Cindy:: LIFE with braces::

[luckycindy]

On February 23, 2009- I have officially started life with braces at age 21
i read a lot of stories or FAQ here and decided to share some of my experience with braces too.... hope it helps some people

My case is : cross-bite and severe crowding on the top and bottom.
Type of braces: ceramic braces on top and the normal metal ones on the bottom.

well I had my consultation on January 7th 2009 and they decided to start the treatment ASAP so I got spacers on the same day!

Spacers..... was a pain
but, it wasn't horrible or extremely painful.
You just can't eat anything hard or bite for one week.

One week later i got my back molar bands on
not painful at all.. more relieving then anything
(spacers are really uncomfortable)

everything was going fast, but I had to have 4 extractions which delayed the process because I couldn't get an appointment til a month later

extractions: not bad at all
some bleeding but no pain or swelling.

Braces: painful
but only for a few days.
Its been one week and i still cant bite like i normally do but it doesn't hurt anymore

My whole life, I never used medicine... .even Advil and stuff like that...
so, be relieved... that pain isn't thhhat bad and you will live without taking any medicine.

your cheeks DO get scared by the wires and brackets but i think that's inevitable. They gave me wax... but i decided not to use any. it doesnt hurt that much and i feel your body will get use to it faster.... but thats just my philosophy.

Brushing and flossing is TIME-Consuming! it took me about... 30 minutes to do everything the 1st day.... but it's taking less time each day.

other then the pain, time, and my new look...
im soooooo excited to see the outcome.

I think im obsessed with my teeth because I look in the mirror everyday to see if theres some improvement lol.

well ill post some pictures next time

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[changes09]

I have had my braces since Nov 08 and I am still obsessed. And my best time for brushing and flossing is 15 min lol. But I think that it is bessed to be obsessed. I have seen peole's teeth who have had braces and didn't obsess....
Like you said your mouth will get callasous (sp) on them thus making the brackets not hurt....untill your teeth stat shifted and the brackets are rubbing on a fresh peice of cheek. But you will see your teeth will be changing so much! from week to week you will see differences. It's so exciting!

[missm10]

I have become absolutely obsessed too! I only have my spacers on so far (which I have found to be a mild annoyance and an excuse to drink smoothies every day) but I swear, I stare at my teeth at least 3 times a day. And my dental routine has also become something to be proud of. Good luck Cindy!

[SharMarali]

Hah, I catch myself looking at my teeth a lot too. Most of the changes are so gradual you barely notice them, but ever now and then something will shift overnight, especially right after an adjustment.

I'm one who doesn't use a lot of wax too. I really only use it when an area starts to feel RAW and I just want to give it some time to heal up, usually overnight. I did use GOBS of it when I very first got braced and my molar bands were digging into my tongue so badly that I couldn't even TALK without maddening pain, but they don't bother me anymore. I have this piece of wire in the front that digs a groove into my lower lip all the time because there's a canine tooth that's been going to town moving and rotating ever since I got braced. Once the laterals start to shift some, that piece of wire won't be so troublesome anymore, but I do have to let that spot rest once a week or so with wax.

[luckycindy]

Changes 09:
haha who knew we'd be so excited at looking at our teeth lol.
but its really cool how your teeth could change so much.
oh seems like you have an appointment tomorrow good luck~ hope theres no pain.

missm10: Thank you~~
you too.. spacers are not the greatest thing.. but time oges by fast and you'll get them out in no time

sharmarali: yeah i know!
Im like hey my teeth are moving.. but no one really notices any change. its okay though, as long as i feel that there some improvement haha
good luck with braces!!

[brika]

Hi, luckycindy, and welcome to the boards! Congrats on being a week braced! :D

I'm a chronic teeth-looker too, though sometimes I wish I didn't pay such close attention! Changes over time are hard to notice when you're lookin' every two minutes. ;)

I haven't used much wax much either, at least until I got a pokey wire! (Once I ran out of wax to keep that covered I finally went and got it snipped, though, and haven't needed any since. hehe.) But I figure it's good to let my mouth just get used to the hardware, 'cause it ain't going away anytime soon!

