Your first impressions when you got braces...

Message

#1 Post by **catgyrl** » Tue May 04, 2010 9:14 am

Haha - good topic!

As soon as she had the brackets glued on - and before she put the wire in - she had me go rinse my mouth. I took one look in the mirror and said "Oh crap! I changed my mind." She laughed and said it was too late now. I was only half-kidding. They looked and felt humongous; felt very sharp. Strangely, after she put the wire in, they looked a bit better (smaller and shinier than a few minutes prior). I really did like how shiny they looked. I'm surprised I didn't get into a car accident driving home because every chance I got, I was looking at them in my rearview mirror.

Since I have an overjet I'm trying to correct, I didn't notice my lips sticking out any more than usual, though they do look a bit fuller. My first meal that day was lunch, and I played it safe with mashed potatoes. I spent the entire afternoon taking pictures of my teeth and staring at myself. LOL!

Well, that soft food thing didn't last too long for me... The next morning I tried scrambled eggs and toast, and had no problem with the toast, so since then I've been trying to eat anything I can, that doesn't cause too much pain or pressure on my teeth.

Took me a couple of days to get used to the feeling of the teeth moving; the pressure and "tingling" feeling, as well as the two brackets rubbing the inside of my upper lip.

Despite the fact I just had to get a tooth extracted this weekend, and now have a gaping hole in my mouth - I am still very happy I did this. All of the feelings of fear, apprehension, etc. are very normal, and you will get past them. I'm 3 weeks in and honestly, I almost can't feel the bottom braces at all. Good luck to you!!

-Cathy

#2 Post by **btfly** » Tue May 04, 2010 9:25 am

Immediately after getting them and for a couple of days after, my thoughts were "What in the heck was I thinking?". I hated them.

Finally got over that after about a week, and now after three months, I even forget about them at times.

#3 Post by **catgyrl** » Tue May 04, 2010 11:04 am

pink frost-

I'm glad we were able to alleviate some of your anxiety.

Clarification on the toast: It was very soggy, soft toast, and I had to push it way to the back of my mouth to eat it because the front teeth were still a bit sensitive. It was not a pretty sight and took forever, but I did manage to get it down.

You just have to experiment. If something took too long to position, or try to bite down on, I decided I wasn't ready for it. Don't try to be Superwoman and try to eat things you're not ready for. (And I was so hoping I'd lose some weight on this "braces diet". I did at first, but soon gained it back.)

Strangely, the only time my spacers hurt was when they were forcing them in because my teeth were too close together. I actually felt bad for the ortho because even he, as a MAN, had a hard time. I'm crossing my fingers that I can get the final spacers out this Thursday and get my final molar band in.

Chin up!!

-Cathy

#4 Post by **LC'sTeefs** » Tue May 04, 2010 2:40 pm

Right after I got my braces on, I really felt like everyone was looking at me.

Like they could tell I had braces on even though I wouldn't open my mouth. They felt really big on my teeth. Really strange. You hear that it will feel like that from other people, but until you feel it for yourself, it's hard to comprehend.
The first meal I had...don't remember, but it must have been soft. I DO remember that it really grossed me out that I had so much food stuck in my brackets. I had to run to the bathroom to swish, and pick all that gunk out as soon as I could! I did that for a couple months. I will eat out in public now because I know what I can eat that won't look too horrible in my braces, and easy to clean out quickly.
If you finally make the decision to get braces... it will feel great in your soul no matter how it feels in your mouth.
Good luck to ya! And have fun with the experience!!

#5 Post by **drpotter** » Tue May 04, 2010 3:21 pm

My mouth felt...weird when I first got my braces on. That's the best way to describe it. First, I was still dismayed by horrifying tooth dust (I have linguals on the top and they had to microetch my teeth) so I think that blocked out some of the initial impressions.

My lips do protrude a bit more than they used to over my bottom ceramics. It took me a few days to really notice though and it isn't bothersome.

I rarely close my jaw consciously these days, but that's just because my bite is being corrected and is very off. It sounds like yours will be fine so you should be good.

My first meal was fine. I ate soft deliberately but day 1 the pain wasn't bad. Day 2....day 2 was bad. I felt like I'd been punched. Day 3 I was still feeling like I'd been punched and by then a weed whacker had also somehow sneaked into my mouth and attacked my lip and tongue. A week later though and I wasn't bad. I'm in the minority (at least those who admit to it) who still use wax pretty frequently, I end up putting some on at night in those spots that I know will get rubbed during my sleep. I'd rather be cautious than wake up in pain.

These days there isn't much I won't eat, I try and stay away from things that are too "bread-y" more because they'll just fill up my brackets in seconds than because they cause discomfort. Personally, I have to be careful about things I'm biting in to because there is a lot of movement in my front teeth right now, meaning they're tender constantly. I've found I can bit from the side though and it's all good.

