Braces on Oct 28, 2010
- have some TMD on the left side, open bite starting to appear
- no ligs needed
- a few bumpers added to stop teeth from hitting brackets, makes it hard to chew
Another braces story
Moderator: bbsadmin
Another braces story
I know it really helped me to see and read about other people's experiences so I thought I'd return the favour and post photos of my own journey.
Braces on Oct 28, 2010
- have some TMD on the left side, open bite starting to appear
- no ligs needed
- a few bumpers added to stop teeth from hitting brackets, makes it hard to chew
Braces on Oct 28, 2010
- have some TMD on the left side, open bite starting to appear
- no ligs needed
- a few bumpers added to stop teeth from hitting brackets, makes it hard to chew
Thanks ShySmile! I'm excited to see how they look straight.
I was pretty nervous too going in to get braced. But it was SOOO much better than I imagined it would be. The most uncomfortable thing about the whole time I was there was laying on a clump of my own hair so that spot of my head went numb, and the plastic do-dad they use to hold your tongue down was digging into the soft tissue under my tongue. Nothing about the bracing itself hurt. It's a little awkward and I'm still getting used to it, but the people who put them on really know what they're doing.
I was pretty nervous too going in to get braced. But it was SOOO much better than I imagined it would be. The most uncomfortable thing about the whole time I was there was laying on a clump of my own hair so that spot of my head went numb, and the plastic do-dad they use to hold your tongue down was digging into the soft tissue under my tongue. Nothing about the bracing itself hurt. It's a little awkward and I'm still getting used to it, but the people who put them on really know what they're doing.
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BraceFace2o1o
- Posts: 980
- Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:00 pm
Re: Another braces story
I totally agree. I read through quite a few of peoples stories on this website before my consults and they really helped alot.luchababe wrote:I know it really helped me to see and read about other people's experiences so I thought I'd return the favour and post photos of my own journey.
I agree with ShySmile, and also you have lovely white teeth!
I look forward to reading your Story and future updates
Braces: Metal fixed upper and lower
Estimated treatment time: 18-24 months
Braces Removed: August 2013 (after 33 months in braces)
Retainers: Upper & lower essix and lower bonded
My Story / Before & After photos
Estimated treatment time: 18-24 months
Braces Removed: August 2013 (after 33 months in braces)
Retainers: Upper & lower essix and lower bonded
My Story / Before & After photos
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equaeternal
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:50 am
Thanks for all of your comments!
I did some whitening strips in the weeks before I got the braces. Plus I had a proper dental cleaning 4 weeks before the braces so I was ready to go. It's very hard to not take a photo every day to compare progress. I promised myself to do it once a month but I might have to do a photo shoot on the 1 week anniversary! I'm sure the novelty will wear down soon...
I did some whitening strips in the weeks before I got the braces. Plus I had a proper dental cleaning 4 weeks before the braces so I was ready to go. It's very hard to not take a photo every day to compare progress. I promised myself to do it once a month but I might have to do a photo shoot on the 1 week anniversary! I'm sure the novelty will wear down soon...
Just got back from having some extra wire snipped of the backs of my top teeth. The Dr. said my teeth must be moving so that's natural. But I think I had that wire when I left after getting them on so I can't get too excited about progress yet! I also had the wire on the bottom front come 1/2 way out of a bracket so he put that back in place.
Tonight is my first yoga class with braces. I'm hoping I don't ache when I'm doing my Downdog. That means my head will be upside down so the blood will rush to my face.
The Good:
It's not as painful or as achey as I thought it would be. The inside of my mouth isn't getting torn up and I've only had to use wax on those pokey wires. Now that they're gone I don't feel a need to use wax at all right now.
I'm getting better at flossing.
The Bad:
Eating is chore. I'm challenging my teeth with dense bread and apples (peeled and cut up into slices) but am also going easy with pasta and bananas.
I'm prone to obsessing about things so I'm still having a few "What have I done!? Two years of this?!?!?" moments. I'm also freaked out about my "little bit of gum recession" according to the hygienist. I've switched from my electric brush to the manual one that came in my dental kit in case it's not me that's the problem, it's the brush. I feel like I can really tell how softly I'm brush and I can reach between brackets better with it. I've been reading and you gums CAN grow back somewhat to a healthy state so I've got to be patient. I'm also now using Listerine for Sensitive Teeth which claims to ease sensitivity, protect enamel and gums.
What I've learned:
Get more lip gloss. My lips are drying out more than usual so I'm going to the mall this weekend to treat myself to some fancy, slick delicious smelling gloss at Bath and Body Works.
Tonight is my first yoga class with braces. I'm hoping I don't ache when I'm doing my Downdog. That means my head will be upside down so the blood will rush to my face.
