Metal Mouth Message Board

Howdy Yall,
Let me tell you a little about myself. I am 19 and in college. I live in the great state of Texas and it is what i call home. Ive always been self conscious about my teeth, but its not that bad. I notice it more than others do. I finally decided to take the plunge and get braces, for me.

Well, who would have thought that I would join a message board but this site has helped me out alot with questions and concerns ive had.

Ive had spacers in for about a week and will be getting braces on tomorrow. Im really nervous. Ive wanted braces for so long and now that the time has come, Im kind of scared. Scared of how i'll look, others reactions and just how i'll feel about them. Right now all i have to look forward to is the end result which will be 3 YEARS!! Yea, its a good while away. Wish me luck.

Chopstix

Good luck Chop!

I'm 21, and honestly...nobody notices my braces! Haha, I got them on last Thursday...and I work in a medical building during the summer, and everybody has positive things to say-- or some just don't notice! You'll feel better about them once the've been on for awhile

Thanks Shinysmile, that makes me feel a little better

You're in the same boat as me! My treatment is estimated at 24 months, although I'm hoping it'll go shorter if I'm diligent.

Good luck, and keep us posted! Mine is in 6 days, and I'm starting to get a little nervous.

Good luck for tomorrow, chopstix.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with the braces. I hope to be getting mine next month.

Good Luck! Keep us posted!

Good luck. I had mine put on today.

Thanks ya'll for all the encouragement and support. Im new here, but im starting to love yall.

I got my braces put on this morning. So far, its not as bad as I had imagined. The separaters were hell so i expected the braces to be so much worse. The whole procedure took about 2 hrs, although he wasnt able to put the lowers b/c i have a weird tooth and there isnt room right now.

Initially I was supposed to have braces for 3 years, but i found out today it may only be 30 months. Yay!

Like yall said, not many people noticed. I work in retail so I deal with ALOT of people. Mostly the same people everyday and only 5 or 6 people noticed. As the day went on i wasnt as self conscious about it.

Overall, day 1: not so bad.

Like i said, im new here. So is this where i should keep posting about updates? Thanks again everyone

Hi chopstix, it sounds like you're doing well so far.

I didn't have to suffer spacers, so can only imagine how uncomfortable they must be.

That's great that your estimated treatment time might be reduced.

Yes, continue to post updates on your progress here. Look forward to hearing more in due course.

Chopstix - we share our big day! - I'm getting my uppers braced tomorrow, too.

I had 4 spacers on my back molars for a week, also. To my pleasant surprise, mine have not hurt at all - I hope they have been doing what they are supposed to be doing -- I'll find out tomorrow morning.

But I did have a little drama tonight - one of the spacers apparently shifted a bit - I couldn't even see it tonight. I had a mirror up to my mouth, frantically trying to spot it -- and couldn't see it either from the outside or the inside. I was scared it came loose --- what happened to it? Wouldn't I have felt it come out? (apparently not!) Geez, if it did come out -I must have SWALLOWED it! Is that even possible? Well, I was chowing down heartily on tortilla chips and queso, washed down with a couple of margaritas - I guess it's possible. Absurd, but possible. How do I explain this to the ortho tomorrow?

Since I couldn't see it on the outside and couldn't really see well on the inside at all anyway - I poked the inside with a toothpick until the spacer poked out a bit on the outside. Yeah, I know - not good to go poking your gums with a toothpick, especially the day before you get braces - but if I didn't have proof that spacer was still there, I would not have slept a wink tonight. Now I can go to my apptl without hanging my head in shame.

Best wishes, Chopstix on starting your orthodontic journey tomorrow -bon voyage!

Hi Chopstix!

All the best with your journey!!!!

Bridget

Welp, its been about 2 weeks since ive been braced. Yay! The sensitivity and everything has pretty much gone away. Im still having problems biting into food, but hopefully I'll get over that.

I have a question: is it safe to chew gum? Im growing tired of popping tic-tacs

Congrats on making it through the first 2 weeks. Those were the toughest for me and I only have my uppers braced (for now). My ortho encouraged me to chew gum (gets the blood flowing in your gums), but I have not been brave enough to try.