24 Hours with Braces. Here are some initial thoughts...

[SKKY]

THIS FUCKING SUCKS!!!! :wft: was I thinking. Please, tell me this gets better.

[Greyskye]

1. It gets better.

Oh wait, it doesn't. Just wait for when they start cranking on the adjustments. It's like "The Rack" for your teeth.

[BOSSHOG]

2. It will get better

but it will take years and years.

[DaDooRonRon]

3. It does

I'm 58 years old.

I got real braces (upper and lower) last month.

For the first week, your gums get ripped up and you find yourself putting that stupid wax on all the places that rub.

The second week the doc makes adjustments.

The third week you begin to get used to them and the fact that you have to brush your teeth 74 times a day.

By the one month anniversary you are going "hooray - only 17 more months to go!"

[lost-in-nj]

4. oh, please don't tell me that...

I will probably be getting mine next month.....


the invisalines or something like that

they really don't hurt.... right??? RIGHT????




lost

[Taverner]

6. I'm on invisalign

It's better than metalmouth braces (I've had both)

The upshot of Invisalign is that they can come out.

The downshot is they always take longer.

Thing about braces of all kinds is that you are basically stretching tendons. So if your teeth hurt, a little biting will help stretch the tendons out.

[Lorien]

12. You are getting off easy

I'm envious.

[SKKY]

15. Yes, unfortunately they do hurt...

...and eating is generally uncomfortable. If you have a few pounds you'd like to lose, this seems like a pretty good way of doing it since eating is just not worth the trouble at this point.

[Taverner]

5. It gets better, but consider some advil

IT eases the pain a little

If you can get and take vicodin, that works better

[SKKY]

16. They gave me 800mg "Vitamin M"...

...motrin is what I meant. But since the military gives motrin for, like, everything, we call it "Vitamin M".

[MissMillie]

7. It absolutely gets better

you'll still have days when your mouth is sore... usually on the days that you get things "tightened", but it won't be as bad as it is right now.

You've got about a week before it starts to feel like those belong in your mouth.

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. I feel your pain...almost literally.

I've had braces twice in my life. First time as a sixteen year old and the second time as a thirty year old. Neither one was a picnic. I didn't have to get spacers the second time so that was a plus. Ee gad those are a masochist's wet dream.

It does get better. Each adjustment will be followed by a period of discomfort, but not remotely like the pain of just getting them on. I will be braces-free for 9 years on April 30. It is sooooo worth it!

Can you dig the gorgeous smile? http://brevardminister.com/gallery.htm

I never go more than 48 hours without wearing my retainers overnight. Hang in there! (And take an ibuprofen)

[KitchenWitch]

9. It gets better

and then you go in to get them adjusted and it sucks elephant dick all over again.

[Mugu]

10. What's causing you the problems?

When you posted that you were getting braces I told you what I thought would be the worst part.

Regards, Mugu

[SKKY]

13. there's a wire in the back, on the left side...

...that keeps sticking me in the cheek. I'm going tomorrow in the a.m. to get it bent, fixed, or whatever they do. Other than that, my whole mouth generally hurts. Eating is more trouble than it's worth at this point.

[greenbriar]

17. wax works wonders

I had braces as a teen. the top braces had hooks that hooked with a rubber band to the lower bottoms to help close the gap in my overbite

the hooks would tare up my gums...

I used wax like the wax on juicy candy things to cover the hooks

[SKKY]

18. I've got some, but that wire keeps poking through...

...It's like getting a new shot every 3 or 4 minutes.

[Lars39]

19. Sounds like you need to have them clip it some if the wax isn't working.

I used to take Advil right before my appointments...it's always easier to stay on top of the pain, instead of trying to dull it after the fact.

[Mugu]

23. If there's a wire that sticks through the paraffin I'd cut it off.

Get a small pair of wire cutters and position them as close to the anchor as possible, then lean forward and cut off the offending wire. Now the paraffin will give you relief until tomorrow. It's amazing just how small a piece of wire can cause so much misery.

