How long until mouth feels more normal?

[auco99]

I'm at week 13 and I forget about mine unless I'm eating, except for times like now when my wires are poking the heck out of my cheeks. This started Tuesday night, and of course this is the week that my orthodontist is closed Wednesday-Friday (and the weekend), and of course I am going to be out of town all of next week. So annoying.

But yeah, by like the 4th week I didn't really think about them much.

If you have self-ligating braces, you may be able to pull the wire back over. I have constant problems with "pokey" wires and the orthodontists staff showed me how to shift the wire back myself. Sometimes just a tug with tweezers works, other times, I pop open the doors on every other tooth and the wire moves itself.

If that isn't an option, the Mack silicone earpillow wax is awesome for the pokey wires. I find it works better for me than the traditional wax and stays in place better as well.

Hey, great suggestion on the silicone ear plugs. I ended up just getting the CVS pharmacy store brand. After cutting them a little bit, they fit pretty well, and it's more comfortable than the wax. Thanks a lot!

[TMJJill]

You are welcome. I'm glad the silicone wax is working well for you. I actually learned of this solution from other members of this board. That is part of what makes this forum so great!

[NYG2007]

When they're removed... joking... give it a some time, you will not notice they're even there. Except of course when you notice they're there.

You mouth will never feel "normal" but they will be less obtrusive once you get used to them. It took a 2-3 months for me.

[rtergeggde]

it's been 2 years and 2 months, and i am always aware of my braces, people who say you'll get use to it are wrong.

[NYG2007]

it's been 2 years and 2 months, and i am always aware of my braces, people who say you'll get use to it are wrong.

I totally agree with you. You always know they're there, because they're not natural to you.

[Jerseygirl]

My guess? This is just like everything else to do with braces - everyone is different. I've read so many different things on here regarding braces and each person's reaction, pain, treatment and on and on and on. Some people are in agony endlessly - some never are! Some people can eat whatever they want - some people can't and are forever breaking brackets. Some people have sores all over their mouth - some people never get one! And don't forget the thousands and thousands of people who never even venture onto this board who have braces and have all different experiences.

Some people will adapt to the braces and forget they have them on - and some people never will.

I believe - if you want to forget they exist and you want to get use to them - then you can!

[Dee17]

Hi Grace.
I just happened across your posting tonight and thought I'd send you a note to see how you're adjusting. I guess I was also curious because of your age. I'm 54 years old and am scheduled to get braces at the end of October. I've been having a tremendous amount of anxiety about the whole ordeal. I was wondering if you'd finally adjusted to having your braces and, if so, how long the process actually took. Best of luck with your treatment, by the way!

[kennyandrew85]

I've had braces now for 18 months, I know everyday they are there and will never get used to them.

However, i've had them so long now that I've forgot what it feels like to have a metal-free mouth...
I'm now more looking forward to that day than the actual appearance... haha

[Arshi]

Its my second day today, and i really hope that i can be normal with my braces, i feel so conscious even talking or smiling.. urgh and it hurts so much!

[cavomington]

3 months exactly here and I'm not at all used to them. I constantly think about them and feel them on my lips. Only 24/27 left...

[fatty1403]

I've pretty much gotten used to it now after almost a month, and the only time I notice them is when I eat, I'm always so conscious about stuff getting stuck!! But the main thing I'm concerned/conscious about is when I sleep, I tend to pay alot of attention to how my teeth are resting and my (irrational) fear that my top teeth with scrape my bottom brackets off :/

[marybee]

I feel different about them every time there is an adjustment, something added or removed. Seven weeks ago, I not only had power chains applied to the top and bottom but elastics as well. These weeks have been the hardest so far in regards to eating and adjusting to the different way my jaws feel and I have to be conscious about covering the braces (I swear, I feel like someone either stole just a little bit of my lips or my mouth shrunk!) . The changes in my teeth are amazing in a great way! Some days I really don't think about them and other days, BAM, something adjusts and doesn't hurt but also doesn't quite feel the same.

Change in this case is a VERY GOOD THING and definitely no regrets!

Love my tin grin!

[Mauvaise]

I've had braces now for 18 months, I know everyday they are there and will never get used to them.

However, i've had them so long now that I've forgot what it feels like to have a metal-free mouth...
I'm now more looking forward to that day than the actual appearance... haha

I've had them for almost 14 months and the above quote goes for me too.

Some days are worse than others in terms of annoyance (and occasional soreness), but even now there are days I need to wear wax as my brackets will irritate my mouth. Now that I'm a power chain and elastics, the awareness (and annoyance) factor is increased.

The worst is at night - my mouth sticks to the brackets if I don't wear a mouthful of wax and the elastics cause me to clench my teeth together while i sleep.

I'm also so very tired of not being able to eat anything without collecting 1/2tsp+ of food in my brackets.

[xanidu2012]

Shoot I stopped paying attention to all this hardware by 3 weeks. But when I get a flare up (teeth start to ache) I get a really good reminder of what's in my mouth

[MindMess]

Hello to all of you .I'm preparing to get my braces in few weeks, so all information and advices that i find here are very useful. Thanks for sharing your own experiences:)