Nita's story
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 4:23 pm
Hello
I just got my top brackets and spacers on Friday (two days ago!) and it has been quite interesting...
A little background:
I'm 23, recently married, and working in a hospital as a health educator. I was one of those kids who always wanted braces. Every time I went to the dentist, they would try to refer me to an orthodontist, but my parents could never afford it. So now that I am done with school and have a steady job (and very supportive husband), I've decided to take the plunge and brace myself!
I had my consultation about a week and a half ago and the ortho told me that I had a mild openbite (1mm) and that they would have to extract teeth in order to ease the crowding without worsening the openbite. They sentenced me to 2.5-3 years in braces and I opted to go with full metal brackets top and bottom at the suggestion of my ortho.
I went in a week after the consultation to get the braces done, which I thought was a little strange since I've been reading about spacers left and right on this message board. I thought I would be getting away without having spacers....little did I know! They put the spacers in and put the brackets on all the top teeth (except the molars) and sent me on my way. They told me I'd get the molar bands, the bottom brackets, and the wires next time I came in. They will extract teeth later on into treatment - the ortho is still trying to figure out which ones will be the best to take out.
So I went home and was relatively pain-free the first night. I ate a big meal - lobster, potatoes, shrimp, veggies. I'm soooo glad I got that meal in because ever since then it's been hurting so much when I try to bite. I've been eating lots of smoothies and soup and I've discovered that Trader Joes has these wonderful white cheddar puffs that dissolve in your mouth - no chewing required!
This morning, I was drinking coffee, and whoops, I noticed that something had come off and was floating around in my mouth. Thinking it was a piece of wax, I grabbed it from my mouth, and lo and behold, it was a bracket! It has some tooth-colored stuff attached to it, which I am really hoping is the cement they used to attach it to the tooth. I can't tell if there is anything weird going on with my tooth, since the bracket fell off of the furthest back tooth in my mouth. I don't think I did anything wrong, I've followed all the rules that they gave me, and the coffee wasn't even that hot or anything! Does anyone know if brackets just fall off sometimes?
My next appointment isn't for another month! When the receptionist made the appointment for me, I asked him if they had anything sooner, and he said to call back on Monday to see if anything has opened up. I really hope that they can squeeze me in sooner, since the ortho said I could get the braces on in a week if they had appointments open. I don't think I could take a whole month of these spacers! And now that I lost a bracket, maybe I can use that as an excuse to get in sooner.
Ahh well, the braces journey begins. I didn't realize the brackets would be so pokey! There are little hooks on six of the brackets that are really sharp! I'm kind of glad that I didn't get everything on at once, so I have a chance to adjust to the feeling of metal in my mouth for a little bit at a time.
I'm glad I have this board to go to for support. I have a hard enough time in my career because I look so young, and these braces make me look like I'm 12! I will post teeth pics when I get a chance....
Thanks for reading!
I just got my top brackets and spacers on Friday (two days ago!) and it has been quite interesting...
A little background:
I'm 23, recently married, and working in a hospital as a health educator. I was one of those kids who always wanted braces. Every time I went to the dentist, they would try to refer me to an orthodontist, but my parents could never afford it. So now that I am done with school and have a steady job (and very supportive husband), I've decided to take the plunge and brace myself!
I had my consultation about a week and a half ago and the ortho told me that I had a mild openbite (1mm) and that they would have to extract teeth in order to ease the crowding without worsening the openbite. They sentenced me to 2.5-3 years in braces and I opted to go with full metal brackets top and bottom at the suggestion of my ortho.
I went in a week after the consultation to get the braces done, which I thought was a little strange since I've been reading about spacers left and right on this message board. I thought I would be getting away without having spacers....little did I know! They put the spacers in and put the brackets on all the top teeth (except the molars) and sent me on my way. They told me I'd get the molar bands, the bottom brackets, and the wires next time I came in. They will extract teeth later on into treatment - the ortho is still trying to figure out which ones will be the best to take out.
So I went home and was relatively pain-free the first night. I ate a big meal - lobster, potatoes, shrimp, veggies. I'm soooo glad I got that meal in because ever since then it's been hurting so much when I try to bite. I've been eating lots of smoothies and soup and I've discovered that Trader Joes has these wonderful white cheddar puffs that dissolve in your mouth - no chewing required!
This morning, I was drinking coffee, and whoops, I noticed that something had come off and was floating around in my mouth. Thinking it was a piece of wax, I grabbed it from my mouth, and lo and behold, it was a bracket! It has some tooth-colored stuff attached to it, which I am really hoping is the cement they used to attach it to the tooth. I can't tell if there is anything weird going on with my tooth, since the bracket fell off of the furthest back tooth in my mouth. I don't think I did anything wrong, I've followed all the rules that they gave me, and the coffee wasn't even that hot or anything! Does anyone know if brackets just fall off sometimes?
My next appointment isn't for another month! When the receptionist made the appointment for me, I asked him if they had anything sooner, and he said to call back on Monday to see if anything has opened up. I really hope that they can squeeze me in sooner, since the ortho said I could get the braces on in a week if they had appointments open. I don't think I could take a whole month of these spacers! And now that I lost a bracket, maybe I can use that as an excuse to get in sooner.
Ahh well, the braces journey begins. I didn't realize the brackets would be so pokey! There are little hooks on six of the brackets that are really sharp! I'm kind of glad that I didn't get everything on at once, so I have a chance to adjust to the feeling of metal in my mouth for a little bit at a time.
I'm glad I have this board to go to for support. I have a hard enough time in my career because I look so young, and these braces make me look like I'm 12! I will post teeth pics when I get a chance....
Thanks for reading!