Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello everyone,

When i was younger I never realized how important straight teeth is: easier to clean/maintain, social constructs, and overall dental health. Now, I've thought of getting braces since high school, but everyone I knew had to wear them for 2+ years - some friends pushing almost 4 years! I figured it was something I'd have to live with, as my parents didn't think braces were necessary.

I currently don't have dental insurance, but through my friend's referral (she works at an ortho's office), I went in for a consultation last Saturday. One week later (yesterday, 4/27), I had my own fancy set of metal train tracks along my teeth, and my wallet $2k lighter. Not a bad price for straight teeth, no?

Surprisingly I didnt have any brackets or wires on any of my first and second molars. Is that common? I googled some photos of braces and have seen the molars untouched. I asked my ortho and the assistant, who said that it is not necessary at this time (may change later). This forum has really helped me take the leap and see how great the results can be. Everyone is very nice so far and motivational!!

Timeline:
Consultation: 4/20/2013
Train tracks installed: 4/27/2013
Estimated treatment time: 9-12 months


Will update on photos ASAP when I get home :3

Congratulations and welcome to the forum and braces

It's normal for some people to not have molars bracketed. My daughter is 11 months into an 18 month sentence in hers and all of her molars remain free of brackets.

$2 is awesome! I left my ortho's office with my purse almost $7K lighter (and $6 000 lighter the first time for my daughter....with 2 more to go in about a year! *panics*).

Looking forward to following your journey

Thank you, Tobilei! Not sure how tax deductions are for you, but my employer provides a system where you can add pre-taxed dollars to a "FSA", which is also beneficial. Otherwise, ortho may be tax deductible as well (may vary by country).

Here is a picture of my teeth, taken the day before braces (don't know how to edit my original post):



As you can see, I have a cross bite on my left (my left teeth are picture as right side) and now that I have the brackets, I can definitely feel how bad my bite is! As my teeth feel sore/tight, now I can tell how my left lateral incisor on the top arch is badly placed on top of my bottom lateral incisor. I hope I have all the terms correct.

Don't worry about terms so much. I'm 5 months in and I don't even know the name's of my teeth

Yep we found out about 2 months ago that we can put braces on my husbands tax, sadly we missed out for my daughter because we didn't know.

You have very pretty teeth already. They'll look fabulous when you're done

Congrats on starting the journey! I'm excited to see a fellow 25 year old!

And yes you do have pretty teeth already! Can't wait to see braced pics!

Tobilei - ah yes, any savings counts! I did a lot of research on whether or not it would be worth it - thanks to this forum, I jumped the gun and I'm so glad I did.

Ellabelle - Oh thank you! Hopefully my photos will be as exciting as yours Yay to quarter life crises (braces included) ! I'm doing the low carb dieting and it's helping, since I can't snack like I used to. Surprisingly, it's not that difficult to avoid foods because I think of the pain I went through to try to eat them in the first place. Steamed veggies are abundant in every meal. Downside is saying "no" at work, when everyone tells me I'm ridiculous for "dieting" when I'm already petite/slim.

I agree with Ellabelle; you do have pretty teeth! And interesting discussion about tax deductions. I'm going to look into writing off part of my ortho work on tax.

Yay for you!
I also don't have brackets on my molars, as the only teeth that needed to be moved are the front 6. I have brackets on my last molars as anchors. I don't know which teeth are getting bracketed on the bottom as I am missing 2 molars on my left side- we'll have to see what the ortho does.

I had the same situation as you in the fact that my parents didn't think I NEEDED braces, glad you didn't wait as long as I did! (I am 50)

Good luck on your journey!

Hi all,

A bit late, as I've been busy with school and work. It's been 3 weeks now and I don't see much changes yet. My bottom teeth surprisingly feels sore today. Usually it's my top teeth. Perhaps they are moving? I've slimmed down a bit, back to my pre-college weight, from cutting most carbs. Changing eating habits can really improve your skin, sleep, and overall metabolism. I'm really happy with how whiter my teeth appear with braces - must be the contrast with the metal, or the ample amounts of brushing with my sonicare. haven't jumped the gun yet to buy a Waterpik!

Day 1 on top photo, After 3 weeks on bottom photo


Hmmm I think my midline for my top arch is somewhat getting closer? My front incisors on my bottom are appear to have straightened a tiny bit. I treated myself to some peanut brittle yesterday from See's Candies. I didn't bite into it - just left it in my mouth until it became very soft. Ah~ so tasty.

catphones - yes, definitely see what options you have. I'm really glad I took a tax accounting course! Thank you - I'm hoping this will improve my bite.

debinator - better late than never! What are the anchors for? Any updates from your ortho? Cheers to straighter teeth!

Your teeth remind me a lot of mine. I Just got my braces put on 1 week ago. Our "before" photos are pretty similar.

I bet you are going to see great results! I look forward to your updates!

melanie wrote:Your teeth remind me a lot of mine. I Just got my braces put on 1 week ago. Our "before" photos are pretty similar. I bet you are going to see great results! I look forward to your updates!

Hi Melanie! Thanks, that means you are about a month behind when I first started! I hope so as well - my appointments are quick and my ortho is super fast, so I always wonder. However, her client book shows great results and the price was too good to pass up. I hope to see your results as well!

Teeth after 6 weeks below: Day 1 (top) vs. Week 6 (bottom 3)



Last weekend I got a new wire put in, so it's a tad bit thicker. Looks like my top lateral incisor on my left (right in photo) has FINALLY moved forward! My bite is better, as my teeth do not overlap. I am not used to this, as my molars touch while my incisors barely touch. Is that normal? I feel like my side profile looks a bit better now when I smile. I'm really glad I didn't get any extractions. Although my teeth aren't much straighter, glad to see any progress!!

I'm gone hiking the past two days. I'm really happy that I've made my new low-carb diet a lifestyle change: I'm making better/smarter choices when dining out as well! Cheers to better health and an even better smile!

At 9 weeks this Saturday (sorry, lips are very dry!)



I don't see much change since week 6. I'm due for another adjustment this weekend, so we will see what happens after.

Been eating quite a bit of carbs lately. Geez, I was so good until maybe 2 weeks ago! I've been using my incisors to eat fish, salad, and chicken.

I feel like my teeth aren't looking as bright as they are because I've been drinking some tea - I love my Asian milk teas and fruits *plums, blueberries, etc), which are mildly staining. I guess I need to brush a bit more thoroughly.

I think you can see a change, especially from your first picture to 9 weeks.


I too think your teeth look good as "before" but I only say this, because it reminds me of about where my teeth are now. I had invisilign, but was not happy and want to get braces once and for all. So this is encouraging. And for you to get it at $2k, that is amazing. How long are you estimated to be in braces? Or did I overlook that.

Edit, just saw 9-12 months Thats awesome. I could do a year.... If i could just stop being a chicken.