Lisa from Ohio

The first day of braces was full of nervousness and excitement. I had always wanted to get them since 13. I had four teeth in the front that were crooked, which made my whole mouth look crooked. I went to get them when I was 18 when I started making my own money. Since my parents were never able to get them for me, I thought this was something I could do for myself before I got married and had kids. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the down payment and dreamed of getting them since.

Now, I am 25 and married. I had my four wisdom teeth pulled in April of 2003 and since then, my teeth have moved drastically. So bad, in fact, that my upper fronts are knocking on my lower fronts and have chipped one of my front teeth. (Barely noticeable, but to me, its about as big as my head) To add in more trouble, I am…..WAS…. a smoker. My husband, who was wonderful throughout my rantings and ravings about getting braces, was always supportive and wanted me to do this for myself. Most wives out there know that once your married, everything comes before yourself. So he really encouraged me to get this done.

On November 29th 2005, I left work to pick up my mom, smoking as much as I possibly could before my appointment. I got four cigarettes in before I had to brush my teeth one last time. I got in there and signed in. The anticipation I think was the worst. We sat there for maybe 5 minutes before they called me but it felt like an hour. I got my pictures taken, which is an experience in itself. Then the impressions and a wax bite. The assistant was very helpful. I had question after question even though I already knew the answer because I asked all of them at my last appointment. She was very kind and understood my nervousness. She then cleaned my teeth to get all impurities off before they glued the brackets on. I chose the clear brackets because of my profession. But I also chose them because I would have to quit smoking and it would help me to do so. Finally, Dr. Bunkers came in and it took him maybe 10 minutes to place all of them. The assistant then wired and placed the rings on. It was mostly pain free. There was a tightness but there was no pain in wearing the braces.

I actually went back to work right afterward and the hard part was talking to my co-workers. I has a slight lisp from having a foreign object in my mouth and since you couldn’t see the braces well, I got a lot of double takes and stares. After work, I had a frustrating continuous annoying pain that wouldn’t go away. Usually, I would go outside and smoke a cigarette but as of 10:15 am that day, I am smoke free. I was angry and frustrated because of the continuous uncomfortable pain and that I couldn’t smoke, so I went in the kitchen and started baking. Advil wasn’t helping at all, so after I made a Trifle Bowl Cake, I took a sleeping pill and went to bed.

Since then, there has been no pain that Advil can't help. There is a time in the day when I start getting tired that the teeth are sore and when I brush in the morning, the teeth are sore. I wanted to ask for a refund the first day I got the. I kept thinking….’What have I done?’ But seeing that today is the third day, the soreness when I chew something seems to be getting better.

The looks I get from people are getting better, and the most exciting thing is: I am already seeing results!! My front tooth that was slightly tilted is almost perfectly straight. There is soreness when I feel certain teeth with my tongue, but looking in the mirror and seeing results by day two and three is so worth it and it excites you knowing it will only be this way for a certain time in my life (20-24 months) but the results will last forever. God Bless you ArchWired! You made the transition a lot easier.