just got braced.. want to cry

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#1 Post by **cb4886** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 11:45 am

well im back from the ortho, and i have my braces on. i just want to cry! i feel soooo ugly , and the worst thing is i cant really eat anything at all because now that the braces are on, my back teeth no longer touch so i cant chew... what have i gotten myself into... plus im pregnant and i thought it would be no big deal... but it really is turning out to be one!

#2 Post by **yse** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:33 pm

Well, I've had mine for four days and I share your wanting to cry! Just think, though, that other people probably won't notice them nearly as much as you can feel them, bloody awkward things that they are.

I'm having the same problem with chewing, I just can't do it. I'm already getting sick of soup and other gloopy stuff.

Be brave!

#3 Post by **lionfish** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:37 pm

It will be a big deal only if you make it one. So take off the black hat and start thinking positively. Braces shouldn't stop you living normally.

There must be something you can eat - check out the soft food suggestions on this board. I've had only two teeth make contact during treatment and, rest assured, I managed to eat.

Being pregnant is an advantage, as things will move more quickly than normal. Half your luck!

#4 Post by **amd** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:58 pm

Cheer up. The shock does wear off. They're not as ugly as they first feel. You'll get used to them slowly. I've had mine on for 10 days and they don't really bother me. Once your lips get used to moving around and over the braces eating does get a bit easier. (Like Lionfish I only have 2 teeth that make contact.)

#5 Post by **cb4886** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:05 pm

thanks guys! im trying to keep a positive outlook,

#6 Post by **cb4886** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:06 pm

none of my molars are touching just my front

#7 Post by **Lisa65** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:22 pm

It does get better honestly (hugs)

#8 Post by **platinum** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:25 pm

HI,

You will find food you can eat for sure!

My molars do not touch, actually I can put my tongue between my molers, when I try to bite down. Anyway, I can eat soft foor like mashed potatoes etc. Also I managed eat an hamburger! Food just to be soft enough that I can sort of chew with my front teeth and tongue.

good luck!

#9 Post by **JoviFan** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:27 pm

Chin up!!! Just think of the results at the end!!!! I'm on day 8 now and doing well....I do still eat softer stuff than normal, but figured that'd be the case...actually I thought the pain would be worse than it is....well, except for the headache I've had for the past week now....

yes, they still feel a little funny and I feel like they are huge, but some of that's becuz I have very small teeth and the bracket takes up most of the tooth surface.....but am still glad I got ceramics, cuz from a distance you can't even notice them

#10 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:44 pm

As for crying don't. It will get better. As you go through this process, your teeth will move and there will be periods when eating is difficult and others when it seems normal. I doubt if anyone has starved because of their braces. Maybe shed a few pounds and lost a love handle but never starved. Food selection may take a bit more care but you CAN do it.

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 ...

My wisdom comes from John Prine:
"You are what you are, you ain't what you ain't."

Want to be ugly? Congratulations! you're now ugly.
Want to be happy? Only you can truly control that.
You will be as beautiful as you want to be.

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, theyâ€™ll give you great encouragement. Plus you'll notice that you got to get REALLY close to see them.

Welcome to the board enjoy the journey!

Mike

#11 Post by **Kat** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:53 pm

Ha! I'm 4 1/2 months into braces now and I'll tell you at the orthos office the day they put them on and told me to go rinse I couldn't believemy look. They put my braces on the lower part of my teeth(so they could raise them). I did the clears on top and the metal on the bottom 3 1/2 months later.

You may have a love hate war with them for awhile I did as do many others they are part of us but yet they are stuck to us.

In case you're interested I always think about what good they are doing me. I see progress in this amount of time and I must say I waited for so many years (44) to do this and I now wish I did this long ago.
Today I would not take them off for anything, I can't wait to see what my teeth are going to be like in two years (Ugh!) Again, I can see a real difference already and it's great.

It really is a mind thing so save yourself the worry grief and tell yourself what you already know. I feel your pain, really I do and everyone else here.

By the way congrats on the preggers situation!
I eat everything I want just way slower and my teeth are still after 4 months sore to say the least. I really don't eat nuts (like I used to

) but I do eat pretty much everything else..

Just think, you are on your way to the beautiful smile you've always
wanted!

Know what I noticed?
People look at me now-people I don't know-and I see they look at my teeth when I talk but I smile right through them and they always look like that's really cool and always smile back.) Only one guy asked me "Are those your real teeth?" He was one of those guys that drove a real dumb car lifted up in the air with huge wheels on it and a whole bunch of gold "BLING" around his neck, you know the type- he wanted to know where he could buy teeth like mine.
What an ass!

#12 Post by **samantha_lou** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 8:50 pm

Hi CB,

I just got my braces on this last weekend, and although I didn't really have any discomfort on Saturday, on Sunday I was feeling pretty sore and sorry for myself. It does get better though, I promise. It just takes a few days to get used to having them on, and having all this extra junk in your mouth. Don't feel ugly, just concentrate on how pretty you're going to think your smile is once you're all done!

Congratulations on your pregnancy aswell, hope all goes well with that!

Sam Xx

#13 Post by **thesallymonster** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:29 pm

I got braced today too, and I know exactly how you feel. My molars only "touch" in one spot, because the top molar hits a bottom bracket! I kept biting my cheek while eating, too. Plus, I really look like I'm twelve.

Hopefully things will get better for both of us. Don't lose hope! You're going to have a great smile in the end, and others on here say that the time flies!

#14 Post by **Ruby Tuesday** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:53 am

Sorry you feel so poorly, but I can't help but think this is the perfect excuse for a chocolate thickshake! That is my recommendation, hope it helps.

I am sure that things will change very quickly for you and you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

#15 Post by **dawnm** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:22 am

I know how you feel -- I was braced on Thursday with bite turbos making it IMPOSSIBLE to eat anything of real substance.

Days 2 and 3 were bad for me... then I woke up on day 4 and I no longer had discomfort and I just felt better overall. I even ate a ham sandwich for dinner that night (cut up into really small pieces)

Over the past few days, I've developed a system for eating.... small bits, but large enough so that my molars make contact... chewing really slowly and even with my mouth open at times. It's not pretty, but it works.

You'll make adjustments, too... but it might take a few days or even weeks. I tried really, really hard to go into this thinking that it isn't a big deal...well, in reality, it IS a big deal at first because you have to make adjustments for everything from how you look in the mirror to how you eat.... but it does get easier and it does get better. I'm only on day 6 and I'm already back to "it's no big deal."

Good luck!!