My trials and tribulations for good teeth.

[Crookedboy]

Ever since I could remember, I hated my teeth.

I hated my top teeth, especially my two front gap teeth. My bottom teeth were fine, but my top teeth left me feeling embarrassed and upset. I begged my parents for braces, but like many, they couldn't afford it. To matters worse, I usually never visited the dentist (my first visit wasn't until after elementary school) and braces seemed out of sight.

This year, things were different. I made a visit to the orthodontist after Christmas 2010 and was even told I could begin the process soon after. I had to reconsider (the cost was the main factor) and held off until February to get my molds. I had to wait over a month to get them on, but it wasn't without a bit of drama. The day of my appointment, the orthodontist called to say that the braces had not arrived. I had to rework my schedule for the braces, and was obviously upset that I would have to wait a week longer. Thankfully, they arrived that same day magically.

I arrived and everything went smoothly, until they found something. Two cavities on my back teeth! They still applied the braces, just not on those teeth.

Since that day, I got my cavities filled, the rest of my braces, and have broken seven brackets. That's right, seven brackets in four months!

The first few were from being careless, but number 4-6 occurred during my sleep. I sometimes even wake up realizing that I'm grinding my teeth. My orthodontist didn't believe me, but it seems impossible to convince them. The most recent one broke after I ate some chicken.

I now smile a lot more and tend to be not as shy now! It's been obvious to my friends and is apparent from all the recent facebook photos I've been tagged in.

If all goes as planned, I should have them off late August 2011. My teeth still need much work though! I'm worried that the breaking brackets may lengthen the process, but my efforts to stop breaking them never work. I'm trying not to let it bring me down since I'm trying to be positive.

I'm considering a move to California or New York by this time next year, so I'm worried how this braces situation will work out (I live near Washington DC). Thankfully, I still have a year to think about that!

Telling my story is exciting since I've realized that I've gone from a shy person, to being one that loves to smile and talk!

I'll keep this updated and hopefully include pictures really soon!

[Crookedboy]

Hey everyone!

It's been almost a month since I last posted, but only because not much had happened until this week.

I got rubber bands for the first time and it's been interesting! The first full day was odd and hurt badly, but the pain is basically non-existent now!

I'll probably end up loosing weight since I won't want to snack as much.

My gap is virtually gone, but my teeth could still use more work. My next appointment isn't until next month, but fall and winter tend to go by quickly for me anyways.

[Crookedboy]

[quote="Crookedboy"]

If all goes as planned, I should have them off late August 2011. [/quote]
I actually meant August 2012. Just one more year (potentially)!

[microbrew]

Hey Crookedboy, thats great your gaps are closing and congrats on getting rubber bands thats definitely a sign of progress. That sucks about the brackets i just broke my first one today and hope it doesnt happen again. Cheers

[Crookedboy]

This Wednesday will be week #2 with elastics, and I can admit that the change has been noticeable!

My bite definitely seems to be fixing itself, and the elastics aren't as annoying as I thought they would be. I wear them everyday and do not mind removing them to eat. After a few days, I was able to change my elastics without having to look at the mirror. I tend to remove them though if I have to speak for long periods of time.

Currently, my wire seems to poke out a bit, but it does not hurt at all. I have less than one month to go until my next appointment, and I seem to be going on the right track! I still don't have any broken brackets! *knock on wood*

[Leftie]

Hi there, I'm due to get my braces fitted next week and have read a lot about people breaking brackets.

Just wondered if you could answer a couple of questions!

Does it hurt when you break a bracket?
does it actually come off your tooth or does the wire just come off it?

thanks

[Crookedboy]

Hey everyone, it's basically been a year since this whole process started for me! It was around this time last year that I got my molds done.

I have not broken any brackets so I'm really happy! I recently got power chains put on my teeth, but I'm not seeing any big improvements. Thankfully my mid-line is looking better.

Just a few more months left! I should have these off by the end of summer.