Hey Kiwi,
I had spacers and I hated them( i had them put in, taken out, put in and then taken out again!!), though after a few days wearing them I was able to chew again, I hope its the same for you!
I'm sure your workshop will go fine, when I had my braces put in i thought everyone would be staring at my mouth, but after a trip to the supermarket I realised that really wasn't the case!!
Amy
KiwiGirl's Journey- Two Weeks with Braces!
Moderator: bbsadmin
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kiwigirl83
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 pm
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kiwigirl83
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 pm
Happy Brace Day to Me!
Well, as you can probably guess, I got my braces on this morning. I managed to drive myself there without getting lost, getting arrested or running down any old ladies which was a great start and then it was time to face the dentist's chair.
Everything went relatively well. There was one point when the dental nurse put a metal band on one of my back molars, glued it down tight then decided that it had to come off. This took quite some effort! She ended up having to cut it off! I was a tad annoyed at her but it wasn't really her fault as it was a faulty band (although I do think they should check that the bands aren't faulty before jamming them onto your teeth! Ah well)
I was really happy when the whole process was over although seeing myself with a metal smile (for the first time since I was a teen!) was a bit of a shock
The overall first impression wasn't helped by the fact that my makeup and skin was blotchy and smeared from all the touching and messing around. A quick touch up and a brush through my hair and I felt a lot better!
I went to work straight after I had my braces fitted which was a bit daunting. The receptionist gave me a bit of a funny look but she's probably more curious than anything. Then I talked about my dental work with a guy in the kitchen but only because he asked me what I'd been up to that morning. He was amazed that I have had braces put on because he never noticed anything wrong with my teeth! So, the reaction at work has not been as bad as I feared. I'm still nervous about dealing with clients and doing presentations/networking with the slight speech impediment that the brace has caused but I'll cross those bridges when I get to them. By the way, with the speech thing, does the lisp get better or do you just have to learn to deal with it?
I can't wait to go home (I'm at work at the moment)....I love my work but I all I really want right now is a BIG hug from my boyfriend and to relax a bit and to have a strawberry milkshake, hehe.
Right, I have posted some images of me all braced up below this bit of text. Can't remember what my braces are called (they have a name beginning with D I think) Anyway, they don't have any ligs so no fun with rainbow colours for me! I have a couple of horizontal elastics on the bottom to help close the gaps left by my extractions. I can't wait to see the progress that those teeth make over the next few weeks and months. Stay tuned!!
Well, as you can probably guess, I got my braces on this morning. I managed to drive myself there without getting lost, getting arrested or running down any old ladies which was a great start and then it was time to face the dentist's chair.
Everything went relatively well. There was one point when the dental nurse put a metal band on one of my back molars, glued it down tight then decided that it had to come off. This took quite some effort! She ended up having to cut it off! I was a tad annoyed at her but it wasn't really her fault as it was a faulty band (although I do think they should check that the bands aren't faulty before jamming them onto your teeth! Ah well)
I was really happy when the whole process was over although seeing myself with a metal smile (for the first time since I was a teen!) was a bit of a shock
The overall first impression wasn't helped by the fact that my makeup and skin was blotchy and smeared from all the touching and messing around. A quick touch up and a brush through my hair and I felt a lot better!I went to work straight after I had my braces fitted which was a bit daunting. The receptionist gave me a bit of a funny look but she's probably more curious than anything. Then I talked about my dental work with a guy in the kitchen but only because he asked me what I'd been up to that morning. He was amazed that I have had braces put on because he never noticed anything wrong with my teeth! So, the reaction at work has not been as bad as I feared. I'm still nervous about dealing with clients and doing presentations/networking with the slight speech impediment that the brace has caused but I'll cross those bridges when I get to them. By the way, with the speech thing, does the lisp get better or do you just have to learn to deal with it?
I can't wait to go home (I'm at work at the moment)....I love my work but I all I really want right now is a BIG hug from my boyfriend and to relax a bit and to have a strawberry milkshake, hehe.
Right, I have posted some images of me all braced up below this bit of text. Can't remember what my braces are called (they have a name beginning with D I think) Anyway, they don't have any ligs so no fun with rainbow colours for me! I have a couple of horizontal elastics on the bottom to help close the gaps left by my extractions. I can't wait to see the progress that those teeth make over the next few weeks and months. Stay tuned!!
