Six Month Braces UK - 42 F

[DaisySmith]

Picture of teeth on day 9 of braces. Teeth have a yellow hue. I'm sure all the black tea and coffee I drink have stained the brackets.

[DaisySmith]

Day 10 - January 29th

The sore patches I did have in my mouth have mainly healed. Some have gone completely, some just feel a tiny bit lumpy or bumpy. I take it this is the 'tough-mutha' scar tissue I have been hearing about/waiting for. Either way, it's good because they don't hurt. Got one new sore patch but I must be toughening up all round because it's not bothering me like it would have done on day two. However day two had a lot more stuff going on as well. Today I don't have tender teeth to contend with or the terror that I have locked myself into a six month contract of hell!

Not much pressure today either. Feeling good. Speech about the same. Never mind. Anyway, must crack on, busy day ahead.

[Tlal23]

Hi Tlal, glad you're starting to feel better too! Did you find it horrific too at first or was I just being a massive wimp lol?? How long are you expecting to be in braces, or as some describe it, what is your expected sentence lol? Are you thinking of posting pictures? I am considering it but not brilliant at all that uploading business, may have to get my other half to do it. Also for some deeply disconcerting reason, since I got these braces put on, my teeth seem to appear slightly yellow in a way they really didn't before. I think it's because these six month smile braces have a bright white 'wire' and clear plastic brackets. Anyway it's not a flattering look. However, if people start secretly thinking '*******'s teeth are looking a bit rough' then when my braces finally DO come off and I have my whitening treatment it'll have even more impact!



Hey Daisy,

I didn't find it too horrific, strange yes, tight yes, difficult to eat, kind of.
My sentence lol is 18-24 months. I've posted pics on my blog/story which is just below yours I think. IV read a few people say about their teeth looking yellow, I think it can also be from the glue that sticks your brackets on.

Love the pics by the way

[DaisySmith]

Hi Tlal, clearly I'm a wimp and you're not lol! I'm going to your thread to have a read right now.

[jenna88]

Hi jenna88, thanks for your reply! expanders sound a bit scary. I must read up and expand my dental/ortho related knowledge, although I seem to learn something else every time I come on here. I will definitely look up 'quad helix expander'! Sounds like some kind of off-road inflatable dirt bike lol! (me and my imagination!) but good luck with your canine exposure. Once you've been through that lot, braces will be like a weekend in Paris I'm sure!

Hi DaisySmith, I was in a bit of pain with them yesterday when I was eating my sandwich and just generally having my mouth closed but today they are a lot better and not causing any discomfort. They are just little blue elastics to separate my teeth a little for when I have my 'off roading quad device' fitted hehe! I may well feel like I am on another planet while having the exposure done as they are going to sedate me so I'll be away with the fairies they said I wont remember much but I am sure when I do come to I will probably feel like I have been hit in the face with a spade! Hopefully the brace fitting will be a walk in the park!

I have uploaded some pictures on another thread of my xray picture / dodgy teeth pics if you want to take a peek

Your teeth look very pearly white, they will look fab when you get your grills off

[DaisySmith]

Day 11 - Jan 30th

Forgot to mention I ate some crispy pork a couple of days ago. Cut it into pieces, wasn't like I chewed it off the bone, but certainly no discomfort when I bit down on my back teeth and chewed.

When I spoke to my mum and best friend on the phone yesterday they said they couldn't notice my lisp. My mum usually tells it how it is, so at worst it can only be slight which is good to know. I've got to do a load of telephone work next week so that's good to know.

No pain. The occasional sore spot. Still having to use the odd bit of wax, sometimes in a place where I've not used it before but overall everything is fine. In three days it will have been two weeks. I can't say the time has flown exactly but the reality is, it does pass. Before I know it I'll be having my first tightening. I'll definitely have to have some filing between my bottom teeth to make room for my rogue central incisor to be pushed back in and despite people saying it's a weird and unpleasant experience I'm actually looking forward to it. Once it's over, that tooth can move!

[DaisySmith]

Day 12 - Jan 31st

Annoying top set. Bottom ones are fine. For some reason the top braces are really rubbing today and feel huge. Meant to be going out tonight but I don't really fancy it. I'd rather stay in and sulk. Only joking! Sulking is far too ageing! But I still feel like my top lip is trying to encase a beer crate and I look like something off the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with my massively protruding top lip. It's only actually a tiny bit bigger but in my head it feels HUGE.

They're really annoying me today but I dare not complain especially as I went on for so long about wanting my teeth 'done'! No I just have to 'suck it up' as they say. Still, eating is fine and no real pain. Just a bit snaggy on my top lip. <---- Happy, look.

[DaisySmith]

Day 13 - 1st February

Not much to report. Still waxing a couple of brackets up top to stop some rubbing and snagging. Makes such a difference. Haven't done any close up staring at my teeth for a few days in the hope of seeing progress. I'm hoping the longer I leave it, the more progress I'll notice when I do next look!

[belle37]

Hi Daisy

hope you don't think I'm stalking you!lol Its just I'm looking for any info on the 6 month braces and I think yours is the most recent one! Its great to read your day by day - you write very well - and its helping me prepare! Did you have any filing of your teeth to make room? I also work from home so I'm hoping that that means that I can avoid people for a while when I first get them on! Some friends are organising a night out in April and I'm already planning on not going and just staying inside and hiding!! Perhaps I'll feel differently when Ive actually got them on??

