Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi everyone,

this is my brace story! I am 30 years old and live with my boyfriend and son (he's 7) in Yorkshire, England.

I have had crowded uppers and lowers since I was a kid, but never had them fixed. Once went to the orthos when I was 16 and was given a retainer brace - which I wore for one day and thought it was too painful and decided not to bother. My parents weren't too fussed so that was that. Oh how I would regret that if I allowed myself regrets lol.

Anyhoo, so my teeth have always been an issue for me. Meeting new people, working, photographs etc, I never let them stop me from doing anything but I sure as hell feel a little self-conscious whilst I am doing it lol. So I recently got a new job, senior management and better pay, so I figured I'd invest in my confidence and my future employability by getting braces. I know that I am judged by my appearance, it's the sad truth, and we all do it to some extent. So I don't want my smile to hold me back. I also got engaged and desperately want to smile and look pretty on my wedding pictures one day (whenever that will be!).

I looked into the whole brace thing 3 years ago when a dental surgey opened up next door to my work in the city centre. They quoted me around £2,500 at the time and I just couldn't afford it back then. Now with my promotion I can and so I took the leap! This March I went back to the surgery for a consultation and was told I'd need 4 extractions to address the crowded teeth situation. I have a small mouth, small gums and some recession on my upper canines, so all in all, ortho said the extractions were necessary and I said ok.

The four teeth were removed two weeks apart (left side first, then right) and then two weeks after that, I had my braces fitted top and bottom. This was yesterday! Today I am off work and am trying to get to grips with the look of them, the feel of them and eating/cleaning etc. All so new and wierd it will take a lot to get used to it I think.

I had radiance clear brackets which look great, but the wire is so wonky and they have put white ligs on, so it's not invisible at all lol. VERY visible. But so what. I don't care and that's what matters. Everyone else can deal with it haha! I haven't been to work yet though, so dreading the board meetings etc to be honest, but again, no one cares and if they do then it's their problem isnt it

I'll post some pictures when I get chance

x

Welcome to the world of braces. Good luck on your journey to a beautiful, healthy smile!

Welcome, and congratulations!

I also have Radiance brackets on the top, and I love them! Though you're right, they will never actually be invisible, once that wire straightens out, they will look tons better, and it will appear like you're wearing a Hawley retainer (you know... the one kids used to wear when we were younger!) instead of braces. Only the wire will be visible from a good distance.

And you're right about another thing - if others don't like it, it's THEIR problem! But I suspect that once the initial newness has worn off (like, after the first time they see you), it will be pretty much forgotten to everyone else but you. And later on down the road, you may even forget about them from time to time.

Good luck to you!
-athy

Thank you! I'm looking forward to the day when my teeth are straight, even in braces, because that will be so much nicer than them being all over the place lol.

It's day three now, braces were put on Tuesday lunchtime, and I have some sores in my mouth - mainly inside my bottom lip where the brackets are rubbing. My teeth are so crowded that all the brackets sit together in a great big lump on the front of my mouth, which can't help the rubbing very much. On the top it's fine for the moment. I do however have two teeth that are bordering on painful. I say bordering because it has been uncomfortable, irritating, foreign, bulky....but not painful. Now these two teeth are very sensitive to the touch and when I bite down or my tongue touches them, OUCH! lol. They are a bit wobbly too so it just means they are getting ready to move I know. All good I am sure.

Just removed some silicon wax so I can have my morning cup of tea and yoghurt - and ouch they are rubbing the sore on my bottom lip. Can't wait to brush and get that wax slapped back on lol. Then I can relax a bit! I am taking my son out today to a science museum and will be full of kids and parents, so giving the braces their first trip out in public today! I don't care. At least I know this isn't permanent - when I get a bit silly and self-conscious it makes me think of those poor people who have ACTUAL disfigurements, e.g. skin disorders, burns, growths on their faces etc. What must they go through? I'll never stare at anyone again after this I swear!

Good luck to you! I'm sure you'll quickly get used to going public - I've had mine in for nearly 6 weeks now and people have stopped noticing them. It took me about 4 weeks to really get used to the feel of them in my mouth (I still only have top brace on - clear but with wonky wires!) and now I'm not really aware of them at all.

Welcome to the club and best of luck in your journey to a new smile!

