Brace Newbie - Six month smiles!

[Leftie]

Thanks.

I intend to start a blog and keep lots of photos as I think it will help to keep me motivated as I think it's difficult to see changes day by day when you are looking yourself.

Not looking forward to doing the before photos, I hate having to smile in pictures!

[Shortie93]

Thanks.

I intend to start a blog and keep lots of photos as I think it will help to keep me motivated as I think it's difficult to see changes day by day when you are looking yourself.

Not looking forward to doing the before photos, I hate having to smile in pictures!

I'd be really interested in seeing a blog of your progress It's quite hard to find people with 6 month smiles so it's always great when you find someone else you can compare with

Even since posting the last photo my teeth have shifted again and my boyfriend tells me they now look almost completely straight from the front, but think he's exaggerating a little

What motivated you to get braces if you don't mind me asking? For me it was actually a photo - I saw how badly my canine stuck out!

[Leftie]

Hi Shortie,

I had a bad experience with a plate brace as a kid, big plastic thing which extended down for my bottom teeth to clip into. I couldn't talk with it in and it wasn't practical for a young teenager, so I never wore it!

Since I was in my late teens & twenties I became more & more conscious of my badly aligned teeth but couldn't afford to do anything about them. Now finally as I approach my 30th I just about have the money to do it & so I'm going for it before I can change my mind!

Will get my blog started either today/tomorrow before B-day - 8:15am Monday Morning!!!

[Shortie93]

Hi Shortie,

I had a bad experience with a plate brace as a kid, big plastic thing which extended down for my bottom teeth to clip into. I couldn't talk with it in and it wasn't practical for a young teenager, so I never wore it!

Since I was in my late teens & twenties I became more & more conscious of my badly aligned teeth but couldn't afford to do anything about them. Now finally as I approach my 30th I just about have the money to do it & so I'm going for it before I can change my mind!

Will get my blog started either today/tomorrow before B-day - 8:15am Monday Morning!!!

Ouch! I should have had braces when I was about eleven myself but due to bad dental advice and pre-teen stubbornness I never pursued it. I'm so so happy now though, it's literally month 2 and has got the the point of it being a daily improvement!

Also at the college I attend people are just saying 'oh my God do you have braces?' after 2 months it's fantastic

Excited to see your blog!

[Leftie]

I've read some of the posts about people having coloured ligs, do they us them on the 6 months system? if so have you had a choice of colour?

[Shortie93]

I didn't get a choice of colour, no - typically I think they use 'lucid lok' or something which are clear ligatures, and clear o rings to go with them - if they DO give you a choice, you may want to go with pale blue o - rings (the rubber bands which go round your ligs) because I've heard they stain much less, but I'm pretty sure they'll just give you the standard.

I have clear ligs and clear o rings and the staining only gets to be an issue for me so far around a week before I need them changing by which point they go a tad yellowy no matter how much you brush (I take obsessive care of them but they tend to tint a bit no matter what you do - it's not really noticeable though so I wouldn't worry too much, just avoid curry!).

[Leftie]

Hey Shortie

I've just started the blog and posted some pics on it!
Called Leftie's Braces Blog - six Month Smiles

thanks for the info on the ligs, less than 12 hours to go now! really nervous! Not sure how well I'll sleep tonight

[Shortie93]

Don't worry! When mine were fitted the process was a bit uncomfortable but not at all painful - day two hurt a bit though! Just think though, for every second of ache that you may have with them, it means MOVEMENT. The magical M word haha!

I'll keep up with your blog keep posting and letting me know how you're doing as well! Don't be nervous because it is 1000000000000% worth it! And even now when I look back to month one I'm wondering why I was so scared.

Let me know how the fitting goes, fingers crossed it works out well for you

[wadadli]

So much useful info. Just had my six month braces fitted today to close the gap between my front teeth. I was told treatment could take up to nine months. So far not as painful as I expected, which is a relief, but those wires are sharp! Thought the braces would have been more discrete but I guess beauty comes at a price.

[Shortie93]

So much useful info. Just had my six month braces fitted today to close the gap between my front teeth. I was told treatment could take up to nine months. So far not as painful as I expected, which is a relief, but those wires are sharp! Thought the braces would have been more discrete but I guess beauty comes at a price.

I agree they are! Mine are poking at the moment, driving me mad due for my second tightening in 7 days though yayyyyy 2 months down!

