I will do this!

[klobird]

I am going to start my own "journal" here..I have just come over from journaling in DentalFearCentral..6 months ago I would not in one million years think I would have braces by summer. I tried one new dentist one last time with the thought that if this didn't work out, I was going to let my teeth rot out of my head. After leaving appts from previous dentists, I felt humiliated, determined I was not ever going to the dentist again. But then I had some dental issues, and went to a new dentist. I call her "super dentist"... I am amazed at the changes that can take place in one's thinking when the thought of going to the dentist doesnt strike fear into the very core of your being. My self esteem has grown to the point where now I am ready to take the next step and get my teeth to be there best!

I went to my initial free consultation at one of the best orthodontists in the city where I live. I really felt that there was no way that I would be able to afford him (funny though--he is 33, severely intense,extremely quiet, and looks like Doogie Houser) ...But miraculously some financial things came together and on May 9th I will be getting spacers and on May 17th braces.

This is what I got in the mail after my initial consultation.

My evaluation of your teeth reveals:

-The lower back teeth bite too far behind the upper back teeth.
-The vertical overlap of the front teeth is excessive (overbite).
-The upper incisors are too far in front of the lower incisors (overjet) (note: it's 6mm)
-The upper teeth are crowded due to insufficient space
-The lower teeth are crowded due to insufficient space
-The upper lip is less full than ideal
-The lower lip is less full than ideal
-The smile is relatively narrow and not all your teeth are visible when you smile

My evaluation of your jaw relationships reveals:

-The upper jaw is normal in size.
-The lower jaw is deficient in size.

I recommend the following treatment plan:

-Full upper/lower braces with Damon system and Forsus appliance (note: uh ya, I know--yuck. Also, they recommend full metal, not ceramic--whatever)

I estimate your orthodontic treatment to be approximately 24 months....
blah,blah,blah

I feel like I have just gotten one of those junior high report cards--where the teacher picks the comments from a list and puts them in next to your grade.

Anyway, next week I go to my "super dentist". She is going to replace 4 fillings with white composites (that show on the side of my smile)--the fillings are probably from when I was a kid--in 3 different quadrants..She freely hands out the nitrous, and I looooovvvvveeeee it. And she knows it and is perfectly OK with it. So, since I have heard that the spacer pain is the worst, I am also going to have her re-check a couple of teeth that still are causing me pain. When I had my first exam and work done with her in Feb. I didn't bring it up--if she couldn't find the reasons for the pain from the x-rays than I sure wasn't going to pursue it..I feel differently now, and want everything to be taken care of. I still get shocking pains sometimes in those teeth, and when I eat I always feel like is this going to be the bite that causes me pain.

So, I have researched braces every way from Sunday--and I am ready to take the plunge. I have already learned so much from this website.

These are the things I have bought so far for my journey, knowing that when I look back on this I will probably laugh at my naivete:

-Mack's pillow soft ear plug wax
-Oral-B super floss
-Gum Go-Betweens
-picks
-skinny straws and fat straws
-pencils with erasers (I guess to push in pokey wires)
-Oragel

It's just a beginning--the actual braces won't be on for another 4 weeks. I am going to buy a water-pic, clear mouthwash,
Peroxyl rinse, the correct toothpaste, and a little carry bag full of mini things for when I go out somewhere to eat or travel.
I have the 800mg of Ibuprofen from a previous surgery last year, and lucky me--I still have Percocet left over and Tylenol 3's. Oh ya, and I have a list of multitudes of foods to buy that I will be able to eat those first few days.

So, there it is...oh ya, I'm starting this journey at 55!

[klobird]

Oh ya, and I also have a list of every bad thing I can eat before I get braces: frozen Twix candy bars, and Milky Ways.
Crunchy Chinese food, Applebee's crunchy chicken Asian salad, my good friends popcorn (the best!), chocolate cheerios,
steak broiled until it's so burned you could throw it on the floor and it will break, this really bad McDonald's breakfast sandwich, crunchy Cheetos...still thinking of more...have 3 weeks to eat it all...

