Hello fellow metal mouthers,
After many years of procrastinating, I finally took the plunge 3 weeks ago, and fitted linguals on both top and bottom teeth. My worst fear at the time was getting the extractions (2 top teeth) and those needles, but that turned out alright, and the actual fitting of the linguals wasn't painful. The second day after the fitting, was quite painful which was a good thing because it led me to this site. I've found the many experiences of others, shall we say very enlightening, and at times entertaining and the downright honesty of most very refreshing. So I thought I'd do a post to share my experience to date (however minimal it may be) and feel part of the metal mouth community.
PROS (To Date):
1. I decided to get linguals because being a consultant I am vain (there I said it), and linguals has definitely lived up to that reputation of being invisible.
2. I have lost 4kgs in 2 weeks. Not being a fat to begin with, I'm not sure its a positive, but because it lost me my love handles (which I haven't got rid of after 8 months at the gym), I'll chalk it up here.
3. I've acquired a taste for yoghurt.
4. The orthodontist and her team were brilliant, though this is probably more of a generic pro, then for linguals in general.
CONS (To Date):
1. My wallet feels a bit lighter ($9000 AUD). Though I do get $1800 back from health insurance over 2 years, and the government allows you to claim and out of pocket expense.
2. The pain of having my tongue shredded. It's quite strange really, the first few days it got shredded (bottom of tongue), then in the second week everything was o.k, now the third week, and it's shredded the edge of my tongue. Very very painful. I took BlahBlahs advice and didn't put the wax in to harden my tongue faster. I'm now back onto the wax.
3. I can't eat BBQ shapes (the aussies will know what I mean).
4. I speak with a lisp, sometimes it's o.k but I find my mouth gets tired and very dry when I talk for more than 2 minutes.
Overall I'm glad I've finally put the bracers in, and in 2 years time or 101 weeks time, they will come off, and I'm sure I'll look back and wonder why I fussed.
BTW quick question BlahBlah, why the sudden change? In your earlier posts you were saying how wonderful it all was, then in your recent ones your views have gone negative. Seems strange, and made me curious, does it actually get worse or better?
Linguals a torchure device or a soure of wonder?
Moderator: bbsadmin
Welcome, ouch and, as you have a sense of humour, I'd chalk that up as a pro. It will also help you get through the next couple of years of treatment.
If you're getting linguals for A$9K, I'd say you're doing well. I paid a fair bit more than that (I'm in Sydney) and I've only got linguals on my upper arch (ceramics on the bottom). I did start with a difficult bite to fix, though. Are you in a capital city and, if so, which one?
Don't be shy with the wax, especially now. I used it for the first couple of weeks, then weaned myself off slowly. I know exactly how your tongue feels. And looks. Mine went purple.
The good news: you WILL be able to eat BBQ Shapes before long. I'm a big fan of the Kettle Chip which I bite into with abandon. Which reminds me, I should go and get some for the weekend.
As for the lisp, this will improve with practice. Practising talking that is. Drink lots of water as this helps with speech too.
Let me tell you two things: the time will fly and it will be so worth it in the end.
If you're getting linguals for A$9K, I'd say you're doing well. I paid a fair bit more than that (I'm in Sydney) and I've only got linguals on my upper arch (ceramics on the bottom). I did start with a difficult bite to fix, though. Are you in a capital city and, if so, which one?
Don't be shy with the wax, especially now. I used it for the first couple of weeks, then weaned myself off slowly. I know exactly how your tongue feels. And looks. Mine went purple.
The good news: you WILL be able to eat BBQ Shapes before long. I'm a big fan of the Kettle Chip which I bite into with abandon. Which reminds me, I should go and get some for the weekend.
As for the lisp, this will improve with practice. Practising talking that is. Drink lots of water as this helps with speech too.
Let me tell you two things: the time will fly and it will be so worth it in the end.
hi and congrats on the beginning of your journey. i dont have mine on yet but its not too long to go now.
i have a pretty bad bite apparently so mine may proove difficult but we'll see. i know what you mean about this forum, its like it saved me. i was totoally against braces and some of the things the ortho tells me sound so strange and as though i'm the only one in world to be going through this, but there are so many others.
i pretty much check on here every day cause i really like reading about other peoples experiences i and guess over all its quite possitive.
i am interested in why BlahBlab changed her mind too actually.... maybe its just been so long and she's over it all.
i have a pretty bad bite apparently so mine may proove difficult but we'll see. i know what you mean about this forum, its like it saved me. i was totoally against braces and some of the things the ortho tells me sound so strange and as though i'm the only one in world to be going through this, but there are so many others.
i pretty much check on here every day cause i really like reading about other peoples experiences i and guess over all its quite possitive.
i am interested in why BlahBlab changed her mind too actually.... maybe its just been so long and she's over it all.
Thanks, would help if I could spell torture 
I'm off the wax again, this time I hope I don't need to get back on it (sounds like a drug).
I'm also living in Sydney, and believe your definitely right about getting a good deal at 9K. I originally went to a place in the North Shore, and had to pay a consultation fee of $100, as well as an additional for a lat scan (or something like that), and they told me it would cost me 9K for normal braces, and an extra 5K for either upper or lower linguals (additional 10K total), which would have meant 19K. I wasn't too pleased with their service, which turned out to be a blessing because I found another ortho out west who did not charge for an initial consultation, was very pleasant, and to my surprise was a classmate of my brother in law at both school and uni. So I have absolute faith in my ortho.
What I've found is that in Sydney the orthos are suburbists, sorry new word meaning they price discriminate based on which suburb you go to. So do shop around, if your happy to travel some distance.
Can't wait for the BBQ shapes, I'd bought a few boxes during one of those multi-buy specials, but before I could finish it, my date to get wired crept up on me and left me stranded. So now I just stare at them longingly.
Quick question, does anyone snowboard? I'm off on a boarding trip at the end of the year, and was wandering will I need to wear anything to protect the bracers? I'll ask my dentist on my next adjustments but thought I'd get the heads up first.
Good luck Sonja with the metal. Are you going with linguals on top and bottom? How long is the treatment plan? Keep us posted.
I'm off the wax again, this time I hope I don't need to get back on it (sounds like a drug).
I'm also living in Sydney, and believe your definitely right about getting a good deal at 9K. I originally went to a place in the North Shore, and had to pay a consultation fee of $100, as well as an additional for a lat scan (or something like that), and they told me it would cost me 9K for normal braces, and an extra 5K for either upper or lower linguals (additional 10K total), which would have meant 19K. I wasn't too pleased with their service, which turned out to be a blessing because I found another ortho out west who did not charge for an initial consultation, was very pleasant, and to my surprise was a classmate of my brother in law at both school and uni. So I have absolute faith in my ortho.
What I've found is that in Sydney the orthos are suburbists, sorry new word meaning they price discriminate based on which suburb you go to. So do shop around, if your happy to travel some distance.
Can't wait for the BBQ shapes, I'd bought a few boxes during one of those multi-buy specials, but before I could finish it, my date to get wired crept up on me and left me stranded. So now I just stare at them longingly.
Quick question, does anyone snowboard? I'm off on a boarding trip at the end of the year, and was wandering will I need to wear anything to protect the bracers? I'll ask my dentist on my next adjustments but thought I'd get the heads up first.
Good luck Sonja with the metal. Are you going with linguals on top and bottom? How long is the treatment plan? Keep us posted.