Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everybody! I'm new. I just got braces (metal) on Wed. 1/25. So far, so good. They're actually not nearly as uncomfortable as I expected. I'm doing good with the mouth cuts because I immediately befriended [b]wax[/b]. I let the braces rub until just before a cut, then apply wax. I don't want to wax too soon because I want there to be enough irritation to necessitate a healing (i.e., toughening) process. That seems to be working well. I'm only wearing wax on the molars and on the 2 center bottom teeth.

The roughest part for me was definitely the installation. I had no idea what I was in for; didn't even give it much thought. But they had so much gear crammed in my mouth that my claustrophobia began kicking in. Anybody else experience that? I had to really concentrate on my breathing and silently talk myself down from bolting out of the chair a few times. Compared to that, this is very do-able.

The biggest problems I'm having now are sensitivity caused by the chemicals they used to prep me (even before the metal went on, I could feel my teeth reacting to them) and discomfort on chewing/biting. I've been sticking to yogurt, milkshakes, mashed potatoes, soup, bananas, and stuff like that. Eventually, though, I'll start craving solid food again so hopefully it won't take long to cross this hurdle. Ortho says 18-24 months total, but I'm trying not to look too far down the road seeing how I've only now started.

By the way, I forget your name, Mr. White On the Top/Blue On the Bottom, but when I saw your picture I envied those white brackets. I'm so not lovin' the Full Metal Jacket but that's what my Ortho said was best for me. ~sigh~

Congratulations! I just had my braces put on last week. For me the worst day was the day after and after that it got a little better each day. I hope you have the same experience.

Congrats on getting braces!! Chewing will get better before you know it

Welcome to the board I&B! Good to see you posting here already! Hope you enjoy it!


Oceangirl AKA SFG

Thanks everybody! I can tell it's getting a little better all the time. Not that there aren't still moments when I'm tempted to wax my entire mouth just to give myself a break, lol!

By the way, how do I set up a tickler?

congrats. i am now also on day two (ceramic top metal bottom). i am thinking about just giving up eating for the next year and a half. took me forever to have dinner last night. i decided to just skip brekfast, and we'll see about lunch. lol!!

as far as the ceramics up top, yes they are less noticable from 5-10feet away, but the archwire is still very visible so i would say they are only slightly more discrete. and up close it probably doesn't make much difference . i had metal when i had braces last time, so basically this time i wanted to try something different. i am sure you will get used to those metal brackets in no time.

good luck and lets just remeber to hang in there, you'll do fine.
chris

Thanks, Chris. Sorry I couldn't remember your name in my original post. It's getting better everyday. I'm looking on the bright side and hoping my lack of interest in eating will help me lose the little bit of weight I gained over the holidays. I developed an unfortunate snacking habit that has gone by the wayside now that the braces are on. I'm managing to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner but that's it. And because eating takes twice as long, there's no danger of overeating at mealtime. This could turn out to be a good thing!

Congratulations guys! It's all downhill from here (atleast until you get elastics, as I've just found out! ).

The hardest step is taking the first step, and you're past that. You will now see how easy the whole braces process really is. Adjustments will be no problem. Eating/chewing will be no problem. And I know your mouth feels "full" right now and you might be drooling all over yourself, but that too, will go away, and you'll soon forget you're even wearing braces. You'll start to wonder why you didn't do this a long time ago, but don't kick yourself for it. The important thing is you are doing it now.

So enjoy your new look and remember, even though there will be some days when your mouth hurts, you've got ulcers everywhere, or you're eating and some food gets lodged between your archwire for the 1000th time (*%&#!^) - it will all be worth it in the end.

Good luck!!

Lexy, I don't doubt for a second it's worth it. And I really appreciate your posting your before & after pictures because now I can see how quick and dramatic results can be. That is simply amazing! I never would have expected so much change in so little time. Thanks for the great motivator!

By the way, Lucy (or anyone who can help), I went to tickerfactory.com and created a ticker but how do I get it to show up on my stuff over here? I really am not very computer skilled, so don't be afraid to give it to me on a dummy level, lol!

Well, bear in mind that not everyone has dramatic results in so little time. Based on my ortho's reaction everytime he seems to my teeth, I think I'm a little ahead of schedule to say the least. Now, that's not to say you can't and won't be too, but just remember that some people can have very stubborn teeth that take just a little longer to cooperate.

My advice is follow all the directions that your ortho gives you, no matter how much you may dislike them (wearing elastics, for instance). They tell you these things for a reason, and with the end goal in mind.

I'm very happy for you, and I'm glad my pictures are a motivator. Just wait until your teeth start shifting! I know the change that happened in me. I can't wait for you to experience that, too.

Hi I&B!

It's been a while since I did a ticker but if you click on the profile link and scroll to the bottom you'll see a block for signitures. When you created your ticker it gave you an address. I think you just copy and paste that into the signiture box. I can't remember if there is any special code needed to get it to work. If it doesn't work the first time just try again until you get it right. That's what I did!

Good luck!

You need to put these tags around your ticker address

[img]put%20your%20ticker%20address%20in%20here[/img]

I clicked in my profile and I don't see anything that says ''signature.''

Hi, I had my brace put on Wednesday as well, 3 days in I'm slowly getting used to it!!

I LOVE WAX!!!! hehe

Congrats and good luck