What's really weird is that the ortho gives out prizes for good brace care--kids prizes and adult prizes--and one of the adult prizes is a gift certificate for steak from somewhere--like a local butcher or something. So, maybe I can eat steak---but probably not the way I like it.

And I have been told that I will probably have "bite turbos". Ya, that's going to be good for eating...

I sure hope they don't slap all this stuff on when they put the braces on--braces,Forsus appliance and bite turbos. I would like a little bit of time to get used to the braces...I don't have any idea how it works...

[klobird]

Ok, so I thought I could do crunchy, sticky, hard, junkie food------my system says no!!! I felt this crappy before because of my junk food diet, so last September I quit all junk food, started eating healthy, (well, except for diet caffeine free coke)
and started losing weight. It got so bad that the doctor insisted I have a colonoscopy--my first..Everything was fine--so it was the bad eating.

So, I have been CHOWING down on all manner of crappy, bad food that I love--and my system is doing exactly what it did before last September...I think I will sadly have to bid the junk food farewell a little bit earlier than spacers and braces days... waaahhhhhh... I am already complaining!! I can't believe it!! I am trying to make a decision not to whine, and I'm still 3 weeks out from even spacers!!

OK, I will do this...I will do this...I will do this...
Brother....

[Jethro]

Take it easy, klobird, you're going to be just fine...honest! No need to over indulge...a few weeks in and you'll be able to eat just about anything you want, just in smaller pieces. I got braced the week before Thanksgiving (2008 !) and was able to eat almost everything, albeit slowly and in tiny pieces (had to give up on the homemade pecan pie though). And don't forget that there is no limit on adult beverages!

[Foxsong]

klobird, I am so happy for you, and I admire your determination! I just turned 50 and got braced a little over a week ago. I was terrified of the dentist for my whole life after some nasty experiences as a child, and I know exactly what you mean when you say it changes your life not to be afraid!

You're going to be a star. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your progress!

[klobird]

Thank-you Jethro and Foxsong for your encouragement...I am already meeting some very nice folks here!!

So, this is what unexpectedly happened today..I called the ortho's office because I had a good sum of money in the bank to put down on the braces (in addition to the $2,000 my insurance is going to cover)...and I don't do well with $$$ just sitting in the bank..I will piddle in down on 'important', 'practical' things. Like what came up last night--I had dropped my cell phone in the toilet about a month ago--it survived--well, until last night. OK so where does my mind go----"oh, just use the braces money"...I didn't---I took it and put it all as the pre-payment. I have heard that is not so wise, but for me keeping it in the bank is just the same as saying "forget the braces". As always, I figured out another way to get a new cell phone today. Not an easy fix, but it worked...

Back to the unexpected thing that happened today...so, when I called the ortho office, the lady said "you know, the doctor is out today and we have assistants just sitting around--why don't you get your records appt done when you bring in the payment"...so the impressions and stuff were done today!

My new insurance with the ortho rider begins May 1st so I can't continue until after the 1st, and that's why my appts are
May 9th for spacers and May 17th for braces. But today they said they were having to moved slowly schedules around and
they may be able to move everything up a week!!

I told them that I really hope so--I am not a good "waiter". So that's where it stands for now....

[klobird]

Can anyone tell me what the bells are at the login site next to our user names..and why some are going on and off, and some are yellow, and some have a black dot by their name???

This is so new...and I feel like I am getting sooo much good information, but boy, there is a lot of it!!!

Thanks anyone!

Klobird

[klobird]

Besides constantly wondering what made me think about getting braces, and what the hell am I doing, and who got in my brain this year--I am also thinking a lot about some other things...Maybe I have mentioned them before, but here goes:
(Oh, but in no way am I backing out--I am on a mission!)

