New..some comfort that I am not going in alone.

Message

#1 Post by **Lys** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 8:27 pm

Thank you to everyone for posting! I have spent the last hour reading and taking some comfort in the fact that there are so many of us adults experiencing this. Currently, so many of us uncomfortable. I didn't expect to be this sore and I am not in the braces yet. The kind of sore where you reconsider your decision and then actually think, "Maybe pulling that tooth out WILL make more room and feel better. Shall I do it now?" I have eight spacers in and feel such a low, throbbing ache. Tylenol and IBU + a gin and tonic. Might I add, I have had two children au natural.. my pain tolerance isn't low. This is persistent. You people are quite amazing! I keep telling myself that I will get to keep my teeth into old age and that smiling with my mouth open is going to be great.
Best to you.

#2 Post by **gokix** » Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:31 am

Hey Lys! How long do you have to have the spacers in? The pain should subside in about a week. IMO, spacers are the most annoying part of the process. Good luck on your braces journey!

#3 Post by **Lys** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:18 pm

Hi gokix!
Two weeks with the spacers now. I get "braced" tomorrow at 11:00. (After so much time, thought and money..I am still so nervous). I haven't been able to bite down on much and get this urge to tense my jaw. Here's to you being correct and spacers being the most annoying part.

Thank you for the well wishes and taking the time to share. I had a friend take some pictures of the before mouth today. A close up of my mouth was alarming. LOL. My chicklets were white and pearly but woah are they crowded.
Did you need any extractions? If so, were they in front?

Best to you!

#4 Post by **suzyscientist** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 7:02 am

Hey Lys,

I get braced on Monday at 11am, so I'm right behind you! What's your sentence? I've got approx 2 years, with surgery in the middle

I bet you'll love it when they take the spacers out! It felt like such a relief, then they put the molar bands on, and they're a bit annoying but much better than spacers.

Anyway, best of luck for brace-day tomorrow, hope it goes well

S

#5 Post by **Lys** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:25 pm

S,
Spacers out and food no longer is a mental + physical hurdle. Just Physical.

So much relief washed over 30 mins after they were out and fitting me for the bands. The braces are a tad rough, but only in how they are scratching my tissue. No throbbing. No real pain, in my case. I have an extraction in May. Front bottom tooth. That should address any vanity issues that have decided to linger about. Like you, 2 years is my metal holiday. Perhaps less on the top. Please do tell if you feel the braces are better than the spacers!? It was really the case for me.

Did they put your bands and brackets on already? Warmest to you and the best of luck. Instead of pictures, some audio files of my trying to talk to clients today would be the real treat to post.

Lys

#6 Post by **suzyscientist** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:17 pm

I've got bands on just now, and they're a bit annoying - especially the top ones because they stick out and keep poking my cheek! But I've got used to them quicker than I thought.

I get brackets and wire on on Monday at 11am. Have to say I have a major case of cold feet right now! No idea why my ego chose today to freak out, but it's in a full blown panic about the braces. I know it will pass, just hope it's not as bad as my vanity fears!

Is it hard to speak then Lys? I wonder how long it takes to get back to normal speaking? I'm in the middle of a career crisis so have interviews coming up - I have bad timing! Have you managed to eat with them yet?

Hope you're doing ok anyway, and keep me posted!

Suzy

#7 Post by **Lys** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 10:53 am

Suzy,

Wax, wax and more wax. That is the mantra. I clean then apply more wax. To make things exciting we planned a cheesecake taste off yesterday. It was something I could eat and seemed a stellar idea for everyone. Real food-- I have made soups and more soups. Biting into something feels like my teeth will fall out. Also, I have this glob of blue plastic in each of my back molars to keep my top teeth from hitting the bottom and the metal. It makes it really difficult to nosh.
I am already talking better with the braces in! On the phone, one family member didn't even notice a difference and I shared at the end of the call that I had braces on. Also, I am already learning to hold my mouth in a comfortable way so that I, A. Do not feel buck-toothed or B. Feel like Tracey Ullman doing Francesca. As I am a partner for my own firm, I was worried that clients would recoil and that it would effect my rapport. It hasn't. The more comfortable I get, the more no one notices. I guest read at my child's third grade class and can assure you, they understood and were not phased.

How are you feeling? I too had that last minute panic! Even when I had them on, I looked in the mirror and seemed to panic. My feathers have smoothed a lot! You can do it, Suzy. Time will go by quickly. You will keep your natural teeth for life, be healthier and they will look great!

All the best to you and hope you are well!

Lys

#8 Post by **suzyscientist** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 12:56 pm

Hi Lys,

Well - there's no going back now! They're on! I had a real panic last night, I had to give myself a really strong talking-to so I didn't chicken out. I was so scared to look in the mirror afterwards but it's not so bad really.

