Getting Braces TOMORROW! Please Help!?

[benzorlb]

Alright, so I'm a male who is 20 years-old. After much wait, my journey finally starts tomorrow. I'm finally getting my braces on and will need to have them for the next 2+ years.

Any advice? What should I expect? I have a pretty severe underbite. What are some tips you guys could share with me? I could use every last bit of advice...

Thanks in advance!

[w0nnie]

best tip for the actual procedure would be to take some ibuprofin about 45 minutes before you are scheduled to go in, oh and eat a big steak tonight.

once they are on, you will have some pain eating but that only lasts for a week or so, and then a couple of days after your first adjustment. after that, the eating pain gets milder and comes and goes depending on what your ortho is up to at that point. If it gets too bad, take some paracetamol 45 minutes before meals (ibuprofin shouldnt be taken on an empty stomache)

[annafaith]

I started out in braces when I was 23 (had them as a child too) - it takes a while to get used to but within a month I didn't even feel like I had braces on, and the year I spent in them before surgery wasn't bad at all. Hopefully the two years will fly by for you.

Here's a few things i can think of after spending years in braces...
Take pain killers BEFORE you go so they kick in before you get the braces put on. Expect aching teeth but don't get too alarmed - it hurts, but will get better within a few days. Expect to be eating soft food for the few days though.
I found interdental brushes very useful, as a toothbrush can't get in the edges around the brackets properly.
If you have to wear any clear elastics, they will turn yellow with some foods like curry or lots of coffee, so beware!
ASK questions so you know exactly what the orthos working on, it's much more satisfying then as you notice progress in certain areas.

hope that helps a little x

[benzorlb]

I have another question about the braces... once I get braces, will I be able to do things like going to the gym, eating steak, chicken, and physically-draining activities, or will I be too weak or something?

[keeponsmiling]

Obviously everyone's different, but for me having the braces fitted really wasn't painful. My teeth definitely ached afterwards, as they did after the first few adjustments, but it honestly only lasted a day or so. I found I could eat a normal meal straight after and it was only a few hours later that I felt discomfort. I got into the habit of keeping batches of homemade soup in the freezer that I could microwave as and when I needed them (I found it hard to find readymade soup that's completely smooth) and you should be able to manage soft bread soaked in the soup for extra sustenance. Also keep a box of porridge in the cupboard for your breakfast the next day. Things like fish and mash are also a good option for a meal the next day.

Your diet honestly won't suffer enough to leave you feeling tired. I'm not a fan of the gym but I manage 25km a week on a crosstrainer and walk about 4km a day - my energy level is the same as always. I've had braces for over a year and the only food I've found totally unmanageable is peanuts. I can eat them if I go careful but even though I love them it's just not worth the hassle of having to pick all the little bits out afterwards. On which note, interdental brushes are a MUST.

Good luck with it. Like others have said, it's amazing how quickly you get used to them, amazing how quickly you see results, and amazing how fast the months will fly by till you have a perfect smile.

[SLiM2590]

This is my 2nd time around with braces, but getting braces wasn't a big deal for me. No pain or anything. As a matter of fact, this time I fell asleep while they were putting them on. It took a few days to get my lips used to covering them and I had a few cuts inside my mouth, but no big deal. The adjustments are a different story, I usually eat softer, easy to chew food after an adjustment just because the force of the new wires makes it weird to really chew things.

The same stuff I did/ate before braces are the same things I did and ate after the braces were put on, with a few exceptions. There's a list of foods I'm not supposed to eat, given to me by the orthodontist, mainly hard, crunchy stuff, but I find that I can eat most of it if I'm careful and cut it up into smaller pieces (like apples, for example).

Similar to keeponsmiling, I love almonds, but I won't give them up, I just have to floss and brush after eating them and be careful chewing them. Good luck!!

[Emmauk]

Try not to panic, everyone is aprehensive before and then generally after a month you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

For me it was just really weird getting used to all the stuff in my mouth, i had a few sores but no PAIN just uncomfortable to eat but if you chose what you eat wisely you'll be fine. I think i was on soft food for about a week and then gradually i have returned to be able to eat what i want.

I have had my braces for 9 months now and other than nuts, toffee and crusty bread i think i have eaten what i like. I have only had one adjustment that needed me to be back on soft food diet and that was only for 2 days after most adjustments you just feel a bit more pressure.

I didnt find any discomfort until during the night and next day after initial placement of braces.

Good luck for tomorrow, im sure you'll be fine. If you feel sore then just remember what youll have at the end and it'll get you through. I think it helps also to take photos so you can actually see the changes.
x

[sm531]

I was a little anxious upon getting my braces too... I had only the front four when I was younger, along with a spreader, headgear, retainer... But that was mostly to get rid of the gap between my front 2 teeth and widen my palette a bit.

Now at 26, I got full mouth braces in preparation for a double jaw surgery and septoplasty. I was a little uncomfortable about being my age getting them, but people in their 40s and 50s get them so.....

I also was able to get ahold of an awesome SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM Sonicare FlexCare Rechargeable Sonic Toothbrush with Sanitizer for me to use with a spare head for my bf and it's so much easier/better to use than a regular toothbrush!! I just happened to go to my dentist's office before getting my braces, paranoid about a possible cavity I wanted to get dealt with before braces, and he'd gotten his new displays in so sold me the old one for $30!!

I was only in a little pain at first but mostly just annoyed at the paranoia I had about knocking a bracket off eating something even moderately hard/crunchy.... Needless to say, I avoided chips for a couple weeks, along with raw, hard veggies like broccoli and carrots that I still avoid!! I didn't bite in to anything either for the sake of not having to clean it out of my braces but I got over that after umm... 2 months? lmao It didn't help though I got a second job at a grocery store and had to get used to trying to scarf something down in the 15 minute breaks or 30 minute lunches and then having to go talk to people and smile and just.. uugh

After a while though, you won't even be bothered much by braces!! You'll just maybe count down the days until you're getting them off!!

[Bullfighter]

Alright, so I'm a male who is 20 years-old. After much wait, my journey finally starts tomorrow. I'm finally getting my braces on and will need to have them for the next 2+ years.

Any advice? What should I expect? I have a pretty severe underbite. What are some tips you guys could share with me? I could use every last bit of advice...

Thanks in advance!

The only thing I can add to what others have already posted is that cleaning your teeth is a lot more time consuming.

Items that you may find helpful:

1. Water Pik, with orthodontic tips to clean around wires. You will be amazed at how much food gets packed into your braces. I had both a rotary toothrbush and Water Pik, and the Water Pik was a lot more useful. (Then I would use a normal toothbrush to clean up after the Water Pik had knocked out the couple of pounds of food out of my braces.)
2. Oral B Super Floss or equivalent -- basically floss with a stiffened section that is easier to thread behind the wire. Regular floss used alone is futile.
3. Those little cone brushes with a self-storing cap. Keep one with you to knock chunks of food out from behind wires.
4. Wax. Usually the ortho will give you a case with it. Useful if something comes loose and starts to poke you.
5. Portable pocket tooth brush - ortho may give you this. I took it with we whenever I went out to eat.

Overall I didn't find braces all that uncomfortable, just inconvenient.