First Steps

Message

#1 Post by **mikecl** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:38 am

Well my name is Mike, I'm 34 and from the UK.

I've finally plucked up the courage to tell the wife that I'm not happy with my smile and that I want to do something about it.

All that remains is to raise this with the dentist on my next appointment but I can already see myself keeping quiet. However finding this site and reading all of the stories has been very encouraging and posting this message is a statement of intent so I will not back out of it.

I never had braces as a kid and my wisdom teeth came along made everything a little overcrowded and some teeth overlap (incl my front ones). Now that my job is going well I can afford to get something done about it.

Any words of encouragement will be much appreciated.

Cheers

#2 Post by **Jenny5** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:02 am

Go for it, Mike! Don't be shy about bringing it up with your dentist. You still have so many years ahead of you and just imagine how great those years will be with a smile you can be proud of!! I think all of us went back and forth with the pros and cons, but once they're on, you'll feel like it was one of the best decisions you've ever made. For me, I've had them on for a month and every single day, I breathe a sigh of relief. I smile more than ever and don't think twice about it -- for the first time in my life. Braces are great. Good luck!!

#3 Post by **acrobat** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:32 am

go for it Mike

I have my braces for almost 3 weeks and all i can say is that the time to decide to get them or not was much harder than the last three weeks!
If you want it do it, otherwhise it will be on your mind forever and really, it isn't that bad! You get used to them and people don't act weird at all when they see adults in braces.

#4 Post by **becks** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:49 am

I'm 34 too Mike and getting braced tomorrow. I know the apprehension you feel but don't let it stop you. I'm certain when you bring it up to your dentist he will be more than happy to help you achieve your goal. Is your dentist also an ortho? If not, you really don't need to wait and speak with him first as far as I know. You can simply call an ortho and schedule a consultation which are usually done free of charge.

#5 Post by **hd2755** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:14 pm

All i have got to say is go for it i am now in my third month and have found great progress i am almost free of a underbite probably two more months and I have saved myself over 35,000 dollars for jaw surgery. thanks to my ortho. the only thing is make sure they cut the excess wire BEFORE you leave the office. i had a major movement and found that the office left me a big section of uncut wire and i tried to cut it myself and well one of the two anchoring brackets came off. but as far as me i went in for the consult molds x-rays and had my braces on in 5 hours time. 2 hours for the consult 1 hour for lunch just about 2 hours for the braces to be applied actual time for procedure was 1 hour 10 minutes the rest was prep time ect. I was surprised on how smooth things go if you do it in one appointment rather than being a aussie boomerang which keeps comming back time after time. sounds like more orthos should adopt this as S.O.P. this would be better for the paitent as well as for the office. everything went so smooth for me. and thanks for Home Depot for the 2,000 orthodontic coverage for adults, this was my only motivation for getting braces anyway. i could not afford 5,000 acutally 4750 in which left me a 2750 balance which will be paid next year. i have no regrets, just I still am not comfortable chewing anything yet. I still think that my teeth are going to fall out. anyone here got a load of confidence that I could borrow. oh well hope this helps. And if you choose Metal or ceramic I would choose metal with silver ligs.

louis

#6 Post by **joney** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:19 pm

Hi Mike

Like the others have said "go for it". I just booked an appointment direct with my daughter's orthodontist, I didn't ask the dentist. The first my dentist knew about it was when I went in to get two teeth extracted.

It took me a few months between considering getting a brace and committing to it. Braces really aren't that bad. Once you get over the initial stage of feeling self conscious and a few days of getting used to them you'll be fine. It is also quite amazing how quickly these braces start moving teeth and it helps to keep you motivated. Apart from some extra cleaning, the money of course, and fitting in appointments they really aren't a big deal.

Good luck
Joney

#7 Post by **mikecl** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:30 pm

Just wanted to say thanks for all of the support and for the advice. I've read alot of the material on this site and it's very informative and helpful.

You will be pleased to hear that I won't be waiting until the next dentist appointment and I will be checking the local phone book for orthos and making a few calls.

Many thanks

Mike

#8 Post by **mikecl** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:31 pm

Just wanted to say thanks for all of the support and for the advice. I've read alot of the material on this site and it's very informative and helpful.

You will be pleased to hear that I won't be waiting until the next dentist appointment and I will be checking the local phone book for orthos and making a few calls.

Many thanks

Mike

#9 Post by **mikecl** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:35 pm

Apologies for posting twice

Mike

#10 Post by **ssfw** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:57 pm

I was going to say the same thing as KK as there was no need to wait to see your dentist, unless a written referral was required. You may even want to call your dental office and ask who they usually recommend patients to for orthodontics. Yes, and try to to a few consultations. I found the consultations so interesting, re: personality, treatment, etc.

Good luck and keep us posted.

ssfw

#11 Post by **mikecl** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:55 am

Thanks again to everyone for their encouragement and advice and the first of the consultations has been booked for next Wednesday - wish me luck !

Cheers

Mike

#12 Post by **Marley** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:41 am

Oh Mike! Congrats! I 100% understand where you were coming from! I avoided my dentist because I knew at some point I would have to talk about this smile! I am lucky my teeth and gums are healthy after not seeing the dentist for 4 years! Hah! I seriously thought I would never have the guts to get braces.

After I talked to my dentist (so nervous!!) and got the consult appt, I knew I was 100% making the right decision. 8 days into braces, I feel great and I'm not even holding back smiling... I already feel free!

Woohoo!

Keep us updated on everything! Looking forward to following your journey Mike!

~Michelle

#13 Post by **Clairey Fairey** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:03 pm

Hi Mike, My boyfriend had the same problem with his wisdom teeth coming through, which pushed some of his front teeth out of line so he's now got a brace for a year to straighten his teeth again, the worst thing was that he had already had a brace for 3 years in his teens so he was really annoyed about it!!

So in way it's a good thing that you have waited this long because once your teeth are straight theres nothing that will move them again!!

I'm having a brace put on 2 weeks ...

....Always been unhappy with my smile (over crowding mainly and some teeth overlapping each other) and I'm constantly looking in the mirror and thinking how amazing it would be to have straight teeth, it's only now that my boyfriend is going through the treatment that Ive decided to go for it too. We are gonna look funny being seen together!!!

Struggling to pay for it tho, I'm a student and funding it with a weekend job....

Good Luck!!

#14 Post by **mikecl** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:42 am

Have to say it's really encouraging popping back into the site every so often and seeing more messages of support from everyone.

Claire(y), good luck with your braces and it's great that your boyfriend will know exactly what you are going through.

Marley, I know what you mean about being free and by just making the decision to go and see someone has made me feel a whole lot better (although I still can't quite believe I've done it)

Cheers

Mike