1. Do people make fun of you because you are older--I will not be in Invisalign-they won't work for me...Especially kids and teens-do they make fun of you?--I am 55, and my self-esteem is pretty healthy, but I still am wondering. And are other adults rude to you--like what are some comments you have heard?

2. Are you sorry you got braces?

3. Do you have to call the ortho office a lot with problems and do they get annoyed if you do? (Not a problem for me yet).

4. Does anyone feel like they are in pain all the time?

5. Does it affect your job? (I work for a physician, and he seems kind of annoyed that I am getting braces, well, he did at least until I showed him my records pics on my patient login site--kind of wow--ewwww--but I am able to hide it well.

6. If there are just 2 archwires, where are all these pokey wires that people talk about having to put wax on and stuff?
I mean I understand poking brackets, and molar bands being a problem...

7. Is there anything you feel like you should have been told by the ortho office that you were hit with later?

OK, so yes, I am obsessive-compulsive--it works well for me at work, but not for things like this...I understand when people say to stop worrying, but a lot of the youtube videos are kind of disturbing. I will just be glad when the process really starts. A little over 2 weeks and counting for the spacers, and 3 weeks for the braces; however, the ortho office has me on a list to fast track it if they get an opening...

[rwashington007]

Your nerves will probably be high until the day you get them on....then after a couple of months you will be over the whole brace face thing...lol

Adults and kids don't make fun of you. I think it is so common seeing adults in braces now-a-days that it is just silly to tease someone for wearing them now...The only thing that i got teased about was that i spoke with a slight lisp for like a week or two after I got my braces on....and then it went away.

I have had to call my ortho once because one of my brackets came off of a tooth. They were really nice and just scheduled an appoint to get it fixed.

I was one of those fortunate individuals that had no pain (AT ALL) just some sensitivity when biting into things.

Again the only thing that was affected at all was my speech....but you can talk through it....its not that bad

Ortho was pretty straight up with what I should expect.

Oh and most of the orthos give you a nice little goodie bag with plenty of wax, floss accessories etc so you might not need to buy that much of it...

[klobird]

Thanks Washington--I appreciate all the info from anyone who is willing to share!!!

[catgyrl]

1. Do people make fun of you because you are older--I will not be in Invisalign-they won't work for me...Especially kids and teens-do they make fun of you?--I am 55, and my self-esteem is pretty healthy, but I still am wondering. And are other adults rude to you--like what are some comments you have heard?

Not one person had made fun of me. And if they did... who cares? There's a saying I've heard that I absolutely LOVE: "Other people's opinion of me is none of my business." I have a ton of nieces and nephews, and my 4-year-old niece did say "Ewww... I don't want braces!" Well... neither do I, but I had to get 'em anyway. Besides, what do I care what a 4-year-old says?

2. Are you sorry you got braces

There's never been a day when I've regretted my decision.

3. Do you have to call the ortho office a lot with problems and do they get annoyed if you do? (Not a problem for me yet).

Between the day of my consultation (3/26/10) until the day I got braced (4/9/10) I think I called them every other day with some sort of question about what kinds of brackets I'd be getting. After I decided to switch to ceramic on top, I called them with more questions... changed my mind and cancelled... changed my mind again and rescheduled. They were never, ever anything but wonderfully supportive and accomodating to me. (Now, they may have hung up the phone and said, "What a nutjob!" but again... what they think is none of my business. They are there to help you. Without you, they would have no business. I would think the only time they would ever be perturbed is if you don't follow the orthodontist's instructions for your treatment (not wearing elastics, etc.)

4. Does anyone feel like they are in pain all the time?

There is some level of discomfort after adjustments. For regular lig/powerchain changes, there's usually none. For wire changes, yes, I do have to pop a few ibuprofens afterward. But most of the time, there's no feeling whatsoever.

