Metal Mouth Message Board

08/30/05 - Tuesday - Another 2 hour ordeal to have the lower braces installed. My saliva glands would not quit during the ordeal so the Doctor had a problem gluing on the back teeth wire pads. Had to keep stopping and draining the fluid off; all the time the cheek spreaders were stretching my mouth sideways. Also because i have a cap on one of my molars on the bottom, some special glue was used for that tooth. The Doctor used some more 0.016 titanium + nickel thermal wire that grows and shrinks with temperature. my teeth are starting to hurt now but only when i try to eat. i guess that means they are starting to move around a little already. Just trying to keep them clean is a real pain. Whenever i eat anything it feels like my teeth are chucked full of food particles. Because of how close together the teeth are i have given up flossing for now and purchased a water pic to use instead. Otherwise all is well and in general i actually like how my braces look. It feels neat that my teeth are slowly being straightened and that my mouth jewelry has been semi-permanently installed. For about 2 years anyway.

08/25/05 - Thursday - Finally went through with getting braces at age 52. i have been living a life with my mouth tightly closed so my crooked teeth would not show all this time. Way too self conscious. my goal is to smile really big without fear when my teeth are straight, but am also challenging myself to try and smile big even with braces. Today i experienced a 2 hour ordeal to have the upper braces installed. Because my teeth are crowded together too tightly, i also got a spring installed on one side to bring the tooth outward. The Doctor used 0.016 titanium + nickel SS thermal wire that grows and shrinks with temperature. It does not hurt as much as i thought it would, but eating will be drastically different and just trying to keep them clean and brushed will be a real pain. But it will be worth it in the long run. In just a few days (Tuesday) the bottom braces will be installed.

We're so happy for you!!

Keep us posted and remember we're here for all your needs...well erm...almost all your needs

Jenn

Jennielee,

Thanks for the encouragement. Appreciate it. So far the pain is not too bad if i don't try to eat anything! The worst part for me is having to clean my teeth at work after eating lunch. There is absolutely no privacy where i work in the mens room. Some days i would rather just not eat instead, but guess i'll get used to it.

Your brace smile looks great, it has come a long way hasn't it? i would like to post a picture and keep track of my own progress, but don't know exactly how to convert my digital camera photo to a post it file that will save. i think the file may be too big??

i'll figure it out eventually i guess.

keep smiling

jame

Hello Jame

about pictures, when you have them on a computer, download them to a free photo album on the internet and then past a link ....look in other stories for a link to a web.
Do not wory about the size of the picture as soon as it is on another server it wil be fine

caryca wrote:Hello Jame
...Do not wory about the size of the picture as soon as it is on another server it wil be fine

If it's still too large, www.photobucket.com has an edit option where you can reduce your picture by 25%, 50% or 75%. I'm failry sure imageshack also has this feature but since I don't use that one, I'm not positive.

Good luck with your braces Jame. It took over 3 hours for my braces to be put on so I know how you feel. I'm also brushing like crazy. Hope I don't hurt my gums by brushing so frequently! Trying to brush lightly.

Caryca,

Thanks for the tip on filing the photos in an external server. I'm not too computer savy, but i'll try it out this weekend and hopefully you'll see the results.



jame

jennielee,

Thanks also for the picture sizing advice...i'll try that too as i like the idea of having a smile always present.



jame

KK,

Eating and brushing are not bad, EXCEPT in public. i always feel like my mouth is chucked full of food particles trapped in wire framing when done eating. Brushing outside the home is still a hassel and kind of embarassing, but i'm gradually getting used to doing it in public.

jame

fins,

i heard of the problem with brushing too hard. It's not just for the brace impaired, a braceless mother of a friend of mine is actually going to the dentist next week to have a gum restoration procedure performed...Ouch!

it is hard though not to overbrush or over waterpic with braces though. i guess it is because your month just doesn't feel clean as easy as before.



jame

It has been awhile, but finally got up the nerve to post some pictures of me in braces at:

http://spaces.msn.com/members/jametinse ... c=blogpart



Now when i figure out how to add this link to my name, or signature so it automatically appears every time that would be great.

jame

01/18/06 - My first visit of the new year for an adjustment and the first time the dull pain following an adjustment has persisted for more than a day. Although the teeth are visably moving, the Doc said it was time to speed things up a bit. I now have nickel titanium (NiTi?) rectanglular wires on top and bottom, replacing the more flexible thermal wires. The teeth are too crowded into the space in my mouth, especially on top, so the single coil spring on my right hand side top has been replaced with a more tightly wound double coil designed to force the one crowded tooth into alignment by causing the rest of the teeth to move apart.

It is really facinating to me how braces work slowly but surely to move teeth over time. I have gotten used to having them now and only occasionallly do people stare at the old braced man, most people don't show any visable reaction when I smile now. I like how the braces look on me but don't like the expense or how difficult it is to keep them clean. I still HATE having to go in the public restroom at work each lunch period to pic and brush my teeth too, but I force myself to anyway.

Does anyone have any advice about alternate band colors? I have pretty much stuck to silver to match the metal braces and am normally very conservative in my appearance, but would like to be bold and try something new and a little different. Blue is my favorite color, but so far I haven't been brave enough to try something new out.

Overall, for those older people out their contemplating getting braced, I would have to say GO FOR IT! (I waited years too long but am optimistic now about the eventual end result)

A couple of recent pictures are posted at:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/jametinse ... c=blogpart

KK,

Thanks for the color play spots. I tried them out and really like the dark blue color.

I'm ready to go for it at the next checkup.

Have a colorful smiley day

jame