I and 57 years old and got my metal braces on Monday, September 12th--4 days ago. It has been torture. My jaw aches, but this is understandable. I have a very deep bite, and my orthodontist installed a ceramic "stop" behind my front teeth so I don't bite down all the way and chomp off the brackets on my lower teeth. But why are my gums so sore so soon? I use the Water Pik ortho-tip on them 2-3 times a day and they are very sensitive. I googled "sore gums and braces" only to find gum soreness associated with braces and less-than-ideal dental hygiene over time.
Oh dear god what have I gotten myself into? I'll be almost 60 by the time this is over with, if I live that long...
just got'em and freaking out
Moderator: bbsadmin
Re: just got'em and freaking out
I'm sorry you guys--but this is the funniest thread here I have read in a while!!! It totally makes me remember my first few days/weeks....!!
Believe me, it gets waaaayyyyyy better. You won't even notice them at all after a while. You will be as used to them as you are to your finger, or toes, or whatever. Hair that's it--hair takes a lot of work too....but you do it every day, and it's just a part of having hair. Same with braces...
I am 55, and am sooooo happy I decided to get braces---just wait til you start seeing the changes--and it doesn't take very long! It's amazing and fun to see, and time just ZOOMS along!
Ya, and quite often I do have a lithp--it's the wortht when I'm talking to thomeone on the phone at work. I just have to shrug it off, but ya, sometimes it feels sort of embarrasing.
I really like all the newbies coming in!!! It's great!!!
Believe me, it gets waaaayyyyyy better. You won't even notice them at all after a while. You will be as used to them as you are to your finger, or toes, or whatever. Hair that's it--hair takes a lot of work too....but you do it every day, and it's just a part of having hair. Same with braces...
I am 55, and am sooooo happy I decided to get braces---just wait til you start seeing the changes--and it doesn't take very long! It's amazing and fun to see, and time just ZOOMS along!
Ya, and quite often I do have a lithp--it's the wortht when I'm talking to thomeone on the phone at work. I just have to shrug it off, but ya, sometimes it feels sort of embarrasing.
I really like all the newbies coming in!!! It's great!!!
Re: just got'em and freaking out
Glad we could entertain you. I know its like braces season or something. My neighbors kids just got em and they are out riding their bikes like nothing is different. KIDs! Woke up with a massive headache and drool on my pillow. Boyfriend took one look at me and left thrity minutes early for work. I was like "honey don't you want me to puree some pancakes for us?" whatever more for me. Just had myself a good ugly cry and now going to try to function.
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Re: just got'em and freaking out
Klobird makes an excellent point with her "hair" analogy... I've never thought about it like that.
I remember my own experience getting my braces on, which was the same as everyone else's (I haven't seen a single post yet where someone has had their braces put on and they didn't have their "Oh dear Lord what I have I done?!?" moment) and after reading so many of these "newbie" posts, I started really thinking about it. When my husband and I were preparing to be married, we had to go through these sort of "marriage-readiness" classes with the priest who was going to marry us. He talked about the extreme change to our lives we were about to undergo and he explained that most people who do this go through a grieving process. It's a time when you mourn the loss of what you have known and find familiar and also a time when you have to start accepting a permanent change and all the details that come with it that you weren't anticipating. While he was certainly right about that as far as marriage goes, nothing exemplifies this concept better in my opinion, than getting braces does. I was actually thinking about bringing this up with my ortho and letting him know that it might be very helpful to some of his patients, particularly we older ones, to do a bit of "counceling" before the hardware goes on to let them know about this as it is pretty tramatic to a lot of people. He's a very kind person and I think he would listen with a straight face anyway
Back to the hair analogy... braces are kind of like a bad haircut that you just can't do a single thing about. Eventually you either get used to it or it grows long enough for you to change it, but at first, it's just horrible!
I remember my own experience getting my braces on, which was the same as everyone else's (I haven't seen a single post yet where someone has had their braces put on and they didn't have their "Oh dear Lord what I have I done?!?" moment) and after reading so many of these "newbie" posts, I started really thinking about it. When my husband and I were preparing to be married, we had to go through these sort of "marriage-readiness" classes with the priest who was going to marry us. He talked about the extreme change to our lives we were about to undergo and he explained that most people who do this go through a grieving process. It's a time when you mourn the loss of what you have known and find familiar and also a time when you have to start accepting a permanent change and all the details that come with it that you weren't anticipating. While he was certainly right about that as far as marriage goes, nothing exemplifies this concept better in my opinion, than getting braces does. I was actually thinking about bringing this up with my ortho and letting him know that it might be very helpful to some of his patients, particularly we older ones, to do a bit of "counceling" before the hardware goes on to let them know about this as it is pretty tramatic to a lot of people. He's a very kind person and I think he would listen with a straight face anyway
Back to the hair analogy... braces are kind of like a bad haircut that you just can't do a single thing about. Eventually you either get used to it or it grows long enough for you to change it, but at first, it's just horrible!
Re: just got'em and freaking out
Yeah the springs a witch. Mine pinched my lips in-between the little coils any time I moved wrong.
My husband also thought I was very funny while talking. And I spit on him a couple times, and then jokingly handed him plates of food telling him I might have gotten something in them. But like everyone else has said it does get better. Pretty soon you won't feel the brackets at all, even though you don't think that's possible at the moment.
Get some silicone wax from DentaKit, it's completely clear and you can wear it while talking to people and they won't see it. I know it says you have to dry the brackets, but I never do and it sticks just fine
Good luck.
My husband also thought I was very funny while talking. And I spit on him a couple times, and then jokingly handed him plates of food telling him I might have gotten something in them. But like everyone else has said it does get better. Pretty soon you won't feel the brackets at all, even though you don't think that's possible at the moment.
Get some silicone wax from DentaKit, it's completely clear and you can wear it while talking to people and they won't see it. I know it says you have to dry the brackets, but I never do and it sticks just fine
Good luck.
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Re: just got'em and freaking out
I used to chew with the molars only since they were the only teeth that did not hurt. But now as I am fully braced (except wisdom teeth, but ortho mentioned they will probably have to come in soon as well), my molars hurt so much that I cannot chew with them as well. This totally sucks, but I try to not pay attention since there's nothing I can do to help myself.LoveOrtho wrote: I could only chew with my back teeth for 2 months! But I promise you it gets better.
Had full mouth metal braces for 21 months. Debonded April 2013. Now wearing clear plastic retainers every other night.
I have no formal dental or orthodontic education. Hence, all opinions expressed by me on this forum are those of an "informed consumer" and by no means intended as an expert advice.
I have no formal dental or orthodontic education. Hence, all opinions expressed by me on this forum are those of an "informed consumer" and by no means intended as an expert advice.
Re: just got'em and freaking out
I have the Innovation Ceramics and I'm about a month in (almost) and still wear wax daily, sometimes on almost 90% of the brackets.
Most of the pain is gone, but I still can't bite through anything with my front teeth (even the pressure of biting through cheese hurts) and random teeth hurt at random times. I definitely talk weird now and can't pronounce certain words I've always been able to pronounce.
But it's definitely better than the first week. Hang in there!
Most of the pain is gone, but I still can't bite through anything with my front teeth (even the pressure of biting through cheese hurts) and random teeth hurt at random times. I definitely talk weird now and can't pronounce certain words I've always been able to pronounce.
But it's definitely better than the first week. Hang in there!
In full braces for 2 years, 3 weeks, 1 day.
My Saga (Innovation-C upper/lower) here: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=40053
My Saga (Innovation-C upper/lower) here: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=40053