Hi, i'm new and i had a tough time

Message

#1 Post by **Luke N.** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:09 am

Hello Archwired community, My name is Luke and this is my first post on this site.

I am almost 16 years old and i got braces on top and bottom with self-ligating brackets exactly two weeks ago today. They are intended to corrct my severe overbite (you cannot see my bottom teeth when i bite down, its that bad) and the mild crowding of my bottom and top front teeth.

It wasn't like i was unhappy with my teeth before, but when i was twelve my dentist recomended that i got to an ortho, so i did cos i was a niave 12 year old kid who thought that changing my teeth would make me happy. I did impressions and that is all i can remember. So about 3 years later i got 2 more appointments and becasue i went along with it when i was 12 i did the same when i was 15 years 10 months old. The appointments were only about 3 weeks apart so i gathered that it would be appliance fitting. The first one was impressions and talking about braces. Sadly i neglected to ask my ortho many questions at all, perhaps if i did i would'nt have been so negative about my braces. At the next appointment i got them on.

Within hours of getting my braces i felt i had made a huge mistake, my overbite was causing my molars not to meet because my top teeth wer being stopped by my bottom teeth's brackets so i was distressed about that. Then as i started to search on sites like this i became more aned more sure that i had made a mistake and i changed my mind about actually wanting my teeth and bite corrected. So naturally when one of my brackets came off on my first morning of brushing i was delighted. I also came very close to cutting the wire myself with a pair of nail clippers.

Over the next four days i was telling my parents how i felt and they kept trying to convince me that it was just the pain and the inability to chew properly that made me want to have them removed. They kept arguing this point over and over and i agreed to give it some time and now i want to keep them on and get my teeth straightened.

I now do think that having brace will benefit me, but i'm not into the whole "perfect smile" thing.

So anyway, my first broken bracket was to be followed by another one right next to it, these two are right next to the second to last molar bracket (the one with the buccal(sp?) tube). The icing on the cake was when my somehow came out of the previously mentioned bracket, allowing my two broken brackets to slide off. I am currently trying to get an appointment to have it fixed though.

And thats all i've got to say about that.

#2 Post by **joney** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:41 am

Hi Luke N

Sorry you've had such a hard time getting used to your brace. You should stick with it. I have a 16 year old daughter who has lovely teeth as a result of braces and my 13 year old daughter has just started in braces, she has an overbite too. It's not easy but I think that pretty quickly you'll get used to them. Also as you are young I take it that you are having your treatment done for free on the NHS. I will have to pay Â£3000 for my treatment. If you stick with the braces you'll be happy in years to come and you'll have saved money.

Hope you get your brackets fixed soon.

Regards
Joney

#3 Post by **Lisa65** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:52 am

Hi Luke
I second what Joney said. I wish i'd been able to get my teeth fixed as a teen. Instead I had what passed for orthodontics in the 80s which has over the years made matters worse, and it is going to cost over Â£4000 to get it put right.

The not being able to bite down properly should pass as your teeth start to move. A year or so of discomfort will give you a life time of healthy teeth.

Stick with it!

#4 Post by **Muna** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:47 pm

Luke.. I'm going through same thing actully

yet it's my second day

.. hang on there mate!

I really feel bad headache but still taking all positive energy from this fourm

#5 Post by **Luke N.** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:41 am

Thank you everyone for your supportive comments. I'd also just like to say that today i made it a total of three broken brackets due to my overbite. All three of my breakings have occoured during the morning, i believe this to be a result of me trying to bite down hard when i am not quite awake yet. Its kind of an involuntary action i do, say for example if i am streching in bed just as i am coming round from sleep, i will bite down really hard before i realise what i'm doing.

I heard that orthodontists have methods of keeping a patient from fully closing their jaws if they break their brackets, which i will have to look up as it could happen to me.

#6 Post by **Lisa65** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:56 am

hi Luke
I've had that clashing teeth together thing while still half asleep, although fortunately not broken any brackets. Hurts though doesn't it?

If it keeps happening your ortho might fit you with bite turbos or a removable bite plate, which will stop you closing your jaws together completely and should therefore solve the problem.

#7 Post by **Luke N.** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:42 am

removable bite plate you say? well that would be perfect i could just wear it while sleeping, i'll have to ask hiw about that, thank you

#8 Post by **macca** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:31 pm

I had a bite plate for about 5 months, not removable though. My speech was shot to hell for about a week then got better, but I never could get the ssss sound right.

Mine was for the same reason, to stop you biting off the brackets on your lower teeth while they being moved into the correct place. If you can get a removable one just for during the night it would be the best of both worlds. They certainly work a treat, I couldn't get my front teeth anywhere near each other!