Metal Mouth Message Board

klobird wrote:
I can so relate--I will be 3 weeks in on Friday--I had the claustrophobic feeling last week pretty bad...it's pretty much gone now. I think it's the thought that these are not coming off for 2 yrs--which seems like forever. But I keep thinking how much I appreciate that I can actually have them--and the more I do that, the more I really, really and getting to like them and the possibilities...

I bet when you start to see the real changes, you will get excited about having them...I look at all the pics on other journals, and I get soooo encouraged.

Good luck to you fellow newly braced!!!

klobird wrote:Hey --

I am in for 2yrs...I have full metal Damon Q upper and lower...I can so relate about the comments. When someone looks at me quizically, the first thing I look at is their teeth-and then I feel like I am the winner!! I think a lot of people look curiously because they themselves had not considered the possibility at their age. But that's exactly how things change...when a minority of people take a step...I really believe that someday braces on adults will be the cool fashion statement that it seems to be for kids. Really!

How long and what kind for you--and when is your first adjustment--I am curious because I seem to be the only one who has 3 months from bracing to 1st adjustment...

francis29 wrote:,

I am glad you are seeing some improvement already and my upper front teeth became uneven right before my second adjustment and are now perfectly even so they do seem to get worse before better sometimes. And yes, we will have the last laugh with our perfect teeth soon enough. No one will remember the braces once they see our beautiful smiles.

My journey with braces story; This is my third braces attempt, my first time in braces I was a teenager and was in them for 3 years, headgear, elastics the works and my ortho was not very good and very old and I was his second to last patient he accepted because he knew he was retiring, literally one day I walked in still no where near done (still had Class II overbite, left canine was a fang, two front teeth tipped in) and ortho said it was debanding day, as I was 18 I was thrilled to get them off even tho my smile was NOT perfect, and my teeth looked absolutely no different than when I had the braces put on at 15. I got my retainers a few weeks later, hated my teeth and my smile for the next 20 years and got married had kids..etc., then heard about Invisalign, and went into Invisalign for 11 months at 36, but even with refinements we could not finish the job with Invisalign so my ortho said I would have to finish in fixed braces which at the time I could not even fathom and in fact left his office in tears, but we took molds for retainers which never fit and that was the end of round 2 in braces and my teeth again looked exactly the same after Invisalign as when I got them on.

So, my son goes to a great ortho and I asked her about braces for me, she said Invisalign might work but I knew I could not wear them 22 1/2 hours a day and I knew I was going to have to finish treatment in fixed braces as we ran into trouble with Invisalign last time because even tho my teeth are "straight" the top 6 are all tipped either forward or stick out and are not actually straight. On the bottom I only have one tooth out of place, so when my son's ortho said 5-6 months in fixed braces to straighten my teeth, I just said ok lets do it once and for all. I started 9 weeks ago in braces round # 3 and my upper 2 front teeth for the first time are now out in front of my two lateral uppers which is making my left canine fang fall into place and it's going well.

When I am out of these braces, I do have to veneer the bottom two front teeth bc my bottom two teeth are worn and shorter than the rest of the bottom teeth from 35 years of tapping the backs of my top teeth (bc of the overbite) and both have had root canals bc of that and are darker color than the rest of the teeth. I have bonded the two lowers before but they wore down too, so that is the only reason I will veneer any teeth and I am with you, keeping my real teeth was of the utmost importance but the ones that are just worn out will have to be bonded or veneered. As my two front teeth have FINALLY been pulled into place the bottom teeth no longer tap the front two teeth so my veneer'd bottom two will be safe from tapping off.

Sorry for the sermon! lol

Hang in there and congratulations. I have severe claustrophobia in general so even being in the braces for me is a huge step. I have two children and I even had moments of severe claustrophobia being pregnant which I didn't even mention to my OB bc it seemed so insane to feel like that after wanting to be pg for so long! **p.s.. No I am not nuts. Lol

Frances

francis29 wrote: ... almost EVERY person I have seen since I have had them on then points to a tooth or teeth they hate in their mouth and said they wished they had the guts to get braces! ...

Basically any time I feel like I can't escape I guess.

klobird wrote:

......I can so relate about the comments. When someone looks at me quizically, the first thing I look at is their teeth-and then I feel like I am the winner!! I think a lot of people look curiously because they themselves had not considered the possibility at their age. But that's exactly how things change...when a minority of people take a step......

Foxsong wrote:

francis29 wrote: ... almost EVERY person I have seen since I have had them on then points to a tooth or teeth they hate in their mouth and said they wished they had the guts to get braces! ...

Isn't that just the weirdest thing??? I've had perfect strangers in checkout lines at the store strike up a conversation about my braces, and then lean closer to me and start pulling their lips back with their fingers so I can see exactly what they think is wrong with their teeth. I was always curious about adults in braces too, but it would never have occurred to me to overshare at that level.