starting braces at 40!

[petal]

I have enjoyed my braces so much the last month, I have only had minimal discomfort, no pokey wires, no rubber bands, my teeth had finally moved enough that I was able to eat more normal things ....ahhh, bliss! Well, today I went to my ortho, I am now sporting a new heavier wire and a new button on one of my molars. I am back again to where my teeth only touch on one back molar, this makes chewing food impossible. so back on a soft diet for me. I am also back in rubber bands, but since my arch is widening the bands keep catching the inside of my mouth and pinching it. I did not notice this happening so much when I first had the rubber bands. Tonight for dinner I am having a protein shake and some applesauce. I am still keeping my eye on the prize and remembering that some day my teeth will look awesome!!! Good news: I am on vacation so I have the next 10 days to adjust before I have to be back at work. Bad news: I will not be home, I will be visiting my husbands family out of state. Hope I can find the same protein shakes there that I buy at home. I see a lot of mashed potatoes in my near future.

[petal]

My new wire made my mouth very sore for about a week or so, then thankfully it has settled down and I have not had any more discomfort. My elastics are catching on the inside of my mouth more than the last time I had to wear them, so every few days I have had to give myself a break from them. I only take them out for about half a day or so, then I put Kanka on the sore spots and that seems to make them heal quickly. I can not believe that I have had my braces for almost 5 months. Time does go by fast when you get to the point where you are not thinking about your braces every minute of every day.

[petal]

I haven't checked in for a while. Everything is going really well. I have an ortho appointment tomorrow. They will be checking to see which brackets need to be repositioned. The repositioning will happen on April 27th. I have to admit that I am very excited to have some of the brackets taken off for even a short time so I can look at my teeth to check for any staining. I try really hard to keep them clean, It will be nice to see if all my hard work is paying off.

[petal]

Yesterday I had an ortho appointment to check on new placement for a few of my brackets. One tooth that my elastic is attached to has been moved up really high compared to the ones around it. He also said a few roots are more tilted then he wants. He said he should be able to fix these things. At the end of the appointment he said that at my next appointment I will have to have a new configuration of elastics for my crossbite. He said I still have a long way to go....I can't believe at the end of April it will have been 6 months since I got my braces.

[petal]

Last night I had a nightmare about looking in the mirror and seeing that all my teeth were sticking out in different directions. I thought I was past the point of having nightmares about my teeth, but I guess not. I am excited for my next ortho appointment on the 27th to reposition some of my brackets, I just hope all goes well as I will have to work the next day. All in all, things have been really easy lately!

[petal]

I had my ortho appointment today. He kept me in the same wires, but moved me up to heavier elastics -Impala's. I now have the elastics in triangle configurations on both sides of my mouth and an elastic that goes from the outside of my last top right molar to the inside of my bottom right molar. I thought having the elastic run between my teeth would be a problem, but I can't even feel it. I do feel the triangle configurations and they are a pain to get used to. I have an headache tonight from all this new pressure in my mouth and I am hoping work takes it easy on me the next few days as I adjust. Hope everyone is well!!

[Ellebraced]

Glad things are going well Petal.

I just started elastics so I am sure I will have lots of different combos too over the next 2 years.

This sure is a long process but at least it works!!

Take care

[petal]

Hi Ellebraced, My ortho said that if I wear my elastics as prescribed i will be able to stop wearing them sooner...that sure motivates me. I hope that time continues to fly for us! I have one more year to go.

[petal]

Today is my 7 month brace-iversary. I am amazed at how fast time is going. I certainly have times of frustration, but there are more times of smooth sailing in braceland. I was supposed to see my ortho in June for my newest wire, but he is booked solid so I was afraid I would have to wait until July for an appointment. Well, today I happened to call his office and they had a cancellation for tomorrow morning so I jumped at the chance to get that appointment. I hope I get a new wire, last week I had the bottom wire slip out on one side and they only had time to squeeze me in to clip it but not replace it. My back molar on the bottom left is tilted and needs to be righted, but it has been fighting us the whole time. I have been very good about wearing my elastics only taking them off when I had to do a lot of talking at work, because they just made my mouth too sore. I have about 11 more months to look forward to.....I can't wait to see my new smile!

[petal]

So, I got my new wire this morning. my teeth are very achy this afternoon, nothing that I can't handle...it is making me very crabby with my family though, so I really need to get a grip on the discomfort. My ortho said this is my last wire before they start a series of finishing wires in July. I know I still have 11 months to go, but the idea of a "finishing" wire sounds so good to me! He also said that they may be able to take off my bite turbos at the July appointment.....SMILES!! That would thrill me so much!!

[petal]

Here is a photo of me after 7 months in braces: http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k54 ... 1306370807

[petal]

I wish I could get the hang of taking better pics of my teeth, they end up looking HUGE...I will say I do have BIG teeth, but I would not really call them HUGE. One of my brackets popped off last week, I will be getting it repaired next week. I can tell that it is sliding back into its old position so I want to get it re-lassoed again asap! The office manager at my orthos office got her braces on two weeks before me, well when I went in for my last appointment I saw her and I could not even see her braces so I asked if she had gotten them off already....I could not believe she still had them on, they were so unnoticeable. Wow, I hope mine blend in like that!! I actually go through most days not even remembering I have my braces on. Hope time continues to fly by....Just under a year to go!

[ladysable]

Started my braces at the ripe age of 55. Have had them since February. I see so many changes. I had three teeth extracted before treatment began. One tooth gap has closed completely and another one is really getting smaller. I had a question to anyone, I have clear braces. I have opted for the metal chains because the nurses tell me that these stain. Has anyone had that problem, and if so how can this be aleviated?

[petal]

I have met so many wonderful adults in braces lately! There is always an instant bond which is so very nice. I am off to a family reunion next week and I am a little nervous about everyone seeing my braces. I know I will soon forget all about my braces and just enjoy catching up with my family. I still am finding it funny that a space between my front teeth keeps opening and closing about every two months. I have now had my braces over 8 months and the time seems to be flying by so quickly! Hope everyone is having an amazing day!!

[petal]