Metal Mouth Message Board

I really hate having braces. I should have gotten them a long time ago but my parents don't give a crap about me so I didn't get them until I was 19.

So now I've had them for over a year. I hated every second of it. I hate the way I look. I hate having to try to get the stupid thing in between my teeth when flossing which takes an hour. And now some of my gums are swollen and hurt because I don't floss enough. It's such a pain in the ass. I used to be able to just eat and not worry about anything but now I can't because every time I eat, there's food stuck in ten different places in my mouth.

I was so happy because I thought I was getting them off soon because all of my teeth are almost completely straight. I would probably have to go one more time to get them tightened. But the last time I was there, they brought up the fact that I had a baby tooth still and then sent me to see an oral surgeon. While I was there, he informed me that in order to get the baby tooth taken out I would have to have my braces on for six months more months or longer! My guess would be longer. I had no idea of this.

What really makes me mad is that my top teeth (where the baby tooth is) have been completely straight for months so I could have already had this underway a long time ago. But they only said something about it the last time. I had no idea this was going to happen. I am so mad and depressed. I do not want these stupid things on any longer but I want this baby tooth out because it has made me insecure for a long time. Should they have told me about this sooner? Also, should I be worried about the gums thing? I have gotten most of it back to normal, but there's still one spot that's swollen and it's extremely hard to get to clean.

Thanks for reading, I know it's long.

I understand your frustration but I think you should put things in perspective. I have students who have had braces for six years. I myself am 27 and only 3 months into my treatment. You are very lucky to have parents that can afford to get you braces. And rally six months is a drop in the bucket compared to how much life you have left to live.

Having braces is a huge privilege that not many kids get to experience. I wanted braces since I was a teenager but my parents couldn't afford it for both my sis and I so they chose her cos she's a girl. I'm 21 now and just got them on and I'm paying for it myself You should be happy to have straight teeth and just picture the the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am so tired of my braces at well. I know that not everyone can get them and we ARE lucky, but they are still a pain! Especially when your debracing date keeps moving back. I am so ready to have these things off! I'm tired of taking 20 min to floss, and brushing your teeth after ever meal, and snack! Having wires pop out, getting gum so logged in your brackets (i know, no gum chewing with braces) People just need to be able to vent every once in a while

I think I'm just going to get them taken off. I cant live with them for six more months or more. There's no way I can do that I'm so unhappy with them. My baby tooth doesn't look that bad. It's time to stop being such a perfectionist.

So what's your long term plan? Is there still an adult tooth under the gum or is it missing altogether? That baby tooth might last another 10 years or 20 if you're lucky and then it will fall out. Do you plan to get braces again when you're 29 or 39 to close the gap or what will you do then? Get an implant for the cost of several thousand dollars? Or wear braces again to close the gap for 2-3 years and pay for it all yourself!

If you hate braces so much, 6 months more now is better than several years later!!!

Seriously -- grow up and take advantage of the opportunity and privilege you have now.

So what's your long term plan? Is there still an adult tooth under the gum or is it missing altogether? That baby tooth might last another 10 years or 20 if you're lucky and then it will fall out. Do you plan to get braces again when you're 29 or 39 to close the gap or what will you do then? Get an implant for the cost of several thousand dollars? Or wear braces again to close the gap for 2-3 years and pay for it all yourself!

If you hate braces so much, 6 months more now is better than several years later!!!

Seriously -- grow up and take advantage of the opportunity and privilege you have now.

Agreed. This is what I've wanted to say, but couldn't think of the right words.

Aia wrote:...I hate having to try to get the stupid thing in between my teeth when flossing which takes an hour. And now some of my gums are swollen and hurt because I don't floss enough. It's such a pain in the ass. I used to be able to just eat and not worry about anything but now I can't because every time I eat, there's food stuck in ten different places in my mouth...

[my bold] It sounds from this like you're using a floss threader. Would you maybe get on better with a different kind of floss? Some folks seem to manage fine just with normal floss. I use something which is called "Superfloss" where I live (might be different in the US). It comes in pre-cut lengths, and one end is stiffened so you can sort of post it under the archwire. It's quite straightforward. I'm not sure I could cope with a floss threader either!

As for eating, a simple trick is to have a large glass of water to hand at every meal. If you feel food getting stuck you can sloosh round (and swallow) a mouthful of water at the table. It helps cut down the clean up time later.

If you have a read round this forum there are loads more tips to help make wearing braces a bit easier. After you've come so far it seems a real shame to give up now. Unfortunately when your teeth look straight that isn't the whole picture -- the ortho also has to look at what's going on with the roots and your bite, otherwise he's leaving the job only half done. And as others have said, it would be a pity to end up having to go through the whole thing again in years to come.

thisisme wrote:

So what's your long term plan? Is there still an adult tooth under the gum or is it missing altogether? That baby tooth might last another 10 years or 20 if you're lucky and then it will fall out. Do you plan to get braces again when you're 29 or 39 to close the gap or what will you do then? Get an implant for the cost of several thousand dollars? Or wear braces again to close the gap for 2-3 years and pay for it all yourself!

