Fastbraces / 6 Month Smiles / Traditional Ortho

[KMC]

parsleysage & Aviol - thank you, I have high hopes with the Tooth Fairy who is often quite generous in our house and I'm sure my tooth will be classed as an antique!!! And we can be brace buddies together as I think Aviol is having hers on the beginning of July

Hash - thank you too, I am a little worried about removing "healthy" teeth but I can see the reasoning behind it and hopefully the rest of my teeth will be a lot better for it.

I am having top and bottom braces on at same time and have gone with standard metal brackets - unfortunately I couldn't afford the ceramic ones, but to be honest it doesn't really bother me.

I'm not looking forward to the extraction - it's a huge tooth being removed and I'm conjuring up images of my dentist with her knee in my chest trying to wrestle it out!! My 9 year old had to have 2 milk teeth removed last year (as the adult ones were growing up behind and not pushing them out) - he was so brave and didn't even flinch, I wont live it down if I end up a gibbering wreck on the floor!!

[Aviol]

Yep, I'm top brackets on 10 July so just a couple of weeks behind you! I have to do some whitening first, hence the wait.

Hope the extractions go ok, I think some apprehension beforehand is normal, hopefully the build up to it will be worse than the actual procedure.

Good luck!

[KMC]

The extraction went really well last week - it only took her a minute to pull it out. I had a little bit of tenderness that evening, but then it was fine the next day. It is a little worrying though on how much of a gap there is to close (my teeth have got a long way to move round)!!!



I received my treatment plan from the Ortho and it says the "Active treatment" is 12-18 months (which is shorter than I thought) with visits every 4-6 weeks and then the "Rentention period" is 12 months with visits every 3-4 months. It also says that I get 5% off if I pay in full - which is £150 off so is worth it.

So I'm all set to get my braces on Tuesday

[SpottedPickle]

I am so glad that things are working out well and that the extractions was not too much of a pain for you! I know some days will be harder than others with dealing mentally with the extractions and all the movement, but know it is worth it. My friend had extractions and surgery followed by braces for 2 years, and she used to say "It's like spring cleaning, the house looks like a total wreck before it looks like I de-clutterd."

I cannot wait to see your transformation hun!

[Aviol]

Oh how exciting! So pleased to hear that the extraction hasn't been too troublesome, I can't wait to see you braced. Hope all goes well tomorrow.....I'm feeling quite envious

[NeilH]

Good luck for tomorrow, hope all goes well. Looking forward to hearing about your progress and thank you for your kind comments about my posts. I have genuinely enjoyed the whole process and have been delighted with how positive this whole experience has been.

[KMC]

Woo-hoo - they're on



I was in and out of the Ortho's office within an hour and it was really straightforward putting them on. I found the mouth opener thingy OK, the glue was a bit foul tasting but I'm sure some of my cooking has been worse!!! Yes they feel strange, but no more than I was prepared for. I was surprised that I have elastics this early on (being an armchair orthodontist and all) but I have to wear them 24/7 and change them twice a day. I have my next four adjustments booked already - every six weeks. I was a bit worried about this as they always seem so busy and I thought I'd get appointments bang in the middle of the day which will be awkward with work, but I'm booked in for around 9am on every one.

I didn't get a choice of colour for my ligs, but if I'm brave enough to change it at my first adjustment - I will ask.

I'm feeling a lot of pressure on my teeth - which is not painful at the moment, but I'm not naive enough to think that I'm going to get away with it.

My next step - to create my own thread in "Our Brace Stories", which I have been waiting absolutely ages to do

[Aviol]

Yey, I'm so pleased that they're on and aren't causing you too much pain at present, long may if continue! They look great too by the way, keep us up to date with lots of lovely progress pics

[SpottedPickle]

Happy Brace Day hun! I hope the pain is minimal the next week.

[NeilH]

Congratulations! Hope you are getting used to them by now and great choice going for the metal brackets, hope you have some fun with coloured elastics.

[KMC]

And here is the update on my journey: http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... =9&t=47477

[paininthebrace]

I urge you not to go with six month smiles which is a grossly compromised treatment which has left me in hospital. All kinds of incompetent general dentist offer this service purely to make money.

Form follows function so please see an experienced orthodontist and do it the proper way. Your overjet and overbite cannot be fixed by any quick fix provided by a dentist who paid for a certificate and attended a day course. Just don't fall for it!