Kate Kate, Braces are Her Fate

[KateinCO]

On 6 December 2007, I had upper and lower metal Damon braces placed on my teeth. Although most people think I have straight teeth, they are actually moderately crowded, particularly on the bottom. I also have a crossbite and malocclusion which will be resolved with this treatment. My orthodontist says I will be in treatment for 18-24 months ... I am hoping it will be less if I do everything she says!

A word about my orthodontist .... I went to three separate doctors for consultations. The lady I selected got my business because I feel like I can trust her with my smile. She is very into teeth ... she attends conferences and is up to speed on the latest developments, she went to very good schools for dentistry and othodontistry, and she is very thorough in her plans and reviews. On the day I got bonded, she was very busy because the office was short-handed. She did not get to talk to me much. At about 8:30, when I was feeling really down and wondering why I did this to myself of my own free will, she called me at home. She wanted to check to see how I was feeling ... and then explained the next stage of my treatment and what size archwire she planned to use ... Anyway, that is the kind of personal touch and enthusiasm I want from the person who is working on my teeth. I feel very happy with her so far.

It is day four with braces, and it is getting a little easier. I just flossed with no problem, eating is getting better and I went for a run today which made me feel more normal. It is still hard for me to look in the mirror since all I see is metal, though - I feel extra unattractive. On the plus side, I can tell people I decorated my teeth for the holidays. I also treated myself to some new boots so I can dress nice my first day back to work. I am hoping they will distract people's attention away from my face.

More to follow, including pics when I figure out how all this works ... this site has been such a lifesaver for me! I have learned a lot from you all while deriving a lot of motivation from your stories!

Cheers to all of you from the Rocky Mountains,
Kate

[LateStarter]

That's great that you found someone you're completely comfortable with, Kate

I can empathise with your boot-buying - I've bought myself a few nice things to wear as well, hoping that I can snazz myself up a bit with the braces on!

I look forward to reading about how you're going

[rhonda30]

Congrats on your new mouth jewelry.

I think all of us who a have a few years under our belts can appreciate what you are going through. In reality the hardest part is over, making the decision to do it and the fortitude to then get it done. The clock is now ticking and believe me it ticks fast and your new beautiful smile is closer than u think.

Wear you braces proudly for they serve as a reminder to others that you care about yourself and u are not afraid to show it.

[KateinCO]

Well, I cannot tell you all how much your kind words mean to me today!! It is so important not to feel alone in a situation like this! I am glad you are with me!

It was a very difficult first day back at work for me, but it was not so much about how I look. You see, in my job, I do a lot of public speaking. When I was young, I was - like most people - physically ill at the thought of speaking in front of people. I learned to overcome that fear even though from time to time I get scared again, particularly if I have to brief someone important.

Well, today I went to give my briefing. I knew the material very well, but as soon as I started, I felt overwhelmed by fear. As I started to speak, I could see all the gentlemen around the table looking at me, and I could see their gazes fall to my mouth. I could also feel how carefully my mouth shaped every word, and I started to panic as I cast around for words which did not contain the letter "s." My lisp was very pronounced (at least to my ears). I was also just PRAYING I would not SPIT on anyone! I managed to get through the brief. It was not my best performance, that's for sure. Interestingly, no one said anything about it ... I guess in the end, no one noticed as much as I did, or else they were too kind to say anything.

It was very humbling to go from being the silver-tongued briefer to feeling like I could not speak at all. A friend who had braces last year tells me that the fear of spitting never goes away, but you do get more comfortable talking around the brackets as time passes. I keep trying to remind myself that it has only been four or five days. I also keep thinking about how lucky I am to do a job that I really love.

On a positive note, I have gotten lots of questions from people who are considering braces for themselves or their kids. I have recommended this website as a font of information on this topic, so maybe I will be seeing some of my friends on this forum someday soon! In addition, some friends at work gave me a basket of goodies which included toothbrushes, dental wax, a bottle of red wine and some protein shakes to make my liquid diet more fun! In addition, my good friend who had braces a couple years ago happens to be from Egypt. His mother made some homemade koshary for me (pasta, vermicelli, lentils, chili paste) which was just so welcome after all the liquids! Plus it tasted divine! I have had a lot of GREAT support from all my friends and co-workers .... yet another reason to feel blessed.

As for my future treatment plan, I go back to the orthodontist on 21 January to get another separator put in so a band can be placed on a crown on a back molar at my first adjustment on 31 January. Yes, you read it right - 10 days with a sep in my mouth ... utter torture. It will make that adjustment feel like a cake walk!!

Thanks again for all your great support!! Latestarter, I hope your B-day (tomorrow?) is great!! I will be thinking of you and hoping you will have a pain free intro to your temporary smile!

Cheers everyone!
Kate

[iBorg]

With a title like Kate, Kate, Braces are Her Fate, I had to check out your story. Its a pleasure to meet you and share your journey.

