Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi, I am new here. I have been reading for awhile but haven't posted until I got my braces on.

This site motivated me to research the cost and procedures and finally get them. I am 35 and am totally embarrassed by how my teeth look now (pre-braces) and have been all my life. I would challenge anyone to find a picture of me in existence where I showed my teeth while smiling and I constantly cover my mouth while talking...I was not able to get braces as a teenager and I recently lost 42 lbs so I am finally doing it on my own now and am very excited!

Anyways, it hurts but is not unbearable...I found myself holding my mouth under the shower spray because it relieved the pain. Exercising helps too. Eating has been OK. My husband made me a bean & rice burrito w/ no tortilla and pancakes so far...I was worried about starving but so far I just miss gummy bears LOL

I will post a picture because I was wondering if anyone else had teeth like this...the evil "fangs" (as my 8 yr old affectionately calls them ) and how fast they come down? I did notice the one came down slightly in the first day but the other one has no wire attached yet because there's a bracket underneath it for now on another tooth...ugh, I will look worse with only ONE fang LOL




Oh, it's hiddeous...I have an insane amount of crowding as you can tell. I need to take a better picture where my bottom teeth are visible too.

Today I was doing dishes and the bracket to the right of my top front tooth popped off. Is this common? I haven't eaten anything hard...haven't used those teeth at all because they are the most sore. I am going in tomorrow to have it put back on.

Thanks for reading this and your support in the beginning of my long journey in metal

Hey there! =D

I had the fangs and now 7.5 months into treatment you would never know it! They began to come down immediately, but it was about 3-4 months when I felt like they were really gone.

If you're interested, check out my ortho journal so you can see pictures of my progress. Sorry that the early pictures are grainy, but they were taken with a camera phone. You should still be able to get an idea of the progress though.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/fangsbegone

Good luck on your braces journey!

Alexa

Hey Dizzykitty,

welcome to our wonderful community...all the best with your new braces...things will be changing shortly and those fangs will be long gone..

Congrats on the decision to be braced....

Take care,

Welcome Dizzykitty and congrats on getting this journey started..congrats on the eight loss too! am also 35 and in my 20s I also lost 65 lbs and have kept it off..hooray for us!..I celebrate that amazing accomplishment with you!..My braces have been on two weeks and I found hot drinks like green tea and hot chocolae very comforting..maybe it improves circulation...anyway I welcome you and am sure you'll find this forum full of great information..because of it I have become an orthodontics expert of sorts! best wishes!- DM

Hi DizzyKitty - I did have a displayed canine on my left, commonly known as fangs due to the laterals being pushed back by the teeth on either side. I find the front 6 teeth on the top, especially if they are crooked (like mine were) are the first to show signs of movement when braced, and are obviously more visually noticeable for this.

Good luck with the rest of your treatment, I'm sure you'll witness great improvements in the coming weeks/months.

Your teeth look similar to mine. I'm not sure how to get a picture on here or I would show you. I got my braces on today. They're just now starting to hurt a little. I know it will be worse tomorrow. Anway, congrats on getting braces. May your journey be a great one!!

Wow, I am so amazed by all the fangs that are gone now and look fantastic! It gives me a lot of hope...I know I must be patient but it's hard

Thank you for all the encouragement and welcomes...I think I found a new home among the fellow braced!


I am finding it hard to floss as I'm just getting used to it and w/ the crowding and all it's always been difficult but right now it really hurts to try to pry it between those teeth I am doing it though as I know how important it is.

I went in to the ortho today and saw a different Dr because mine wasn't available. He said they shouldn't have put that bracket on yet anyways so they took it off for now. This is actually more annoying b/c the wire has some slack from being pulled back to that tooth so now it's resting in between my lips and causing a sore to form and me to talk w/ a lisp. I am kind of irritated that I have to deal with it until my adjustment. Like can they tighten the wire so it doesn't do that anymore or will I just get used to it until they do whatever they are going to do next? I can't really get wax to hang on the wire w/ no bracket, u know? I feel like trying to bend it toward the tooth so it's out of the way but my teeth are a little sore still to mess around w/ that LOL Also I don't want to mess anything up.

Thanks again!

hey ...im a fanger as well...we should have our very own "FANG" club here. i have "fangs" on both sides....hate them...i was braced 9/13/05 and still have the fangs....but other teeth have moved...i had a question tho....do they use elastics to pull the fangs down? hmmmm

Yep...they gave me triangles with the apex being the fangs, and then told me that the more I wore the elastics, the quicker the fangs would come down.

I don't know if that's what they do for everyone. That's just what they did for me.

I was told I would have elastics at some point but one of my fangs isn't even bracketed yet I can't wait until they come down...I will dance on tables I will be so happy!

I had "fangs" all through my teens - they descended by themselves eventually, but then caused the problems that I am having to wear a brace for now! The tooth next to the worst problem fang got pushed right forward, and the tooth next to it (my front right tooth) got pushed backwards.