The 3 week wait !!

[AHopewell]

I had plenty of soreness yesterday, but I forced myself to eat normal food. Had to power through and work it all out. I worked them on a straw at work yesterday too. My sisters and brother all had braces as kids and they all said doing that would work it out. Glad I did because they feel just fine today! We are trying a restaurant tonight that took 3 months to get into. I was going to be crushed if I was only going to be able to order mashed or liquid food!

[PaisleyGrrl81]

Day 2 was definitely my worst so far. Dull soreness, and random tender teeth are basically what I'm dealing with today, day 4. Went to a family get together yesterday, and there was basically zero options for me to eat, aside from crock pot beans. That wasn't so awesome, but I managed to hang for a few hours before the hunger & heat got the best of me. I was able to have a cheese enchilada today, which forced me to chew more than I have been. Amy, you're right... better to power through it and chew, because it works the teeth out. Don't want them getting to sensitive from inactivity! Meat is definitely not really an option right now. It is just too hard to get through comfortably. But I'm hoping that will change soon. I'm not sure I'm seeing any movement, or if my imagination is telling me that my upper incisors are coming out a bit. I have no idea what gauge of wire I'm in, but even through all the tenderness and moments of pain, I still can't wait for the 1st adjustment and the next step up in wires so we can really get things moving!

[mapleleafman888]

Hey so you are a few days in---how's the situation?

[PaisleyGrrl81]

Hey so you are a few days in---how's the situation?

Things are good! My bite feels like it changes by the hour. Sometimes when I bite down, certain teeth touch, and sometimes they don't... or they touch other teeth. So weird. I'm biting down a bit on my left bottom molar bracket, which I don't like the feeling of, cuz let's be honest who likes the feeling of biting on metal?! But it's not unbearable. I'm definitely finding that I like my braces much more when I have wax on. A few hours without wax, and all those stupid hooks on the top brackets start shredding my cheeks and driving me mad. I know I'm supposed to toughen them up, but I just can't do no wax 100% of the time. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get to that point?!

As for movement, a couple of coworkers swear they can tell a difference from a week ago, but I'm not sure if they are being nice or if it's legit. Looks the same to me, but I might be too close to the project to be see it.

MapleLeafMan: Are you still looking forward to your brace date with excitement?? It's hard to see 18 months from now. I'm a week in, and it feels like it will draaaaaaag. But I have a feeling that once I have straight teeth under the braces, I won't be so pessimistic. Only time will tell...

[kids041]

It has been one month today for me, and I still use wax at night. It seems that I do fine for most of the day, but I guess after talking all day- I need the wax to help me through the evening/night. I guess we do toughen up- but why suffer in the mean time while we do that??? haha

[mapleleafman888]

About the wax, I wouldn't know but I would say just slowly use less and less like 3 days on 1 day off, 2 on 1 off, 1 on 1 off, etc. Or maybe try that on an hourly scale.

Yup I am really excited actually, a bit nervous in the sense that braces will be with me for 18 months as well(not to mention that all my brackets are going to have hooks except the front 4's!

[AHopewell]

Erin! So you are surviving! I also kind of bite on my lower left band hook and the most irritating thing to my cheeks were the upper bracket hooks. I wore wax during the day, but took it off at night so that there was some exposure. That seemed to work because in about 3 or 4 days I was wax free on the one that was really bugging. At the end of the first week I was in super pain on the lower right. I think those teeth finally gave up because they were wiggly a couple of days later. Eating was so frustrating! I would want a whole meal so bad, but just give up because I couldn't take it. I don't have a full wire on top yet because I had to have a Nance appliance placed and an extraction coming on Monday. Thursday the full regular wire goes on. Not so much looking forward to that after dealing with the couple of awful days with those bottom few. The Nance is not the worst thing on Earth, but the re-learning to say certain sounds is not exactly fun. It's a mouthful alright!

Amy H.

[TrustGodAuburn]

I just caught up reading your thread. We are close to the same place as I got my braces on August 27. I'm having a weird day where all the sudden I am noticing my braces more than I was. I guess it's just all part of the process.

