Metal Mouth Message Board

I am in my late twenties and have been in braces since March of 2008. The decision to get braces as an adult was made after years of internal debate. Prior to getting braces, my diastema was 5mm (down to 4mm now after 4 months in braces yeah!). There were several things that influenced my decision: people looked at my teeth and not my eyes when I talked; children often ask me if I lost a tooth; I was rejected by men; and I was often ridiculed by family members. People in my family told me that my gap made me special and made references to Lauren Hutton. It really annoyed me that I was getting peptalks from people who obsessed over their teeth and had no gaps. I wanted to scream, "if you are so pro-gap, then lets extract one of your teeth and make you one!" The day I got braces was very traumatic for me. I have metal brackets on upper and lower teeth and was given an estimated wear time of 12-24 months. When I first looked at my smile, I almost cried. The braces seemed to magnify my diastema. The pain was another story. I am petite and had recently gained ten pounds. Those quickly went down the drain along with my self esteem. It has been almost 5 months now and I am gaining weight and feel more comfortable. I hate adjustments, however. On my last visit, some brackest were rearranged and I almost cried. It felt like a tooth was being extracted. I often look at before and after pictures of people with diastemas and get so excited. I am glad I decided to get braces now, but will be much happier when this experience is over.

Glad to hear your finally closing up that gap

I too have a diastema (~1.5 mm) at the moment, and those around me have said the same things they have told you (it makes you unique, or some other BS).

These next 20 months will go by in a breeze, but remember, you will have to wear a retainer for several years after (especially with such a large space), but expect a beautiful smile

Thanks so much real2 and bracedagain for the encouraging words. It is so awesome to have a support system!

Hey leager, I too got braced in March 2008. Congrats on getting braced and welcome to our little braces community!!
I love this place, the support REALLY helps alot.

Hi there Leager2000,

WELCOME and a great, big CONGRATULATIONS for getting braced!!!! When I first got my braces on I cried and swore that I would never open my mouth again... things change though. Hopefully you will feel more comfortable as time progresses and, as cliche as this might sound, the time will go by so very fast, just you watch!!! Be sure to take photos too, it is incredibly uplifting to compare photos and see changes.

This might sound weird, but there is alot of excitement that comes with having braces (more than I ever realised) so I hope you're ready for it too!!

Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your journey!!!!

Take care,
Dane

Wow I didn't realize people were that traumatized about getting braces. When I got mine on yesterday I was actually extremely happy and couldn't wait to show them off to EVERYONE, I think they are really cute looking! I'm actually kind of sad that they will be off in a year. But of course right now I'm in a whole buttload of pain haha.

I personally can't wait to get my first set so I can start my own story on these boards n compare my diastema to yours (at which point you wont have one )

I can relate to the brace shock.
I pretty much spiraled into a zero confidence funk for a few days. But your spirits really do come up after a little while. A person can get used to anything I guess.
You'll be *so* glad you went through with the braces once your de-brace day rolls around and you get the smile you've always wanted.
Good luck with your treatment!

Hey DaneAnthony and Folk Ballad,

It is reassuring to know that others were not initially comfortable with the appearance of their braces. I am glad you guys are feeling better about yourselves. I am sure you both look awesome. Do you metal on top and bottom?

Melissa,

Thanks for the encouraging words. I read your story and and glad you finally decided to take this step. I am glad you did not have to get the impacted teeth extracted. I had to hava all four of my wisdom teeth extracted prior to getting braces. It was not that bad, but mine were not impacted. They were removed by my general dentist under local anesthesia. My coworkers said I was crazy for not going to an oral surgeon to get gas, but I survived.

Real2,

When are you getting braces? I will have to post pictures soon. You are fortunate to have a small diastema, so you will not require as long in braces.

tonysaur,

Have your tried Advil or Aleve? These NSAIDs make a big difference. Make sure you take one of them prior to adjustments to help with pain. I am glad you feel comfortable with your braces.

leager2000 wrote: It is reassuring to know that others were not initially comfortable with the appearance of their braces.

I forgot to mention, I suffered a great deal of shock during my first days in braces too. I cried the first day. I felt so ugly and unattractive. My boyfriend was waiting for me in the waiting area, and I did not want to face him after my appointment was over!! I came out to schedule my next appt at the front desk and he was saying "lets see!"...i shook my head like "NO!"...I never wanted to open my mouth again! Going back to work was scary too...and of course, everyone knew I had braces even though I only told two people I was getting them...grr..I was sooo upset, everyone kept coming up to me saying "lets see your braces!" all I would do was shake my head no.. someone even said, "are you embarrassed?!?!" grrrrrr to that person! I just wanted to scream "leave me alone!!!"
Thankfully, now that my teeth are straighter, I am more comfortable with my braces... and that 'shock' phase has passed, and can talk and smile with no problem!

Okay! I finally have pictures, but the quality is poor. The second picture is when I first got braced and the first picture is 4 months later. I will add better pictures next week. The original size of my space was 5mm and is now down to 3mm.





This is a little clearer. You can see my frenum; I will ultimately have to have a frenectomy. Is anyone familiar with this? It has been 5 months and 4 days since I got braces. Mt orthodontists again stated that we could probably remove the braces at 12 months, but I think he is just trying to make me feel better. My space between my central incisors is closing, but is being shifted between the laterals and canines.

what a difference! WOW!

it's amazing how much a few millimeters can mean when it comes to teeth... your story gives me so much hope, and i can really relate. I have two enormous canines- one canine that erupted high up in my gum line, overlapping my other crowded teeth like a fang. I can't tell you how many times kids gawked or asked if I was a vampire or simply were afraid of me because of my crazy mixed up teeth. and guys- unless they were goth they had no interest in me. so painful.

but wow your teeth are white and beautifully shaped and you're going to have SUCH a great smile when you're finished. thanks for sharing your story!

Shinyriver

Words hurt whether they come from kids or adults. I hope you do not take the comments of kids personally because they say what they think without a filter. Thanks so much for the encouragement. Wait until you start to see your progress; it is an amazing feeling. Your smile is going to be awesome as well.

I had a frenectomy, took about 5 minutes to do. Aside from the 2 needlesticks it wasnt bad at all. Afterwards was just minor soreness, then the stitches drove me crazy till they fell out. Here's a pic.......

congratulations on your braces and getting your gap closed. I had a gap between my two front teeth to and I hated it more than anything. I have a younger brother and older sister but I was the only who inherited my family gap. People told me my teeth were fine and even if they were being truthful I still was the one with the gap and not them. My gap closed up really fast in about 5 or 6 months and that was back in 2006 so now when I look in the mirror I can't remember ever having a gap. When I get a copy of my before pics from ortho since I never smile in personal pics I will post them to give u some inspiration and me some as well because I've come so far. Good luck and oh what methods are your ortho using to close your gap?