I felt like that about the discrete side of it - I got out and looked and felt SO dissapointed, like they were really big and obvious - I won't lie, I personally still feel like they're noticable, particularly in some lights - however nobody else has even noticed I'm wearing them, with quite a few friends just turning around recently in shock going 'are you wearing braces?!' almost 2 months after getting them fitted and just think, in just nine short months your teeth will look amazing

[Shortie93]

For anyone who is interested, here's my latest progress pic roughly 2 months in:

[jmax84]

Hi all! just did a search and found this blog...i am glad to see alot of you are having positive results with your 6 month smile braces! i, however, am having the worst time with them :( i've had mine on for 2 weeks now and have had nothing but problems!! I am in so much pain its unreal (i've taken everything from tylenol to tramadol, orajel...nothing works!!). i can't hardly eat anything besides oatmeal (which i am really tired of now lol) and i'm fed up!! last week i was brushing my teeth and my back metal bracket broke off. went in the same day to get it put back on, which then my dentist decided to change out my rubberbands and tie a couple of my brackets. WORST.PAIN.EVER! i was in tears, no lie. he even said it shouldn't hurt that bad. then he was talking to his assistant about getting out the "cheat sheet". umm...what?!?! i understand this guy isn't an orthodontist and got training on how to use these braces, but when you gotta use a cheat sheet, something is wrong.
so anyway i'm thinking i can get used to these things, but i really don't think i can. today i was eating bread...BREAD...soft, regular sandwich bread, and guess what...my bracket broke AGAIN!! maybe i just got back luck with a not very skilled dentist, but i'm calling tomorrow to tell them one, my bracket broke again. and two, to take these darn things off! i still cant even bite into ANYTHING. its making me lose weight (which i hate to say but i can't afford to lose lol) and yeah this just isn't working for me. it sucks cause i've already paid half the cost but i don't think i can go 6 months feeling like this. the pain makes it impossible to even concentrate on anything. has anyone else had issues like this? i know braces aren't lollipops and puppies lol and i know there is supposed to be some pain after adjustments and whatnot but when i've talked to my other friends that have had braces, they said none of this stuff should be going on. i've been taking great care of them and been eating extremely careful and yet they keep breaking...i'll let you know how it goes but if anyone has some advice it would be greatly appreciated!

[Harriet]

Mine too were really uncomfortable to start with, and I still can't bite into foods. I survived the first month on mashed potatoes, slim fast, macaroni cheese and smoothies. Like you I thought i'd never get used to them. It does get better though, you will start to forget they're there soon I promise.

I've never had problems with brackets coming off though, is it the same one that keeps falling off? Is that tooth particularly crooked? I know that if a tooth is set a way back or forwards from the rest or at an odd angle there will be greater force on the bracket making it more likely to come off.

I too am being treated by a dentist not an orthodontist but I saw examples of work he'd done and had a good feeling about him do proceeded anyway. If you feel like your dentist doesn't know what he's doing, perhaps you could get a second opinion or discuss your concerns with him.

I hope you start feeling better about it all soon!

[jmax84]

thanks for the words of encouragement! :) yes its the same bracket that keeps falling off, its a perfectly straight tooth, but its also a crown which might be whats causing the bonding issues. they have tried a few different bonds already with no luck, so i'm going to see if maybe they can move that back bracket to a different tooth. all my back teeth are straight, its really just one tooth on top that needs to turn a little, and my bottom teeth are a little crowded. i really don't want to give up on them since i have already paid half the price for them but i really do hope it does get better! i'm just a little nervous because i'm going on vacation next week and i'm afraid the bracket is gonna pop off again, and then i wont be able to get it fixed till i get home, and all the work that has been done so far is gonna be lost. i'm going to try to go in today to see if they can do something but if they keep breaking then i may just have them removed because its very stressful having to worry about them constantly!

[jmax84]

good news! i went in and talked to my dentist today and he was very understanding about everything. it turns out i just have extremely sensitive teeth, and he went a little overboard with my last adjustment. and i guess my teeth are moving at a much faster rate than normal so that is also what has been causing the pain. he did some re-adjusing and as soon as i left the office my teeth already felt 100% better!! he said at the rate my teeth are moving, i can have my top braces removed in about a month, and my bottom ones removed in about 4 months!! that made me happy and feel much better about this whole process. he even offered to stay late at the office so i wouldn't have to keep leaving work early to get things fixed. as far as the bracket goes, it wasn't bonding to the porcelain so he decided to just leave it off since my back teeth aren't an issue anyway. and the best part of this is at this moment i am able to bite into a cheeseburger :) heck yes!! so thank you to those who replied to my post, i guess i was a little emotional lol (he said that its normal to get emotional with braces because they are so frustrating to have!), but i appreciate all the words of encouragement you guys gave me! hope you all are doing great with your braces, i'll be sure to post some before/after pics when i get these things off! :)