Braces in 4 days at the age of 26 and scared

[Amorvidanz]

Hello I'm Jennifer and new to this forum.
I just got my spacers in today (Monday) in preparation for my braces on (Friday)
I am kinda scared and nervous (I'm scared my teeth will become loose and fall out and that they will look ugly)
I know they won't but still.
I have a couple questions
- with the spacers in I'm finding it hard to eat as worried food will get stuck, is that normal and should I just eat normally?
- when I get the braces on should I use a manual or electric toothbrush?

Does anyone have some advice they can please share??

[kellyb]

hey, don't worry. i am sure everything will be fine. good luck with the braces fitting on friday

regarding your 2 questions, i can't really help much, i'm afraid. i did not need spaces as i have gapped teeth and i am trying to close spaces

regarding toothbrush, i have never used an electric toothbrush before braces so i thought i would stick to the ones i know i.e. manual. but i guess it is all down to personal preference

[wiredone]

To answer your question about the spacers... I had them and I couldn't eat much (well, if it required using my teeth to chew) without feeling major pain... I was limited to soups... so I say, if you can eat without the pain, go ahead. My orthodontist said I could eat whatever was comfortable for me (I only had spacers at that time... not braces yet), but she noted that I probably wouldn't want much other than soup (since my spacers were jammed between tight teeth), and she was right. I wouldn't worry about food getting stuck--there probably isn't much space there to get stuck, and if it does, no worries, the spacers aren't permanent and will be removed soon. Whatever you do, don't floss where the spacers are! When I had my spacers, the bigger concern I had was that they would pop out of place... but if that happens, you just let your orthodontist know, and they will replace them with new ones.

I use a manual toothbrush as well. It does all come down to preference (although I know many say an electric cleans a lot better). I have always taken really good care of my teeth, but I have heard that statistically many people don't brush properly... maybe the electric toothbrush works better for those individuals.

Try not to worry so much about your teeth becoming loose and falling out--most orthodontist monitor your teeth for these kinds of issues (periodic x-rays is how mine did)... and it is very uncommon for your teeth to fall out during treatment, although, it is common for some of your teeth to become slightly loose-- but please don't worry... they will tighten back up... and if it's bothering you, just simply let your orthodontist know.

[BracedInNOLA]

It's ok to be nervous, and you already 'know' that this is a good thing. You just have to convince yourself of that on the side of the brain that's nervous!

I hope you have a decent support system near you that you can trust. It really can make a difference to have someone to lean on when you're feeling nervous and undergoing a big change. (Because, let's face it, getting braces on as an adult is a big change.)

Fortunately, I didn't have to have spacers, so I don't know about eating with them. I will say it took me a while to get used to eating with the braces, though! They just felt 'odd' and I found myself really thinking about the chewing process.