Another Newbie Joins Up!

[missblu3]

Hi! My name is Vanessa. I'm 26 years old, living in the Central Florida area. I have been wanting braces since I can remember. I have always been terribly self-conscious about my teeth. I cover my mouth when I laugh, out of years of habit. When I would babysit for friends and family, the children (being brutally honest, in all of their sweet innocence), would always point out my "vampire fangs"!!! Or when I would be out to dinner, or wherever, talking with new faces, and they would say, "Wait, open your mouth.." Terribly embarrassing.

Now that I have finished with school, for the time being, I have a more stable job. I am ready to move forward with making improvements to the smile which I have been longing for. I went to my dentist on January 5th, for the first time in a year, and thankfully, after the cleaning and x-rays, he said I had no current work to be done. Some background - I have a mouth full of fillings from poor dental hygiene, and never seeing a dentist until it was on my own when I was 19 years old. Also, I still had my baby canine teeth stuck in between adult teeth that had grown in around them at age 19 - which had to be extracted at that point.

Fast forward to the present day...my dentist referred me to an orthodontist in town two weeks ago. She is spectacular, and all the staff is so welcoming. During the consultation, she explained the different systems. She scheduled an appointment for records last Tuesday. I have overcrowding (upper and lower 5's need to be extracted - 4 total!!!) and an underbite. She believes the underbite is from how the teeth grew in, not from skeletal issues (which would require surgery). We discussed In-Ovation C for top and bottom. Also, something called "bite turbos". They will be placed on the inner bottom teeth so the braces can do their job without interference from my underbite. :/

Last Thursday, my dentist extracted the 4 teeth - upper and lower 5's. I worked 40 hours Friday through Sunday (I'm a nurse with crazy hours, lol). I have minor aches, and more crabby from the lack of solid food in my diet...I was prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection. I go back to my dentist this Thursday to confirm that there is no infection present. Brace date is Tuesday, February 5th. After reading through some of this forum, I see that I still have a soft diet to look forward to, and more aches...however, I am really hoping to have positive results from the outcome of a couple years of discomfort or inconvenience...

I apologize for the long-winded post! Again, hi! And any suggestions for more soft diet preparations/alternatives?

[teddy13]

It's great to hear that you are finally deciding to get braces! Similar to you, I have always wanted braces since I was little. My parents couldn't afford to pay for my orthodontics when I was young. I stopped going to the dentist right after i finished middle school due to my parents having more money issues and we couldn't afford dental insurance or a dental plan. But when I turned 20 a few years ago I finally decided to take little steps to get the perfect smile that I have always dreamed of! Good luck with your treatment! Ohh and by the way how did your extractions go? I have to get my extractions in about a month! Yikes!

[missblu3]

Yes, very excited to finally start the journey!

So, the extractions were this past Thursday, and I worked all weekend. They prescribed me Clindamycin to prevent infection, and Tylenol #3. It has not so much been excruciatingly painful, as it has been more of a dull aching. Food has been an issue...soft diet. Even a cut up banana was a bit much for me. Soup, pudding and applesauce - tons of water. My gums feel a little tender, but better than a few days ago. Having to brush and swish with salt water after every soft meal makes the whole eating process a bit daunting. However, the prospect of getting the ultimate end result helps me to stay positive. I will be documenting my progress along the way! Good luck to you with your extractions. It's not as bad as I anticipated. You will be fine.

[smilingoutloud22]

Congratulations and welcome! I'm 28 and almost 1 year into an expected 2-yearish treatment. You will be so happy! Bite turbos suck - worst part of braces for a month or so until your tongue gets used to them and you can speak normally again. Mine are behind top teeth. So much better once you get through that part.

[missblu3]

Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I look forward to one day being able to smile with teeth! I'm nervous about all that I'm reading with the complication of eating for a little bit, but I am sure I will get acclimated after a bit. Does your jaw get sore having the bite tubos in at all?

[belistic10]

hi welcome i also started treatment at 26 due to parents couldnt afford it during my school years, and i had all the self conscious issues as well. its really great to be able to do it now and i am so glad i have as the time is going really fast! got about 8mths left of a 2yr treatment i have no experience on the bite turbos, but once you get started and see changes you will NOT regret it!

[NikNakRN]

It's nice to hear a story similar to mine. I makes me feel not so "silly" for getting braces at 33 years old. I'm also a nurse, and I feel so stupid when it comes to some of this dental stuff! I hope that you will be thrilled with the outcome of all of your hard work. Everyone keeps telling me that it will be worth it in the long run and that I will be so happy that I finally did it. I hope that this is true for your sake as well. Try to stay positive! "You can do it!"

Ps. I have found that mashed potatoes and pancakes cut up into small bites have been the easiest thing for me post extractions. I also recommend a multi-bean soup (cooked for a long time), because you can mush the beans with roof of your mouth and it is something more than just soup broth. Plus the beans will help keep your iron and protein up which will be helpful!

Good Luck!

[missblu3]

Thank you for the responses! Definitely will have to maintain eating soft and easy to swallow foods, as the bite turbos are going to prevent my molars from touching entirely for a little while.

Also, just had a patient at work that had braces, and I was able to pick his brain about it. Feeling like part of the community now.

[Mylovedtheeth]

First days are really tough, only soft food, because of teeth pain I assume it will be the same after each adjustment. Even spaghetti was a challenge. Now after almost to 2 weeks I eat pretty anything I want, just use me hands to do "bites" or cut everything in tiny pieces.
Good luck!

[Tobilei]

Welcome to the board (and to braces!). The first days are tough. I can tell you it gets easier with the bite turbo's (do you have the blue molar buildups?). My 10 year old has the blue one's and manages to chew through everything these days. She says they annoy her from time to time but mostly they're okay.

Soft foods are definitely your friend at the beginning! It sucks but it passes.

[missblu3]

Officially, this is the second day. Eating has been a chore.

Tobilei, yes, blue molar buildups. NONE of my teeth touch - just the molar buildups touch. And where they touch, I feel like I woke up with awful pressure on those teeth. So far, I've just been eating food that I can simply swallow. I already miss fruits and vegetables, lol. I know it will get better with time. Braces aside, I can't wait to get rid of the molar buildups!!!

Thanks for the encouraging words!

[Tobilei]

Yeah, that was my daughters biggest complaint about them. Hers have worn down quite a lot now though but she still complains with anything really chewy.

I really miss fruit and veggies too. I get some in, but they're difficult (some days I think it would just be easier to decide to eat nothing but soup for the next 14 months :).

You will get used to it and it will get easier (there's just lots of feeling like it won't along the way, but that passes too!)

[missblu3]

Ha! That's exactly how I'm feeling - soup, pudding and applesauce for days...everything else is such a challenge. I lived on soup for a week after the extractions, and I felt like I was burning a hole through my stomach. I actually had spaghetti last night - the feeling of noodles caught in the braces was unnerving. Is there a fast-forward button on these things???

[Tobilei]

There should be! Food being stuck is the bane of my existence these days! Some is way worse than others (I don't recommend chopped fresh herbs-you'll have a green flecked smile!)

[missblu3]

Ok, as uncomfortable as I am about my teeth, I figured I would share the initial braced "smile". I'm hoping to see a nicer smile in the coming months...