My story- braces at 26 (just too many teeth)

[northerngirl86]

Hi everyone

I had my consultation with my orthodontist today and he recommended this site. I found it so useful I thought I would share my own story. Basically I have hated my teeth for years, every time I look at a photo of myself all I can look at is my teeth and how awful they look. I have overcrowding, which makes the canines really stick out, and they just look all jumbled and crooked. They are also really yellow, which doesn't help. Ironically I had a fixed brace as an early teen, but only on the top teeth, which straighten the 2 front teeth but when my wisdom teeth came through it has pushed everything out again.

Anyway I put off going to the dentist full stop for about 7 years, thinking I just couldn't face going through the expenses, pain and bother of having anything done but recently I got a good job and earn enough to pay for it, so the only thing stopping me was the fear of having it done. A few months ago I just thought enough is enough, and rang up the dentist to start the process.

I went to the dentist (feeling very nervous) and amazingly my teeth were perfectly healthy, no fillings or anything, just needed a good clean from the hygienist. The dentist warned me at the time that it was likely I might need some teeth out

Anyway today was the big day with the orthodontist, he took all the imprints and scans and stuff. He is is going to email me with a detailed treatment plan in a few days but basically explained that I have overcrowding (which I knew!) but also bimaxillary protrusion, which means they can't widen the arch to make any more room, so some teeth have to come out. He says it will probably be premolars, the 5th tooth I think. Having extractions does fill me with dread, but I keep telling myself it will be worth it.

We discussed types of braces and he recommended a fixed brace- he told me to google ceramic brackets, 3M. Does anyone here have these? I'm a bit worried because my teeth are quite yellow (and apparently whitening comes last in the process!) and that the white ceramic brackets will really show up.

Anyway looks like it will be a few more weeks till the brace goes on!

[lilone]

I just wanted to set your mind at ease about extractions. Only one of my wisdom teeth actually grew in and I had that removed while I was awake. I was really scared because when I had premolars extracted as a child, I was alseep. It turned out to be nothing. Molars have more roots than the premolars and yet I found that the extraction only took a few seconds and was incredibly easy. The only thing was the sound. You can hear a bit of grinding because the jaw is so close to the ear, but even that was just for a split second. Good luck on your journey!

[BracedBunny]

Hi girl!
I've seen 3M Clarity ceramic brackets face to face, my ortho let me investigate them nearly. They aren't exactly white but some "tooth colour" so you don't have to fear! They wont be too noticable even if you don't have perfectly white teeth (just a few lucky ones have them )
I probably choose these brackets but not decided yet. Now I'm thinking but 3M Clarity could be the winner
The extractions aren't so bad and if they're necessary just try to think about the final results
Good luck!

[Funsizee]

Hi! I'm also 26 and will be getting my braces next week. The ortho told me that I have bimaxillary protrusion and will need to extract 4 teeth in order to make room. Btw, I am of asian descent and have very big teeth

Like yourself, I don't feel comfortable with extractions and have decided not to do it... I don't know how I feel about extracting 4 perfectly healthy teeth. My ortho did give me the option to keep them and see how my teeth will progress in several months. If there's not much room, them I'd have to get the, extracted. The ortho also said something about having to get TADS.

I decided on the Damon braces because of the good reviews I've read vs. Invisalign.

Anyway, I'm excited for you!!! Please keep us posted and good luck

[northerngirl86]

Hi everyone

sorry for the massive delay in posting- my orthodontist went on holiday and it has taken ages to get my appointments sorted. However I now have a date for my braces going on- 23rd May! Actually feel quite excited about it in a weird way. HOWEVER before that I have to have my extractions done, getting 2 out next week then the other 2 the week after. Apparently they only do 1 side at a time as its less disruptive.

Not long now!

[rhibee83]

Hi welcome and not long now till you are a brace face! how exciting!

I also had 4 premolars removed and 1 wisdom, and they told me that I could only get one side done at a time, but i said NO WAY lol so i ended up getting them all out at once in fear that I wouldn't go back after one lot had come out. BUT now, in saying that, it really wasnt as bad as what I thought it was going to be, and I probably could of gone back and got it done again a week later lol, but it was just easier to get them all out at once.

What kind of braces are you getting? I have all metal and had my first adjustment recently, and i have pink ligs on at the moment my first colours! colours are exciting and I am 30 LOL

hope all goes well and looking forward to hearing more, good luck with your extractions, you will be fine

[Zcooke]

My story is very similar to yours too.
I put off going to the dentist for 12 years (had an awful experience when I was young) so was very nervous. Same as you I had no major problems apart from one filling.
I got two premolars extracted. It wasn't a big deal at all. Like someone said the 'cracking' noise is a bit strange but it literally took 30 seconds. I didn't experience any pain (apart from not being able to smoke for a few days)
I got Damon Clears put on. I would highly recommend them. My teeth are also quite yellow but I have noticed that they are getting lighter as the weeks go on. Must be from the constant brushing and mouth wash. So I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Hope everything goes well for you on the 23rd, good luck!!

[northerngirl86]

Hi everyone

Thanks for all your posts, the extractions were not too bad at all in the end. The first 2 I felt really nervous but even the injections weren't as bad as I feared, you a sharp prickling and then the teeth were out very quickly. It's a very odd feeling when they are pulling! I've had very little pain at all, just a slightly achy jaw the day after. Eating was a bit awkward but now I'm pretty much eating normally, just a bit slower. The worst thing is that the bottom right extraction site just seems perfectly shaped to collect bits of food! As first this really worried me, but now I've taken to using a tooth pick to gently push the food out after each meal, otherwise it just looks really awful! The bottom left has nearly closed, which is weird as it was the side I done a week after.

