Oh god, just got them on today, oh god oh man oh god

[Timetoshine]

Mine have been on 3 months today !

Now three months down the track - huge changes and people going
"OMG" what a difference !!

So all going well, you will see things happening and within a couple of months or more, you will
be feeling pleased you have taken this step !!

I'm just over 3 months like you - and TOTALLY agree - its amazing! Stick with it at the start - all of us on this forum know how hard the first few months are... we're here to offer support!!

[fsaq]

[quote="JillD"]Not knowing any adults with braces, I don't know how I would survive this ordeal without this forum.

Before braces, I used to think I must be pretty today when people looked at me. (I could be vain.) Now if anyone looks at me, it must be my ugly braces, I think.[/quote]



Truth is almost no one will notice, at least if they are 3ft away or more, only people you are intimate with (talking close face to face) will notice so dont worry!!

[Valiere]

[quote="Jabbajaws01"]Hi everyone! Wow such a supportive forum this is! Val's feelings on her vanity is obviously a common issue amongst us all. I haven't been braced yet (day 2 of 7 spacers) and already I'm feeling doubt about doing this. Reading all these comments make me feel like I can do it, and if I can Val so can you.

Val - are u in any pain at all, how is the diet / eating? Did u get spacers and how did that compare to the pain / eating now?[/quote]

A supportive forum indeed. Thank you all for the kind words!

I'm in, not exactly pain, but soreness and discomfort. I was told to chew gum to make things better, but even that is difficult. Today is going to be mashed potatoes, soup, and maybe a smoothie for a treat.

I did not get spacers.

[Valiere]

As an aside (apologies if double-quoting is against the rules), part of my vanity issue is that I wasn't really all that ashamed of my teeth before. I have rather severe overjet, crowding, and severe flaring, especially of my top teeth, because I tongue-thrusted for almost my entire life without knowing I was swallowing wrong. But my teeth are still white and nicely shaped, with the crowding mostly manifesting itself with one tiny canine at the bottom slightly rotated -- and if you're looking at me directly, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with them. A coworker was surprised when I told her I was getting braces, because she thought mine looked fine (We had pretty much only ever spoken one-on-one). I had to turn to the side to show her the overjet/flaring.

In photos, however, it's abundantly clear that I need braces.

If I may ask, do you guys expect I'll be able to chew very much on Friday? I'm going out to dinner, and I'm not sure they have soup. Oh well, maybe a pina colada will numb my pain.

[Valiere]

* Double posting

What do you have to do to be able to edit your messages around here??

[MaryLiz75]

Braces do not make you undateable. I have had no lack of people hitting on me with my braces. In fact, I was out dancing with my single girlfriends, and they were all looking to meet someone, I was not (long story), but I was the only one that got hit on. Plus, keep in mind, if someone will discount you for something as temporary as braces, they aren't a worthwhile prospect anyway.

Welcome to the club. I'm at 6 weeks, and you do get used to them, and just keep the end in sight.

[djspeece]

* Double posting

What do you have to do to be able to edit your messages around here??

You can only edit your posts for an hour afterwards. Then editing is not available. I think it's in the FAQ section. You could PM the admin for clarification.

[rosesrred1026]

Val - welcome and congrats on your braces! Your story is very similar to mine. I finally had the moola after college to get braced, so I did. It'll be a month on the 24th. I have metal on both the top and bottom, and my date last weekend said that he liked how my braces looked . Trust me, both you and the people around you get used to them very quickly! It'll all be worth it in the end.

[isthistaken]

My teeth didn't look "that bad" either, but if you hadn't got braces like I didn't for 55 years, you might have ended up like me with 7 crowns because of broken teeth and cavities weakening the teeth, gum recession, a mouthful of fillings, and worn down teeth because my bite is misaligned. How I wish I could go back and save myself the pain, expense and damage that not having braces early in life would most likely have prevented.

[Valiere]

That's a very good point, isthistaken...things may have gotten a lot worse.


Anyhow, I decided to do something that often makes me feel better, drawing, so I went and did a doodle about something that happened earlier today:




Yeah....that guy.

[starfish88]

I really regretted braces at first too, thank goodness I spent so much on them or I would have been tempted to get them off. But after a year of braces (with 6 months or so to go) I could not be happier. Remember they look worse at the start...those models in the pictures - you can't see the ceramics because their teeth are straight, at the start they make teeth look more higgledy-piggledy! My point is its all worth it in the end. And no you aren't throwing away your datable years! Last october I got engaged with braces on!

[djspeece]

Too funny, Val! Sad, but funny.

Co-worker's ex? Livin' on the edge, girl.

[isthistaken]

woah, awesome drawing talent!!!!

[SunshineRay]

wow, you are super talented and funny too!

[JeniK]

Sunshine! You are almost done with your first month!! Where did the time go!!!