Don't worry!

Eat something crunchy tonight and enjoy it! I had mine on last Thursday.

Best of luck for tomorrow and congratulations on the pregnancy!

I get mine on Wednesday morning and I'm feeling what you are...I just want it over. I am not looking forward to all my friends and family seeing me for the first time with them. I don't want to have that kind of focus on me.

\People will only notice and make an issue of it if you do. After getting mine I expected my college students to give me my share of grief over it. Finally after two days I talked with one girl who was making up a lab because she missed it for an ortho appointment. I asked her if she noticed and she said she didn't. On the fourth day I asked a class if anyone had noticed them and I appreciated them not making an issue with it. Some of them asked if that was why I was smiling so much.

The only time it was any type of an issue was when I first got my bite plate and sounded like Daffy Duck. They said they heard a slight lisp. I heard a cross between Daffy Duck and Poky Pig.

Take the words of wisdom from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy....

DON"T PANIC!

Hi Cristie!

Congrats on the pregnancy and for your B-day!!!

Tomorrow morning it's my first week with braces, and I couldn't agree more with

I was given a hint on this board before I got braces and it was to act as if they don't bother you. Don't try and hide them, and just get on with life as you normally do!

I did exactly that, and until today no one of my friends, or co-workers noticed-said anything (I'm still waiting )!
And remember the salt water rinses, they do wonders for your gums and cheeks...

Stay positive! and good luck

Good luck tomorrow. You will have a hard time with the spacers, but the good news is everything seems like a breeze compared to the spacers. It gets much easier. Since you are getting them tomorrow it will probably be a little difficult to eat on Thanksgiving. Take some ibuprofen and just eat really small bites. Try to stay away from "hard" foods, like broccoli.

I got upper braces on Tuesday, 3 wks ago. First two days I ate soup and protein power shakes, but by the end of the week I was able to eat my usual food. I find that I have to be more careful, eat slow and use my knife and fork to cut food.

My teeth felt sensitive and weird but no pain. I didn't take any meds. I used wax to help my lips adjust. It was fine.

Everyone is different. My experience was better than I expected.
Good luck on your journey.

Hiya Christie,

Hope it all goes well for you! And I'm not sure if it's true, but my orthodontist said that pregancy is the ideal time to get your teeth straightened as they move more quickly?! Not sure if it's right but hopefully it will help your treatment to be as quick as possible.

I'm thinking about having braces (for the second time) in the next couple of months so I won't be far behind you.....

Good luck!

x