Metal Mouth Message Board

I will begin my saga with the initial post that I started on Jan 19, 2009. It details the initial thoughts, feelings & fears that were running through the aged mind of a 48 year old who didn't want to waste ANY time in getting on with the program.

A little background info.....

I didn't have to search for an ortho since two of my three sons had already been through the experience of which I was about to embark. The results that they have are miraculous & I absolutely love their smiles.

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Joined: 19 Jan 2009


Metal Mouth Message Board

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:41 pm Post subject: Brace Face At 48.....Am I crazy or what??

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I must admit, eight weeks ago I didn't even know I needed braces. I'm scheduled for ceramic uppers on Thursday, 1/22/09.

Am I doing the right thing?? Please tell me your opinions. Those closest to me don't think I have an issue and are in awe that I am going to the expense.

Here's my story.

My teeth have always been pretty straight but I recently found out that my bite is way too deep and my midline is way off kilter, not to mention that my alignment is 'right on' on one side and 'way off ' on the other....

This all came about when I went to my dentist because the tops of my lower front teeth were worn at an angle and the upper front tooth which had some sort of bonding on it to lengthen it was chipped off. I went in with the mistaken assumption that the bonding would be replaced and put on the lower 4 front teeth also.

Before I realized what was being done, they were all being filed. I stopped the doc and told him that I wanted to keep what I had for the rest of my days.

He said that the wearing down issue (due to my clenching both day and night) could be fixed with about 9 months of braces (& some behavior modification).......which turned into 18 after I got up with the ortho. With the ortho, I also became aware that the backs of my upper teeth were wearing thin and literally had groves where my lowers conveniently fit into them.

Enough already....sorry for the length, hope someone is still with me...

Does anyone out there think that I am doing the right thing or am I just a hopefull optimist?

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:57 pm Post subject: Brace Face At 48.....Am I crazy or what??

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Never in my life have I given as much attention to my mouth! .

When I got my second son through braces (Nov. last year), I thought my monthly visits to the ortho were over and done with. This is still a shock to me even though my appointment is tomorrow a.m. at 9:30. Who knew your teeth do all of this moving as you age...not me.

My ortho told me that my teeth are "too straight" and that they should be at more of an angle, so the first thing we will do is to make my teeth angle out so they won't be touching the lower teeth. After X amount of time, brackets will be placed on my lower teeth. I guess they can be brought forward??

It's like my teeth are back too far in my mouth and the more I clench, the further the bottom ones go back.......that draws a pretty scary picture of myself in your eyes I'm sure. Like I said, I didn't even know I had such problems! Where have I been?

That brings me to a question I haven't been able to find while researching... What does the "Ideal" set of teeth look like?? I would love to see a photo of "properly positioned" teeth.....from all angles. Is there such a beast out there I'd love to see it.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm "Off to see the Wizzard".

Thanks again for your comments.

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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:57 pm Post subject: Brace Face At 48.....Am I crazy or what??

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OK, here's the scoop brace fans......

After dreaming & tossing & turning all night , my big day arrived as was expected. While lying supine under the bright light, I was still in disbelief that this was really happening to me. The dear assistant kept telling me that "It'll be alright" and was patting me on the cheek. (She was so cute.)

After less than 1 hour, it was official and legit. I am now officially Brace Face(d) at 48 with Clarity brackets and "glow in the dark" ligtures which are really clear and are not suppose to stain. (I'll let you know how that goes.)

I left with my instructions and my over-stuffed bag of goodies with what felt like legos on my upper teeth. I was told to chew sugarless gum to ward off soreness & take ibuprofen as necessary. (I started taking ibuprofen yesterday to be sure it was in my system as suggested by an oral surgeon before my son's wisdom teeth extractions.) I've done both and so far I am without pain and discomfort. I've even globbed on wax at the first sign of a minor irritation.

I can only hope that my luck continues and my wax doesn't get lost. Oh yeah, get this....the dental assistant told me I looked "cute" on my way out. The staff all said to call if I had any questions or problems and I told them if anything came up that I'd just ask the kid next door.

Anyway.....I plan to dine now, (and wine later Jethro.....just to "keep the edge off!")

Thanks for being there guys....teammates, gang, family!!

