This sure is a great site to get information and share stories. I found this site a couple days before I got my braces. It helped me feel comfortable about the whole process since I thought it was going to painful and horrific!
That said, I got my braces on June 14th. Everything went quickly. I went to my regular dentist a couple weeks before for my 6 month check. As I was leaving for my dental appointment, my husband said, "Check how much braces cost. I think you would really do well in them." Everything checked out fine as always. My dentist gave her usual talk ... "You know, as you age, it's going to be harder and harder for you to floss these bottom teeth." My usual reply was always, "I know, I know." Since the stars and moon were aligned that day, I decided, "what the heck! How much more painful could they be than childbirth? If I can do that twice, I could do this once!"
So I called the ortho my friend had highly recommended (and worked for) and set up a consultation appointment. I got in the next week and things moved quickly ever since. Impressions were done that same day and soon I was set up for the construction of braces. In 2 short weeks, I went from no thought of having braces in the near future to being braced.
I have the Damon 3mxs, which are comfortable overall. They were chosen to widen my arches and shorten my time in braces. The vertical slots on the brackets have already come in handy to attach the springs for my lower teeth. I've had a couple brackets break off already, but that sounds like it's par for the course in the beginning. My jail time is approximately 20 months. I can't wait for them to be off to see my teeth straightened, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying my pudding, jello and ice cream!
Here are some before and after pics. As you can see from the rollercoaster tracks, my bottom teeth will see the most improvement, but the uppers need some help too! Happy smiling!
Couple weeks later, springs were installed on lower teeth ...