I have my first adjustment on October 2nd... I can't tell if anything is moving.

Good luck!

[PaisleyGrrl81]

I just caught up reading your thread. We are close to the same place as I got my braces on August 27. I'm having a weird day where all the sudden I am noticing my braces more than I was. I guess it's just all part of the process.

I have my first adjustment on October 2nd... I can't tell if anything is moving.

Good luck!

Isn't it strange, that one day you will feel everything from the scraping on your cheeks from the hooks, dry mouth, and eating feels completely foreign! And other days, it's like they're old news, and you notice nothing. I haven't had tooth pain since week 1, and I'm in week 3. I don't like that -- it makes me feel like the work of this little starter wire is done. But then, if not much has moved, can they really upgrade the wire at my 1st adjustment?! Or won't they look in there and say not enough progress to do so yet?? I'm so confused!

[TrustGodAuburn]

Oh my goodness, I know what you mean. I know I get a bigger gauge wire at my first adjustment, but I have been thinking the same thing. And my orthodontist hasn't really been very talkative about what he's doing and what to expect. He mostly talks to his assistant about what to write down for my next appointment, that is the only reason I know the wire will be a bigger one.

Today I think I notice a small change. I have looked at my teeth more in the last 20 days than I have my entire adult life I think!

[JeniK]

I have had my braces 6 weeks today. Hardly any pain since day one. At my first adjustment I asked if I would be getting a bigger wire. I was told no...the first wire has more work to do. That was 2 weeks ago. I can tell you....yes..the first wire is still working. I have a sore tooth....and I am happy to have it. It means that things are working at they should.

[PaisleyGrrl81]

I have had my braces 6 weeks today. Hardly any pain since day one. At my first adjustment I asked if I would be getting a bigger wire. I was told no...the first wire has more work to do. That was 2 weeks ago. I can tell you....yes..the first wire is still working. I have a sore tooth....and I am happy to have it. It means that things are working at they should.

So how exactly does the 1st adjustment work? Assuming you don't get a bigger wire, do they remove this one and put a new one of the same gauge? This wire is not connected to my upper right 2nd molar. My buccal tubes (is that what they're called?!) are all on the 1st molars, no bracket on my 2nd molars upper or lower. But, the wire isn't connected all the way to the end on the upper. It stops before the 1st molar, and then there's a gap. Wonder if they'll connect it this next time, and that's what will bring the sense of tightness?

Ortho is such a mystery to me! It seems like the more research I do, the less I understand.

[JeniK]

Interesting question, I am not sure of the answer! She did remove my wire....not sure if what she put back in was the same wire..or a new wire just same size. I did not look. I know the ligs were new...but never thought of a new wire since she told me it still had work to do. I have a gap in the back on the bottom. On the right side...there is a bracket on the back tooth. The wire is connected ...so I can feel a span of wire that is across the gap. Yep...food loves that gap! Same on top. The left has a bracket on last tooth...with wire connected...another span of wire over the gap. The right...the bracket is before the gap. I am clueless on how it works...I just have full trust in Dr Jason. All I know is I have alot of teeth that need to rotate..so I am ready for the rotation to start!!

[PaisleyGrrl81]

So my latest dilemma involves the color of my teeth. I'm not sure if I'm imagining it or what, but I just passed my 3 week mark and can swear my teeth look a little darker than when I started. People tell me it's just the reflection of the metal, but I'm so paranoid that my teeth look dirty! It's not for lack of brushing, that's for sure. I have my regularly scheduled cleaning in October so I'm looking forward to that. But has anyone with metal braces experienced this? Where the metal reflects back onto the tooth giving the appearance of a darker shade? Do any certain lig colors help to contrast the darkness?? Any info will be much appreciated!

[TrustGodAuburn]

I think my front teeth in particular look darker. The other day I brushed my teeth three times in a row because I thought they looked dirty.

When do you go in for your first adjustment? I go on October 2.