Getting braces soon extremely anxious

[lwyrwood]

I finally decided to take the plunge and get braces. I have wanted to "fix" my teeth my entire life. I did all the research (probably too much) and found the perfect office. Now that B-day is nearing, I am becoming incredibly anxious. I think I have a fear of the unknown. I almost think I have too much information and it just keep swirling around in my head.

Any helpful hints on getting over my anxiety? I know I want braces and look forward to my future beautiful smile, but I'm making myself sick thinking about this!

[brika]

Hey there!
Congrats on your decision to start! I know it probably seems a little overwhelming right now, but I have a feeling what you're imagining they'll be like is 100 times worse than they actually will be. (Or at least that's how it was for me!) You'll have to adjust your eating and teeth-cleaning habits a little at first, but it won't take long to fall into a new routine and probably even forget you're wearing them!
I'm not sure how to battle your anxiety, except to try to keep busy and get your mind off of your banding date! Also, use this time to eat your favorite foods from the braces no-no list and foods you have to bite into, because odds are you won't be doing that again for a while.
I hope the next couple of weeks fly by for you so you can jump this first hurdle and get it out of the way! Best of luck!

[magster]

I definitely agree with Brika - eat while you can! and enjoy your food while you can



and another tip of advice... make a list of questions for the ortho - i feel that I am very uneducated about my process.. and what is going to happen. My teeth look worse than when I started now and I didnt know that was going to happen. Also, at first I wasnt sure if I could floss between molar bands (then found out from this site that I definitely can)

but then again you probably wont have questions until you get the braces and go home and take a close look at them

GOOD LUCK THOUGH! and you probably are thiinking they will be a lot worse than they will be.

if you're getting spacers - that was the most painful part of my treatment so far.. so be prepared and take some advil before your appt.

xoxo

[lwyrwood]

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. I am going to try to limit myself on how much time I spend each day researching and reading posts. I think that might help. I'm in information overload!! Braces have taken over my life and I don't even have them yet...

[hal2me]

Hi lwyrwood,

Congratulations on making the decision! The waiting to get it done is the worst. Once you get to the office, you will be fine. It's not as bad as you think. As magster said, the spacers were the were part. However, I just had a wire tie done today so I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Congrats again! You'll be so happy that you took the plunge!

Take Care!!!

[oharabrat]

You could find my old thread somewhere on here about anxiety and the reality of what this will all be like. And if it were not for this forum I may have backed out. This site has so much to see and be informed about. And amongst others who took the same chance.

I have been braced going on six weeks now. first adjustment on the 11th. My teeth have moved amazingly. I will post pics soon. I have lost 15lbs. Yes 15lbs. It is amazing how getting braces reminds you of what have been eating, what you should not for braces and how your teeth feel period when you eat.

This has been an eyeopener for me all around. And having nice teeth in the end is not so bad. Good luck!

[cathykay]

I can relate to your pre-braces anxiety. I ended up looking at so much information online, that I started to psyche myself out for nothing. I tried to instead tell myself, "If so many people can do it, so can I!" and the better one... "If so many KIDS can do this, so can I!"

I found that no matter how much information I read online, once I got my braces on, it didn't make much of a difference. I was still not prepared for what I would like in braces! The best thing you can do is keep yourself busy until you get your braces on and try to relax when you're in the waiting room before getting the process started. Once the braces are on, you are on your way to a beautiful smile.

And when things drive you a little crazy, you have us on AW.

[Cass]

I'm also in pre-braces information-overload, lwyrwood! And with a few weeks longer to go than you. I've even started having dreams about braces!

Researching etc is helping me stay motivated and confident in my decision. I think if I stop this "preparation stage" (there are still so many questions I need to find the answers to!), I'll start panicking. Also, without any adults with braces IRL to interrogate, the whole situation is still a bit mysterious and surreal. The more I prepare, the more real it is!

Don't forget to update when B-Day has come and gone! You're almost there!

(good god, look at all the exclamation points I use! Maybe I should cut back on my obsessive braces-immersion!)

[teylix]

yeah ive found the best way to go through with it is just plow through it.

of course getting braces was the easiest part for me although sometimes i think the assistants got a little crazy with me with some thick wire =P

surgery is the hard part be glad you arent in that forum.

[BrenaWatts]

I'm getting braces soon too. I feal the same way. I have been having really bad anxiety. I have had such bad anxiety lately I, out of no WHERE!, start crying. I try to calm myself by just taking deep breathes and try not to think about. My two best friends have braces and told me it doesn't hurt that bad until the night you get them. They said the best part is the ice cream! I don't know how old you are but, I'm still pretty young so I'm definitly excited about the ice cream. I want you to know I am so nervous so, I'm with you. I hope every thing goes okay!
<3
Brena

[djspeece]

I think it would be odd if a person were getting braces and wasn't at least a little anxious. Be prepared for a change in your self-image as well; that can take one by surprise. I felt hideous for a bit. Then I realized that the entire world was not paying attention and didn't care about my braces! There will be good days and bad probably, things can change for the worse before they improve, but you aren't the first to face these issues and won't be the last. You'll do great. You'll probably gather lots of stories to share here about your experiences. I sure did! The hardest part is over -- making the decision to get braced. You'll have some bumps in the road most likely, and chances are someone here has a solution for you. Best of luck to you!

[alrac91]

I am feeling the exact same way! It's such a huge expensive decision. I know that when they first go on, it's probably going to be a big shock and we may feel pangs of regret but watching our teeth change is so going to be worth it. I'm excited for you and I hope everything goes well!