I look forward to hearing about all your progress! Best of luck to you!

(And flossing will get easier! I promise!)

[luckycindy]

hello~
its been one week and 2 days with braces
it doesn't hurt anymore and i could eat a little bit more stuff than before.
but i tried eating a bite of steak but that was a no-no.
lol.
but on a brighter note
brushing got wayyy faster thank god.
but my bite is soooo off.
it looks and feels worse than before,
but i guess i just have to suck it up for a few months.

but i wonder how they fix a crossbite.
because one of my teeth on the top is behind my lower one that when i bite my lower teeth hits the bracket and so it blocks my bite.... : (

hmmm i guess only time will tell.


here a picture before braces


spacers


thats day one with braces...
it makes me realize how much i needed braces.

ahh if only i had a picture that showed some improvement.
but that wont be until next time...
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[changes09]

hahaha! I agree. You dont realize how croocked your teeth are untill the braces are actually on and the wires go all over the place and the brackets are in a Z pattern!
Yeah my bight changes with each adjustment. Right now I am biting down on my two molars on both sides. Plus I have a wicked bad underbite.

If your cross bite isn't bad they will use rubber bands....which suck so bad. But you must wear them all the time! If you dont your treatment time will be longer! How long is your esitmated time in braces?

[brika]

I'm glad to hear you're getting a little more used to your braces! I hope your bite issues show improvement soon... With all the movement you'll be having, maybe they will!
Ooo, I love your lig color! Do you remember what it's called?

[luckycindy]

changes09:

hmmm my estimated treatment is 14~18 months.
so the latest.... next year in August!

But after that my Ortho wants me get fixed braces ..
and than wear retainers for ever and ever. lol.

Brika: thanks~
hmm im not sure what my lig. were called.... i ll ask my ortho next time. but during my consultation he said it's a newer version and supposedly its faster than the regular metal ones... :: but im not sure hmmm he might just be saying that to make me feel happy lol.

[luckycindy]

... so its been 3 weeks since i got these bad boys on.
the soreness is gone but my the wire rubbing against my cheek causes mild pain from time to time....
right now, my left cheek has a canker sore its bothersome!
but i havent used any wax so far so... my as well just suck it up.
partially because i dont really know how to put it on and my friend said its kinnda annoying to clean it up so.... imma just avoid it.

hmph but i was able to eat some crunchy chips today!
yes yes the rule book says no hard stuff.. and chips are on the list but just a little wont hurt right?

im not a junk food girl but i have cravings ya know!
lol.
nehoo....

i just hope my bite gets fixed ASAP... because it just feels old.
and biting into something with my front teeth is impossible.
ahh.... pain pain pain
but Ive noticed some change on the bottom



thats me with just the back brackets on



that was a few days ago.


ah... one thing about braces is that it kinnda takes becomes part of your life that I think about it all the time.
Finals are next week and i have 2 research paper due this week... and yet i find myself thinking about how much my teeth are shifting.... or if i brushed it well enough lol..
i think i am brace-washed.

oh well.. i guess ill get use it to and not consume so much of my time thinking about it ... ah okay time to write my paper.. byee

[luckycindy]

i realized how much typos i have.
please ignore hahaha

[brika]

Your teeth definitely are rounding out on the bottom! Fantastic movement! I'm sure that must be somewhat of a consolation for all the soreness you've been experiencing. :)
Good luck on your research papers!

[luckycindy]

hey guys....
well its been 8 months with braces on
and its not so bad
my Orthodontist initially told me that i'll have braces on for about a year and a half, but at my last adjustment he said i might take it off a few months earlier!! If things go as planned i am going to take it off in 3 months

Although braces doesn't bother me, I was soooo happy to hear those words from his mouth yay!

well here's a little photo update.



before braces.



now.


notice the difference?

[LeahRuth]

Your teeth are looking great now. Hopefully your ortho was right and you can get those off soon.