Well, THE DATE IS SET! 38 and getting braced!

[Loopyman76]

Hello all!

Welp, my appointment is set for 6/5/15 and I'll be getting braces! YAY! I'm a 38 year old male and I'm excited to begin this journey. I have no reservations at all about wearing braces. I'm just glad to be finally doing this after thinking about it off and on for YEARS! My orthodontist is recommending I get traditional metal braces which is fine by me. I'll be in them for 24 months, so I should be done just shy of my 41st birthday. I'm thankful I found this group. Reading you all's stories and posts has really helped me better understand what I'm in for! 3 more weeks and I'm EXCITED!!

[NeilH]

Traditional brackets are definitely the way to go. I've had them for two years and don't regret the decision at all. I found the weeks running up to getting braces the hardest, I could think of nothing else and time seemed to drag but once they are on, the months will fly by and you will be finished. Good luck.

[Loopyman76]

Thanks!

And yes, I've definitely had this obsession with braces and teeth ever since I decided to do this. LOL! Good to see I'm not alone. I'll be going on vacation 3 weeks after I get the braces so hopefully I've had time to adjust and my mouth isn't too sore by then.

[ItsFreyja]

Congrats! It's going to be great!

[PhDGuy]

Congratulations on making the decision to move forward and I look forward to reading about your experience. I think 3 weeks in, you should be mostly over the initial soreness, just be careful of what you eat as you don't want to be stuck with broken brackets or wire on your vacation!

[aspiromusings]

Welcome mate ! =), I am 33 myself and am 2 months into my treatment

Like most of the other replies here I think the hardest bit was the decision leading up to getting braces, the actual process and my treatment so far has been smooth sailing (pain wise)

Be sure to post pics and updates, its always good to know I'm not the only one going through this as an adult

[Loopyman76]

Thanks everyone for your encouraging posts!

I CANNOT BELIEVE THE DAY HAS COME! I meant to post earlier today but I've been running around literally nonstop since this morning. I'm sitting in the orthodontist office RIGHT NOW as we speak! Getting my X-rays and records done, etc. Pics and updates will definitely be forthcoming!! MAN I'm ready to get this show on the road!

[Bracesat57]

Good luck with your journey. You sound so excited and I am sure you will enjoy this experience.

Yes, the weeks leading up to getting braced were tough. I just wanted to get things started. I also took a vacation right after they were put on. Sort of like giving myself some time to adjust to the new normal.

Now comes the next phase.......looking in the mirror every 5 minutes and looking for movement. Ha ha.

Post pics soon!

[Loopyman76]

This is turning out to be a crazy busy weekend so while I have a free moment, let me muse on my first day with braces.

Getting them on was quick and painless. The only thing that really "hurt" was when my mouth was open and the tech was blowing air on to my teeth to dry them. My teeth have always been sensitive to cold air! They only braced part of my top arch. I should get the bottom arch braces in about 6 weeks.

Of course it felt weird the first day with these appendages affixed to my top front teeth! I will say I was VERY GLAD I ate a big breakfast in the morning and wasn't hungry. Eating has been an ORDEAL. Last night I ate some meatballs my roommate had made, and I had to chop them up and chew in the very back of my mouth, but even that is a pain because it hurts for my top and bottom teeth to touch so I can't completely chew anything.

I tried to eat oatmeal...OATMEAL this morning thinking "oh that's a soft food so that should be fine". MAN, THAT was even a chore. I got oatmeal stuck in my braces! Just had mashed potatoes, some sort of pasta and a piece of cake. I REFUSE to eat like that every day. That is NOT on my diet! LOL. Right now My teeth ache. It's not too painful unless my bottom teeth touch my top teeth. THAT hurts. My teeth also feel loose. I keep feeling like the brackets are moving but they're not. Of course I keep looking in the mirror! I think they make me look a little bit younger. As a dude who's pushing 40 I'm not complaining about that!

