Cara's Story

[rcbeep]

After finding this website, I decided to keep a journal for myself to track my thoughts, changes, etc. Little did I know that this awesome message board was here. Seems how we all need support, encouragement, and a chance to share our thoughts and frustrations, I too have decided to include my journal. I really enjoy reading others stories - so thank you all for posting.

Okay, here is my journal thus far. My braces were put on January 6th.

Day One – Thursday 01/06/05
It really wasn’t that bad getting them put on. I think the worst part was pushing those metal bands down into my gums. She had to fit them, which meant pushing them all the way down, take them off to put glue on, and then push them back on permanently. WOW! My gums are pretty sensitive though. The glue wasn’t as bad as I expected, the smell bothered me the most. The entire process probably took about 2 hours. You know the worst part, when they were done and I have to go rinse my mouth out. The feeling in my mouth was awful. Not really any pain or discomfort, just lots of stuff in there. It felt like there was 6 inches of ceramic and metal sticking out and I was not ready for the glimpse in the mirror.

Let me just say that I am 27 and have been avoiding actually getting braces because I was afraid of how it would make me look. I don’t care about clothes, I dress pretty casual, don’t care about trends, but the thought of me in braces was just unbearable. I don’t really know why or how I finally decided to go through with it, but I did. When I looked in the mirror, I almost broke out in tears. I could feel them coming, but tried so hard not to show how upset I was. The people in office were only giving me words of encouragement. I finally left and called my husband. He knows how self-conscious I am about my teeth anyway. I tried to sound calm and okay with everything, but I am sure he knew.

I live 20-25 minutes away from my orthodontist and I cried, hard, the entire way home. I got a call from work and had to hang up on one of my coworkers because I started crying and couldn’t talk. Total the first day, I probably cried for 3-4 hours. I could not look in the mirror and couldn’t stand the feel of them. At this point, I wasn’t for sure how I was going to make it with braces for 18 months.

The pain came later that evening. To even tap my tooth with my fingernail caused extreme pain. I didn’t want to talk, eat, move, or anything. Luckily, I finally feel asleep, not really ready for the next day, I had to face people at work.

Day Two – Friday 01/07/05
Woke up and my mouth still hurt and I was really nervous about going to work and having people see me. It really ended up not being bad. Everyone wanted to see and talk about it, but knew when I had done enough sharing and wanted to be alone. Everyone was so supportive. I was still pretty emotional about it, but having everyone’s support really helped. I took some painkillers today to make it through the day; they made me dizzy, but did the trick.

Day Four – Sunday 01/09/05
I decided I wanted to track my progress with pictures. It is not as easy as it sounds – the pictures are blurry so I will have to work on that. Here is what I have so far. (I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ADD PICTURES FOR YOU ALL TO SEE - SO IF YOU HAVE ANY GOOD SUGGESTIONS/ INSTRUCTIONS - PLEASE SHARE).

Day Five – Monday 01/10/05
Well, today is better. My mouth is getting used to them, not to say that I don’t notice them because I do. Just getting a little more comfortable. I still can’t chew anything, that hurts, but nothing severe to report. Tried flossing a bit today, that still hurts and hard to do. A website I found said not to floss for the first week… not sure if that is valid or not.

I got a card today from Lesa, the lady that helped me the day I got my spacers on, she did a little laser thing to remove some gum tissue from a small tooth, and who put my braces on. She is so sweet and I would love to have her every time. She is so thoughtful and caring, makes the experience a little better. Her card was really just encouragement, which is great and highly needed. It is funny I got this, because I was actually thinking of sending my orthodontic office a card thanking her and the others for how great of a job they do making the process a little better.

I haven't added anything since then, just making it through each day. Things are better - thank GOODNESS for wax. It really helps for the wire that sticks out the back. My first adjustment is February 23rd. How long between adjustments do most people go???? 7 weeks seems awful long to me.

Talk to everyone soon!

[Dodger(UK)]

Hi - Cara

I too found the first few hours, days, and even weeks, the most difficult time in braces. It takes time for your mouth and teeth to get used to all the new bits and pieces of hardware you have been given. Hopefully as time progresses, you'll still have periods of mild pain and discomfort, especially the days following adjustments. However these won't be as severe as it was in the early stages of your treatment.

I have adjustments between every 4-5 weeks, but it really depends on your invidual case. There is no set rule, for time between adjustments.

To link pictures too this site, I recommend you register with a picture hosting website like www.imageshack.com or www.photobucket.com

Then you just upload them from your hard drive and copy the [img] tag in your posts and it will link too the pics on imageshack or photobucket or any other picture hosting site you have chosen.

Hope your brace pains get better soon.

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Today is 01/22/05 and I figured out how to get the pictures to work. Here is a picture of me, and one of my OBVIOUSLY way off midline. I am REALLY excited to see the differences. I have looked at other peoples stories and love seeing the changes - so show me some more!!! I have only had braces since 01/06/05 - so keep that in mind!!!

Full Head Shot


Midline Shot


Dodger - thanks for the info! Pain is much better, bite is way off, but to be expected according to everyone else. Ready to get the show on the road!!!