Metal Mouth Message Board

Hey everyone! I've been lurking for a few weeks in anticipation of getting my braces put on in a month at age 27. I just got 4 extractions done last Friday, which went pretty well except now I have an awful sore throat. They apparently scratched my throat with the breathing tube when I was put under for the surgery. I'm not crazy about having these big holes where my nice teeth once were, but oh well.

I get spacers put on July 15 and braces July 24. So nervous! I'll try to post pre-braces pics soon.

I hate that sore feeling from the breathing tube... i was put under for somthing completely different but it still hurt!

can't wait to see your pre braced pics! and congrats on joining the AW comunity and on your decision to get braced!

Keep us updated!

Thanks for the welcome! I know the sore feeling is killing me, but I'm pretty sure I'm in for a lot more painful things so I guess this is just like initiation.

Here are my teeth now. This is a huge step for me to post these because I hate my teeth in pictures. I don't have anything closer up. My ortho gave me some pre-braces photos, but they weren't digital and I don't have a scanner.

Hi and Welcome! Congrats on your upcomming braces! I hope that your throat starts feeling better soon.

WOW your teeth are actually really nice looking very white!! they are going to look amazing when they finally straighten up!! check out my diary when you get a chance i got some scarry teeth! lol hope you can get to a scanner soon! i had to scan mine in too.. hope to hear from you soon!

Thanks for the compliment about my teeth. I don't hear a ton of those. My extraction sites healed up great, but unfortunately the sore throat has been pretty severe, just slightly better today. I went back in to have the surgeon check in out and he said that there is a really big ulcer in my soft palate, very far back in my mouth where it meets the throat. It's been so super painful. I still hate having the wholes where my teeth once were, but I'm getting used to it. I'm anxious to get this process moving.

Man that sounds soooo painful! Is there anything that they can do for it? I'm sure you already have, but have you tried warm salt water? I sure do hope it gets better soon for you. OUCH!!!


BTW- I agree that your teeth are a beautiful white! And they have a nice shape, too. I can't wait to see your smile after braces. it's going to be stunning!

OUCH that doesn't sound pleasant!!! I'm sorry to hear that about that ulcer of doom you got going on! but just take it easy and all will be well... its just a bump in the road... and from what i see there are a bunch of bumps in the road to and through braces!! hope your feeling better soon ... post soon!

Welcome- your teeth look so white.... your very lucky....
I could not really see your holes.... and once the braces are on they will be hidden.
what sort of braces are you getting?
Sorry to hear about your throat..... hope it gets better soon as well as the ulcer.....
the journey has just began......

If you have your pre brace phots try taking a picture of them on your camera in natual light (a photo of a photo literally) ..... they come out ok...just an idea....

Love sara

Well, I was salt watering like crazy and the sore throat and ulcer are finally starting to go away. Yay for that!

Thanks again for all the nice compliments. Everyone here is so supportive.

Sara, those pics were taking before the extractions, so that's why you can't see them. If I can't get someone to scan the ortho pics for me, I may try the camera thing you suggested. Those pics really make my teeth look scary. Oh, and I will be getting ceramic Invu braces, should have mentioned that. Ortho didn't say anything about the bottom being metal, so I'm assuming both upper and lower will be ceramic. I should probably find that out huh.

I'm such a mix of excited anticipation and "what have I gotten myself into" nervousness.

My worries:
* kissing my husband, is this going to be super weird
* not being able to eat crunchy stuff. I love crunchy things like peanuts, tortillas, lots of that type of stuff.
* how awful it's going to look when I first get them on and have these stupid gaps from the extractions and the wires will be all crooked since my teeth are. I think it will be so much better once they start to straighten.

I'm sure there are a million others, but those are the ones on my mind at the moment. Thanks again for all the great support.

Oh good! I'm so glad that you throat is getting better. That had to of been aweful.

I know what you mean about the "what have I gooten myself into" thing. I was like that too. A LOT yesterday while I was grocery shopping and in pain. And I also worry about being able to kiss hubby, too since I don't get to see him and when he is home I want to get all the kisses I can before he leaves again lol. Hopfully it won't be too much of a problem!

OH CRAP! i didnt even THINK about the kisses!!!! lol im sure i'll find a way ... where theres a will theres a way right! lol

Well, as of noon today, the spacers are in...all 8 of them. So far no pain, just annoying. I keep wondering when the real pain is going to start, since it sounds like most people hated spacers. I have a slight dull ache that just started, but it's not really painful.

I'm getting nervous about brace day next week. I think I'm most nervous about that first look in the mirror and wonder what I just did to myself. I actually think a lot of other people look great with braces, but I have small lips so I tend to think I will not be one of them.

I'm so much more observant of adults with braces now that I have them on the horizon. I was at a concert the other day and there was a 20-something girl there with ceramic braces and she looked so cute with them. It was reassuring.

The wait to get them on is the worst part right now, I'm not a patient person.

OMG! Well, the pain has officially begun in a really bad way. The small dull ache continued until I went to bed. Then around 1AM I was awoken by the worst pain. My whole mouth was throbbing and the spacers felt like they wanted to pop out of my mouth. My immediate thought -- What did I get myself into? If this hurts this bad, am I really going to be okay that first week in braces. My teeth hurt so bad now and that's after popping three advil.

And there I was thinking maybe I'd be one of the lucky ones who didn't really have that much of a problem.

These things can't come out soon enough.

Hey there. Sorry to hear you are in pain. It will pass in a few days. I didn't have spacers, but the pain from the braces was gone in about 4 days and I'm feeling a lot better this week. The first night that I had them I asked myself "What have I gotten myself into?" I asked my husband if he wanted to find a pair of pliers to take them off My first look in the mirror after they went on was weird. I was kind of horrified. Now I think I look pretty cute. So, if you don't like them at first, keep in mind, you might just need a few days to adjust.

And everyone else is right - you have nice teeth. They will look stunning when you are done.