If you hate braces so much, 6 months more now is better than several years later!!!

Seriously -- grow up and take advantage of the opportunity and privilege you have now.

Agreed. This is what I've wanted to say, but couldn't think of the right words.

My sentiments exactly. You "can't" keep them on for another six months? No, you WON'T keep them on for another six months.

I have been in braces for 16 months now and am still waiting for a jaw surgery date. I have been surgery ready for months now. Am I unhappy about this? Sure. Is it the end of the world? Uh - no.

No, I use regular floss that's what I meant. I don't even mess with the floss threader thing. I can get to most teeth very easily except for the back ones. Sometimes it takes me like 10 attempts to even get it in between the braces on one of my back teeth. Very frustrating and it makes me want to scream.

Who says that the baby tooth is necessarily going to fall out? My dentist or orthodontist never said to me you have to get this baby tooth taken care of or it will eventually fall out...
I don't know probably anymore than any of you know but I don't think it's gonna fall out. Where do you guys get this from?

It seems like people on here are VERY serious about their braces. I'm sure I'll get crap for this too but they are just teeth you guys need to chill out it's not the end of the world or even hardly the most serious thing in the world. Lighten up!

You sound extremely ungrateful, Aia. Lots of us would have loved to have braces when we were younger and couldn't afford them. Maybe you didn't have problems, but for a lot of us it isn't just about straight teeth, it's about wearing of the teeth, cavities, and jaw pain. Baby teeth fall out--that's what they do. Just because it hasn't yet doesn't mean it won't if you bite down on it wrong or something. You've been given the opportunity to have a great, healthy smile. Don't act like a brat--do what your ortho suggests while mommy and daddy will pay for it. Six months is not that long. You'll regret it when you stop acting like a child and realize how fortunate you are.

Yes, some of us are very serious about our braces. Perhaps that's because after having parents that could not afford them while we were younger, we are footing the bill now. I'm in my 40's and have wanted to fix my bite since I was in my 20's but could not afford it. If I had been able to, perhaps I wouldn't have front teeth that are wearing down from an improper bite. And I wouldn't have had horrible headaches for my entire adult life, along with jaw tension, and neck and upper back tension - again from the improper bite. And wouldn't it have been nice to be able to chew my food enough so that I could digest it properly. What a concept!

So now, I've forked out $10K - yes that's 10 thousand dollars - for braces and will be paying another $2K for the jaw surgeon to break my jaw and put it back together, while sucking liquid food through a syringe for 6 weeks afterwards.

Being ready for jaw surgery and not having a surgery date has made me have to put my entire life on hold. I can't plan vacations or anything important because I don't know when I'm going to get my date (that I've been waiting for 16 months for already). I'm supposed to have people visiting from the UK in the spring, but they may end up being here during my recovery so I don't know what to do. Add to all this the fact that I have a deadline driven job and I have no one to cover my desk while I'm off because the person who was going to do it got another job- it gets a bit stressful.

So, if you don't want your braces, have them taken off. But don't tell the rest of us to lighten up. For some of us, this journey is about more than just "straight teeth" - and by the way, just because your teeth are straight, does not mean your roots are yet and does not mean your teeth are stable enough to remove the braces yet.

And if you read through a lot of the posts here, you will see quite a few people with impacted baby teeth. Most of us know the information that we do because we research and we share information with each other - and we ask our orthodontists questions, rather than making assumptions with no basis for them.

Aia wrote:It seems like people on here are VERY serious about their braces. I'm sure I'll get crap for this too but they are just teeth you guys need to chill out it's not the end of the world or even hardly the most serious thing in the world. Lighten up!

Yea if you're paying $5,000.00 or more of your own money, I'd doubt you'd be so passive about it. Maybe you should just get them removed. Tell your parents you don't appreciate them paying ridiculous amounts of money for your teeth because you hate braces so much and would much rather not have them anymore. No more whining/complaining since they are off, end of story.

Maybe since you have your parents taking care of you, you just can't see the big picture, but oh wells just get them removed, no more dealing with braces right?

You do know this is a forum for adults with braces?
Maybe there is one for teens who might feel more sympathetic about your tantrum?

6 months may seem like a long time, and I know you've had the braces for a while already, but in the grand scheme of things, 6 months will fly by. And at the end of it all, I bet you'll say it was worth it. You don't want to be second guessing your decision several years down the road....just by 2 cents. Good luck!