Last edited by kiwigirl83 on Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:02 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Miss Smiley
- Posts: 2008
- Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 11:59 pm
- Location: Sunny SoCal
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MommaDucky
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:04 pm
- Location: Saint Paul, MN
- Contact:
Hi, and welcome KiwiGirl!
I really enjoy reading your posts - you have a fantastic writing style and you are incredibly articulate. I enjoy reading your story!
Looking at your lower arch reminds me a bit of my own. I had all four first premolars extracted - upper and lower - and I had severe crowding in my lower arch. My teeth aren't perfect, but they sure are straightening out quite a bit.
Your pictures are fabulous! You'll thank yourself later if you take photos on a regular basis to keep track of your progress. It's loads of fun to look back at the older photos as time goes on to compare - it makes for a great motivator! I'm sure you'll start to see quite a bit of movement in a very short period of time. You won't even notice it at first, then all of a sudden you'll look at your teeth one day and realise, wow - this is actually working!
I look forward to following your progress. I hope everything is going well!
I really enjoy reading your posts - you have a fantastic writing style and you are incredibly articulate. I enjoy reading your story!
Looking at your lower arch reminds me a bit of my own. I had all four first premolars extracted - upper and lower - and I had severe crowding in my lower arch. My teeth aren't perfect, but they sure are straightening out quite a bit.
Your pictures are fabulous! You'll thank yourself later if you take photos on a regular basis to keep track of your progress. It's loads of fun to look back at the older photos as time goes on to compare - it makes for a great motivator! I'm sure you'll start to see quite a bit of movement in a very short period of time. You won't even notice it at first, then all of a sudden you'll look at your teeth one day and realise, wow - this is actually working!
I look forward to following your progress. I hope everything is going well!
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Wired Skull
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 8:17 am
- Location: Sweden
Hi Kiwigirl83
Looking nice. You have some serious bends in the archwire but in notime it will have straighten and the teeth moved.
I like what you described about the guy in the kitchen. I got the same comments until I showed some before braces pics. Now people see a lot of changes. Otherwise no one seems to care that an adult wears braces.
Hang in there and at the end you will have a wonderful smile.
//Wired skull
Looking nice. You have some serious bends in the archwire but in notime it will have straighten and the teeth moved.
I like what you described about the guy in the kitchen. I got the same comments until I showed some before braces pics. Now people see a lot of changes. Otherwise no one seems to care that an adult wears braces.
Hang in there and at the end you will have a wonderful smile.
//Wired skull
Braces on: 2007-01-20
Ceramics upper and lower.
Elastics: 2007-08-16
Debanding: 2008-11-20 / 2009-06-12
Braces again: 2010-07-05
Metal - Lower only.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiredskull ... 501093091/
Ceramics upper and lower.
Elastics: 2007-08-16
Debanding: 2008-11-20 / 2009-06-12
Braces again: 2010-07-05
Metal - Lower only.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiredskull ... 501093091/
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kiwigirl83
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 pm
Hi there, thanks for the lovely supportive comments everyone!
KK: Apologies for the size of the photos. I will try to shrink them tomorrow
WiredSkull: Yeah, goes to show that a lot of people don't actually notice if you have less than perfect teeth....Mindyou, like many people on here, I'm not doing it for other people
I also know what you mean about the bent arch wire on my bottom teeth- I knew those teeth were scrunched up but didn't realise quite how much until that wire came along! lol 
MommaDucky: Thanks for the encouraging comments and for the kind words about my writing! I love to write which adds to my enjoyment of this forum.
Actually, all the lovely comments have made me feel a bit guilty about not commenting that much on all the other threads. I must put aside some time tomorrow to go through some of the topics and catch up on what people are up to. I try to look at/comment on a few every now and again but it's hard to keep up!
Anyway, back to the teeth.....I don't have much to tell today. I went to my event management workshop today and it went pretty well. I was quite nervous about introducing myself to the whole group (you know, when you have to tell everyone who you are, what company you work for blah blah blah) but I don't think that had much to do with the braces! I'm always a little bit nervous at these things at first until I warm up and get going. Not sure why as I've been to a about a million of them, should be used to it by now!
