Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm wondering how other people cope when the honeymoon period of life in braces is over?

In the early stages of my treatment I saw tremendous movement and was very excited by the changes. I look forward to future changes and my teeth and bite still have a long way to go. However I know that I am not going to see such dramatic changes from now on.

Most of the time I hardly notice my brace but every now and again I just feel a bit fed up and look forward to the day when it will come off. I know, I must learn patience but what bothers me more than anything is my "off" bite.

I must admit that my 7 months have passed quickly but I'm wondering how the brace veterans out there learnt patience or is it just a matter of keeping the end goal in mind and getting on with life?

Regards
Joney

Hi

im only a few months further down the line than you-a year yesterday but can agree with what your saying...i think everyone has down days about the length of time this all takes, but i agree with karen above, no matter how long you need your braces on (im 3 years +) it will be over one day and thats important to remember.

The year has gone very quickly in my case but now i no the next step is surgery im getting impatient to get that part over with. Like you i had alot of movement at 1st but now the ortho is concentrating on small adjustments to be ready for surgery and it can be frustrating.

I guess all we can do is get on with life and grin and bear it as before we know it, itll be all over.

Good luck

Louise

I'm just now coming up on my first month anniversary of only having my tops braced. I haven't even gotten the bottom going yet. I think my honeymoon phase lasted all of a few hours. LOL!

I just keep reminding myself that it will be worth it and the best thing to do is look on the bright side of it. I take photos of my teeth often to compare. I come here and look at people's before and after photos. Then I get off my pitty pot and move on.

My first braces anniversary will be July 14th. In general I am finding the braces experience enjoyable (yeah I know I'm weird), although I've had some really fed-up days due to setbacks in my treatment. On those days I have felt like ripping the whole lot off and saying to hell with it. Sometimes if I'm hot and tired and I have got a bit dehydrated, my mouth gets sore and again I feel fed up. I can cope fine with post-adjustment pain but the two things guaranteed to get me down are poking wires and chafing caused by a dry mouth.

I've found that the best motivator for me is photos. I take photos every 2 or 3 weeks and compare them. If I'm having a bad braces day I go back and look at earlier pics so I can see how much improvement there has been.

Unlike some people here I went into this purely for aesthetics, as despite my class II malocclusion and very weird bite, I'd never had any functional problems. The only thing that bothered me was the appearance of my top front teeth. To be honest if I had known in advance how complex my treatment would turn out to be, I probably wouldn't have started it. But because alignment is the first phase of braces, my top teeth are loads straighter after just a few months, and that has kept me feeling mostly positive so far, because for me that was the principal issue and the whole reason for getting braced in the first place.

I only found out by chance that adults could get braces I thought nothing could be done about my teeth (and according to my ortho, even 4 years ago he wouldn't have recommended that I get treatment - it's only the advent of mini-implants that have made my treatment possible)

Now everyone will think I'm vain

Well, now that i see this i recall that i had a brief honeymoon period when everything was new with braces, i could see lots of movement and everything surrounding orthodontics was new and fresh. Lately i have been feeling quite tired and bored (really bored) of these metallic little things, and i would be moaning about them again today if it weren't for the fact that i had an adjustment yesterday, i had quite a headache such as the first days and my canine definitely is starting to rotate...oh, what the heck, maybe the honeymoon is starting again...

I'm sure everyone would agree that the honeymoon stage is pretty awesome. I think I hit my low times in between adjustments when I get tired of them and just want to be done. Then when I schedule my next adjustment, I get geared up because it's a step closer to being done. Keep taking pics and see the progress like others talked about. The nice thing is that we're in this together for great results, so you're in good company whether you're in the honeymoon stage or not!

Okay, I'm weird. I'm seven months in to what seems an open-ended treatment and I'm happy with the process. Maybe I’m blessed with a longer honeymoon than most. When we started expanding spaces for implants, my ortho said it would prolong my treatment at least a year. I have no idea when I'll have surgery or when I'll be done. I fear I'm a lot closer to a 36-48 month plan than a 16-24 month plan. I don't really care. I just want the best result possible. I still enjoy this process. Every day I feel like I see some sign of progress although most people couldn't. Maybe it’s a bit more slack on a spring or a different headache but things are moving forward. I'm sure in the first few weeks after surgery I may not feel that way but right now I look forward to my adjustments and still enjoy the process.

My only downer is I wish the adjustments would come sooner. Then I look at my pictures from beginning to now and I get psyched.

I truly believe it is about attitude. I focus on what I hope will be the outcome. I try to have fun with it. I truly focus on this as something I'm doing for myself. I'm in a position where treatment is available and I can afford it. It is a blessing. Do I wish that I didn't need treatment? Yes. But when I think of all the other things I could have to deal with, dealing with flossing is such a minor issue. I'm hypoglycemic so I've already become quite accustomed to having to be careful with what I eat. There are many other things worse in life than having a “tin grin.â€

Thanks folks

I do find that looking at my start pics does tend to inspire me. Guess I must learn more patience. Don't worry though most of the time my brace doesn't bother me and I do love what they've done (and are doing) to my teeth. I realise that wearing a brace is not by any means terrible but of course I would rather not have it and have been blessed with lovely straight teeth. But, as I think I've said before, I have many great blessings in my life for which I am very grateful.

Thanks as ever for the support.
Regards
Joney

As those who have read along with my brace journey can testify to, I've hit that proverbial wall a couple of times. Most recently, when I found out how far I have to go in my treatment. While I always have my mind on the goal of perfect teeth, it wasn't an uplifting moment when I found out I'd be wearing these for over half a year more.

It ain't easy! Anyone who says that having braces is the easiest thing in the world is lying to you. However, it's not the end of the world, either, and when I hit that 'wall,' I remind myself of that, and often.

I also try to concentrate on how beautiful my teeth will be and how rewarding this experience is. We have to remember that we chose these braces, for one reason or another.

And joney's right, too, look at progress pics! You may be able to see little changes that uplift you, too.

I'm now 19 months into treatment, the honeymoon period finished about a year ago All the major turning, aligning and straightning are now done , so I haven't seen anything major in some time, and must say am getting quiet bored ,if not annoyed with these things on.....as luck with have it( how wierd does that sound), I'm a month away from surgery, so at least I have something new to obsess over....

I think my honeymoon period has finally come to a close....dont get me wrong, ive wanted braces all of my life...oh to have a straight smile is going to be divine.

BUT, im tired of these things, lawd. I cant wait until i can feel my own teeth and eat without worrying about what's hanging out of my hardware. Its almost hard for me to think of sometimes because i have so long to go (21 more months).

So alas, i rejoice in all my adjustments and regale in any movement and compliments from friends and family.