My Journey started yesterday.

[StaceyJeannette]

So I had my first adjustment on Tuesday. Still have same size wire on top because the ortho wants to get this tooth rotated before moving up to thicker wire

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Had some IPR done on that rotated tooth to help it move better- now flossing is so much easier around that tooth!!

I still don’t have brackets on 3 molars- again waiting for thicker wire.

I can see and feel some differences, but I’m sure they’re not noticeable to anyone else.

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I love pink so decided I would try some color this time. Was happy that my ortho said he will be able to improve my black triangles with more IPR.

[StaceyJeannette]

So I decided to compare and yes I can see a difference on the bottom teeth.

[cbraces678]

Hi! Thanks for sharing your story. Similarly to you, I got braces because of bruxism and shifting as well. I also have some recession on teeth due to the bruxism. I have been in braces for 3 months. I find the teeth moving with braces makes my clenching at night worse and awkward feeling. Good luck with your journey!

[StaceyJeannette]

Hi! Thanks for sharing your story. Similarly to you, I got braces because of bruxism and shifting as well. I also have some recession on teeth due to the bruxism. I have been in braces for 3 months. I find the teeth moving with braces makes my clenching at night worse and awkward feeling. Good luck with your journey!

Thank you! I wish you luck also. I haven't noticed my bruxism being worse with braces, just that I can feel the clenching in different teeth now.

[Mrcf]

Hi! Thanks for sharing your story. Similarly to you, I got braces because of bruxism and shifting as well. I also have some recession on teeth due to the bruxism. I have been in braces for 3 months. I find the teeth moving with braces makes my clenching at night worse and awkward feeling. Good luck with your journey!

I realized that I am constantly biting on my moving teeth. Playing more or less. My TMJ problems got worse the last weeks. May be from changes of the bite, from pressing. Sometimes it is hard for me to close my mouth. Because it is blocked. Will discuss this with my ortho at the next visit.

[YankeeFan62]

On Wednesday I finally got my braces applied after 6 visits to my regular dentist to get some much needed work done.

I have full metal braces placed on both the top and bottom. Except for some tightness of the bottom 6 and touching of the brackets on my bottom lip, I have had no ill affects. I have had no pain for the first 2 days and have taken no pain-related meds. I have been able to eat and chew normally. The only exception to normally is I tried to eat a sandwich on the first day. It took me 10 minutes following the sandwich to clean my teeth (mostly the upper and lower front 6). My lesson is that in the future I will eat ALL sandwiches with a knife and fork. I also noticed today that my upper 2 front teeth are sensitive when I drink anything cold such as water. My next appointment is not for 8 weeks.

Does all of this sound normal?

My ortho, whom I trust explicitly, has said my treatment should last from 12 to 18 months. My regular dentist, whom I also trust explicitly, says it will probably be closer to 18 months. My regular dentist has read the ortho's treatment plan, so he knows what is being done. Yes, my regular dentist referred me to my present ortho.

[StaceyJeannette]

On Wednesday I finally got my braces applied after 6 visits to my regular dentist to get some much needed work done.

I have full metal braces placed on both the top and bottom. Except for some tightness of the bottom 6 and touching of the brackets on my bottom lip, I have had no ill affects. I have had no pain for the first 2 days and have taken no pain-related meds. I have been able to eat and chew normally. The only exception to normally is I tried to eat a sandwich on the first day. It took me 10 minutes following the sandwich to clean my teeth (mostly the upper and lower front 6). My lesson is that in the future I will eat ALL sandwiches with a knife and fork. I also noticed today that my upper 2 front teeth are sensitive when I drink anything cold such as water. My next appointment is not for 8 weeks.

Does all of this sound normal?

My ortho, whom I trust explicitly, has said my treatment should last from 12 to 18 months. My regular dentist, whom I also trust explicitly, says it will probably be closer to 18 months. My regular dentist has read the ortho's treatment plan, so he knows what is being done. Yes, my regular dentist referred me to my present ortho.

I think it's great you have had no pain so far! My pain came from the braces rubbing blisters on the inside of my mouth. And yes, I have had to change the way I eat most of my food, though I don't remember having to change anything when I had braces at 17. I never even flossed back then! Sure wish I had flossed, it might have prevented alot of my cavities which led to teeth being pulled. Though I didn't get the cavities until years later, I should have made it a habit.

Were you the one who was supposed to start out with just braces on top? If you are, are you glad you have them on both top and bottom? If you aren't , ignore this question. LOL.

My next appointment is in 6 weeks, so I guess adjustments are generally from 6-8 weeks apart.

[YankeeFan62]

Yes, initially I was to get braces on the top and 4 weeks later on the bottom. However, neither myself nor my regular dentist was impressed with my initial consult. Therefore my dentist referred me to an orthodonist that he has referred some other of his patients to with excellent results. I was very impressed with my new orthodonist and so I went with him. In his practice he puts braces on the top and bottom at the same time. I like that approach better because I only have to "get used to" the braces one time.

