40 something and in braces

[privatepilot]

I am 42 and just had braces put on 2 weeks ago. I too, have the gravel feeling in my mouth. It feels like someone glued rocks to my teeth. I can tell you the second week IS easier. I have not seen ANY movement yet and am wondering if this is some cruel joke. I am re-learning about delayed gratification as I have 2 years 5 months and 2 weeks to go until I see my teeth again. The sores in my mouth are still awful, but MUCH better than last week. I keep smiling big to show off the $6000 worth of hardware I have. Keep telling yourself the end result will be worth it, and delayed gratification is a sign of maturity and character! Stay on this board too, people here are very supportive!! Hang in there, next week will be easier. I did have one day that I thought if I could manage it, I would pull these things off! But it passed!!!! Laugh every day, it helps!!

[Dreamer]

LOL! Hey, I say "it's all about me" all the time Privatepilot! Congrats on getting braced! I assure you your teeth are moving, you may not see it but they are!

[SHELL]

I feel the same way you do Lndalou, it's been almost 2 months since i've been braced and I still hate them with passion. I can't imagine these things in my mouth for 20 more months. I'm 42 and everyone say's i'll get used to them and i sure wish that time will come. I must admit its not as bad as the first couple of weeks but i'm still hungry and want to eat without pain and i'm tired of cutting everything into little pieces. Sorry for the whine, i guess i'm just not where everyone else is yet. I'll get there sooner or later. Hang in there and know you have plenty of company.

[smiler]

Hi Indalou,

I'm 46 and nearing the end of my treatment. When I started, I wondered what on earth I'd done. I went incommunicado for two weeks. I used to hate seeing my teeth in mirrors and used to cover my mouth with my hand. But I noticed my reflection in a mirror the other day, and I realised that I now have a non-toothy smile, a straight, normal smile! That's the pay-off you'll get for all this hassle. In the 18 months I've been braced up so far, I've lived life, had fun and romance, and generally carried on as normal. Occasionally, it's been really painful and I've spent time alone. Other times, my jaw has felt weary of the unnatural position it sits in. But I've also had many, many social and work times where I have completely forgotten that I have braces at all. I don't regret a day.

[donnamac]

Hi All.
I'm 57 and will get my spacers on October 7, then my next appointment on October 14. I had to have osseous surgery in August and go for my final checkup for that on October 5. Even after reading about all the pain and discomfort of the spacers and the braces, I'm going for it. I want to feel like smiling again. I'm a retired teacher and a grandmother, but never too late to feel good about oneself.

[fins]

Don't worry, you will get used to them soon. The painful times are the worst of it and they pass. I was in agony when first braced and within a week felt fine. If braces were unbearable, I wouldn't have gotten them on a second time

[shasha]

Hi everybody,

I found this forum after i was going crazy having this foreign material in my mouth. But you guys have made me feel better about some of things, I was going through. Donnamac, don't worry we have all gone through the same thing. I am 38 years old, and everyone (including my mother) made fun of me, when i told them i needed braces. I felt stupid, and sad that noone except my boyfriend and dentist supported me. But being the person that I am, i shook that off and went for it. I was braced on Aug 11,2005, and went for an adjustment yesterday (sept 19, 2005). I have to agree with the other members that the spacers hurt and there were some day i wanted to pull them out and say to hell it , then the day i went to get braced, surprisingly it did not hurt, none of it . Until i tried to eat, forget it. I could not bite down, could not chew. I lived on ice cream. soup, nutrament , smoothies, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, and anything soft and mushy. But it does get better, unfortunately i lost 12 pounds, before I was able to chew anything,(shrimp, chicken:D) yum and then it was time for a visit. The adjustment was a little painful, and i am back to eating mushy stuff . But talking right now is a little painful, because of the pressure. But Donnamac, it really is not as bad as you may be thinking, just annoying. Good Luck

[shasha]

Thank you KK, HOORAY for you. I am a very picky eater and get bored with food easily, so its especially hard for me to eat almost the same things everyday. I guess i have to reprogram. This forum really helped me to understand i am not alone. There thousand of us in pain everywhere Today i had scrambled eggs AGAIN and later i felt sick, i think my stomach is trying to tell me enough already. I guess its back to mashed sardine and tuna . Let me ask you this KK, do you have power chains and ligatures????? have no idea what they are and just very curious as everyone seem to have them when they were first braced or at the first adjustment.

[Nanhut]

I'm 35 and wondered the same thing after I got mine on... What was I thinking???? But it's been 2 months now and the time is just flying by. You'll get used to them (it took me about 2-3 weeks) and then you won't even notice them. Just keep your eye on the prize!

[Juliet]

I'm 51 and have had braces for 6 months. I'm also a teacher and the kids were so surprised and intrigued when I came back from spring break with braces last April! One little guy told me he had NEVER seen someone "old" wearing braces:) I can't say I love them, but I am so glad I had it done becasue I can see improvement and hopefully I'm 25% through treatment! I do feel obsessed with my teeth and even in the car I flip my mirror down at stoplights to see if my teeth have moved since the last time I checked. At every appointment I ask to see my original molds so I can say, Wow! This is really working!" It keeps me going to know there's progress.

[bbsadmin]

I'm a retired teacher and a grandmother, but never too late to feel good about oneself.

Will you be able to share braces stories with your grandchildren? If so, that's really neat!

Oh yeah, BTW, I'm 44 and had braces for almost 3 years in my early 40s.
You know the phrase "40 and Fabulous"? Well for us it should be "40 and Fixed Up!"

[donnamac]

Shasha...Thanks for your words of encouragement. Believe it or not, I'm really looking forward to this new adventure ahead of me. I really don't care what other people say. I'm not doing it for them: I'm doing it for ME. 2 weeks until spacers...Oh boy!
bbsadmin, You bet I'll get to share stories with my grandchildren. For one thing, I will definitely encourage them to have braces before 57...hahaha. My younger son, who is 28, thinks it is awesome that I'm getting braces. He says he can hardly wait to see me. Think I should do the pigtails?

[Dreamer]

Good for you donnamac! Just enjoy the process! I'm 49 and so happy to have my braces since I've wanted them my entire adult life..I pick bright colors and just enjoy them! They really make you look younger so enjoy it while you can!

[donnamac]

I went for another post-surgery checkup today with my periodontist. He gave me the all clear for my ortho visit on Friday. I'm really not sure what will be done on that first visit. My periodontist doesn't think I will need any spacers, so we'll soon see. Dreamer, you think I'll look younger? Really? Oh boy, just what I needed to hear.

[Dreamer]

Yep...they make you look younger, most definetely! Your first appt will probably be just for a quick check and an estimate of what they think you will need done, time and money wise.. then they will either do your records and xrays or set up an appt for that and do your impressions and then if you don't need spacers you will be back 2 or 3 weeks later to be braced! It goes pretty quickly! I'm excited for you!