Coming up to my one week anniversary in braces and back to work tomorrow after some time off. I will be revealing these new torture implements in the office for the first time! Eek! I say torture but they aren't that bad really. I would go as far as to say they are better than I anticipated. They are annoying at best, uncomfortable at worst. I have a sore on my inner bottom lip and a wire that pokes out on the left into an extraction space - but my tongue and cheek keep catching on it! I've used all my little box of wax in the first week and have a few more coming soon in the post, so all will be ok

I have had numb teeth and wobbly teeth so far, and they are still a little wobbly at the front when I touch then with my tongue. It's a good sign I think, and just can't wait to see some movement. The two teeth next to my front two teeth (not sure of their names!) are really far back and can't have a bracket on until they come forward. Then my canines are higher than they should be, so they need to be pushed back and pulled down. The ortho thought I'd get brackets on the "hidden" two at my first adjustment - which is in 5 weeks. He didn't promise but said he was hopeful. He seemed quite excited for me actually - I think I am probably one of the cases the orthos like because I have very crooked teeth and to straighten that out must be quite rewarding, as it's so visible so soon. I don't have any bite issues that he has mentioned to me, so hoping it will be straightening the top and bottom front teeth, then closing the four gaps, and hey presto! lol. I cannot wait and am so excited it's crazy...!

I have been eating ok too, and have found that chewing on the painful teeth really helps. It's like a baby with a teething ring I guess, it's sore but comforting at the same time! I am able to press food apart with my front teeth now lol, not bite but just enough pressure to tear some toast for example. Which I totally couldn't do last week. I had some broccoli for dinner, cut up small, and only a few rogue green bushes got stuck so that's a relief. I expected to look like the jolly green giant when I opened my mouth afterwards, but no, it was pretty tame.

Here's hoping that work will make the weeks fly by and I won't be counting the brace days for much longer!

So, just over two weeks into this now and it's going ok. I haven't worn wax on my teeth for three days now and no sores (touch wood!). I still have a pokey wire but it's not too bad and not noticeable most of the time. Am really pleased about this development because had just bought some silicon wax and was really struggling to place the blummin stuff on my teeth! Dried my teeth off best I could, tried all sorts of things like making the wax cold, wetting my finger etc and it just didnt want to stick. So I said sod it and tried to go bare and I was ok after the first day. I must note that I was probably ready for it, as in the first week I would have been in a real mess without wax..

My teeth are moving in subtle ways. Some moving into a worse (i.e. pushed further back into my mouth) position which I assume is making room for other teeth to move. My front tooth is sensitive, a few others are now flossable for the first time ever! All going well I guess.

I was at a big conference today for work and was really self conscious. I gave myself the big pep talk beforehand (who cares, be yourself, no one notices etc etc) and still I was really AWARE of my braces all the time and must have given some really stupid expressions that were meant to be closed mouth smiles lol. I cannot do that anymore, not sure about anyone else? My lips dont stretch over the braces properly so when I smile I have to keep my lips parted - not good when there are missing teeth, braces and wonkiness everywhere!!! So not really sure how to get over this self-consciousness other than just keep turning up to meetings, keep talking, keep pep-talking, just keep going really. I think the moment I stop doing something because of the braces, is when it becomes a real problem - so I dont want to do that.

I did avoid lunch today though. Everyone ate together in a big dining room and at the moment I cannot keep my mouth fully closed whilst eating, I find food randomly flies out of my mouth when chewing and then there is the whole issue of food sticking in wires etc. So I went hungry instead. Won't do my waistline any harm lol.

I need to go browse for success stories and before/after photos now. It's the only thing that keeps me going seriously. I must say that I DO NOT feel my braces in my mouth when I am at home now. When I am with new people my mouth dries up and I become so so aware of them, like I trip over every word and my tongue gets stuck. But just with family, I forget about them sometimes, which is really lovely! Yay!

Well, just been for my first adjustment - that's 6 full weeks over with!

My clear braces had pearl ligs, and these had discoloured a bit but not really bad, and I drink tea and coffee every day. Only food I really avoided was curry, but last night I decided to eat some curry flavoured noodles, just to see how bad it was. And Oh MY....talk about glow in the dark lol. I shan't be having those again, like EVER!

But today went for ligs changing and a few changes. My top two laterals had little metal buttons on them at first, as they were so far pushed back in my mouth. One side is now well in line and the other is almost. I am so pleased with this progress, it's much faster than I thought. So the ortho removed the metal buttons and placed clear brackets - so finally I am looking more aligned and with the full see-throughs! Yay!

Only downside is that one canine has gum recession (from sticking out in the gumline and being overbrushed I think) and that tooth is moving nicely but creating huge amount of sensitivity. After the appointment I am now super sensitive to cold air even, and in agony I have to say. I have had a lot of pain in my days, with a good tolerance level,....and jeez this isn't mild. In fact this is the only bit so far that I could call painful and not just uncomfortable/annoying. Nightmare! I am really hoping it's temporary as I've had 6 painkillers in two hours and it's not even touching it... ah well - such are the things we go through for a beautiful healthy smile!!!

