What to do during the braces process?

[Tasha Fierce]

I know this sounds really strange, but when I had my brackets put on, I actually fell asleep for a little while. That's how easy it was. My case was different though, I had brackets put on almost 2 weeks before a wire was placed.

[drgnchsr36]

Ahh, why did you have your brackets put on so early? Just curious....

I'm hoping it won't take too long since it's just my upper teeth.

[Tasha Fierce]

Hey drgnchsr36!

I wish I could tell you why my ortho decided to do that . I was honestly confused by the whole thing. The only answer I can think of is he put my brackets on before I had my extractions done. He obviously skipped putting brackets on all my 1st 4 premolars since those were the teeth that were to be extracted. Maybe he put them on to make sure my dentist knew which teeth to pull and didn't take my second premolars out accidentally I wish I could tell you, trust me, I didn't like it! But it happened a year and a half ago so I've gotten over it .

[drgnchsr36]

Ahh, I see!! Probably due to the extractions.. Just a guess. No biggie - I was just curious

[petal]

I asked them to explain each step and what they were doing. They were also very chatty in general with me and the other patients in the other chairs. They were excited about how my smile would turn out and were entertaining me with the changes I would see. I enjoyed the process very much and would not have wanted anything to distract from the process of installing my braces. I hope I will someday be able to enjoy every moment of having them removed!! Try to enjoy your time in the chair, it is an amazing step to take. I think you might be surprised how fast the installation time will go! I can't wait to hear how it goes for you!

[drgnchsr36]

thanks petal!!

I'll let you know how it goes The staff already know that I usually ask a lot of questions, so maybe they'll be detailed as they work.

[petal]

Most of my orthos staff has had braces so they all love to talk about and answer questions about teeth and the brace experience. The last time I was there they finally hooked the wire to a rogue tooth...I always called it my shark tooth because it wanted to start a second row of teeth in my mouth just like sharks have. Well I told the assistant that I was always self concious about that tooth and she took the time to pull up a pic showing the teeth of a woman that had the same rogue tooth as mine....then she showed me her "after" pic where the tooth was in it's proper place I almost cried. It was the first time that it actually hit me that that tooth could be tamed! My dentist had talked about just pulling it. Now I try to enjoy watching it make its trek home....when it is in place, I look forward to never thinking about that tooth again! I always thought about my "teeth" and "that tooth"....now I will just think about my "teeth" as a whole. I hope you enjoy this journey. I will be eagerly following your progress! Take care!

[drgnchsr36]

Oh, that's awesome that they could show you before and after pics of the same situation! That helps a lot with the confidence that it will be fixed with no worries

I think pictures speak a thousand words.. orthos can state that a problem can be fixed with braces, but once you see it actually being done or had been done - I think it's quite a relief!

[dojo]

I used to talk to my ortho, or at least let the guy talk. I feel very confident and relaxed there, so no need for music or other stuff.