Brushing is another ordeal. I'm used to brushing hard and vigorously but I've been afraid of breaking brackets when I brush so I've been trying to brush more gently. I've brushed 3 times today already, and I think I'm good, though it hurts a little when I hit some spots. Listerine burns a little, but I don't care. I obsessive when it comes to my breath and oral hygiene so it is what it is.

I've swapped stories with friends who've had them and I'm sure that will continue throughout the weekend as I have several social events and then I return to work on Monday so my coworkers will see them for the first time. As far as how they look, I think they look GREAT! I'm glad I went with traditional metal. Kinda looks like I have a "grill". HA!

Though they're starting to annoy me just a little, I'm still glad I finally got 'em. Looking forward to the experiences and seeing the results! I've attached a couple of pics. My teeth look REALLY YELLOW in these pics. They don't look that yellow in person. LOL! I'll keep you guys updated as I progress. Thanks again for the encouragement!

[buffon85]

i find your teeth and smile before braces really nice! but the way we see ourselves is always different from the way others see us! so good for you that you decided to get braces! i am sure your smile will be perfect!
yes the first days are the hardest. but if you have some extra kilos i am sure you will be glad, I am glad that I lost 1.5 kilo without even trying

[Loopyman76]

i find your teeth and smile before braces really nice! but the way we see ourselves is always different from the way others see us! so good for you that you decided to get braces! i am sure your smile will be perfect!
yes the first days are the hardest. but if you have some extra kilos i am sure you will be glad, I am glad that I lost 1.5 kilo without even trying

Thanks for the compliment!

Yeah, I definitely have some issues I need corrected. Can't wait to start seeing real progress. Overall I must say the braces have not been bad at al. I haven't had much pain. My teeth were just VERY sensitive the first few days. The only real downside to the braces is that eating is just not much fun any more. I can pretty much eat most things, but some things I have to cut up into very small pieces, and that gets tedious. It gets REALLY annoying to have to cut up pizza, sandwiches, and pull meat off of a chicken wing to eat it! I had been on a diet just before getting braces and lost 15 pounds. Now I really think I'm going to go to liquid meal replacements, like Ensure, for breakfast and lunch. It's just easier, since eating salads and fresh fruit slices just aren't really fun any more, and I only imagine that's going to get even worse once I get my bottom arch braced.

I'm still very much "geeked" to have my braces. Looking forward to the rest of this journey!

[AldoF]

Good luck.. I'm also around the same age and looking to braces. Why didn't we do this sooner is the question. ha

[Loopyman76]

Hello, all!

Well, it's been almost six weeks and I can say I've pretty much gotten used to braces. I'm scheduled to get my bottom braces applied next week. They really haven't been that bad! The most annoying thing is EATING. Literally EVERYTHING I eat gets immediately stuck all in my braces. I've gotten used to brushing my teeth 3 or 4 times a day. My teeth sometimes ache, but it's nothing unbearable. I did get a wire change a couple of weeks ago, just before vacation, and I must say my first wire change was worse than when I first got braces. Mouth was pretty sore.

I can definitely still say I'm SO GLAD I got braces. the best part is this: I had gone on a diet just before I got braces and lost 15 pounds. Since I got braces I haven't stick to my diet, but in 5 weeks I've lost yet ANOTHER 6 pounds anyway. I guess it's true what they say; that you're prone to lose weight with these things! And I e been eating any and everything I can get my hands on, but k guess I just haven't been eating AS MUCH. That's pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the process, BUT I feel like getting my bottom braces on is going to be a bear. Eek. I haven't notice much difference in my teeth appearance wise, but I know they're moving because I can FEEL them. My teeth feel constantly "loose". Anyway, like you guys said, I'm wondering why I didn't do this sooner!

[Loopyman76]

UPDATED SMILE PICS. I don't think my teeth are horrible, but I'm looking forward to them being totally STRAIGHT.

[Camblkid]

I've had my braces for about 3 weeks now and have buildups in my molars. Needless to say, I can't eat real well either. It's an awful slow and methodical process! Hopefully it'll get better sooner rather than later!