Oh, and I didn't like the buttons being removed. That wasn't nice. The sanding was ok, just smelled of burning, but pulling at the metal buttons was disturbing as I really felt my tooth would come out! It didn't of course, but still. I spend most of my time wishing the braces off, but that's the one reason I won't mind waiting another 18 months for them to be removed!

I must work out how to place pics on here. I've had some really good movement to share!

Your posts made me laugh, I can completely relate to the feeling SO AWARE of the braces thing in the beginning, and not being able to smile with a closed mouth anymore, and having your mouth totally dry out when you're nervous about them and then it just makes it worse!! hahaha I'm almost 7 months in now, so thankfully I'm past most of that. They feel normal in my mouth now, still get sore spots from time to time, but I don't even feel them there anymore. Still can't smile with a closed mouth properly, so I just don't bother too most of the time lol I have Damon clear brackets on the top, so it would be similar to what you have...can really only see the wire when you're further away. Anyway, good luck with everything, the first few months are the most exciting because that's when you see the most movement!!

Fabulous! Another two weeks gone by - that's 8 weeks in total. Wow. Two months in braces, plus the three weeks prior to that having extractions, means I am well into my journey now. Feels so good to know that the worst is behind me.

My bottom teeth were never really my worry before, but I guess that is all relative as my top ones were so bad! But my bottom row were really wonky now I look back. My top row were crazy bad but I knew that before I started, but are now straight and in line! After 8 weeks! So pleased. They aren't perfect and my bite is all wrong now, but there are no "hidden" teeth any more which is fab and when I smile my mouth is filled with white...and not black spaces where teeth are pushed too far back in my mouth because of overcrowding. Such a lovely feeling I can't explain it!

The sensitivity which was BAD has now reduced a hell of a lot. My one "fang" tooth that has some gum recession is painful, but that's it. Thank goodness. I was even biting into pizza today and only realised half way through that I wasn't really adjusting for my braces any more, I was just eating as before. I have to admit, I don't enjoy my food as much with the braces. It's like I can't really savour or taste my food and I really struggle to keep my mouth closed whilst eating - which isn't very social is it!

Aah well, another four weeks until my next adjustment! I'm still trying to work out the pic situation lol. Will get there....

Wow - time flies when you get on with life, braces or no braces

It's been 5/6 months since I posted and nearly 8 months since the braces went on. My teeth are perfectly straight now and the ortho has just started closing the gaps this last adjustment. I have hooks (two top, two bottom) and power chains. I think I have double chains actually, there seems to be a few in there!

I just wanted to update on here and say that actually, despite my worst fears, my braces are completely manageable. Of course I can't wait for them to be removed and to be "normal" again, but I have absolutely no issues with them now, even after adjustments. They just get a bit sensitive after an ortho appointment but nothing that lasts more than two days. I eat everything - steak, pizza, burgers, crisps, nuts...you name it lol. I just don't have curry or anything else with turmeric (or beetroot) as it stains badly and I don't like that. But yeah, everything else is fine just a bit faffy for poking the bits of food out the teeth afterwards!

Work is fine too. No one really asked about them and if they did I explained and it was always positive feedback I got. I am mostly unaware now when speaking to other people, and even felt confident enough to interview Directors with the new CEO who I had only just met that morning! I must say it is much better now my teeth are straight and I feel happier smiling already, so can't wait to have the braces off and get those teeth whitened! There'll be no stopping me then lol.

glad the time seems to be going fast for you it makes me feel a lot better! i'm getting my braces on tuesday!! also i live in yorkshire too!

I am approaching one year in braces. Soooo exciting to know my journey is over half-done. Just two small gaps on my bottom extraction gaps now and the rest is fine. All straight, bite nice (for now) and all going well. I am just hoping that I don't have to go much longer as I cannot wait for these braces coming off and the whitening treatment going on haha! Super shiny smile is almost in sight

I am wondering how long it will take to close the gaps though. This bit is dragging a little....

So, got my final tweaks last week and on course for brace removal day on 15th January!!! I had hoped, deep down, that I could have the braces off by xmas but I am ok with January. A new year and a new smile! So excited

Hoping I can finally post some pics here now, so am giving it a whirl....bit big so sorry about that !!!

First weeks in braces:


Smile a couple of months ago


I have lots of detailed pics but these show the huge changes best I think.

Your smile is looking fantastic!! I just got a debrace date of February 4th, so I'm doing the countdown thing too!! Good luck with your last couple of months!!