The Good:
It's not as painful or as achey as I thought it would be. The inside of my mouth isn't getting torn up and I've only had to use wax on those pokey wires. Now that they're gone I don't feel a need to use wax at all right now.
I'm getting better at flossing.
The Bad:
Eating is chore. I'm challenging my teeth with dense bread and apples (peeled and cut up into slices) but am also going easy with pasta and bananas.
I'm prone to obsessing about things so I'm still having a few "What have I done!? Two years of this?!?!?" moments. I'm also freaked out about my "little bit of gum recession" according to the hygienist. I've switched from my electric brush to the manual one that came in my dental kit in case it's not me that's the problem, it's the brush. I feel like I can really tell how softly I'm brush and I can reach between brackets better with it. I've been reading and you gums CAN grow back somewhat to a healthy state so I've got to be patient. I'm also now using Listerine for Sensitive Teeth which claims to ease sensitivity, protect enamel and gums.
What I've learned:
Get more lip gloss. My lips are drying out more than usual so I'm going to the mall this weekend to treat myself to some fancy, slick delicious smelling gloss at Bath and Body Works.
Tonight is my first yoga class with braces. I'm hoping I don't ache when I'm doing my Downdog. That means my head will be upside down so the blood will rush to my face.
I had my first yoga class last night. didnt do anything too bad. think we'll probably be doing the down facing dog before too long. the teacher also does a thing during lying relaxation where we have to lick all around our teeth to relax our jaws- that ones out for me for a while! :S
I had my first yoga class last night. didnt do anything too bad. think we'll probably be doing the down facing dog before too long. the teacher also does a thing during lying relaxation where we have to lick all around our teeth to relax our jaws- that ones out for me for a while! :S
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smilelikeyoumeanit
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2010 2:56 pm
- Location: Florida
Lunchbabe- thanks for sharing! I'm getting braces on Monday (just the tops to start off). I'm also a little obsessive and am starting to have those same thoughts- "what am I thinking?" "two years?"
We'll see! I'm also getting ceramic tops and metal bottoms. I'm starting to worry about what they are going to look like
We'll see! I'm also getting ceramic tops and metal bottoms. I'm starting to worry about what they are going to look like
We'll have to swap paranoia stories.smilelikeyoumeanit wrote:Lunchbabe- thanks for sharing! I'm getting braces on Monday (just the tops to start off). I'm also a little obsessive and am starting to have those same thoughts- "what am I thinking?" "two years?"
We'll see! I'm also getting ceramic tops and metal bottoms. I'm starting to worry about what they are going to look like
I didn't include my whole story because I was kind of tired of thinking and talking about my teeth! I'll add another post here one day with a bit more detail about what I have.
Today marks the end of 2 weeks with braces. I took photos this morning but seeing how hard it is to take a photo in the exact same angle and distance as another I really can't see any change yet. I was hoping to see something but since it's only 2 weeks in I shouldn't really expect much.
After a lifetime of not brushing after lunch (it never crossed my mind! I now brush after breakfast, lunch (VERY lightly!) and before bed. It seems to be the lesser of two evils. Either brush after lunch and risk removing enamel and hurting my gums OR not brush and have food sit in there for the rest of the afternoon risking bad breath and plaque build up.
The Good:
I haven't needed any wax. The inside of my mouth isn't being cut up at all.
I REALLY enjoyed just shoving food in my mouth last night. I was out for dinner and just stuffed lovely tex-mex in there not caring how it looked or how much was getting caught around my brackets.
The Bad:
After dinners, which have the most chewing per meal a day, I want to claw my braces off with my fingernails. They feel hard and lumpy and don't move and they make the inside of my lips feel itchy. A few hours later and I'm good again.
What I've learned:
If anything is going to teach me patience, it's braces.
Don't use handcream before sticking a finger in your mouth to remove food or to check something in there. Blech.
After a lifetime of not brushing after lunch (it never crossed my mind! I now brush after breakfast, lunch (VERY lightly!) and before bed. It seems to be the lesser of two evils. Either brush after lunch and risk removing enamel and hurting my gums OR not brush and have food sit in there for the rest of the afternoon risking bad breath and plaque build up.
The Good:
I haven't needed any wax. The inside of my mouth isn't being cut up at all.
I REALLY enjoyed just shoving food in my mouth last night. I was out for dinner and just stuffed lovely tex-mex in there not caring how it looked or how much was getting caught around my brackets.
The Bad:
After dinners, which have the most chewing per meal a day, I want to claw my braces off with my fingernails. They feel hard and lumpy and don't move and they make the inside of my lips feel itchy. A few hours later and I'm good again.
What I've learned:
If anything is going to teach me patience, it's braces.
Don't use handcream before sticking a finger in your mouth to remove food or to check something in there. Blech.
