Strangest question of the day!

Message

#1 Post by **tryinthis2** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:23 pm

ok I noticed in the last few days since i got these braces that I'm forcing my lips together to close my mouth......so is that going to make me prone to wrinkles on my upper lip from doing the same expression over and over for the next year?

I'm turning 35 soon....

it's not a question for those in their twenties...lol

#2 Post by **suetemi** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:34 pm

I did that too when I first got my braces on -- had to pull my lips over the braces because the brackets felt huge at first. But after a couple of weeks my mouth got used to the feel of them and my lips started to relax. Now after two months I barely even register the braces and my lips feel normal over my teeth. I got metal braces -- do you have metal or ceramic? Ceramics are a bit larger from what I hear and it might be a different story with those.

#3 Post by **tryinthis2** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:40 pm

mine are metal.
my lips kind of stick to the metal cuz my mouth is still pretty dry so I have to force them to go down and then I hold my lips together.

#4 Post by **suetemi** » Thu May 15, 2008 8:37 pm

Yeah, I would say that's normal. The inside of my lips were dry and a bit raw from rubbing against the brackets the first few days. Once you're used to them, it goes back to feeling normal...at least it did in my case.

I wasn't worried at all about wrinkles when I first got braced but was self conscious of the orangutan-mouth effect of pulling my lips over the then huge brackets

#5 Post by **catfish** » Thu May 15, 2008 8:50 pm

suetemi wrote:orangutan-mouth effect

Now that's funny! I never heard that before, but I knew exactly what you meant.

I was lucky when I got my top braces. They lined up exactly with the space where my upper and lower lips meet, so I didn't have to stretch my lips to close them. I had no problems keeping my lips together. When I got my lower teeth bracketed, I didn't have any trouble either.

As for wrinkles, I already have a bunch and can't tell if any news ones are popping up due to braces!

#6 Post by **Lisa65** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:55 am

I know exactly what you mean

At the moment my overjet is bigger than it was before I started because my ortho hasn't started pulling it back yet, and my lips cannot close over my teeth without some strain. I have to make a conscious effort to close my mouth, so the orangutan expression has become a habit!

I've had top braces on for a year or so, and I'm 42, but as far as I'm aware the lip stretching has not increased my wrinkles. I'm just hoping my lip doesn't kind of crinkle up like a concertina once it's not straining to go over the brackets anymore.

#7 Post by **michelle005** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:35 pm

I'm not getting lip wrinkles but since I have to smile so big now with my braces I am getting horrible nasolabial lines (laugh lines)...and I'm only 25!

I don't have any other wrinkles yet but I'm using moisturizers and Olay and such...hopefully it wont be permanent.

I have ceramic uppers and metal lowers and it doesn't feel natural to do my old top-teeth-only smile now since the braces are in the way so I do a full out all teeth big smile. Well, at least I look really happy! Haha.

#8 Post by **tryinthis2** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:44 pm

vaseline on my lips or the braces? sorry for the silly question!

I think the only inevitable way to avoid wrinkles is to not use your face muscles. haha

#9 Post by **TheNewEmperor** » Sat May 17, 2008 3:05 am

I have the opposite happening....my mouth was 'sunken' before my braces and I have found the braces are nicely plumping out my mouth....as a subsequence the little lines around my mouth are gone....gotta love braces

p.s. moisturing your face doesn't stop wrinkles....read the beauty bible and you'll understand why this whole 'slather on loads of moisturiser to stop wrinkles' is one of the biggest beauty myths out there

#10 Post by **tryinthis2** » Sat May 17, 2008 2:55 pm

I thought they put vaseline on there to keep their lips open cuz it tasted icky...my daughter used it when she did pageants but I didnt know why her coach said to. lol so we lubed her teeth up. haha

is it ok for the metal to have the vaseline? wont interfere with the glue or anything?

#11 Post by **jennielee81** » Sat May 17, 2008 6:01 pm

Nope, they'll be fine. I used vaseline on my opals a few times as they were dry-ish sometimes and caused my lips to catch.

#12 Post by **emmajade22** » Mon May 19, 2008 12:26 am

Atleast you guys complaining about straining your lips together wont have the problem once the braces are off. be thankful for that!
My mouth hangs open all the time because its just too much bloody effort to close them together. Not to mention my jawline and chin are nowhere to be seen.
And that was before i had the braces put on!

#13 Post by **damon2's** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:12 am

I was wondering the same thing... cause after I got my braces I started noticing some little lip lines. They've pretty much gone away now, thank goodness! I'm not straining my lips as much now that I'm more used to my braces

#14 Post by **jennielee81** » Thu May 22, 2008 4:50 pm

Some of this is due to paying such CLOSE ATTENTION to our mouths.

I found a scar on my upper lip that I never noticed before and I was telling mom about it and SHE explained it was from when I had chicken pox at 4 and she slammed on the brakes in our car and I flew forward (no safety seats or belts in that car!) and knocked the scab off when my face hit the back of the front seat.

I was 43 when I FIRST NOTICED IT!

#15 Post by **Steel** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:00 am

Mine were metal too...I tried to hide them but after a few months i just gave up...