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Someone tell me the truth. Do you ever get fully used to having braces? I want to get to the point where I don't think about them anymore.
It's been 3 months since I got braces and the herbst appliance. They don't hurt any longer and I can mostly eat. I find that I think about the braces all the time. Basically I still feel like I have a mouth full of metal. (maybe that's because I do. )
Honestly, I'm on 13+ months out of a supposed to be 18 months and I still think about them about them pretty much the same amount as when I got them on. I'm having such difficulties with them that I'm thinking of trying to switch to invisalign.
I don't have any advice for you other than I wanted to wish you luck and tell you that you're not the only one.
Ceramics on top on 4/03/08
Metal on bottom on 4/03/08
I am not sure if you mean getting use to your physical appearance in braces or getting used to the discomfort, because I have different answers for the two...
I am still unhappy with how I look in braces. Quite frankly I feel like I look like a freak, however; I am aware that others are not thinking that at all.
As for discomfort, I am completely 100% used to them now. The only time I am aware of them is when I have the occasional pokey wire or sore tooth. I can assure you that after a couple months you really wont think about them aside from when you are in a social setting.
I can't speak for the herbst. The herbst may make things 100 times harder to adjust to, I honestly have no idea...
I'll agree with others --- about getting to the point where you dont notice them.. HAHA
Ya I really dont hink that is going to happen for me Im guessing throughout my whole treatment i will not like what I look like in braces....
but... oh well.. and my first month flew by.. but then I started thinking.. gosh has it only been a month? I'm stuck with these for another 23 months????????? that is a long time
I wish there was just a quick fix but nope
Spacers: 8 - 4 top, 4 bottom on 04.04.09
Braced on: 04.09.09
Sentence: 18-24 Months
I am getting mine off in 3 weeks and I did get used to the pretty much constant pain and discomfort but that does not mean I didn't still think about them. I think about them all the time like all day long. I can always feel them there and am aware of them all the time - they do not feel like "part of my mouth" as some others say they do for them. I am especially aware of them while eating or talking to other people. But I just don't let it bother me like it used to is all.
I'm in the minority I guess. I really don't think much about my braces except when I need to--like making a conscious effort to brush after every meal or consciously thinking about what I'm eating i.e. avoiding hard crunchy or sticky foods that I know I shouldn't eat (but do anyway sometimes--don't tell my ortho.) Or those few days after an adjustment when they hurt. But I'd say that at this point (1 1/2 years in) I think about my braces about 5% of the day. The rest of the time, I totally forget they are there. Case in point: this morning I went to put my rubber bands in, only they were already there.
I think my braces nirvana happened slowly over time because I can't give you an exact date that I became friends with the hardware in my mouth.
The appliance may be your hang up. I didn't have a herbst so I don't know---it may be harder to get used to/ignore it. But even if you never get used to the stuff in your mouth, just keep telling yourself that this is all temporary. One day it will be gone and the results will be so worth it.
I'm about 6 months in with mine, out of apx. 2 years (though I highly suspect it will be at least 2 1/2 or 3). Sometimes I can't believe it's been 6 months already, and other times I can't believe it's only been 6 months.
Discomfort/pain-wise, I've been making out okay for the most part but I do think about all the time. I don't have a herbst appliance, but I do have a TPA and I feel like that is the main reason why it's hard for me to forget about mine.
I don't think I have ever gotten to a point where I don't think about my braces, I know they are there, every time I pinch my tongue, bite my cheeks, etc. However, as much as I have disliked all the different appliances that have been in and out of my mouth, I kinda miss them when they are gone, but only for a minute.
I actually kinda like the way I look in them, they hide my messed up teeth. I don't remember what it was like not to have braces anymore, and I have a feeling it will feel pretty strange if and when I finally do get them off, but that feeling will probably not last too long either.
staceyr2
(braced after age 30)
wearing metal self-ligating on both
I have only had mine for 6 days and I'd be totally used to them if it weren't for the quad helix they stuck in there. I will be so happy when it comes out!
like 11 or so months in ( i forget ) i dont even think about them... i don't mind how i look in them if anything i like em.. sitting around a few days ago and relized im at mid point and was surprised that time flew like it did .. i wont miss the pain they can give you but may as well make the best of them while ya got them
I'm used to them, after six months of having them in. I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I forget about them. I inspect my smile almost every day. I suppose I think about them less, but I'm always aware of them.
Braced (upper and lower): 10/29/08
Debraced: 3/17/10
Now sportin' a permanent bottom retainer
Alternate clear retainers every 12 hours
I am 19 months into a 2 year plan, and have been in elastics of various configurations for the past 9 months. My teeth are looking better than they ever did, and I'm very happy with the results. Time has really passed pretty quickly for me. I think about them at the beginning and end of every meal (because I have to remove and then replace the elastics), and whenever I brush my teeth. And I suppose whenever I wash my hands in the restroom, I usually give a quick look to see if my midline magically and completely corrected itself in the previous 4 hours.
I'm totally used to mine 3 months in. They don't bother me at all now and I don't notice them, apart from after an adjustment.
The only time I feel self-conscious is around people who don't really know me.
It gets better over time. You'll find that nobody cares about your braces other than you. You'll forget them temporarily, but you'll always be reminded again. They poke, the make you salivate, they just don't belong in your mouth. When you smile a bright smile, you'll know they are there for everyone to see. As said above, the good news is that nobody cares about them other than you.
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