Lia 77's story (with pictures of course!)

[Lia77]

Hello!

I am a 22yr old female from somewhere in Europe.

I was supposed to get braces when I was a lot younger and could have got them for free through the health service over here, but I was a fussy teenager who just simply didn't want braces. Well now I'm sorry!

I have 3 younger siblings who have had/currently have braces and I didn't want to be the only one left out. I am pretty confident about my appearance in general, but my teeth were always the one thing I hated. I rarely smile in photos.

So about 2 months ago I went for a consultation with an orthodontist and a month later I got my upper braces on! I am so happy I have made this decision. Been meaning to do it for years. I didn't think I would be able to afford it as braces are insanely expensive in this country. I am a full-time college student and the only money I make is from weekend work. . Mine are costing me about €4,500 (if I include extractions etc..) which is over $6,200 :/ But I have a payment plan works for me so it's all good! Also saved a lot in the summer, at least I'm spending my money on something worthwhile!..I hope! My ortho is really, really nice. Always answers any questions I have and he has a great reputation.

Anyway!

I have pretty bad overcrowding on bottom and the top. My canines are high so I've got that "fang" thing going on. My front teeth are kinda slanted back. And I have a deep bite. Also, two of my front teeth are really badly chipped. I will need to get bonding (I think) when my treatment has finished.

The day I got my upper braces in I had 2 extractions on the top. I will be getting 2 extractions on the bottom once I get my bottom braces on. Which will be in a few months. I have Clarity ceramic braces on top and will be getting metal ones on the bottom.

The extractions were fine. Didn't bother me at all. The first few days with braces were PAIN, however.

No pain anymore though. My brother and sister use their wax a lot, but I never seem to need to use mine. Maybe because I have ceramic braces and they are not as tough.

So here are the photos so far! (eek!)



Two of my nasty ortho photos. Very flattering indeed!


First day! You can kinda see the extraction sites. I had to wait till the extraction sites healed till I got the wire properly put in.


Week 2! Got the wire. Woopee! Also got some kinda funky criss-cross wire thing on my front teeth. Anyone know what this is for? I haven't seen it on anyone elses photos.


Week 4! (1 Month!) (today!) I can see a little bit of movement. And my bands have been stained...I simply can't give up tea. Oh well.


Next adjustment is in 10 days!

[rahmama]

Thanks for posting your photos. Your teeth look similar to mine; I just haven't been brave enough to post photos yet.

My mouth is actually worse because my bite is so wonky. My dentist had to build up three teeth so I could have something like a real bite.
The inside of my mouth looks like a disaster right now! (bottom teeth have 'fangs' from the enamel build up).

Has anyone else had anything like what I'm talking about? Should I post a photo?

I'm still very self-conscious about smiling, but sometimes I just can't help it.

Good luck Lia! Keep us posted. I can't give up tea either, but I dont see your tea stains.

[belistic10]

hey thanks for sharing your story you can already see those top canine teeth have moved downwards a bit! your going to have a great smile when its all finished! i can sympathise with you on the cost, its also very expensive here and with my 4 extractions and braces its going to cost me around $7,500AUD thankgod i have payment plans at both the ortho and the dentist that did the extractions. ohwell it will all be worth it
i have heard others say drinking tea etc through a straw will help reduce staining mine dont have ligs so i do not have this problem with my coffee thankgoodness! with my 2 kids i need my coffee

[Lia77]

Ah the staining isn't that bad I guess. Others probably don't notice it as much as I do.

I can't believe I didn't get braces sooner. The whole being self conscious about getting braces in my 20's was putting me off about, but I really don't care at all now that I have them! I know many people my age and above that have them. I actually quite like my braces

Except for getting food stuck in them..that's what irritates me the most!

[catgyrl]

Hi Lia!

Congratulations and welcome!

I envy your very nice, white teeth! No matter how often I brush, I still have staining. But you are right about the staining of the ligs - nobody else notices it as much as YOU will (especially because we take so many up-close pics of our mouths). The only time anyone's ever noticed my stains is when my chain turned BRIGHT YELLOW last month!

You have a wonderful, positive attitude about your braces. My biggest pain in the you-know-what is also the food getting stuck in them, but that's unavoidable. My WaterPik is my best friend!!

Good luck to you!

[Lia77]

Thank you! My ortho said I have quite white teeth, never really thought I did.

I have researched them WaterPiks and I am very close to buying one. Are they worth it? I

can't believe how strict I'm after getting with overall oral hygiene since getting these braces...one great advantage!

[catgyrl]

Lia-

The WaterPik is absolutely worth it! Even more so than the Sonicare toothbrush I also bought. There is no way swishing can get rid of all the food caught in my brackets, but the WaterPik does the job flawlessly. I even bought a portable one for work.

My oral hygiene pre-braces was HORRIBLE. I never flossed (hence, the bleeding gums at every single cleaning), and I hate to admit this, but I only brushed once a day (in the morning). After I got braces, I flossed every night and brushed 3 times a day. I will admit I've slacked a bit on the flossing, but I can feel immediately when I need to start up again.

-Cathy

[Lia77]

I ordered a WaterPik. I had an Amazon voucher with a but of money left so thought why not. Can't wait to get it

[hj55]

Lia,
I had my upper 6 front teeth wired together under the archwire for the whole of my time in braces. I think it was to keep them together because they didn't need to move much. They were moved about 2mm to the left to correct my midline and are also angled differently but they really look much the same as they did pre braces. Helen.

[Timewaster97]

My teeth are also somewhat like yours and I have also been very self-conscious about my smile. Its been 2 weeks since I have had my braces and i check every morning to see any improvement.. so far nothing lol

[anngie27]

Congrats on getting braced! Did you also have your wisdom teeth removed or just the premolars?

[Timewaster97]

3 wisdom teeth and 4 premolars.. I'm also going to get grafting done this friday!

Did you have tightening done yet? Does it hurt with tightening?

[Lia77]

Lia,
I had my upper 6 front teeth wired together under the archwire for the whole of my time in braces. I think it was to keep them together because they didn't need to move much. They were moved about 2mm to the left to correct my midline and are also angled differently but they really look much the same as they did pre braces. Helen.

Aw great, that explains it.

I have 2 two wisdom teeth removed already (about 2 years ago) as there was no room for them to erupt. My top wisdom teeth are okay though, I think they'll be staying there!

I have my first adjustment tomorrow morning..whee! Not really looking forward to the pain part though!

[Lia77]

Whoops, my appointment is actually next week. Got the dates wrong. :/ Loving the Waterpik though! I advise everyone to get one

[Lia77]

Hello!

These were taken last week (8th of December).

So that's at the 2 month mark! They are moving... slowly but surely!

Will be getting my bottom braces on sometime in the middle of January. Eeek.


(Please excuse the saliva! )