The food in my brackets, oh my gosh, I'm 6+ weeks in now and I'm still shocked daily by the amount that comes out while cleaning.

#6 Post by **gokix** » Tue May 04, 2010 4:25 pm

First impressions... well, haha... trying to think back to that first day. This might be a stretch, but I felt sort of like Johnny Depp's character in Edward Scissorhands, just that awkwardness and feeling completely out of my element. I'd brush my tongue over the braces alllll day and night. It took a few weeks to adjust to the hardware in my mouth, along with the cuts and scrapes from the wires. What did I eat? Soft foods... yogurt, shakes, eggs. I probably went to bed hungry that day, and the next, and the next, lol. At one point, I was driving myself crazy with the limited food option. Eventually my teeth got strong enough to the point where I could start chewing like a normal person again. That felt like a really big accomplishment.

#7 Post by **catfish** » Tue May 04, 2010 4:47 pm

I remember being surprised that when I was done smiling or laughing, my upper lip would get hung up on my braces. I looked like the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz!

I was also dismayed to learn that my cheeks apparently play a big role in moving my food around when I'm chewing. I was constantly biting them at first. Ouch!

Wed May 05, 2010 11:48 am

when i first got my braces on it felt so weird cause there was so much more in my mouth then before they were put on. they were very sharp but dental wax is an amazing thing for someone who is wearing braces!! my immediate thought "why the heck did i get myself into this???. First few days were rough eating was a huge chore and so was getting a handle on how to clean in between the teeth since the wires were in the way! I actually started crying in the bathroom one night and my friend came running casue she thought i hurt myself. after the first week it got better because I started to get used to them and was getting used to cleaning them.

my first meal was mushed up potatoes, carrots and some chicken (very hard to eat)

I had a nice lisp for the first couple times after my adjustments but i grew out of it (or just didn't realize it anymore)

best of luck with your journey! were always here to help out!

#9 Post by **loradora** » Wed May 05, 2010 5:00 pm

What have I done! I had crowding of my lower teeth, they pulled a tooth and put the braces on. I'm about six weeks in and I'm still hating it - not so much how they look, but how they feel.

#10 Post by **Laura1985** » Thu May 06, 2010 8:51 am

I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, "oh my god, i actually went through with this."

My first meal after getting them was mac and cheese. I remember my teeth were so sore that I felt like I couldn't chew, and I was just swallowing the noodles whole. But it got much better.

I can't remember all your questions- but hang in there!

I am used to my braces and they're much less of a big deal than I thought. They are so worth it!

#11 Post by **yj207** » Thu May 06, 2010 9:23 am

My first thoughts were, how weird they felt and that my mouth tasted like metal. I couldn't stop staring at them for days lol. I was also really happy I finally got them and kept thinking I'm making progress!

#12 Post by **wilson123** » Thu May 06, 2010 9:43 am

Fortunately I booked the Thursday afternoon off and all day Friday leading me into a long weekend to help me get used to them.

Immediately, whilst still in my dentist chair I remember thinking "OMG these are sticking out much further than I anticipated".

I didn't look at them in the dentist only when I returned to my car where they looked very out of shape, very big, rather sore and all in all nothing like I expected - what I expected who knows?

Anyhow, I have never really needed the wax I was given, my lip has adjusted to the brace being there (it no longer feels huge now - the brace that is - however when I have had wire changes the brackets feel huge when the wire isn't in them!)

I didn't notice any real trouble, fortunately the long weekend I had meant I could get used to them without the worry or stress of others seeing them.

Good luck and it will be completely worth it

#13 Post by **catgyrl** » Thu May 06, 2010 10:09 am

I echo everything wilson123 said. I scheduled my appointment for 7:00 AM on a Friday and took the whole day off so I'd have the whole weekend to adjust.

I also felt the brackets looked and felt a whole lot worse before the wire was put in. Funny how that skinny little thing makes all the difference.

Just relax and take things slow. You will do just fine!

#14 Post by **hal2me** » Thu May 13, 2010 12:44 pm

Hi pinkfrost!

When I got home and really looked in the mirror at myself, my first thought was "What the hell did I do?". I have ceramic braces, so my lips seem fuller than they were before hand. All I did was cry for the next few days because my teeth were aching so bad.

Fast forward to present day, I would not change a thing. I am so happy with my progress and know I made the right decision. My teeth are looking good!

Best of luck to you!!!

#15 Post by **bracesrox** » Thu May 13, 2010 1:11 pm

I was braced 2 days ago and had this plan of going metal but changed my mind in the chair. I got ceramic and a tooth colored arch wire and ties. I was planning on a liquid diet and a ton of pain after reading this site for months leading up to me getting braced. I'm happy to report I have very minimal discomfort and can still eat most foods although my bite is off but still tolerable. I still can't believe that none of my co-workers have said anything about them.