Nurse J's Bracetastic Adventure

[NurseJ]

Hi everyone!

I have been reading many inspiring stories on here, and every single one has informed me, entertained me, and motivated me to share mine. I'm getting my braces this Monday (Jan, 24th 2011!!) and I'm so excited, I can hardly wait!
A bit about my story:
I have always been uncomfortable about my smile. I have longed to have straight teeth for as long as I can remember, but never had the money to "fix" my smile. I always have the closed-mouth smile in pictures, and probably in real life. It's strange how this can feel so "restrictive" isn't it? Almost like my true happiness/amusement has to be subdued so as not to embarrass myself. How sad.
I realise that I probably am being overly dramatic, as my husband would say. He has never had anything negative to say about my smile, but fully supports my decision to finally get "braced". (Probably because I'm been talking about it for years.)
So at the age of 30, my journey to a beautiful smile is about to begin.

I guess my teeth can only improve from here. I am counting down the days (5!) till the big day!
Can't wait!!
A few questions for you seasoned braced ones!:
1) What's the best mouthwash to use, one that will also not stain?
2) Do I really have to give up my nightly tea? (I'm a nurse who works nights)

I'm sure I'll have more questions as time goes on. By the way, I'm getting ceramics upper and lower.

I look forward to the progress!
Thanks for reading!

[NurseJ]

Oh, and I have some pictures from my consultation a few weeks ago, but when I tried posting them from photobucket, I get "You are not authorized to post url links, please remove or rename".
I can't figure out how to fix this problem!

[ashesgap]

Welcome!
Just wanted to tell you real quick that you can't put pics up till you make a certain number of posts. I'm not sure how many though. So chat it up, and you'll be able to put up pics real soon. Good luck on brace day!

[NurseJ]

Thank you Ashesgap!
I was beginning to wonder what I was doing wrong!
Guess I'll be posting away!

[GRILLZ]

nursej

as far as mouth wash.....i don't know the answer to that. i have like 3 or 4 different ones. i would think that one that is not darkly colored would be best. i've heard that a certain ingredient causes staining in the non alchohol containing mouth washes....it's a long name that starts w/ a c....but they all have it if they don't have alchohol so what to do??? i have act fluoride non alchohol (medium green), listerine (very light green), no alchohol and crest no alchohol (clear).

as far as coffee and tea, i drink lots every day.....and i've never been concerned about my teeth..of course they aren't white either but i suppose i could always try to whiten them after braces. no way can i give up coffee and tea.....just can't. if it's a choice bet white teeth and caffeine.....it's no choice.....cuz the caff always wins. but then again, i'm not doing this for a pretty smile, i'm doing it to relieve functional problems w/ my bite and pain.

hope this helps. best of luck on monday! i'll be reading yer posts

[NurseJ]

Grillz: I don't think I can give up my tea either...these night shifts almost require them! I know exactly what you mean by there being an ingredient (a "c" ingredient...can't remember either) in some mouthwashes that stain teeth. I think maybe I'll try sticking to the clear Listerine or light coloured one.

So for those who aren't afraid, I am posting my "Befores".

Uppers:


Lowers:


Front (NOT my "natural smile" hehee):



EEEEKKK!!!

Things can only get better from here, right?

I feel so "exposed"!!

[drgnchsr36]

Nah, you don't have to give up tea. I started out drinking tea through a straw, but have since given that up. I haven't noticed any staining so far!

Also, I use listerine for mouthwash and no staining so far with that either.

Good luck with the brace journey Here's to a great smile!

[ashesgap]

Anything Crest ProHealth will stain. I was using the mouthwash and had bright orange stains. My cleaning took care of them, but i threw out all my ProHealth stuff. Listerine hasn't caused any issues. I still drink coffee and tea, no straws.

[Ellebraced]

Welcome Nurse J

The anxiety is the worst part of the braces process.

DO NOT USE Crest Pro Health mouth wash, it will stain your teeth a browny colour and the company acknowledges it.

I drink coffee every morning and no my teeth are not as white as they used to be but I guess there is nothing to do about it. I have SL Clarity, so no elastics needed, so I don't have to worry about those staining.

Elle

[GRILLZ]

Anything Crest ProHealth will stain.

??? why is this??? i have a crest pro health mouthwash that is clear.....how is this able to stain....i haven't used it alot, but so far ok...

[ashesgap]

Whatever the ingredient that stains is in all the ProHealth stuff. Do a quick search on yahoo or google and you'll see all the stories and sites talking about it. Even Crest admits to the staining. I didn't notice the stains till they were bright orange looking. Like one day nothing, the next i was like "What the crap!"

[NurseJ]

Yeah, we have the Crest Pro Health mouthwash here at home and we are throwing it away...The reviews on Amazon are horrible for it. Not worth risking the stains! The only reason I bought it was because it was on sale!

[NurseJ]

drgnchsr36, I was thinking about drinking the tea through a straw too, but I knew that would become annoying to do. I think I'll just be extra careful not to "swish" the tea around in my mouth too much.

3 more days till the Big Day. My husband can't understand my excitement!! Heehee!
I'm planning a taco night this weekend as I know I won't be able to eat them again the "normal" way for a long time. And I'll have some red wine too. Kind of a "goodbye to naked teeth" celebration.

[GRILLZ]

I didn't notice the stains till they were bright orange looking. Like one day nothing, the next i was like "What the crap!"

wow!!! i googled like you said and it's not worth it.....just poured my almost full bottle down the sink. better safe than sorry.....thanks for the heads up!!

[Ellebraced]

About the mouth wash

I emailed P & G this was their response...

Like all mouthwashes that effectively fight plaque and gingivitis, Crest Pro-Health Rinse can contribute to temporary, surface-level brown tooth discoloration, which is reported by a small percentage of people.
•Tooth discoloration is actually a sign your mouthwash is working.
•After it kills germs in your mouth, the dead germs could collect on the tooth surface and create the appearance of a brown stain.
•The discoloration could also be exaggerated by many other factors, such as existing tartar on teeth, drinking coffee, tea, red wine, or tobacco use.
•Brown discoloration is reversible and largely preventable.
•For best results, we recommend a tartar-control/whitening toothpaste, a power toothbrush, floss, and regular dental visits.


......... Are you kidding me??? That is seriously the email I got, and to think they still sell the stuff

I asked for a refund. I should have asked them to pay my cleaning bill. Thanks again Ashesgap for letting me know.

So my advice, throw the stuff out, not worth it