Thanks for sharing your story, it really helps!

[DaisySmith]

Day 14 - 2nd Feb

Firstly, hi Belle, I don't think you're stalking me, it's lovely to have a comment so thanks. I remember when I was thinking about 6ms myself and trying to find as many first hand experiences as I could. It really helps to have a forum where you can share experiences and ask questions from people who know what you're going through.

I haven't had any filing yet but I'm sure I'll have to at my first adjustment because there isn't any room on my bottom set for a wonky tooth to be pushed back into line otherwise. In the top set there's plenty of room from two extractions I had at fifteen so no worries there. If only I'd worn the bloody braces at the time! Having said that, despite the fact they're annoying, I can't deny I'm finding this journey exciting and cannot wait for the end result. Especially the whitening when they're all done.

I think you should go out with your friends. In the first few days you might not feel like partying hard but to be honest I think the braces-wearer is much more aware of them than anyone talking to you. I remember reading a post somewhere with someone saying that after about a month or so they forgot they even wore braces. I remember thinking 'A MONTH???' at that stage, an hour felt like a week. Now I'm a fortnight in. Some days have dragged, some haven't. Here's the crux of it:

Me: Braces, you're getting on my nerves

Braces: why, are we hurting you?

Me: no

Braces: what then?

Me: I'd just rather not have to wear you

Braces: get me taken off then

Me: no because I desperate for a lovely smile

Braces: shutup then.

Me: good point.

[DaisySmith]

Day 15 - 3rd Feb

Lisping definitely improving. Had to speak a bit on the phone today and I could hear that I sound less hissy. Still the occasional bit but notable progress. No wax needed yesterday or today. I can't say I forget they're there yet but I remain hopeful that will happen. It's certainly the case that I am not completely pre-occupied with them like I was in the beginning.

I can chew almost anything on my back teeth, even raw carrot. I just make sure I am really careful that I don't let any into the outside of my teeth to ping a bracket off. Front teeth a bit tender but I don't mind, in fact it means they're on the move surely?

Can't wait for the next two weeks to pass by.... Well, two weeks and two days until my first tightening. Bring it on!

[DaisySmith]

Day 16 - 4th Feb

Nothing much to report. No major changes in anything. I think everything happens in degrees, from the reduction of discomfort to the actual movement of your teeth. My braces still rub, not enough to bother with wax at the moment and some of my teeth are a tiny bit tender but not enough to take pain relief. I'm still reading other people's stories on here and thoroughly enjoying them. I know I have nothing to moan about, my journey is short and simple in comparison to some; I don't need surgery or years of braces.

I keep reminding myself of that when my six-eight month stretch seems like a long time. It's all relative though I suppose. You're only really focused on what's happening in your own world aren't you?

With six month smiles the dentist sends your impressions off to the lab and they send back the precise positions where the brackets should be glued to your teeth. I assume it's also the lab that estimates the treatment time (7-8 months) in my case. However I've read a few 6ms cases where they've come off earlier than estimated. However, I really must stop thinking along those lines!! Maybe I should try and make friends with my braces instead of looking forward to us going our separate ways....

[DaisySmith]

Day 16 still - just getting ready for bed. Cleaned teeth, walking around bathroom, muttering aloud the items I need to remember to add onto my online shopping list when .... I realise okay... The lisp looters have sneaked in and stolen some more of my lisp. I speak some more words out loud. 'Where's the hissthy sthpitting?' It's not completely vanished but the improvement is massive. Hurray!!

I'm loving this braces journey. For all the challenges you might face, every improvement, or hurdle you step over puts a smile on your brace

[DaisySmith]

Day 17 - 5th Feb

Top wire poking out the last bracket on the left had been scratching the inside of my cheek, other than that I could have almost forgotten I had them in today. I've been busy concentating on other things which always helps, but no tightness, discomfort, annoyance etc, apart from that one poky wire which I've since made a little wax hat for.

These six month smiles brackets look much more spiky (to me) than other brackets. Does anyone know if this is true? Having said that, most people, regardless of their type of braces/brackets seem to experience some kind of bracket annoyance/irritation at some point on the brace train to Straightteethville so maybe it's all much of a muchness.

Just munched on a raw piece of butternut squash. Ooh such a risk taker! I'd be mortified if I popped a bracket off because I refused to adhere to the relatively simple set of brace-care rules I have been given. But I'm not brave enough to take big risks like sky-dive or bungee jump so I get my kicks out of small scale rule breaking. (Sad I know!)

[DaisySmith]

Day 18 - 6 th Feb

Am a lot less self-conscious about speaking now. Lisping is almost non-existent. I can smile about it now but I was truly concerned I'd be stuck with it for the duration of Brace-a-rama. Funny how quickly things improve. The odd hiss might still escape but I now view this as an interesting quirk as opposed to something to be embarrassed about.

Definitely getting more used to these things and often get absorbed into work, a book or the T.V. to the point where I forget about them for a while. I wouldn't have believed that possible in the first few days!
Hardly using any wax. Definitely toughening up. I remember on day 1, I couldn't close my mouth over my braces without snagging my lips on my brackets. My braces felt massive!!! I was horrified that
I'd committed myself to months of torture. I'm so glad things don't feel like that now. Don't get me wrong, it's not a holiday in the Maldives but it's not a prison term either.