I'll check back for updates & keep you posted. Bye now.

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Jan 24, 2009

Ok, the teeth are not sore, just the jaws.. I didn't realize that the jaws were under such trauma until bedtime when I was doing my final clean-up for the night. You know when you pucker to spit...thought I was gonna die. No definite wounds, just generally raw. Been swishing peroxide to help alleviate this plus been using much wax. I sure am thankful that I only have uppers now. Would surely be in deep agony if I was braced on lowers also. Keeping ibuprofen handy just in case.

Jan 27, 2009

Day 6 with upper brackets. I think by using Kanka for the inside of my jaws, that the two sore places inside my jaws have gotten better. Still using wax too. Now the canines are beginning to rub raw spots a little higher than the first two. I am also noticing that my bottom lip is a bit sore. You'd think that they would round and buff the edges of these brackets to make them smooth. I may just have to redesign the Clarity brackets for those who have not ever worn them. Why put sharp edges on them? Duh......

Feb 1, 2009

I've made it over a week with my new braces. Haven't worn any wax for the last couple of days. Guess my jaws have finally toughened up (knock on wood!) I must say that the glow in the dark ligatures have not remained without stains as the dental assistant told me that they would. I ate curry.....something that I can't remember doing very often in the past. I ate Thai with my sister and wow, it was great! After we ate, I did brush & to my disappointment, the glow in the dark rubber bands had turned as yellow as this: ! This has not made for a happy me. Makes the entire set of teeth look yellow. I may call the ortho & see what can be done to replace them ASAP! At least I am not in pain. I have felt a movement "pop" when I clench my teeth on my left canine. It's like it moves & rubs against its neighbor & pops to a new position then returns and can be moved again later. It probably moves a fraction of a fraction but it's wierd for me.

Feb 7, 2009

I'm really not sure that I am continuing my saga correctly. I keep posting responses while all I am really doing is making an update to my ongoing story. Any advice on how to do this the "correct" way would be great.

Two weeks & doing great with the braces. My mouth is free of sore places and I am actually sleeping well. Flossing is not a big deal, I don't mind anything about it but the extra time I takes to go through the process.

I've actually allowed my smile to be viewed full force, on the job and with friends who've known me forever + strangers. It's getting easier all of the time. Only a couple of weeks before my first adjustment. Funny thing about that appointment is that my 15 year old has a recheck at the same time. We'll probably be side by side in chairs next to each other. We all know who the embarassed party will be! He'll get over it.

March 1, 2009

Don't know what just happened but I lost my entire post!!!!

In a nutshell:
- 1st adjustment on 2/26 - no pain
- noticing some movement.
- space between right front tooth & bicuspid.
- teeth moving forward - have to purposefully pronounce some words.
- was given ligs to take home to change when I need/want to.

Long time, no post. Life happens......with or without braces. I've had a really uneventful experience with my upper braces. Worse part was the first week and my sore jaws. Next Monday, July 12, I get my lower brackets. The uppers have moved enough where there is room, so says my ortho, I'm not so sure. Going for the ceramics there also. I can tell that they have moved forward, but not as much as I expected them to have at 6 months in. There is still a gap and it seems like the right side of my teeth have moved forward more than the left. It's kinda like one tooth moves at a time and on to the next from the back forward. Anyway, I have taken some photos which have yet to download themselves. When I get caught up on my restin' I'll consider coaxing them to jump onto the web. I did go ahead and order the braces cover thing which was suggested in other posts from the master of the site. Don't wanna go through the trama of week 1 upper brackets. I'm ready for some real movement, cant wait for the deep bite to get right. Now when my teeth are together, it looks like I am perpetually frowning. Can't wait for my midline to be centered either. I'm already 6 months in with 12 to go. In my mind, we've lots to accomplish.

I have a really deep bite too (but have other issues that must get sorted before we even begin to tackle that!) - I hope it all goes well for you and that you start seeing more movement. What does the ortho think of your progress? I bet that your teeth have moved more than you realize. It will all be sorted out eventually.

Good luck with getting your lowers on, I bet that will help a lot with fixing the bite - will you be getting molar bumps on so that you don't bite off the lower brackets? I'll be getting those when I get my lowers on. Will your ortho later try to correct the bite with elastics?