Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm about 4 weeks into braces with the wire brackets, and I'm in misery.
I'm not a baby about pain, but I'd guess I'm miserable about 90% of the time. The pressure on the teeth is nothing, but the wires and the hooks on the brackets (that are NOT being used at this time) feel like scalpals cutting into my mouth. It takes SO much time, and wax to cover all the places that hurt so bad.....then it never stays in place for long.

I'm regretting NOT choosing invisaline....where I could eat anything, and not spend all the time with cleaning and wax, and putting up with slicing wires.

SOOOO.......has anyone ever switched from wire braces to invisaline?
Wonder if the ortho would charge me twice. My appointment is in two weeks.
MM

Hate to say but "man up"

The pain goes away after a while and the treatment time will be a lot shorter in metals than invisalign. I have a full metals top and bottom and I kind of get a kick out of the pain for the simple reason is I know their working but again the pain eases and you'll barely notice having them.

And believe me I'm the most self conscious person ever

Somethings we just got to get on with and endure to come out the other end smiling!!

If you're getting sores, try a rinse for canker sores, or use anbesol or orajel to help with the pain. I think invisalign tends to be more expensive than metal, and some cases can't be addressed with invisalign. If your ortho didn't offer it, you might not be a candidate. It is uncomfortable at times, but with wax and anbesol, it's tolerable.

I do resent the phrase 'man up' though. I'm 100% female (maybe more, who knows? haha) and I am tough as the next guy! If anything, it seems guys complain more about the pain (in my experience). I'd say 'toughen up' if anything. But mostly, it sounds like you need to work with your pain management. Talk to your ortho about possibly clipping pointy wires or removing unnecessary hooks and things that are irritating, and keep a bottle of tylenol/ibuprofen/advil on you to take when necessary.

what were the reasons you didn't choose Invisalign in the first place? Maybe braces work better? there are some cases in which they do...
I am quite sure you will have to pay extra if you would change to invisalign now, they need to take special impressions and then they would charge you for the treatment they done with braces so far etc. but I'm sure your Ortho can advise.
I have Clear braces on the bottom since a couple of weeks now, and will be getting Invisalign on the uppers. I would have much prefered Invisalign on both, but according to my Ortho wasn't possible on my lowers as they need lots of movements and i have gaps etc. I was in pain for the first 3 days, then i was ok.. but I dont like having them in my mouth much, and eating is not much fun.. but it will be worth it i hope!

I have metal on the bottom and aligners on top and I prefer the metal , the aligners are more of a hassle.

I am a little over 2 weeks in with my braces (ceramic on top, metal on bottom) and pretty much doing ok. However my first week in them it was the pokey wires that were slicing my mouth horribly. I got used to all the other brackets, hooks etc...it was the wires. I was persistant and went into the ortho 2 times insisting that they cut them shorter than the back bracket so that they dont stick out. They finally did and now im 200% better! Id say talk with your ortho about specific areas that are bothering you. As far as getting used to all the other hardware, try and use salt water rinses etc.. I was religiously using rinses and it really will help your mouth heal alot faster! Hope it gets better!

If you keep putting the wax on then your mouth will never get used to the sharper points on your braces. I'd bet constantly putting wax on is your problem. Your lips and cheeks need to become calloused.

Thanks everybody. I'll try to "woman up", and then ask about clipping wires at my appointment. If they don't plan on using the hooks, I'd like to get rid of them, but if they're going to use them, I'll hang on. The brackets without the hooks are no problem. I keep telling myself to think of the end results. Everywhere I look are beautiful, straight teeth, and I DO want that! On days where I don't have to talk, I'll try cutting back on the wax. Callouses in the cheeks would be a real blessing at this point.

Hi Moty,

I completely understand where you're coming from.
Some people seem to have a much more violent response to braces than others. I know that for me, it was pure hell, and I had no idea how I was going to handle it.
I had oozing sores in my cheeks, and the wax aggravated my gums like crazy. I resorted to putting wet cotton balls between my teeth and the braces for padding, and to soak up the puss.

On the bright side, even though it feels like torture now, you will be amazed how insanely fast your mouth heals and how it will likely never bother you again!

I have invisalign on the top and metal brackets on the bottom, and even though I had a horrible adjustment period, I would rather have metal over invisalign any day.
As I type, I cannot even tell that my metal brackets are there anymore, yet, my invisalign are driving me crazy. I hate them, and if it weren't for a crown and veneer on my front teeth, I would have metal on the top too.

The only benefit with invisalign for me is that it's easier to floss, and they are hardly noticeable-which I don't really care about anyway.

Hang in there, and know that it will pass, and you will spend the vast majority of you time in braces hardly even noticing they're there.
Just woman-up, and tough it out, and the worst part will be over soon.

Until then, my advice is to drink beer and/or champagne.
Something about the carbonation combined with alcohol was extremely soothing, plus, after enough of it...lol

Thanks Bellalalala......the beer suggestion is a new one for me, and it sure won't hurt to try. I'll pick some up tomorrow!

Oh Moty, I so sympathize with you.

I so regret getting not getting the Invisalign now. I had no idea these metal braces would be so painful. The first few weeks the rubbing was horrible. It still hurts at times. Calls to the ortho basically told me to "suck it up". All I think about is how much these things hurt.

People tell me that things will get better, and I'm still waiting for that. I'm 52 years old so maybe things are tougher when you are older.

The good news is I lost 4 pounds from not being interested in eating anymore.

Thanks Pattyb, Things have gotten better. I finally took some pliers and pushed on the hooks, and I think I bent them in closer, and it's a WHOLE lot better. My first 6 week appointment is tomorrow, and I'm not saying a thing to the ortho! I also lost some weight as eating is such an issue....then I started having milkshakes, and it's back. Oh well.
Glad to hear your age.....I'm 65! I've always had a thing for teeth, now mine will be straight....hopefully.

Having switched from Invisalign to wires, I recommend you stick with the metal braces. Your course of treatment will be faster and your ortho can "tweak" things by changing wires or putting bends in the wires. If there need to be adjustments like that while using Invisalign your treatment will be delayed because they have to do new impressions and send off for the refinement trays. You will get used to the wires as the inside of your mouth adjusts to them. Wish you the best...I waited until I was 40 to get things straight and am extremely pleased with the results.

i wanted invisalign because it wouldnt be noticeable but then the ortho said the results wont be as good as with the metal and then i saw somewhere online that invisalign has a 50% chance of working..ummm no...ill just stick with metal

I had my first appointment with the ortho today....nobody mentioned anything about the hooks, and I kept quiet. She told me the first two months were the hardest for the wires, and then I'd hardly notice them.
I'm sticking with the wires.....I want the best results. My bottom teeth have noticibly moved, not so much the tops.....but it's not quite six weeks yet. She said everything is on track, so I'm pleased.