My Braces Story...

[Avalon Rose]

So I figured that I would go ahead and start my story on here since I will be getting my braces in exactly one week on the 3rd of APril.

So back story - WHen I was 16 I had tmj pretty seriously. I kept telling my dad that it would click and snap and at times I couldn't hardly open my mouth, he didn't believe me until it literally LOCKED, that was it, for 6 painful weeks it was stuck. Long story short, I got braces, had some crazy things going on in my mouth, but int he long run, it was just what I needed to fix the problems.

Fast Forward to getting debraced. It was a late appointment, I worked late that day so they said just to get there when I got there... unfortunately the ortho was old and just ready to close up shop and would not allow me toget my retainer *poured* No time he said... so 3 days later I came in and got my retainer, my teeth had shiftedin the front and my front tooth stuck out. He did not care, said he was there to fix my bite, not my teeth, so I was stuck.

Unfortunately I hated my teeth, even after braces.... so when my retainer broke about 3 years after I got my braces off, I wasn't too worried seeing as I alreadyhated my teeth...

Fast forward 10 years my teeth have not only shifted but are not worse than before braces the first time. I look at myteeth and get really upset. I mean they are horrid, not by most people's standards... butconsidering I had braces and all I just look at myteeth and cringe.

So here I am at age 30, planning to get braced in one week. I have chosen to do just tops because my lower teeth do not show when I speak andI am doing this for a purely cosmetic point of view.

And today the ortho called and told me if I am interested he would throw in the clears for free. I am so excited, I wanted clear so bad but just not in the budget!! But I get it anyways, so that's great news for me. I will post pictures of my teeth soon, already have in another thread, but I will post them here and we shall see where this journey takes us. Hopefully to beautiful teeth at the end.

[Avalon Rose]

A few views

[Tobilei]

I think your teeth look great already, but I understand the need to fix things also. Glad you're getting the clears thrown in for free! I coughed up an extra $780 for mine, but I'm not sorry I did Best of luck with it all!

[Avalon Rose]

Thanks.I went to the dentist yesterday for a cleaning, and I will admit that I hadn't been in 11 years, yes don't shoot me..... but turns out that I only had a tiny little cavity, that he said can get fixed later and wont' interfere with my braces. That was great news. I was really scared to go cause I was afraidhe'd say I had a mouth full of cavities. lol. I tend to drink a lot of coffee and cokes and eat entirely too much sugary stuff... but I am safe. I am glad that at least 3 out of mykids inherited my great teeth. My oldest hasa mouth full of fillings and even a few that removed since they were just babyteeth! I was lucky enough to have great teeth, I hope I can keep them for life. lol


Oh wow!!! That is alot extra. Oh my!!!!!!!! Well, I'm glad it worked out for you though. I hope I will like clear as much as I've wanted it. lol.

[Avalon Rose]

Alright well I got braced today I will try to post pictures Monday if I can!!!!

[Funsizee]

Yay! I'm so happy and excited for you! Good luck!!! I can't wait to see the photos

[Tobilei]

Glad the cleaning went well! I only started going to the dentist on a regular basis about 6 years ago so I understand your trepidation!

Woo hoo for having them on!! How are they feeling? Hope it's all going okay

[Avalon Rose]

Well, Going going back to the day I got braced.

I got in there, paid my down payment, did my x rays and they sat me in the chair and the ortho came up and said HEY THERE, so do you want to just go ahead and do bottoms too? I said, Well, I chose not to cause it's not in my budget, and he said. No, it won't change anything. WHat we quoted you is still the same, lets just go ahead and do the bottoms, and not worry about the price! Really?! Nooo! That was my initial reaction, but instead I just said... Umm, Okay, really? Lets do it. So they did just that, they braced me top and bottom 3 x 3's only.

Day one was a nighmare.I couldn't eat anything without crying, or wanting to scream out in pain!!! I managed a yogurt, and later at my mother in laws she had some cabbage that was so soft it melted in my mouth, perfect.


Day Two I managed some mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans....

Here are some pictures of BEFORE and Day 2(got too busy to take a picture day one, so we will have to go with day 2). I think my bottom teeth have already shifted. Hmmm

[Avalon Rose]

Day 4. Holy Cow I can eat again. Today I had salad and pizza, it wasn't near as bad as I expected. I thought I'd be hurting bad, but I was ok.

[Avalon Rose]

tops updated day 4.

[Tobilei]

Glad you can eat again! It's a bit miserable when you can't.

[Avalon Rose]

Oh I know! Not being able to eat is the pitts. For some reason when Im'not eating there's no pain, eating hurts and then I don't want to think about eating for a long time. I am by no means over weight, but I still hae about 10 lbs of my baby weight from my youngest, I think I might shed it now. Braces are the greatest weight loss program. haha

[Tobilei]

Yeah, mine do the same when the pain starts to go away. Only hurt when I eat. That passes too

And I wish I could tell you that the no eating sticks around, but sadly it does not. I lose a kilo every adjustment but I've gained it back by the next one (then I have that one and lose a kilo again ). I'm a little scared about what's going to happen when I get them off!

[jem]

Hi Avalon Rose,

You have lovely looking teeth-they will be awesome when your braces have done their work.

Will you have brackets added to your premolars and molars at a later date or are you just having them on your front 6 teeth? I started with Damon clears just on my top front 6 teeth and after 3 months had brackets added to my premolars to help untwist a canine. My ortho calls it a "sectional" brace when it is brackets just on the front teeth. The cost is 30% of full braces top and bottom.

I don't have a brace on my bottom teeth, which are almost straight. I did ask my ortho whether it would be worthwhile having a sectional brace on my bottom teeth too. She said if I wanted to do both arches, I would have to have full braces top and bottom. I did not consider it worth paying the additional 70% so am only having my upper teeth straightened.

Good luck with your treatment.

Jem

[Avalon Rose]

Hi Avalon Rose,

You have lovely looking teeth-they will be awesome when your braces have done their work.

Will you have brackets added to your premolars and molars at a later date or are you just having them on your front 6 teeth? I started with Damon clears just on my top front 6 teeth and after 3 months had brackets added to my premolars to help untwist a canine. My ortho calls it a "sectional" brace when it is brackets just on the front teeth. The cost is 30% of full braces top and bottom.

I don't have a brace on my bottom teeth, which are almost straight. I did ask my ortho whether it would be worthwhile having a sectional brace on my bottom teeth too. She said if I wanted to do both arches, I would have to have full braces top and bottom. I did not consider it worth paying the additional 70% so am only having my upper teeth straightened.

Good luck with your treatment.
Jem

Thank you Jem. I am having my top 6 and bottom 6 only. To do a full mouth would cost 3600. To do just top 6 it was going to be 2,000, and bottoms 3,000... I chose JUST uppers and he came back and said Lets just do the bottoms toofor the same price as just tops, so right now I am paying 2100 for tops and bottoms and I will not get braces on the rest of my teeth UNLESS the orthothinks that my bite gets thrown off, then we will try to fix it before debracing. HOPEFULLY NOT!!!!!!!!!