New member with a question!

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#1 Post by **michelle85** » Fri May 12, 2006 9:30 pm

Hey all. I'll tell you a little about myself before asking my question. I'm 21 years old and ever since I was 12 or so all the different dentists I've been to (and I've never had the same one for over a year) have been telling me I need braces. I have crowding and this didn't really become an issue until I was 18. Two of my eye teeth came in sticking out over my other teeth and I am still very self conscious about them. I don't like to smile very big because I know they're showing.

A month ago I finally got tired of waiting for my parents to look into getting braces for me so I took the initiative and walked into an orthodontists office on a whim. I made a consultation appointment and before I went in for that I went to get my teeth cleaned with a regular dentist. I was informed that one of my eye teeth were impacted and she said the orthodontist may want me to get that extracted before the braces, which was not what I wanted to hear.

I went in for my consultation. The orthodontist was awesome. I felt very comfortable with him. He told me that four teeth would have to come out but not until after the braces were on for a little while. After he looked at my x rays and did an oral exam, he set me up with their financial consulter. They sent me back for my records and I got upper and lower molds, pictures, and spacers. The first week was torture! All of my teeth hurt and my gums did as well. After 11 days of having the spacers in, I can say that my teeth are no longer sore and I've been back to eating normally, which is wonderful. I'm still scared to brush totally normally back there because I'm afraid they may come out.

Monday is the big day. I'm getting upper and lower braces and later on I will have rubber bands and after 2 and 1/2 years I'll have upper and lower retainers.

So now the question! I've been reading through some of these posts and it seems like it took a lot longer for some people to even get to the records step than me. He didn't really go over types of braces, though it may be due to my insurance.

I'm concerned that it isn't normal for everything to go so fast. Do orthodontists sometimes not take long to come to a conclusion about the need for braces?

#2 Post by **ssfw** » Sat May 13, 2006 8:02 am

Hi michelle85,

I went in for my consultation in 9/2005 and began orthodontic treatment in 1/2006. It took me a couple months to decide if I wanted to proceed with the orthodontic treatment due to the costs and visibility of the braces due to being an adult. I knew if I didn't decide to get ortho treatment now then I won't do it in the future. After I made my decision to proceed with ortho treatment I wanted to wait until the new year so that I could include the cost in my flexible spending account (tax savings). I have had my expander in for about 4 months and will be getting my braces on 5/19/06. I'm still a bit nervous about getting the braces but I know I will be fine. I think if it wasn't due to the flexible spending account I would have began as soon as I made my decision but at the same time it was nice not having the expander in during the holidays last year. I try to keep in mind, the sooner I begin ortho treatment, the sooner I will be done and I think it's best to choose a day that is not rushed or during a busy time for me.

ssfw

#3 Post by **sabrina26** » Sat May 13, 2006 1:46 pm

I know I got my braces on pretty fast. I had my first consult on April 30 and got 4 spacers put in then I went back again on May 1 to get more impressions then on May 9 I got my braces on

#4 Post by **michelle85** » Sun May 14, 2006 9:28 pm

Tomorrows the big day! I can't wait but at the same time I'm nervous about the pain and not liking how I look.

I'll post an update after my appointment

. I'm eating pancakes before I go because I know I wont be able to eat for a while afterwards.

#5 Post by **michelle85** » Mon May 15, 2006 4:31 pm

Thanks for all the supportive replies!

Today went well. I was surprised at how quickly everything went. The worst part was the water. She would blow cold water on my teeth and I have very sensitive teeth so it was pretty painful.

Here is a before picture:

And today:

I'm not in a whole lot of pain. Just a lot of pressure on my teeth. I've had a couple of milkshakes today since that helped and I was starving by the time it was ok for me to eat. I've used a bit of wax so far. And I went to Wal Mart and bought a bunch of stuff to make a mini travel kit until I get my Denta kit.

#6 Post by **butterfly** » Tue May 16, 2006 3:40 am

Welcome!

Wow I must say you are really brave to get red ligs. Looks awesome!

Check out the archwired food section. There are plenty of suggestions on how to survive the "liquid stage". It's completely normal not to eat anything solid in the beginning. You will see your incisor will move quickly as soon as it is bracketed. Your teeth setup is similar to mine BTW.

#7 Post by **michelle85** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:59 am

butterfly - do you have any pictures?

Actually they're a dark pink. I know better than to get red ones

.

#8 Post by **butterfly** » Wed May 17, 2006 8:10 am

Click on my www button for pictures.