Get my braces on in a week, I'm getting all ceramic brackets so probably no exciting co lours for me I guess! The thing I'm worried about the moment is knocking the bottom brackets with my top teeth because of my overjet, the top teeth cover about 2/3rds of the bottom teeth. I've read they can put stuff in to stop this like but bite turbos but apparently these make eating REALLY hard.

Looking forward to getting started though and seeing them start to MOVE!

[rhibee83]

So glad to here that your extractions went well that is great that you didn't have much pain after and are back to normal eating

Good luck with your braces day, looking forward to seeing some pics

[northerngirl86]

Today is the day!

Braces go on very soon- excited and nervous!

Will hopefully post back later with all the details.

[SunshineRay]

Congrats and good luck today!

[northerngirl86]

Well the braces are on! The process was absolutely fine, after extractions it was a complete breeze!

The ortho put metal brackets on my 2 back molars (my wisdom teeth are unbracketed) and then the rest have ceramic brackets on. They are so wonky (or displaced as the otho put it!) that he hasn't wired in the back ones after my extraction gaps as apparently the wire would just keep popping off. I can't quite remember exactly why now, something to do with the wire having to span across my extraction gaps and the fact the wire has to be really flexible as my teeth are so wonky! So when the teeth start to align up a bit more he can use a stiffer wire and then wire them all. I asked how long it would take to close the gaps and he said I would start to notice a difference in 6 months but they wouldn't totally close until the end of treatment. I can't believe how much movement needs to happen, not only to fill in the huge gaps but also the brackets are all over the place, it's amazing to think my teeth will move that much.

I don't have any pain yet, I can feel the pressure though, but it feels good, I can feel them working! Had some soup for lunch and it was OK, felt very weird trying to eat round all these contraptions!

[NeilH]

Congratulations on getting your braces. I hope it all goes well for you.

[northerngirl86]

Well this is day 6 in braces and everything is getting easier.

About 6 hours after they went on the pressure started to become more painful. After having soup for lunch I had some fresh pasta for dinner, which was a bit more challenging, mainly because so much food was getting stuck in the back brackets and because of the hooks on these brackets it is quite painful to move the trapped food with your tongue! The only plus side I suppose is that because my molars aren’t wired in the actually chewing doesn’t hurt.

I took some painkillers (paracetamol) before I went to bed ad slept OK till about 6am, when I woke up with very achy teeth. I took some more paracetamol but it didn’t help that much so at 11am I reached for the big guns and I took codeine and paracetamol. The worst pain was in the bottom right corner, where the crowding is worst. My lower canine is pushed right out because of the over-crowding so all of those teeth are jammed in pretty tight. They will just have to get used to the idea of moving backwards where there is no a nice gap for them to move along in to! This helped a lot but codeine pretty much wipes me out so I spent the whole day on the sofa, not really able to string a coherent sentence together! I had more soup for lunch and in the evening was able to eat some chilli, in very small bits!

The next day I felt a lot better, the pain greatly reduced to the extent where I didn’t need any painkillers and there wasn’t any pain unless I poked my front teeth or tried to bite down. That evening I went out with some friends and most of them didn’t even notice I had it on! I had more soup for lunch and then for diner had an undercooked pizza which I ate in small pieces with a knife and fork. Luckily one of my friends had extensive dental work when he was younger so is very sympathetic! On the couple of photos from the night you can’t see the braces at all which is reassuring.

I did try flossing and it was just a bit too painful! Because my teeth are so crowded, flossing has always been a bit awkward, but now it’s just really hard to get the floss back out without hitting the archwire, as I have to tug it quite hard, and everything is just too painful! I did swap back to my electric toothbrush after using a manual one for a few days, it was a bit sore, but I much prefer using my electric one so I put up with it!

By day 4 things had settled down further. It still feels weird in my mouth, and I’m very conscious of it when I smile. I also have a slightly sore spot on the right side cheek, from the bracket on the 1st premolar in front of the gap. I also have an issue on my inside bottom lip, where it keeps getting trapped on something, I think under the archwire. It’s not particularly painful, but very annoying! I used wax for a few days on the sore spot on my inside cheek but have now stopped in the hope it will toughen up. Luckily there isn’t a fully blown ulcer there, just more of sore spot. The trapping on the bottom I’m still using wax, though not as much as initially. I’m not sure if it’s something that will resolve itself or whether it’s just because of where the bracket is and will continue to plague me for the duration of them being on! Luckily a bit of wax under the bracket extending under the archwire stops it happening, it’s just annoying having to take it off to brush and constantly replace it.

Eating is becoming easier, although I still can’t bite into anything, and as soon as I’m done eating I have to go brush my teeth as so much stuff gets trapped.

Yesterday (day 5) was my first day at work with braces and NOBODY has mentioned it, apart from one girl who knew I was getting it on as she had braces removed not long ago and we have had several “braces chats”. I’m not if there are just completely unnoticeable or if people don’t want to bring it up in conversation!

[SunshineRay]

Your story scared me. lol I posted last week about if I should take the day after braces off and alot of people said it wasnt needed. I think I will anyway, especially after reading about your day. I'm glad that you are getting used to them!!