Hiya! Newbie.. 27 here, & just got braces last Thursday.

[Koof]

So, after years and years of absolutely hating my teeth and refusing to EVER show my teeth in pictures, I finally got braces (9/1/2011). It's funny, now that I'm NOT working, I can afford 'em.. long story.

Anyway, I don't know about all the specifics like I've seen some of you post, but what I do know about my teeth is that I have an overbite, crossbite, missing #10 (just never grew in after I lost my baby tooth), tongue thrust which has caused my teeth to protrude out a little (not that noticeable to me until I saw the x-rays) and a couple small gaps. I also just had wisdom teeth #16 and #17 removed in the hospital around July 21st or so, under like emergency surgery because one of them got seriously infected and I couldn't bear the pain anymore.. it was worse than childbirth. After that, I had my last wisdom tooth (#1) taken out August 10th, I think. #32 never existed either, which I guess is a good thing in this case.

I was extremely worried about looking childish with my braces.. I'm young, but I'm not THAT young.. I feel like my daughter looks more like my sister than my own child now. Other than that, they don't look as bad as I thought they would. I have ceramic uppers and metal lowers. They told my my treatment would be 18 months - 2 years.. don't know what to think about that, because from what I've been reading, treatment almost always ends up longer than they originally tell you, so I don't want to get my hopes up.

I feel like for some reason, this orthodontist doesn't know what they're doing.. I moved here from the east coast a couple months ago because I recently got married and came out here to join my husband who is in the military.. this ortho. never mentioned anything about my tongue thrust, which I forgot I had until a day or two before I got my braces on.. it's just not something that seems abnormal to me, but I remembered in one of my previous consultations before I moved (I'd been to like 3-4 in hopes of getting braces, then not being able to afford it again), they mentioned to me that I had one and told me I'd have to wear whatever appliance it was that corrects it. So anyway, I mentioned it to my orthodontist and she said she wasn't going to worry about it for now.. that my tongue will find a place to move with all this stuff going on in my mouth with the braces now and all, and she's not going to worry about it until later on in the treatment. I didn't start researching tongue thrust until the past week or so, but from my understanding, if it's the cause of my teeth protruding, wouldn't they want to fix it NOW instead of at the end of treatment? I mean, I'd think that it would definitely slow things down if my braces are trying to pull my teeth in, while at the same time, my tongue is putting pressure on them from the other side.. Whatever. So I've been trying to train my tongue myself not to touch my teeth, and just to rest at the roof of my mouth. I think it really is working, but it still doesn't seem completely natural to me.

As for the missing tooth (#10), they're going to create space in there for it, move #11 where it should be (it's planted right in the middle of the two spots), give me a false tooth of some sorts after the space is created, so I don't have to suffer the duration of my treatment with a HUGE gap of a missing tooth. After all this is finally finished, I will be getting an implant in that spot.

Anyway. I'm so extremely anxious to see a difference in my teeth. Waiting to see them move inward, shift, have my gaps start to close up, etc. I know once it does happen, I still have a long way to go in treatment, but I can't wait to get a preview of what my teeth will look like when they're finally perfect. I go for my next adjustment in the middle of October. Can't wait. Treatment isn't bad at all, so far. My teeth felt (still somewhat feel) completely out of place, but as for the pain that lasts a week or so, I didn't really experience that at all, so I'm surprised and thankful for that. Absolutely hating eating anything, due to the amount of food that gets stuck in between 'em. Every time I rinse before I brush, it loos like I puked. And in turn, makes me actually want to. Flossing - I've given up. Found some Dentek kids floss picks that fit between the wires, so I bought them yesterday.. they aren't bad, but still, I've given up. Think I'll try out that Waterpik Ultra. Everyone seems to swear by it. Anything to make it easier on me.

Looking forward to reading everyone's advice & stories

[shekhinak]

It's nice to know that I'm not the only adult who has decided to try braces. I'm almost 49, and I've hated my teeth for 35 years.

Last January I was diagnosed with gum disease, so flossing for me isn't an option. I have to floss, and in addition I have to use a "perio aid" (basically, a toothpick on a handle that I run along the gum line). I spent an hour and a half trying to figure out how to floss the first day, and I still hadn't mastered it. On day two, I spent one more hour - and I think I finally got the hang of it. It's a slow process, and I guess I can count on spending twice as long at the task when they give me the lower braces.

I also bought a Waterpik, which I think helps, but I'm not convinced that it a complete substitute for floss. That said, I never went to dental school, so take what I say about that with a grain of salt. I would think a Waterpik would be better than nothing. I found one paper that said the Waterpik was superior to flossing, but I'm always suspicious of any paper that promotes some kind of product (in my professional training, I was taught to always question published papers - so I tend to be a bit jaded).

So, welcome to the Bracket Club

[rlpea]

I'm a newbie as well and 28 and just got mine on this week, you made me lol about the puking part. That's no joke Best of luck with your braces

[belistic10]

hi, congrats on getting your braces i am also a newbie, getting mine on in 3weeks so i am sure after that point i will be able to relate better to everythign your going through i am 25yrs old with 2 kids so i dont feel that young anymore either!

[kamor]

I've had my braces on for almost 2 weeks. The Waterpik flosser is a life saver! I use it after i eat, and before I brush. It really helps to remove the food that gets caught in the braces. The water feels very soothing on my gums, and i highly recommend it. Bought it at Walmart for $42.00.
I also floss after i brush. I figure that i am going to take care of my teeth in the best way possible. I don't want to go through the braces process, and in the end find out that i have decaying teeth, or stains, or gum disease. I plan to look forward to straight, healthy teeth and gums. Thank you to all those who post with success stories. I find this site very helpful, especially when i am feeling down and a bit sorry for myself.

[Koof]

Hey, guys! Thanks! & congrats to you all too! Yes, the WaterPik is something I'm definitely going to invest in, but still haven't brought myself to purchase it yet.. ugh. It'll have to happen though. I am worried about gum disease. I honestly don't really even floss my back teeth - even before I got my braces on. It's just impossible to me. So slippery, and I can never get that far back.. surprisingly, my teeth are in great health though. But with the braces on, I see WAY more plaque or tartar build-up (not sure what the difference is, but it's something), so I'm always using the little dental scraper things that you can buy at the store.. I've kind of started flossing with regular floss just the regular way, just as far down as it'll go and then trying to get the rest with the little kids floss picks I got, because I can get all the way down (between the molars) with those. I can't stand the threaders. I don't have an hour a day to deal with that crap, I just don't. It's infuriating and frustrating to no end.

Anyway, hope to see some of your stories on here! Haven't been on in a while, so I'll have to catch up. Again, good luck to you all too! @belistic10 - Good luck & can't wait to hear how it goes!

[BlindSight]

yeah I also never flossed before but when I went in to get my braces put on they did my first dental exam in over 5 years and found out I didn't have any cavities but I had gum disease so had to get that treated first. I really want to get a waterpick after trying to eat a burger yesterday but will have to wait until the first when I get paid. One of the reasons I never flossed before was because I always tried using the more fuzzy kind of floss and my teeth were so crammed and screwed up it would always get caught and tear. the dr gave me some of the normal waxy/ribbon type floss and it made a huge difference and it only took 2 weeks to clear up my gum issues flossing every night and rinsing with saltwater. I wiss say that I was terrified at flossing the first couple of days because it was reallllllly painful and my gums would bleed a whole lot but after a few days the pain went away and so did the bleeding.