The good news is that no-one mentioned my braces! Some people were interested in why the only thing that I consumed all day was a yogurt that I had brought myself, rather than the lovely slabs of chocolate cake, yummy looking sausage rolls and other things that I couldn't eat that were on offer. They thought I was on a diet! When I explained that I definitely was not on a diet and was dying to dig into all the fat laden treats that were on offer and that the only reason I wasn't shoving them out of the way to get to said treats was because I had just had braces put on, they were all very positive and lovely. My mouth felt a bit tired by the end of the day and I have developed some sores but I have whacked some wax on the sharp bits and that seems to be doing the trick
Right, that's all I have to report- sorry for the loooooooooooong post. I hope you're all well and happy. I look forward to checking in on some of you tomorrow and seeing how your progress is going Night night xx
KK: Apologies for the size of the photos. I will try to shrink them tomorrow
WiredSkull: Yeah, goes to show that a lot of people don't actually notice if you have less than perfect teeth....Mindyou, like many people on here, I'm not doing it for other people
I also know what you mean about the bent arch wire on my bottom teeth- I knew those teeth were scrunched up but didn't realise quite how much until that wire came along! lol MommaDucky: Thanks for the encouraging comments and for the kind words about my writing! I love to write which adds to my enjoyment of this forum.
Actually, all the lovely comments have made me feel a bit guilty about not commenting that much on all the other threads. I must put aside some time tomorrow to go through some of the topics and catch up on what people are up to. I try to look at/comment on a few every now and again but it's hard to keep up!
Anyway, back to the teeth.....I don't have much to tell today. I went to my event management workshop today and it went pretty well. I was quite nervous about introducing myself to the whole group (you know, when you have to tell everyone who you are, what company you work for blah blah blah) but I don't think that had much to do with the braces! I'm always a little bit nervous at these things at first until I warm up and get going. Not sure why as I've been to a about a million of them, should be used to it by now!
The good news is that no-one mentioned my braces! Some people were interested in why the only thing that I consumed all day was a yogurt that I had brought myself, rather than the lovely slabs of chocolate cake, yummy looking sausage rolls and other things that I couldn't eat that were on offer. They thought I was on a diet! When I explained that I definitely was not on a diet and was dying to dig into all the fat laden treats that were on offer and that the only reason I wasn't shoving them out of the way to get to said treats was because I had just had braces put on, they were all very positive and lovely. My mouth felt a bit tired by the end of the day and I have developed some sores but I have whacked some wax on the sharp bits and that seems to be doing the trick
Right, that's all I have to report- sorry for the loooooooooooong post. I hope you're all well and happy. I look forward to checking in on some of you tomorrow and seeing how your progress is going
Night night xx-
kiwigirl83
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 pm
Hey jtlang- thanks for checking up on me! 
I've been doing ok. My teeth are still pretty tender so I'm not back to eating normally yet. However, I am trying to chew things as much as my pain threshold allows as I read on here that it's good for your gums etc
I've been using quite a lot of wax (will actually need to restock supplies pretty soon!) but it seems that as soon as I put wax in one place another sore pops up somewhere else! I'm looking forward to my mouth accepting that this shiny foreign object is going to be sticking around for a little while! lol
Saw my first client since I got my braces on today and when I said hello and smiled at him he boomed out in true Australian style:
'My God- braces! No wonder you didn't want to open your mouth!'
He then had a go at my dad (who works with me) for 'forcing' me to have braces when I'm at the peak of my 'pulling' prime, hehe. I pointed out that I don't need to pull as I have a very gorgeous boyfriend and I also informed him that there are quite a few guys out there that actually have a thing for ladies in braces- that soon shut him up
Funnily enough, I kind of liked his reaction. He wasn't horrible about the braces and I prefered him just coming out and saying what he thought rather than skirting around the subject and avoiding looking at my mouth. Anyone get what I mean?
His final words on the matter were: 'Well, at least you won't look like Helen Clarke when you're older, eh?' Google Helen (NZ's prime minister) and you'll understand what he meant!)
Anyway, I've had a lovely day in the Auckland sunshine (although I have had to turn down many a yummy looking cake today, grrr
Mindyou, maybe that's a good thing!)