I can relate to the fear of talking in front of others. I teach college for a living and I feared stumbling over words and my students laughing at me. I've been laughed at once and laughed with a student another time. When I first got a bite plate, I was so nervous that I stumbled over my words. My few students that laughed did so because I'm normally very good at speaking in front of people. That time, my mouth and tongue were on different time zones. That just doesn't happen to me. The other time I laughed with a student, she came to me asking to make up a lab because she needed to get a poking wire fixed, she looked at me and asked when I got braces. She missed on a Wednesday, I got mine on the next Thursday and this was the first day I had braces and I was on campus. We had an instant bonding (no pun intended).

If anyone says something about the braces you could always say (a favorite line of mine) "It was either this or getting my tongue pierced."

Mike

[rhonda30]

As a community college instructor I can assure you that the speaking part will get better. I remember dreading that first class but I quickly realized that although I thought they were staring at my braces for the full 3 hours I learned later during testing that they probably were just staring at the clock behind me to see how much longer the class was in session.

I will admit I would practice enuciation in the mirror after getting my brackets and I had to practice opening my mouth wider when I got my elastics otherwise the words can out as mush.

Stay positive and keep us posted on your progress.

[flesh-was-sweet]

Hey Kate!

You'll find that if anyone notices your braces, they'll look once and then that'll be it, it's like someone changing their hair colour, you'll notice it one day and they after that it's just part of their character

I look forward to seeing your progress pics and thanks for commenting on mine!

Anni

[KateinCO]

Gosh everyone, thanks so much for the kind support and the good advice! I am glad I am not the only one practicing talking while looking in the mirror - did I always look this funny??

It has been one week now since my B-day, and what everyone has said is absolutely right: it only gets easier! My teeth hurt a lot less, and even my sensitive cheeks and lips seem to be toughening up quite a bit. I am able to eat again for the most part, which is exciting.

I just got my waterpik (ordered it on Amazon) today. I have not tried it yet, but the way everyone raves about it, I am excited to take it for a spin this weekend. Since I do not have to be anywhere in particular, I thought it would be a good time to spray water all over my face and down my front.

Speaking is still a struggle. I have a very slight lisp (actually had speech therapy for this as a child), but it was not really that noticeable - until now. I feel like I look like Cindy Brady. I am not sure why my tongue is so prominent ... my brackets are on the front of my teeth!

To add insult to injury, I also have a bump on the inside of my lower lip which developed about a month before I got my braces. At first, I thought it was a canker sore, but it did not hurt, and it did not go away. It turned out to be a mucocele. This is a cyst that forms when a salivary is injured due to biting or some other trauma. The cyst fills up with saliva under the skin. It is not painful at all, just extremely annoying since it hits against my brackets and feels enormous. Sometimes these things will just go away, but for the most part, you have to go to a surgeon to have them excised!!! Yuck! Stitches in my lip while I have braces?? This has to be a joke, right? Well, as a wise person once said, when it rains, it pours. This is just hell year for my mouth, I guess.

Thanks again to you all for your support ... it means so much to know you are out there.

[LateStarter]

That's great that you're feeling better, Kate!

I'm tempted to investigate the waterpik as well; you'll have to let me know what you think of yours!

I hope the cyst goes away of its own accord and that you don't need to have anything done to it. Now that you can eat virtually what you want, treat yourself to something yummy to forget about it

[KateinCO]

Hi everyone!

KK, you provided excellent advice not included in the instruction manual for my waterpik! Thanks to you, I did not shoot water up my nose! The model I got is the Waterpik Ultra Dental Water Jet, and boy it is the ride the name implies. One must be very careful to use the power it has for good and not evil. If you have a dark side, don't buy this product. Seriously, it has a kick, so if you get one, make sure to use it on the lowest pressure setting and work your way up. What is amazing is how much stuff it finds in all the nooks and crannies your brush and even your floss can't get to... pretty sweet. I am especially glad because there is one tooth I cannot floss right now since my braces have pushed my teeth quite close together.

Two weeks into this adventure, I am getting more comfortable with the hardware in my mouth. I sometimes even smile without covering my mouth because I forget ... I even started wearing my favorite glasses again. They have rhinestones on them, and I was afraid they would combine with my braces to create a bling effect that might blind unsuspecting souls. Now I feel like I sort of like the bling ... I mean, what girl doesn't like sparkly things?? And one other very cool side effect of braces: I look like I got a collagen treatment on my lips ... they are now quite pouty. From time to time people remark that I look 10 years younger. I guess I will take that for now.

As for my lip issue with the mucocele, I am taking high doses of Borage oil pills because I read that sometimes these types of cyst will go away if you take GLA (found in borage and evening primrose). It can't hurt, right? If the cyst (inside my lower lip) does not go away, I have an appointment to have it excised on the 9th of January.

