Dissonance's Braces Story

[dissonance]

Thanks for checking out my braces story. I hope sharing it will help inspire those of you thinking of getting braces to go for it, and be a place for those of us already on the journey to commiserate.

About Me

Hi everyone! My name is dissonance and I'm 27 years old. This is my first time in braces. I never had them when I was younger because my dentist told my mom it wasn't needed. However, my crooked teeth have always bothered me. Starting at about 24 years old I began to get consultations for braces but couldn't make the leap. However, when I saw my teeth in some of my close-up wedding photos, it was the last straw. So here I am!

My Treatment Overview

My treatment time is estimated at 22 months with full braces upper and lower. After much debate, I decided to go with sapphire on the uppers and traditional metal on the lowers to fix my moderate upper and lower crowding with 100% overbite.

My b-day was Jan. 9, with spacers put in on Jan. 5. The site was down during these times so I'm going to attempt to re-create the very early parts of my braces journey.

First Shots

Here are some shots pre-braces:

[dissonance]

Here They Are!

I'm excited that the braces don't look so bad, even close up! I'm happy that I chose the sapphire and whitened my teeth for the two weeks prior to getting the braces put on.



Spacers...

So spacers are some nasty little things. I have a pretty decent pain tolerance, but after a couple days, they really started getting to me. I had two rubber and six metal (because my teeth were so tight) placed three days before I was supposed to get my braces put on.

At first, the spacers didn't hurt. Then they got annoying. Then they made me severely cranky. Even with Tylenol.

I was SO looking forward to getting the braces on and the spacers out, since many people say spacers are the worst and I was hoping that was the truth. So I arrived at my b-day and my teeth hadn't shifted enough so they left them in! Argh. They still placed the brackets and wire though, just not the molar bands.

B-day experience and the first week

Overall, b-day wasn't too bad at all, despite not getting the bands and keeping the spacers. The braces went on very quickly. They felt much more bulky than expected even though I thought I was prepared for how strange they would feel.

I had minimal discomfort during the first few days. Any discomfort I had I attribute to those stupid spacers still being in! I just ate a bunch of ice cream and soft foods and it was no big deal. Now by a week's time, the inside of my mouth started to get all scraped up. Ouch. But with the right food and some wax it is all more than tolerable.

I took two days off from work just to get used to the braces and, honestly, I didn't feel like showing them off just yet.

The one thing I wasn't prepared for was the lisping! I hadn't really thought about lisping with traditional braces; it was the reason I decided not to go with linguals (well, and price). Two weeks in and I think it's gotten much better. For awhile there it was a bit embarassing, but I made it through!

[Rachel B]

Hi,

Hope your brace journey is going ok.
I had my spacers and brackets put on yesterday and the spacers are really bugging me as well but at least I know it's only for a while.
I have clear brackets on the top and bottom of my teeth and am also really pleased with how they look.
We're quite close in age as I am about to turn 28.
When are you hoping to have your spacers out?

xx Rach xx

[dissonance]

Hi Rachel!

Thanks, and congrats on getting your spacers in and your brackets on. It sounds like we have quite a bit in common so I hope we'll be able to keep in touch about our experiences!

Isn't it amazing how those small little spacers can be torture, lol!? Have you experienced any pain with the actual braces yet, or is it hard to tell when you have spacers in at the same time?

My spacers will be out next Tuesday and they'll place the molar bands. Now that the spacers have stopped hurting I'm worried the bands will bring yet another new pain. How long will you have your spacers in?

[Rachel B]

This is the second day with spacers. It's a bit painful but I keep taking painkillers so it's no too bad. It hurt a lot in the night though.
I can't chew at all so I'm inhaling ice-cream by the truck-load lol!
My mouth is a bit raw but to be honest that's nothing compared to the spacers!
I get my spacers off on friday and my molar bands and wires on then too.
I'm a bit worried about them hurting, like you are. Hopefully it won't be too bad. You'll have to let me know!
We do have a bit in common. I too was told when I was younger that I didn't need braces and am now having to put my own teeth right.
I have had four extractions and they were pretty painful so the past three weeks has been a new ouchy mouth experience!
I keep looking at pics of people with amazing teeth and reminding myself that I want that!!!!
x Rach x
Good luck for Tuesday.

[sdawdy]

Congrats on getting your braces....Yes the spacers are horrible, but once you get them out it will be so much better. If I can give one peice of advise. When you get your molar bands, ask if the cleats on the inside (tongue side) can be flattened. I have shredded and gotten my tongue stuck on them several times. otherwise the molar bands are not bad. right now i have an elastic on the left side connecting the the hook on the bottom of the lip side of the molar band...

[dissonance]

Rachel, how are those spacers treating you? Has it gotten any better yet?

sdawdy, thanks for the post and the helpful hint! I wish I would have seen your post before my ortho visit today to have the bands placed. Good news is that now I know if I have problems there may be a fix!

Brackets and full wire today...

Today I got the spacers removed and the brackets put on, along with new wires, etc. I was so thankful there was enough room to put the brackets on! I didn't want to encounter any delays with my treatment. I was asked if I wanted to get the full wire across the bottom or just leave the one across the front teeth - I opted for the full wire - let's get the show on the road already and see some change happen!!! The ortho said things should move pretty quick now.

So far the brackets do hurt. Not terrible, but uncomfortable (like everything else has been). My tongue scrapes the rough part of the bracket when I eat. Back to soft foods and ice cream again for me!

Again, ready to get this process moving and look forward to *hopefully* start seeing results in the near future! If it hurts, that's fine, that just means something is happening![/b]

[dissonance]

In my previous post I meant bands, not brackets!! Sorry, to many "b" braces terms going on. I don't see that I can edit previous posts...[/b]

[Rachel B]

Hi Dissonance,

Spacers came out today - hurrah!!!!! Such a good feeling.
had my wires and molar bands on today and am so glad that the bands don't hurt like the spacers.
I expect your brackets will get better, mine rubbed me at first when I had them on last week but now they are fine and my mouth seems to be toughening up.
I am now getting used to the tight feeling, which I actually find quite reassuring.

Hope your braces feel ok.

Rach x

[dissonance]

Yay for getting rid of spacers!! I'm glad your bands didn't hurt like mine did (and still do a bit). Do you feel like your bite is funny at all with the bands?

It may just be my imagination, but I swear one of my crooked teeth is already straighter than it was just two weeks ago! Hurray for progress!

[Rachel B]

My bite is all wrong but mainly because one of my brackets stops my teeth from being able to fully bite together.
My ortho says it will get better when the tooth with the bracket in question moves.
I think my teeth have moved a bit in only one day!!!!
Yey for quick results. x