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MY TIME OF BRACES

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:08 am
by clark2009
Hello, I'm new here. I have known ever since my adult teeth came in that I needed braces. Unfortunantely I took after my dad's side of the family with the bad teeth. I felt like an outcast because EVERYONE on my mom's side of the family has nice teeth. (Although periodontal bone disease runs in my mom's side of the family!) I grew up with my mom being a single parent of me and my sister. We were poor and did not have the money to get braces. And medical coupons cover dental but NOT braces :( I am part Indian and my dad had tried to get me set up to have my braces taken care of for free from the tribe. It ended up being a bust because they wanted my teeth to be exactly perfect and they claimed that I hadn't taken good care of them so they weren't good enough to have braces, that was in 2004. But it didnt bother me much since I would have to travel around 150 miles to get to the place. In the summer of 2007 I was at a trip at my dad's house and he and my stepmom were talking about calling around to orthodontists in the town that I live in. Weeks later when I was at home they called and had called to an ortho. They came down too and we had a consultation at the ortho. I was soooo nervous, even though I needed braces REALLY bad. I was always ashamed of my smile. I hated seeing the "preps" in my school getting bracees when they didn't even need them. Well I had my consult and then a week later I was back to start the process. I was exstatic that my dad had agreed to pay for them. I got my brackets all on on August 22nd, 2007. A week later on my 16th birthday I had to go get 4 teeth extracted. They screwed up the appointment and only pulled two. I began my Junior year of high school and on the 2nd day of school the dentist had a sancellation so I had the other 2 teeth extracted. Not a great way to start school! :( I finally for my wires on on sept. 10th. It was soooo horrible. People hadd told me that you would have about 2-3 days of pain and it would be gone!...... HA were they wrong!!!! I had 3 months of constant pain! I lost about 20 pounds from not being able to eat anything(and i'm not kidding!)

After my pain had died down to just when I had adjustment I began enjoying braces. I noticed my teeth really changing in November of 2007. I loved the way they were looking and I was FAR to be done. My orthodonist had been saying that my estimated date that they would come off was Feb. 2010. Well..... I have far passed that date. It sucks to have them much further but I am glad with how they look. I am getting my braces off tomorrow! It will be Exactly 4 YEARS and 1 MONTH!!!!!!! WOW! I haven't seen anyone's time this long on here! I keep happy with them that I was asking them what their longest patient was, its 5 years. I guess I won't make the record! But I am soooo excited to get them off. Although I'm a little nervous too. I'm nervous on how I'm going to look. Sadly, when they come off I have dental work that needs done. I was going to have my dentist do the work that was needed and they refused to do the work while my braces were on. Well since I well over passed the date they said I would be done I no longer have medical insurance and cannot have the dental work done in the town I live in. :( I will still be pleased with the way that my teeth will look without braces on them. And I'm reallllllly excited because tomorrow I'm getting a top and bottom retainer and they are bothe glittery glow in the dark!!!!.... I am glad with getting braces... If I could go back in time I would change some of my dental hygeine habits! But its too late now! :( The best part of getting my braces off is that I will go back to college and not have braces!....Good luck to all out there in their braces journey!

Re: MY TIME OF BRACES

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:10 am
by clark2009
Oh I forgot that this is mainly adults on here and I did get my braces while I was 15. But now I am 20, an adult getting them off.

Re: MY TIME OF BRACES

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:29 pm
by clark2009
I was sooo excited to post and keep remembering stuff that I have forgotten! I have been blessed with two palate expanders on the top, also "fred", spring like wires to correct overbite!

Re: MY TIME OF BRACES

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:07 pm
by tomrsvee
Good for you - you've made it through! Perhaps after all of this, you should think about going to dental school after you finish your undergraduate work! Whether or not you pursue that idea, in this job market, every little thing counts and a nice smile always helps. A big pat on the back to you!! :D