Hope you all have a very happy Holiday season everyone! May all our teeth get straight, our bites get corrected and our smiles remain bright in 2008!!
Cheers,
Kate

[KateinCO]

Well, I have had braces for one month now. I feel more comfortable not only with the industrial look in my mouth, but also with the hygiene and eating regimen. I tried eating some tortilla chips with salsa the other day (please don't tell my ortho!) ... I did not break anything as I was being extra careful, but even so, I now understand why that is on the forbidden foods list ... I could feel little sharp bits catch on the brackets, so I can see how that could be a problem. I guess the bright side is that we could all use less chips and junk food in our lives, right? I also think I am seeing a shift in my lower teeth which is very exciting. Teeth feel sore from time to time, but not enough to stop me from eating!!

My parents came to visit me in Colorado for Christmas. (I have enjoyed holding my late orthodontic adventures over the head of my mother ... "Gee, mom, I sure wish you had cared enough about me to get me braces when I was a kid." Her reply is usually something like "Why don't you add it to the list of the many things I have done wrong like giving you my big hips?" We put the fun in dysfunctional.) Anyway, mom kept staring at me and saying that I look completely different even with my mouth closed. Now, most people seem to think no such thing, but you know how moms are ... they notice EVERYTHING. It was a little weird hearing that, but she was, is and has been extremely supportive of my decision to get braces. She has always had pretty straight teeth, but as she has aged, her lower teeth have become quite crooked. I will be getting a permanent retainer on my lower arch, so I hope I will be able to avoid that to some extent. (The hips, however, remain a burden I must bear.)

In other news, it looks like I will have to have minor surgery on my lower lip this week to deal with that mucocele (a small cyst associated with a damaged salivary gland). I tried taking high dosages of Borage oil which has helped in some cases. Alas, not in my case. I will be going to a Mohs surgeon who works with my dermatologist since the cyst is so close to the outside of my lip - I would like to avoid disfigurement. This really is a necessity. Although the cyst itself is painless, it is very annoying as it brushes against my brackets and feels positively gi-normous. Will keep you all posted.

Happy 2008 to everyone!
Kate

[KateinCO]

Mental note: avoid mouth surgery while you have braces. Actually, just avoid all mouth surgery full stop.

I went to the doctor yesterday to get my mucocele excised. Before he arrived, the nurse injected lidocaine into my lower lip. The immediate result was for my lower lip to expand to about 6 times its normal size. The doctor came in, excised the mucocele and stitched me up. (I now have six stitches extending from the top of my lip down to the bottom of the inside of my lip.) I assumed that by this morning, the swelling would have subsided. Not by a long shot ... I now have a lip larger than life ... it is so swollen that I had to leave work because I felt so awful and uncomfortable. I called the doctor because I was so alarmed by the extreme size of my lip (I am wearing gobs and gobs of wax on my braces to protect the stitches/incision). He said the swelling should go down by tomorrow, but that I should minimize talking, keep icing my mouth and add a pillow tonight to keep my head elevated while I sleep. Cool, huh?

The pain of the incision has not quite started yet, but I am really hopeful I will be able to sleep tonight since last night was very uncomfortable. I get the stitches out next week and then the following week I get separators put in to prepare for my first adjustment the following week. I keep reminding myself that food is very overrated.

As you can imagine, my oral hygiene is suffering since I can't get into my mouth very well. I am relying on my waterpik at the lowest setting and my electric toothbrush ... just can't get in there to floss ... Hoping I won't ruin my teeth in one week.

More to follow next week when I get the stitches out. This too shall pass.

[mottsrods]

Hi Kate,

So sorry to hear how bad the lip is doing. It will get better......And do as the doc says, cut out the talking, use the wax, and stay hydrated.......don't let the area around the incision get dry. If you have to, put some vaseline on it that is medicated. If it dries out, you'll know it very quickly.......

So how is the everyday routine going? Has everyone at work adjusted to you now?

Mott

[Andantae]

I'm late catching up too, Kate, but it sounds like you are handling things like a pro! I, too, had a lisp for the first couple months and then it magically disappeared!

I am going to look at my waterpik again to see what model it is. I read here frequently that it has a 'kick', but I have had mine on 10 (the highest) since day one. Maybe it appeals to my dark side....Muah ha ha ha....

[KateinCO]

Hey Mott and Andantae --

Thanks for the encouragement! The lisping seems to have disappeared as I have focused on the enormity of my lip!! It's been more than 48 hours, and the swelling has not gone down. This is really unfortunate since I have to work this weekend. (I am in the Navy reserves, so looking like I was in a bar fight should make me look like more of a sailor ...) People at work keep stopping up short and staring at me (this is way more noticeable than my braces). They all ask what happened, and the response is "You should see the other guy."

I am very hopeful that when I wake up in the morning, I will have a more normal lip!

Yes, Andantae, the waterpik does have a kick. I think I started on setting three or four. Now that I have stitches, I am trying to be more careful so I am on one. I have found this still gets all the gunk out pretty well. But that dark side is hard to overcome ... just feel the force.

Can't wait to look like myself again! This is making braces feel like a cakewalk.

Kate