Just getting started

[sull88]

44 years old and finally decided to get my bite checked out. Need braces on both top and bottom for 18 months to correct crossbite. Just got spacers put in and am a little sore.

[ctbracemom]

Hi there
I started at 44 too!! I am now halfway through, its worth it, time flies,really!

[sull88]

Spacers stopped hurting after two days. Now I just feel like I need to floss back there. I am actually looking forward to getting braces on top on Feb 10. The sooner they go on, the sooner they come off.

[sull88]

Only one more sleep until top braces go on in the morning. The lead up has given me time to get ready for the installation. Hope all goes well. Thanks for reading, Sull

[stephcsun]

44 years old and finally decided to get my bite checked out. Need braces on both top and bottom for 18 months to correct crossbite. Just got spacers put in and am a little sore.

Congrats on starting the journey!! Welcome!! I am one month in and although I am that comfortable with them just yet (I mean talking to people and stuff) I was never happy with my teeth so in about the same time as you I hope my new smile will bring me some new confidence

[sull88]

Thanks Stephcsun. I am excited/nervous and eager to begin my braces journey. I am not that concerned about what others will think, but I am concerned about the entire journey and the time in braces. Well there is no turning back once they go on. They will be there until the crossbite is fixed. Can't wait. Sull

[sull88]

They are officially on. When the tech showed the braces to me before putting them on I said " they look so tiny." Now that they are on, they feel huge in my mouth. I got traditional metal braces. The Ortho just told me that she thinks my time in the braces will now be 18-24 months, not 16-18. And she said any loose brackets will add an additional month to my sentence. I feel like my teeth have been abducted and are being forced into an alien experiment. There is a little tightness on my front teeth and I just got them on 3 hours ago. Thanks, Sull

[TheProfessor]

Welcome to the club! The brackets will stop feeling so big after a few weeks. i think we all walk out of that first appointment feeling like giant rocks have been glued to our teeth! I'm creeping up on my 1 year anniversary now-My brackets still feel big when I wake up in the morning and my lips are stuck to them, but I barely notice them throughout the day. Good luck with adapting to you new accessories

[sull88]

Thanks for the advice. It only took 4 days to get used to the feeling of metal in my mouth. I have been braced for 2 weeks and am beginning to get back to eating my old foods instead of soft only. Today I went to a local coffee shop and 2 of the women who work there had metal braces as well. I think I will be going there more often to follow up with their progress. I was wondering if I was getting over confident since I only have top braces on for now. Will it be twice as much effort or more when bottoms go on in 2 months? I want them on as soon as possible but my wife says to be careful what I wish for. Is it a lot more difficult to eat when fully braced? Let me know, Thanks Sull

[newbite]

Well, I got my top and bottom on at the same time and I have to say I am glad I did. It hurt for about ten days (seemed like everyday would be a new part of mouth), so I can only imagine getting them done separately would make the pain last twice as long! Hopefully I'm wrong, though, in your case!

Eating when fully braced was terrible for me at first. It felt like all the food was getting mashed into the brackets more than I was swallowing. It was also hard to taste things (since it was hard to chew) and I didn't enjoy food for about two weeks. I think I probably learned to eat a new way but if I did the change was very subtle. Periodically it's difficult again now (after adjustments) but on the whole it's almost normal at this point 6 months in. It probably will be easier for you since you'll be used to half your mouth being in braces already.

The more difficult part will be cleaning when you are fully braced, but that of course is manageable too! It takes me about 4 minutes to floss and another 4 minutes to brush my teeth. Took a lot longer at first but there's a big learning curve. I think it took me half an hour to floss the first few times!

[sull88]

Just had my first tightening yesterday and they put a thicker wire on. She said they were removing the training wheels and I would be feeling pressure soon. I could feel the pressure instantly but it never got to the point of pain. Bottoms still are not going on until after next adjustment in 5 weeks. Looking forward to being fully braced and getting the whole mouth moving toward a better bite. Need to be patient and not rush things. Sull