5. Does it affect your job?

I'm a secretary, so the only effect is has on me is that I have to make a more concerted effort to enunciate better, due to a lisp that comes and goes. If someone clearly doesn't understand what I'm saying, I just laugh and say, "Sorry, I have braces, so I talk a little funny..."

6. If there are just 2 archwires, where are all these pokey wires that people talk about having to put wax on and stuff? I mean I understand poking brackets, and molar bands being a problem...

Most of the "pokey wire" talk refers to the end of the wire that extends to the last bracketed tooth. As your teeth move, the wire may poke out of the back a little bit. Usually, wax will do the trick, but if it gets too long, just give them a call and they can clip it for you. I would suggest that before you leave the office after your appointments, run your tongue over the wire back there to see if you can feel it, and have them adjust accordingly. Likewise, as your teeth move, the brackets will move along with them and may rub the inside of your lips/cheeks. Gob that wax on, and usually by the next day, you'll be fine.

7. Is there anything you feel like you should have been told by the ortho office that you were hit with later?

Thus far, I think my case was pretty straightforward. Overjet caused by crowding and thumbsucking; teeth lean towards the right, thus necessitating one extraction on the left to move the teeth back and over. No talk of surgery, whatsoever. I haven't been thrown any curveballs... yet!

I hope my answers alleviate some of your concerns. You sound a lot like me with the questions. Better to ask them and have peace of mind than drive yourself crazy. You may find a few people here who say they regret their decision to get braces, but they are few and far between.

-Cathy

[klobird]

I am also wondering if anyone gets comments about the $$$ they are spending on braces...I told a good friend how much my braces are ($5,100) and she asked me if I was going to get a train with "those tracks"......

I think it will be kind of cool looking like I can afford braces...even though I had to pull the $$$ from all corners of my
a*s! I also think I will probably be wondering why I didn't spend it on a cruise!

I have already put 1/2 down, but I still have 3 weeks to go before starting to serve my sentence. I know that if I didn't do that I would piddle the money away--and it was way to hard to pull it together--I had to get rid of it!

I can't believe I am actually going through with this--has anyone else felt like someone else took over their brain before they got braces? I mean really....it feels surreal to me right now....

[Beauty is Pain]

Finally I hunted you down! HAPPY BRACES DAY!

I want these two years just pass quickly, so that I am able to see my straight teeth at the end!

How are you feeling now? Not too sore I hope? Eat icecream if your teeth aren't too sensitive, otherwise just stick with a soft food diet!

[klobird]

BiP--Actually I have 2 journals--don't even ask me why--I can't remember why I started a new one--the one I usually use is "OK, This was not the Plan".

Anyway I am fully braced!!! I did it!!!!! OK, so that was about 5 1/2 hrs ago--I had no pain with spacers, no pain with the molar bands, the glue was sour but not that bad at all, and I have absolutely no pain yet!!! Just waiting!!! If there is no pain by 5pm then I will be going to a retirement party for a co-worker...I took the day off to be in pain!!!

I am very, very happy with the result--the ortho got them to look way cool on me!!! And that's the reaction I am getting from all my surprised friends...

The Damon Q braces are smaller with rounded edges, and the only thing that remotely bugs me right now is the hook on the molar band for the forsus appliance if I have to have that...I will put wax on that--but even that discomfort is barely noticeable..

Oh ya, and right after getting braces, we went out to eat, and I had Chicken Yakisoba---no problems eating at all.
I think me and braces are going to get along just fine.

The only problem right now is that I am exhausted. I got up at 3am to watch the big wedding..and then went back to bed...problem is I didnt even go to bed until about 1am....

Well I am still waiting with fear and trembling for the mass pain to set in....going to lay down for awhile...

[Beauty is Pain]

Good to hear that evil braces aren't doing too much harm to you at the moment. mhm let me think back, I got out of the ortho's at around 12pm, it started hurting at 4-5pm ish. You have it lucky!! Put up a picture soon and have fun at the party!!