Metal Mouth Message Board

hey guys!
i'm kristy. firstly, i just wanted to thank everyone who has posted their experiences and questions on here. i have learnt so much about braces and life with braces!
i turned 25 last month and decided it was finally time to get braces! my teeth aren't really bad just some minor crowding in the top row. but i'm pretty self conscious of it and hate seeing my teeth in photos.
so i went to an ortho for an initial consultation. he decided that i should get braces top and bottom to widen my arches and make my smile bigger. i'm so excited for a nice big smile!
i am getting damon 3's on the bottom row and damon clears on the top. the ortho is also using suresmile wires so he estimates i'll only need to see him once every 2-3 months to change the wires over. my treatment time is estimated to be 15-18months.
i had my moulds made yesterday (wow that mould stuff is so weird- tastes kind of minty but not in a way that makes you want to eat it!)
my braces are going on on the 28th of this month- 2 weeks tomorrow! i'm so excited!
i tihnk i will be very self conscious having braces because i work in a job where i have lots of face to face contact with people, but i'm hoping i'll get used to it quickly and that i wont completely hate my braces. but i just plan to keep my eyes on the prize- a beautiful smile!!

i'd love to hear from anyone who's used the same braces as i am getting to let me know how you found them. and basically just any words of encouragement or warning from anyone! i'll post pics as soon as i get my braces on!!

Kristy

Best of luck! You will be so glad you did it - I needed braces when I was your age but kept putting it off until now, at 40!!! I'm 6 weeks in, and I've seen such awesome changes I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

The first week is rough - it's hard to get used to the feel of them, the way they look, the way you talk - but after that it's not a big deal. They're still a nuisance, but the changes you will see will make it totally worth it!

Hi Kristy,

I had to post becuse we share the same name Although I turn 26 next month and lve in the UK.

I had my consultation yest and have made an appointment to go ahead and have them fitted at the end of Nov so I'll be running about a month behind you. I'm yet to decide between radiance with clear ligs or clarity SL and I think I'll go for the latter. I'm predicted 12-14m for minor crowding in my uper arch.

p.s. my moulding 'stuff' was wild berry flavour so not too bad at all.

ST

I agree with Silver the first week is the worst but then you get used to them. When youu first get them on you can't ever picture yourself eat normal but honestly you do. Just keep telling yourself that!

oh and chap-stick and wax are your best friends. I use chap-stick everyday because the braces dry out my lips

hey guys, thanks so much for your replies!

silvergirl: i love this site so much because there are people older than me that are getting braces. i have wanted them for years but didn't have the money and was scared. my bf doesn't want me to get them because he thinks my teeth are 'cute' the way they are and he thinks braces are a waste of money. but i think if i don't do it now i will be wishing i did in the years to come, so you saying that has made me even more sure!

seriousthinker: how exciting, kristy is an awesome name, haha! oh you must keep me updated on your progress as we are going to be in a fairly similar position!

equaeternal: thanks for the tip, i'm already quite addicted to paw paw ointment for my lips and imagine the braces is going to have me applying it twice as much, oh just thinking about how much i will go through!! haha

i added one of those ticker things as my signature! only 2 weeks until i get my braces on, i can't wait to upload some pics and share my story!

I just had my Damons put on today. It was not as bad as I anticipated. I even went to the grocery right after my appointment and I could not stop smiling at everyone I saw. I am comfortable tonight. I know There will be discomfort in the coming days, so I am enjoying this moment greatly. All of my anxiety disappeared after my braces were on and I was looking at myself in the mirror....I was so proud to have done this for myself. I try to take care of many people in my life...braces are something I have needed but I always put them at the bottom of the priority list...braces are about prioritizing me and my needs! I am very happy and I know you will be too! I wish you all the best and I look forward to reading your future posts.

Hi Kristy!

Good luck in getting braced Slather on lots of paw paw ointment before getting your braces on so that your lips won't dry out when they are placing the front brackets on. Have fun!

So today was my brace day!!
i got them put on at 9am this morning! it was absolutely horrible having to keep my mouth open for that long and also the water wasn't working so my teeth had to be cleaned using a damp tissue! not ideal but hey, they're on now!
they feel so bulky, it is hard to get my lips closed and i've also developed a lisp which i really hope will dissappear!
i have to go back next week to get a bracket put back on that popped off when the wire was being put on today. when i go back i'll get my login details for my ortho's website and upload some pics of pre-braces and braced!

Congrats! The lisp will go away after awhile, just keep talking

so i'm day 3 in braces and thought i would show you a pic so that we can monitor progress!



i am quite self conscious of the braces at the moment, but i'm sure i'll get used to them!

Today is day 6 for me! I am still adjusting to them, no real discomfort, still lisping, but I know my speech will get better. I hope you adjust quickly. I am either really confident in them or really self conscious about them. I wish you all the best and look forward to following your progress. Good luck!

hey guys! i have been super slack with my brace-face updates, but today i've had my braces on for one month, so i thought it was about time! I am so used to them now, i don't even think about them, except for the fact my teeth have been a bit sore the past 2-3 days (which i always tell myself is a good thing, because they must be working!). I think i have made some progress which is super exciting! it is with my second tooth on my left side (i am really bad with the names). when i first got the braces on it was really crooked and sticking out quite a bit. but now it is still crooked but is in line more with the other teeth. the archwire has straightened out a tonne which makes me so much happier to smile!
i think i have figured out how to make my images a bit smaller so i am going to put up my day one image and my today image for comparison.

day 1:



day 30:



please excuse the difference in colour as it was just too hard to get it the same! i also haven't really focused on my bottom teeth as there's nothing really wrong with them, they just have some very mild spacing. the braces are just there to help with my bite and make the arch match my new top arch.
2 things to note:
1) i will need some gum recontouring (which the ortho said he'd do near the end when the teeth are done moving) as my gum is at uneven levels, making my teeth look different sizes. it is horrible, but i think they'll look great when they're all the same size as my front left tooth!
2) on my front right tooth there is some glue which is slightly raised from the tooth, which is creating a white patch look. has anyone else had this? does the ortho remove excess glue at your first adjustment?

thanks to everyone who has read my post and who has posted on this site, it's the best!

hahah sorry, i couldn't resize the 1st one, but i promise they'll all be the same size as my recent one from now on!

so today was my first adjustment after 5 and a half weeks in braces. i lost a bite turbo on one of my back molars a couple of weeks ago so my ortho put that back on and built up the other one a bit. so now i'm back to not being able to get my top and bottom teeth to touch again! he also changed my top and bottom wires to some thicker ones. they are so much more noticeable to me, i really dislike them! but no one else seems to have noticed the difference. my next appointment is booked for 8 weeks time and i'll be having my suresmile scan! so then i can get my custom made archwires 8 weeks after that! i'm very excited about it!

I am enjoying your story. It is a lot like mine. I look forward to watching your continued progress. Thanks for sharing!