Regards, Mugu

[Mugu]

20. Is the wire sticking out past the furthest back anchor?

I had that happen when the wire slipped through the anchor a couple of times. It doesn't work to bend the wire because it's a special type of wire that straightens right back out. A big glob of paraffin may help but it sounds like you've already tried that and it's probably too late to call the doc.

I'll tell ya what I did. I got in my tool box and got a little pair of wire cutters and cut the son-of-a-bitch off. It helps to lean forward so you don't swallow the cut piece of wire. If it's sticking out into your check it's not right and it isn't helping to move your teeth. Then you go back and see the doctor tomorrow to find out what's wrong. Never forget it's your mouth, your teeth, and your suffering. Plus wire (even dental wire) is cheap.

This is the reason that you never leave the doctor's office until you're sure that there are no sharp edges and the rubber chains are laying flat. And don't be worried about calling the doctor. I about died the first few days because of one of the anchors on the backside of a tooth. When I saw the doctor the next time he commented on how he was surprised that I hadn't called because he knew that it was going to be quite unpleasant. I wish that he had told me that before.

Don't worry, this is the very worst part. Get through this and it's downhill.

Regards, Mugu

[Lorien]

11. It does indeed fucking suck. But you won't notice them after a while

I had braces for seven years, then had corrective surgery on my top and bottom jaws (had both removed, reshaped and replaced-I've got a head full of screws, wires and metal plates).I had my jaws wired shut for two months and got down to 97 pounds at 5' 8". Then I had more braces just a year ago. It wasn't going well, so I had those removed and now face another year or so in new braces starting in about a week.

Bottom line: once you get them off, ALWAYS remember to wear that retainer!

[Mugu]

25. Hear, Hear on wearing the retainer.

Nothing would suck more than having to move the teeth twice.

Regards, Mugu

[AlCzervik]

14. try and use plastic utensils for a few days.

my daughter is on her second set of braces, finally due to come off in June and plastic spoons and forks helped a lot, not all the painful clanging.

It will get better, the first week is the hardest because thats when your teeth are really going to move around and not to make you feel worse but.....the older we get the more this shit hurts.

[lightningandsnow]

21. It does.

I got braces when I was 11 years old... and it hurt like a bitch for about a week. It does get better, though.

Good luck!

[Bucky]

22. Look, if your legs need the support, you just need to get used to them

[SKKY]

31. Um, Bucky. Not the "Forrest Gump" kind of braces.

Ugly Betty kind of braces.

[x-g.o.p.er]

24. It gets better. As to the wire,

go back to the orthodontist and have them clip it. It shouldn't be sticking out to the point it sticks you.

Trust me, it will all be worth it. I NEVER smiled, and now I can't stop, and it's been over a year since I had them off.

It's way worth it. Hang in there.

[bigwillq]

26. It gets better.

Hang in there.

[Ava]

27. it does get better

as far as the pain, however they do get sore when you go in to get the tightened.. my biggest complaint about them when i had them was how they looked, but other than that they didn't bother me too much.

how long do you have to keep them on?

edit: i had problems with wires hurting me and causing blisters. did they give you wax? and if a wire is sticking out at the back too far just go in and tell them and they can fix it in a few minutes, i had to do that a few times.

[SKKY]

30. Other than the rubbing onthe inside of my lips...

...there is a rogue wire in the back that keeps sticking me. It's like getting a fresh shot every 5 minutes or so. This is truly maddening I tell ya.

[LaraMN]

28. You got braces?!

No Invisalign?

Do you have to wear headgear? Is it evil if I want to giggle at the thought of you wearing headgear?

[SKKY]

29. No invisalign. Just big, painful braces...

...no headgear just yet, although if I did have head gear and you laughed, I think it would be a bit off-sides. The inside of my lips feels like one big giant raw bee sting.