If you want to share the detailed saga of your braces story, this is the place to do it. You can use this forum as a braces journal, editing and updating your posts as your treatment goes on. Remember to also visit the main ArchWired.com site for additional stories from other readers!
ATTENTION NEW MEMBERS: Do not post full-face photos or personal contact information on this website. We have had problems with people re-posting members' photos on fetish websites. Please only post photos of your teeth, not your whole face. Keep your email and your personal information private. Thank you.
Well its been awhile since I've updated my story so it seems appropriate to update it now since I'm getting my bottom braces this coming Thursday.
It's amazes me that I've had braces for three months already! Time has just seemed to fly by. At times I forget I have braces and then there are times when I wish it was just over already. Up to this point I've felt lucky since I only had my upper arch braced so I'm wondering how it will be with a whole mouth full of metal. There are some days I'm glad I did this and then there are other days that I wonder if I'd do it again if I knew how my career was going to go. It seems as soon as I got braced my job suddenly went into high speed and I'm meeting all sorts of high ups and traveling and such. I'm not embarrased or anything with the braces but sometimes (I know this sounds really weird) I'll meet someone in a high up position who has bad teeth and I'll suddenly become really conscience of my braces like them seeing me with braces accentuates their problem. It's weird I can't explain it.
Reading through my old posts I'm glad to see that it seems I'm still on track for a 18 month treatment time since the original estimate was to brace the bottom arch a few months after the top. Sometimes I want to ask the ortho if everything is on schedule but I don't cause I figure its too early to say and if I'm behind I don't want to know. In a way I wish banding the lower arch could be postponed cause two days after I get braces on the bottom I leave for a temporary duty assignment for work on the east coast. It's hard enough moving much less when you've just been braced (again). I'm allowed to make trips home every three weeks so I don't think it will cause me to get behind on treatment but the length of my assignment is growing longer by the day. First it was March, then April, and now rumor is I'll be gone till August. I'm really hoping I don't start elastics while I'm out there (somehow wearing elastics in front of all this high powered people bothers me since I already have a hard enough time getting respect since I'm young and female). Guess I just have to go with the flow and see what happens!!
Anyway here is the latest and greatest photo to show my progress (my teeth really aren't that disgusting looking although it feels to me that they become a little less white everyday!)
2.6 years (30 months) with Invisalign plus 19 months 2 weeks with metal braces to achieve the perfect smile.
It's been awhile since I posted too. I'm glad to see the braces are going so well for you. I know what you mean about the self-conciousness of the braces and the job. I was quite self-concious with mine for awhile, but it goes away. Once you see a few adults with braces during everyday life, you'll remember theres lots of other people going through the same thing you are.
My followup treatment is going great. The retainers were very tough to get used to at first, but they're pretty easy now. I still have trouble with certain words, but no one else notices. I should be going to night wear only after another 3-4 months. Thats 24-7 wear for about 8 months and night wear only for 2 year or more. My ortho said my teeth settled in very nicely only 2 months later and expected to reduce my retainer wear quickly. He said I don't have to be really hardcore about wearing them all the time. If I cheat a little, its OK. I make sure I wear them at least 16 hours a day, usually at least 20. And everything seems to be settling in just fine.
Let us know how the bottom braces are going!
2 year Invisalign patient graduated to ceramics to finish up treatment
