Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello Everyone!!

Yesterday at 2:00 I got my top braces put on. I opted for ceramic on top and metal on bottom. My ortho said that he would not charge me extra for this ( he probably looked at my bill and saw that I am paying enogh as it is..lol) The best thing about the type of braces that I got is they don't use molar bands. This means NO SPACERS!!! Also I didn't have to get impressions taken. Apparently the pictures and x-rays were sufficient. Did anybody else bypass all these things? I kind of feel like I am getting off too easy.

First they put the cheek expander thing on me. It was a little uncomfortable at first but then you get use to it. I highly recommend putting chapstick on beforehand. It took about a half hour to do the uppers. They wire that they used was a super? The ortho said that I would see major results in a month. Then they gave me my goody bag. It contained a T-shirt, electric toothbrush, wax, toothpaste, floss, threaders, etc. I was on my way!

I have to say that the experience wasn't bad at all. The braces felt a little weird at first but I have had no real discomfort. The brackets are not rubbing at all and only my front teeth are a little sore. I took a couple of advil but I don't really need them. I didn't have to use any wax. Did anyone else have it this easy??? I was a little apprehensive. Everyone I know that had braces said that they hurt SOOOOO BAD. Mine don't seem to be that bad.
My point to this whole post is to remain optimistic. just think of the outcome. It will all be worth it!

I bypassed spacers until I lost the same molar tube twice. But, thanks to my trusted wisdom, they weren't able to band the molar again and just bonded it. Molds were taken but they do that with all of his patients.

You're one of the ones with no pain! I had tons of apin, mostly felt in my face which gave me headaches. I'm going on month 6 in a couple weeks and my last adjustment was pain free, no sore teeth. There can be some days where they hurt and some days where they don't. Let's keep our fingers crossed to more days that don't hurt.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, welcome!

Hi Odessa,

I'm glad to hear that you have been having an easy time with your braces. I just had my consultation with the Ortho on Monday and he said I'm going to need the spacers but no tooth extractions. That was good news for me. I'm going to be starting the process in the next couple of weeks. I love reading stories like yours (even though I don't expect my experience to be the same). Still it give me hope - I'm already pretty nervous. Congratulations on getting started.

That great! I have heard that the ceramic ones are more comfortable to wear. Is that so? the ortho didn't offer me an option, but I would have went with whatever.
I would use the wax anyway because the soreness may show itself tommrow.

My office mate is at this very moment getting his braces on. I'm so excited for him! He too will be an OrthoCAD patient, he's going to the same ortho (brackets placed by pre-made molds). Neither of us had to have spacers or molar bands.

So today before he left he asked what to expect pain wise, I told him that I had no pain the first day and only a little dull aching a few days later. My cheeks have stayed in good shape thanks to wax when I need it and plenty of saltwater rinses. The bigger deal to me was just getting used to having them in there: not being able to run my tongue over my teeth, what kinds of food get stuck in them and how to bite into crunchy foods. I've never broken a bracket off and don't eat any differently than I did pre-braces (now that I have adjusted to them).

So yes, it really can be that easy! A nice surprise, huh?

hey wait...

you got a t-shirt?!?!

heh. i just got my upper braces today!! in fact, about 2 hours ago.
be relieved you didn't get spacers... i jokingly asked the dr. why he didn't tell me how bad they were. he smiled and said he tells everyone it's not big deal so he won't scare them off.

i hope i stay as pain-free as you

Sounds like we had very similar experiences. I too just got my braces (on Friday 9/21). I also got ceramic uppers and metal lowers. I really wanted all ceramic but my ortho advised against it because of my overbite and crowding issues might cause chipped teeth/enamel. I also got lucky and didn't have to have molar bands or spacers (woo hoo!).

As far as impressions, my ortho also doesn't do impressions either (unless there are more serious issues that involve extractions or surgery, which thankfully for me is not the case). I thought I was getting off easy except that I DID have to get molar build-ups since I would have some issues with teeth & brackets hitting without it. Can I just say "they suck". I can't close me mouth all the way, which makes chewing almost impossible. Not to mention that it makes my mouth feel that much weirder.

The whole thing took less than 2 hours and it was a pretty pleasant experience! I had a really nice and fun tech that did all the placements (with the ortho supervising of course). I didn't get a t-shirt, but they did send me on my way with a nice kit which included a mesh carrying bag containing all the essentials: floss, threaders, toothpaste, toothbrush (travel & regular), wax, dental brush, mouthwash, & chapstick.

I have been taking ibuprofen (for the teeth soreness) but haven't had to use any wax (so far). Hopefully, things stay that way!

Let's hope we both continue to be lucky!