I am certain that some pain is in my future because I will most likely have elastics to correct my overjet and a powerchain to correct some gaps in my upper right 3.

I am going to the ortho today to possibly get fitted for a night guard as I have been repeatedly biting my tongue on the right side. I will awake in the morning and the right side of my tongue is sore. I am pretty certain it is caused by tooth number 4 which is in a crossbite position. This had been occurring for several years and was one of the main reasons I started visiting the dentist after over 11 years of no dental visits. I had to eat on my left side because of a broken tooth (#3) which was extracted and a bone graft put in before I got my braces.

[StaceyJeannette]

Yes, initially I was to get braces on the top and 4 weeks later on the bottom. However, neither myself nor my regular dentist was impressed with my initial consult. Therefore my dentist referred me to an orthodonist that he has referred some other of his patients to with excellent results. I was very impressed with my new orthodonist and so I went with him. In his practice he puts braces on the top and bottom at the same time. I like that approach better because I only have to "get used to" the braces one time.

I am certain that some pain is in my future because I will most likely have elastics to correct my overjet and a powerchain to correct some gaps in my upper right 3.

I am going to the ortho today to possibly get fitted for a night guard as I have been repeatedly biting my tongue on the right side. I will awake in the morning and the right side of my tongue is sore. I am pretty certain it is caused by tooth number 4 which is in a crossbite position. This had been occurring for several years and was one of the main reasons I started visiting the dentist after over 11 years of no dental visits. I had to eat on my left side because of a broken tooth (#3) which was extracted and a bone graft put in before I got my braces.

I'm glad you found an orthodontist you trust! You might be one of the lucky ones with minimal pain. Let us know how the night guard goes, I've been wondering if one would help me since I'm still clenching at night.

[YankeeFan62]

My orthodonist didn't think a night guard was needed. He said he could see where my tongue has suffered some trauma, but he said that when tooth #4 was pulled out from its crossbite position, that should solve the issue. I haven't bit my tongue since I got braces, but I know my tongue is still in the line of fire from tooth #4.

In regards to pain, I experienced some mild pain last night in all of my teeth. It wasn't enough to reach for the pain meds, but I had them ready for this morning. Magically I had very little pain this morning. Yesterday my ortho said that if I hadn't had any real pain by then (Day 3) I probably won't have that much. However, when I mentioned that I can feel a lot of pressure on the bottom 6, he said that that would probably get worse.

So I am crossing my fingers and hoping for no pain. My problem is still eating. I am used to taking large mouthfuls and chewing fast. I can't do that any more. It is small bites and chewing carefully for the next 12 to 18 months. My favorite food is sandwiches and it doesn't seem right to have to cut them up and eat them with a fork. Oh well.........

[uyianns]

I've had severe Bruxism for several years. I had numerous mouth guards for night and day, prescription medication, and Botox. So when I finally got my braces six weeks ago the first thing I realized was that my Bruxism stopped when I got up from my ortho's chair. STOPPED MY BRUXISM IMMEDIATELY!!

[EmilyTravels]

I've had severe Bruxism for several years. I had numerous mouth guards for night and day, prescription medication, and Botox. So when I finally got my braces six weeks ago the first thing I realized was that my Bruxism stopped when I got up from my ortho's chair. STOPPED MY BRUXISM IMMEDIATELY!!

That's wonderful! Unfortunately, I have had braces for 11 months and still have bruxism (day and night). But my case is a little different, perhaps, because mine started secondary to jaw fractures from an accident in April 2017. I never bruxed before that. I was hoping braces might stop it, but they have not.

[StaceyJeannette]

So yesterday I had the tooth that was rotated pulled. It had finally rotated to the right position, but to be honest, to me it looked so abnormal! It had an odd shape. I didn't say anything to the orthodontist about it, but I was kind of glad when he mentioned getting it pulled to make more room for my overjet to be corrected. When I went for my 6 month checkup with my dentist, my dentist said he would extract the tooth, even though he doesn't normally do that. So glad I switched back to my old dentist!! The tooth came out so easy, it was pretty loose from being rotated I think. So for now, I have yet another gap, but I'm glad this one will be closed up with teeth I already have.

I also had an ortho appointment on Monday; no wire change, but my ligatures were changed to purple, and they did remove the bracket from the tooth that was being removed. I kind of like the purple. I was told that I will probably see some gaps in my front teeth now, as the midline will start shifting to a normal position. Might be fun to watch. LOL.

Going back in 4 weeks......

[StaceyJeannette]

So I went to see my dad for his 70th birthday yesterday. While we were talking I mentioned having a tooth pulled. Daddy then told me he had just noticed I had braces!! I’ve seen him many times since May, so I think it’s funny he just now figured it out. Maybe people don’t notice as much as I think they do.