I feel like my teeth are huge, and the brackets are really digging in so all the front ones are covered in wax! I will take your advice and be very generous with my wax application

I haven't tried eating yet - I had a fruit smoothie for lunch and some yoghurt, and my boyfriend is making me soup for tea. I think I will just accept that it will be too hard to munch properly and stick to the soft stuff.

Oh - and I found out I have to get the blue stuff put on my molars too! They're putting it on in 6 weeks, along with another set of molar bands, so that means more spacers!

Talking is pretty hard so far, but I guess it just takes getting used to! I'm an amateur singer as well, so hope that singing will get better as well as the talking.

It sounds like you're settling in with your braces really well! I'm so pleased for you! I'll keep posting how I get on - I'm blogging at http://orthodonticwimp.wordpress.com as well, with pictures if you're interested.

Thanks so much for sharing, it's really appreciated! Let's keep in touch - we can compare notes!

Best to you & yours!

Suzy

#9 Post by **Lys** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 7:45 pm

Suzy,

My mistake. Said family member assumed me intoxicated thereby nulling my assumption of being undetected with braces in telephone conversation.

Your blog was well written and entertaining to boot. Not being able to bite, cheesecake and peach sorbet are my weapons of choice. Notes on Aeros' white chocolate mousse. ew..palm oil culprit? Still a soft diet here, too.
I will post my before pictures sometime soon. The time it takes to brush, wax and floss our new metal accessories really has me in awe of the brace warriors before us. The flossing! Surely, we will get faster.

Have you tried to sing anything yet?

Yes, let's keep in touch. Our time line is pretty well matched.

–Lys

#10 Post by **suzyscientist** » Sun Mar 28, 2010 10:15 am

Hey Lys, how are you?

So my first week went well - I was telling a friend on Friday that I'd had hardly any problems - then I went to a party and was doing so much talking that my poor mouth is shredded by the braces! Been doing the whole warm-water rinsing thing and it's getting better.

I haven't got back to singing yet, my mouth is still too sore, but my singing coach is great and is giving me piano lessons on the weeks that I can't sing. Speech is getting better, but if I don't pay attention I lisp a bit.

First week at work has gone by ok too - nobody commented except, strangely, our head of HR who sneered said that "so this is what vanity leads people to these days?". Um, it's not just vanity, I can't eat properly and I need surgery - that's what I told him, and he looked a bit ashamed. Strange that it was a HR man, who should know better, that said something!

Oh and the best brace-incident of the week: I went to buy painkillers at the chemist and was asked for ID (you have to be 16 to buy painkillers here). Seriously! I tried to tell the cashier that I was actually 28, but she insisted on seeing my ID. It's funny now, but I can imagine it will get quite annoying!

Anyway how are you getting on with yours? I hope you gave your family member a telling-off for thinking you were intoxicated!

Hope you're doing well!

Suzy

#11 Post by **loradora** » Sun Mar 28, 2010 4:31 pm

Hi Lys and Suzy. I've been enjoying your posts. I got my braces, lower only, on March 17. No spacers before the braces. I had crowding and they pulled one of my front teeth. Ouch. The first week was a tad uncomfortable, but not too bad now. I've been trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with all the wax they gave me. Can you enlighten me? Thanks.

#12 Post by **suzyscientist** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:22 am

Hi Loradora!

Poor you - I heard pulling teeth was painful! I might have to have my wisdom teeth taken out later on in my treatment, hopefully not though...

Anyway, the wax is to stick on any brackets that are rubbing against the inside of your mouth, and for the end of the wire where it sticks out at the back of your mouth (it might not stick out yet - it takes time). Basically if a bit of your brace is hurting your mouth, stick a lump of wax on it!

I've gone through a lot, but I have metal orthognatic brackets (same as traditional metal brackets but they have tiny little 'antennae' type things on them) and I pretty much put wax on half of them! If you don't need it you don't have to use it so don't worry about missing anything out.

Does this help? Hope so

Hope you're getting on ok with your braces! Will you get upper braces on sometime too?

Suzy

#13 Post by **loradora** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:45 pm

Suzy,

Do you leave the wax on until your next visit to the ortho or do take it off at night? Nothing is sticking out too much yet. I may end up getting braces on the top teeth, but they are pretty straight so hopefully not.

I had all of my wisdom teeth out many years ago, but not all at the same time. I was out for three of them and the last one was with laughing gas and novocaine. I didn't have any problems. This front one was not fun. I don't what the purpose of wisdom teeth is, other than to cause problems

Good luck if you have to get them out.

#14 Post by **suzyscientist** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:30 pm

You can keep it on for as long or as little as you want. I take it off to brush and floss but apart from that I leave it on. It's really up to you & how you feel! I suppose there's no point in using it if you're not getting any sore spots, but keep it around just in case; sometimes new sore spots emerge where there were none before!

Your ortho won't mind either way - I think it's just down to your comfort so do what feels good!

Hope this helps

Suzy

#15 Post by **loradora** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 11:30 am

Thanks Suzy.