Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi All,

After lurking for a few months I thought I'd stick my hand up and introduce myself. I have an appointment day after tomorrow to get braces. The reality of that hasn't sunk in yet to the point that I've only told a couple of people (and no one at works knows).

I am old enough (40+) to be getting braces and a mammogram on the same day -- a decision I may be regretting by 5pm Thursday night. Dentists have been telling me for years that I needed to get braces for impacted canines. But I realized a few months ago how much I've always hated my teeth/smile, so I'm finally doing this (yes, it's a vanity thing and I am PROUD of it!).

I'm getting damon braces on the top and bottom and I'm scheduled to have them on for 18-24 months. I am *excited* to be able to smile for a photograph without feeling self-conscious.

Cheers, Lynley

Welcome, Lynley!
Looks like you will be braced tomorrow. Hope you are enjoying popcorn and caramels tonight

Let us know how everything goes, and good luck on both the braces and the mammogram.

lynley wrote:I have an appointment day after tomorrow to get braces.

Hey Lynley! I'm getting mine on tomorrow too. Good luck and awesome that you decided to fix your teeth as an adult!

Eat everything that you LOVE before you get the braces! You will eventually be able to eat most things again, but its not the same at all. Eating is definately NO fun anymore...its a total chore.

embracement + 6 hours...

I feel like there's an alien living in my mouth, and a picky one at that. Hot foods are too hot. Cold foods are too cold. I can't drink out of a cup without dribbling. Apparently anything that can't be delivered through a straw is out of bounds for the time being.

Aside from the alien, the actual "installation" wasn't too bad and not too much pain or rubbing just yet. So I feel pretty good.

cheers, Dea

Day 2 and 3 were the WORST for me, after that you begin to adjust and you have a little less pain every day! Things are still awkward for me (7 days in now) but the pain is much better!! Good luck!

That's so great that you are going through with it. I just got mine on today and it feels like i got punched in the teeth but it will be worth it

Hi,

Thanks for all your encouragement. 2.5 days in and things are going okay. My mouth hurts but not unbearably. Though thank god for salt water rinses.

I have build-ups on my back molars so I think that even when my teeth didn't hurt, I'll still be eating soft/liquified foods. So far I've eaten mashed potates for three meals in 2 days. By the time I get the build-ups off, I'm going to be sick of pureed food, I can tell already.

The other challenge I'm having is brushing my teeth. It hurts, but my teeth feel gross, but it hurts, but my teeth feel gross...and so on. I stopped at Target last night and bought an ultra soft toothbrush which is helped some. I'm hoping that this is one of the things that gets easier quickly!

Glad to hear that you are now one of the braced!

I found that my teeth don't really feel clean unless I use my threader floss and proximal pick thingie.

I also found that although some days are more difficult than others (I can feel my teeth shifting from day to day it seems) overall it's been very manageable.

hey~
I debated many years before I got my braces as well but this is one of the best things I could do for myself. If I could go back in time I would've gotten braces years ago.... so I know you wont regret it
plus, its really not that bad~~

frazali wrote: I found that my teeth don't really feel clean unless I use my threader floss and proximal pick thingie.

I love love love the tiny proximal brushes...I don't know what I'd do without them.

My latest braces misadventure is that I managed to pull the wire out of the bottom back bracket this morning while eating a donut -- not quite sure how the mechanics of that worked.

My ortho is closed on Fridays and the person who answered the phone when I called said I could use a needle-nose pliers to bend it back into place myself or call the office Monday morning and make an appt.

I got out a pair of pliers when I got home from work but I have a feeling I'll end up at the ortho bright and early Monday morning.

arrgghh.

Hi Lynley

How's it going? I hope nothing else has managed to work loose. I too have had to learn the art of wire-fiddling to get rid of those poky bits.

I hate to think of you being deprived of donuts - one possible idea to avoid trouble is to tear off very small pieces of donut to eat - so you're "biting" with your fingers rather than your teeth.