Can't wait to the day I forget that I'm wearing braces
I've been doing ok. My teeth are still pretty tender so I'm not back to eating normally yet. However, I am trying to chew things as much as my pain threshold allows as I read on here that it's good for your gums etc
I've been using quite a lot of wax (will actually need to restock supplies pretty soon!) but it seems that as soon as I put wax in one place another sore pops up somewhere else! I'm looking forward to my mouth accepting that this shiny foreign object is going to be sticking around for a little while! lol
Saw my first client since I got my braces on today and when I said hello and smiled at him he boomed out in true Australian style:
'My God- braces! No wonder you didn't want to open your mouth!'
He then had a go at my dad (who works with me) for 'forcing' me to have braces when I'm at the peak of my 'pulling' prime, hehe. I pointed out that I don't need to pull as I have a very gorgeous boyfriend and I also informed him that there are quite a few guys out there that actually have a thing for ladies in braces- that soon shut him up
Funnily enough, I kind of liked his reaction. He wasn't horrible about the braces and I prefered him just coming out and saying what he thought rather than skirting around the subject and avoiding looking at my mouth. Anyone get what I mean?
His final words on the matter were: 'Well, at least you won't look like Helen Clarke when you're older, eh?' Google Helen (NZ's prime minister) and you'll understand what he meant!)
Anyway, I've had a lovely day in the Auckland sunshine (although I have had to turn down many a yummy looking cake today, grrr
Mindyou, maybe that's a good thing!)Can't wait to the day I forget that I'm wearing braces
I do like your attitude, though.-
kiwigirl83
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 pm
They are one of the best, long established ortho practices in Auckland. You made a good choice there.
I've been out of braces for a while now, I'm one of the "oldies" on the board who have been around forever and still comes back from time to time to catch up with what's happening with some of the people I knew here.
I had Forbes Leishman as an ortho, he has now retired. He had offices in Mt Albert and Henderson.
Like you say, it's nice to see another local. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat.
I've been out of braces for a while now, I'm one of the "oldies" on the board who have been around forever and still comes back from time to time to catch up with what's happening with some of the people I knew here.
I had Forbes Leishman as an ortho, he has now retired. He had offices in Mt Albert and Henderson.
Like you say, it's nice to see another local. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat.
Hi Kiwi,
Sounds like you're continuing to progress well. I think that tenderness is to be expected -- at least for me I found it subsides gradually, although even a month later they still feel a little tender and loose (but no pain).
Sounds like you're continuing to progress well. I think that tenderness is to be expected -- at least for me I found it subsides gradually, although even a month later they still feel a little tender and loose (but no pain).
That's HILARIOUS!!'My God- braces! No wonder you didn't want to open your mouth!'
He then had a go at my dad (who works with me) for 'forcing' me to have braces when I'm at the peak of my 'pulling' prime, hehe. I pointed out that I don't need to pull as I have a very gorgeous boyfriend and I also informed him that there are quite a few guys out there that actually have a thing for ladies in braces- that soon shut him up
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kiwigirl83
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:25 pm
I haven't posted on here recently as I was going to wait until my first adjustment before I let people know about my progress.
However, work is a bit slow so I will fill you in a little bit on how I have found my first two weeks in brace-land!
Well, things are going really well. My teeth aren't aching anymore and I don't think about my braces too much apart from when I'm eating.
The only thing that has been annoying me is that the two ends of my top archwire have been cutting up my cheeks a bit. However, I went out this lunchtime and got two huge rolls of wax from the ortho so that should sort that out.
I have noticed some definite changes, particularly to my lower teeth, even after just two weeks which is really encouraging
I will post some progress pics sometime this week if I can get round to it
However, work is a bit slow so I will fill you in a little bit on how I have found my first two weeks in brace-land!
Well, things are going really well. My teeth aren't aching anymore and I don't think about my braces too much apart from when I'm eating.
The only thing that has been annoying me is that the two ends of my top archwire have been cutting up my cheeks a bit. However, I went out this lunchtime and got two huge rolls of wax from the ortho so that should sort that out.
I have noticed some definite changes, particularly to my lower teeth, even after just two weeks which is really encouraging
I will post some progress pics sometime this week if I can get round to it