Metal Mouth Message Board

I've always had an issue with my teeth. Even my sister would make fun of me for it, and she's two years younger! None of my friends think my teeth are that bad, but i don't feel the same. I wanted to get braces as a kid but my dad couldn't afford it. (he was a single father getting relatively no help from my mother, but thats a story in and of itself) When i got out of high school I was more focused on school than anything else and finally put it out of my head for a bit. That's until I had to have a root canal. I had that done (three times on the same tooth and finally just had them take it out!!). I got to talking to my boyfriend about how i wanted braces and he told me I should go for it. So that's what i'm doing, going for it! I found this website through a Google search and it's really helped me! I'm 20 so i'm still pretty young. I'm kinda bummed though because i'll be braced for my 21st birthday! My ortho told me i'll need to have them on for 12-18 months. It's really a lot less time than i thought it would be. (I have a cross bite and really bad tmj problems) She said she did not think i need jaw surgery, which was good news to me. ( i do have some clicking, but she said it might go away with treatment and if it does not, then we can do the surgery then) I go tomorrow for my x-rays and impressions.. i will need to have a bite plate to keep me from biting off a bracket. Do you think they'll give me that tomorrow? And spacers too?? You all have been really helpful, this i'm sure will be the first of many posts on this journey! If i had brushed my teeth yet today i'd post some pictures! lol don't worry, i just woke up a few min ago! lol

3-7-07 alrighty, so i had the impressions and all that good stuff. I had to have an old filling replaced which turned into a big hassle. My dentist was not able to get all of the decay out so he referred me to an endodontist and i would have had to pay 600 bucks for a crown had i not called my ortho. I called him today and he looked at the film and said to just have it removed. He said it would not be worth that much money if i am not going to have an implant put in above it as it may erupt. *i had a tooth removed right above the one that needs a root canal about 6 mon ago.* So everything is back on track and hopefully i'll be receiving my info in the mail any day!!!

Lea!

Welcome to the board and congratulations on starting your treatment so early! In a few years, you will be so glad you did. Hopefully you will be used to them by your 21st and you won't let them rain on your parade. Hey, no one said you can't drink just because you have braces!

12-18 months should be a walk in the park. Make sure you post pictures of your progress!

everything went very well today! I found out i have a class III something. they said they should be able to fix it simply with braces. He's going to try that route first and then if it looks funky or if the teeth don't move as much as they should where they should, we'll look into something different. My bday should be in 3-4wks. i have to wait to get the treatment plan in the mail and then schedule it. He's doing the top first, with spacers on both the top an bottom and a bite plate. that should be fun! Getting more excited the more i think about it.

Hi Lea,
So being carded after you are 21 isn't a bad thing! That happened to me until I was 26. Now it is the other way around-- need to prove I am a senior! Re TMJ issues, have you had some xray studies on those joints to see what the problem is inside? (that is my unsolicited advice)
Anyhow, good luck and looking forward to following your experience. This is a wonderful site and you will learn a lot.