Metal Mouth Message Board

I am sitting in my car outside the orthodontist's practice and I'm terrified! As some of you know I really wanted invisible braces (Invisalign). I was so against having fixed braces as I am insecure about my looks already. Yet here I am sitting outside waiting to get my Damon Clear braces fitted! I know it's for the best (ortho says I will get the best results with fixed braces). But I wish I didn't have to go through this... I am so scared of how I'll look with them on.

Right. Off to the waiting room I go!!!

Good luck MissLou! I hope that you will turn out to be one of those who look "cute" in braces!

Hope you had a good appointment! It does get better.

Okay, so the braces are on! It took about an hour, I lay there with my mouth stretched out with a plastic thing while she glued them on & set them with a UV light. It wasn't fun.

I didn't look in the mirror once they were on when I was in the surgery, I was too scared I'd hate them & ask her to take them off. When I was paying the receptionist (who knew I'd had them fitted) asked to see them because she hadn't seen the ones I have on anyone before. She said they looked good & that she couldn't see them from a foot or so away, only when she came closer. They will hopefully be less noticeable in a couple of days because there are coloured & black stickers on them now that brush off.

It's exciting that I'll have straight teeth and a healthy bite/jaw! So although I don't like them & I can see them obviously on my teeth, I'm going to focus on looking forward to the end result.

I'm suddenly feeling like this might have been a big mistake... My jaw has an annoying ache and I just glanced in an unflattering mirror and realised how bulky my Damon clear brackets look I can't believe I'm going to have these on until 2018!!

That's the typical reaction . Hang in there, you'll get through it. It will get better. Congratulations on taking the plunge!

djspeece wrote:That's the typical reaction . Hang in there, you'll get through it. It will get better. Congratulations on taking the plunge!

Thanks for the support. I'm still struggling to get used to them. I haven't experienced any pain but my mouth feels a lot bigger and I imagine people seeing the brackets bulging from my lips when I talk! I haven't called the orthodontist begging her to remove them yet though, so that's something, right?

MissLou wrote:

djspeece wrote:That's the typical reaction . Hang in there, you'll get through it. It will get better. Congratulations on taking the plunge!

Thanks for the support. I'm still struggling to get used to them. I haven't experienced any pain but my mouth feels a lot bigger and I imagine people seeing the brackets bulging from my lips when I talk! I haven't called the orthodontist begging her to remove them yet though, so that's something, right?

Yes, that is indeed something!

MissLou wrote:

djspeece wrote:That's the typical reaction . Hang in there, you'll get through it. It will get better. Congratulations on taking the plunge!

Thanks for the support. I'm still struggling to get used to them. I haven't experienced any pain but my mouth feels a lot bigger and I imagine people seeing the brackets bulging from my lips when I talk! I haven't called the orthodontist begging her to remove them yet though, so that's something, right?

That feeling is normal. But I've asked a few people, and they all say they don't really notice when I talk, beyond seeing a glimpse of them in my mouth. I think we feel a lot more blubbery and obvious when we feel ourselves talking with them, than is actually happening. Hang in there, you will get used to them and soon, when your mouth is at rest and you're not talking or eating, you'll barely notice they are there. I thought my lips were huge and bulging when I first got mine on as well. It's such a weird feeling! But it passes, and the feeling is way more pronounced than reality.

Hope you are feeling better - I'm dreading this bit, I'm sure I'll regret it initially once they're on :(

Hang in there. It gets better and most people will have no idea you have them til you're really close to them. I've had mine for almost 7 months and a lady at work didn't even know I had them til I told her! I figured it was the first thing people saw, but I guess not! Once you start seeing improvements you will be happier with them.

I was the most anxious and nervous anybody could be before I got mine put on, it didn't help that I had no clue my consultation was going to run into getting them put on.

I mean I could have decided to come back another day, but once I was at that point I felt like I may as well take the plunge, especially after how many times I heard my dentists (went through a bunch growing up) say that I needed braces and it being over a decade from first hearing that I needed braces to actually getting them.

Right now I think I'm over the worst part of the pain in the process since I haven't had the "typical" no chewing for 3 days difficulty after my last 3 or 4 adjustments.

So in short, it's not such a big deal, most of us are a bit nervous before getting them, and the pain isn't so bad.

Also we all think everybody will notice, and maybe they do (though I don't most pay attention), but even if that's so, most don't even say anything.

For what it's worth I think Invasalign looks awful. I think people either have bad teeth/lisp or are to insecure to get fixed braces. Having something over your teeth I also think is unhygienic - fixed braces are permanently there but at least water and saliva is renewed.

My thoughts are maybe not on facts but when I see an adult with fixed braces I automatically think they are brave!

Blurple wrote:Hope you are feeling better - I'm dreading this bit, I'm sure I'll regret it initially once they're on

Thank you. I hope it goes well for you!

megz0501 wrote:Hang in there. It gets better and most people will have no idea you have them til you're really close to them. I've had mine for almost 7 months and a lady at work didn't even know I had them til I told her! I figured it was the first thing people saw, but I guess not! Once you start seeing improvements you will be happier with them.

I'm so glad to see this message today! Thank you. I hope that people don't notice mine as much as I think they do/will. If I'm honest I've been hiding away and barely anyone has seen me since I got them.