Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi All!
I'm 27 (well, almost 28 now...) and I got braced yesterday. I have been reading the forum for the past 6 months and it's been a great source of support and information.
I've been self-conscious about my teeth for the whole life. I.15 year ago I overcame my dental phobia and got all my fillings done etc. After some time I felt it was time to straighten out these vampire teeth My main concerns are the canines, but also major assymetry (my canines were out of the arch, so a general dentist recommended pulling a premolar 10+ years ago. And then my midline shifted far to the right ) In order to correct it, and my big overbite, I had the second premolar pulled on Wednesday. I was quite terrified but it wasn't that bad actually.
So clear self-ligating brackets went on top. In March I will get metal bottoms.
So far it hasn't been that bad pain-wise (I actually managed to eat home made pizza yesterday and today).

I'm scared about going to work on Monday. Today I told my dad about my braces and I was so nervous I was just about to cry! The whole experience is just too emotional to me. I wish I could just treat it normally.
Also I'm quite embarrassed as far as smiling with them is concerned. Do you have any advice on how to overcome this embarrassment?
I'm also wondering why are the brackets that much on top of my front incisors? On all photos they seem to be placed more centrally. I didn't ask my ortho as I only noticed that on my home. Maybe you have some experience with that?

My brackets are actually low on my teeth, not placed in the center. It kind of drove me crazy when I first got braces, as on here it seems like most have them up high (like you) or exactly in the center. I think it has something to do with how they need to move your teeth. I never really asked though. haha.

I think you'll find when you go to work on Monday that no one will end up saying anything about your braces and if for some odd reason they do, it will just be a minor comment. If you go through the forum, I think you'd find LOADS of people that were originally just as concerned about their braces being a topic of conversation, only to find that it isn't. Trust me on this. What's a big deal to us, is sometimes just a minor thing to others. Especially teeth related things. lol.

Once your teeth start get more straight and you get used to the original shock of the braces, I think you'll find that you'll smile easily. I've always smiled showing my teeth though (even when they were a crooked mess) so I'm a bit biased.

Congrats on having the courage to go through all this! You're going to be SO happy you did this!

Hello Featheryy! Thanks for dropping by and for you encouragement! Your post really made me feel better. I think I should just start to listen people who have more experience with braces than I do

Yeah, some time ago I also learned to smile with my teeth (even though I hated my smile) but once the braces are on, this ability seems to be completely gone, haha
I'm also constantly looking in the mirror searching for some progress, lol. Did anyone else also experience this?

You're welcome!
Being obsessed with looking at your braces in the mirror is normal. it's a new thing for you right now. And in the beginning you just want to see instant results. Luckily the first couple months is when people normally see the most changes. There are still days now when I'll randomly look in the mirror and think, "have these things moved anymore yet?" Haha.

Hey well congrats on getting braces! I'm soon to be 27 and have had braces for almost 1.5 years. They aren't bad at all and actually of the few hundred people I have spoke with in social & work life over the past few months, no one has ever brought braces up ( I did a few times ) but really it's not a huge deal. There are plenty of adults who have braces, and braces are just, braces. Dental work. My friend who is 30 just got braces a couple weeks ago too, she's a professional as well.

Just be patient with the movement, your teeth with be changed before you know it. The braces do their job well and we can't speed up or slow down the process really.

Good luck!

mapleleafman888 wrote:Hey well congrats on getting braces! I'm soon to be 27 and have had braces for almost 1.5 years. They aren't bad at all and actually of the few hundred people I have spoke with in social & work life over the past few months, no one has ever brought braces up ( I did a few times ) but really it's not a huge deal. There are plenty of adults who have braces, and braces are just, braces. Dental work. My friend who is 30 just got braces a couple weeks ago too, she's a professional as well.

Just be patient with the movement, your teeth with be changed before you know it. The braces do their job well and we can't speed up or slow down the process really.

Good luck!

thanks a lot for your positive post I'm feeling more and more confident about tomorrow.

Congratulations on the braces! I'm 26 (almost 27). I never smiled with my teeth pre-braces because I was so self-conscious. Having braces has actually improved my self-esteem. It took me about 2 weeks to fully embrace them, but I really like them now.

I also have clear brackets on my uppers, and I love how they don't show up in pictures. People will notice the braces, but they hardly make a fuss about it. It's really not bad.

Good luck with your journey! It sounds like it's going well so far. I definitely wasn't able to eat pizza the day after getting them on!

BeautifulDisaster wrote:Congratulations on the braces! I'm 26 (almost 27). I never smiled with my teeth pre-braces because I was so self-conscious. Having braces has actually improved my self-esteem. It took me about 2 weeks to fully embrace them, but I really like them now.

I also have clear brackets on my uppers, and I love how they don't show up in pictures. People will notice the braces, but they hardly make a fuss about it. It's really not bad.

Good luck with your journey! It sounds like it's going well so far. I definitely wasn't able to eat pizza the day after getting them on!

Thanks for good words. Yes, as far as eating is concerned - it's not bad (and I so hoped to lose weight because of braces ) . I think it's because I never use my incisors to bite down (except for sandwiches, etc.) - I mainly use my molars, because of my overbite. And I think it's the reason why they are so worn down.
I'm happy you already emBRACEd your braces I still have it ahead of me, but I will make sure to make an update here!

Day 4 in braces (Day 1 in work): So this was the day I was most afraid of.
It was strange. I told a few of my closer coworkers, all were supportive and nice. One even said I didn't need them, haha. At first I was like "What the hell, is she blind?" and "She just wants to be nice"
But then some second thoughts came. Maybe I really don't need them and it was a wrong choice? However, I've been trying to fight being self conscious about my teeth for 15+ years, so it was high time to do something about it...
So I was feeling quite miserable for the whole day. I hope this is normal to have second thoughts at the beginning.

As far as pain is concerned: still can't chew AT ALL with my front teeth. But I'm doing well in using my molars.
A few weeks ago I promised myself I wouldn't by a waterpik like ALL people do. I thought I'd be able to floss well. How wrong I was... Flossing takes like 15 minutes. And I ended up buying a waterpik anyways

Day 5 (Day 2 in work): We had a client visit today and I had to go to business lunch. It was so hard not to smile - I was afraid I had food stuck between the brackets. So all in all, quite an embarrassing experience.
Actually, I think no one notices my braces until I smile wide. I think over the years I learnt to talk in a way that wouldn't show my top teeth. However, my lower teeth show more when I talk, and I 'm going to have metal brackets on the bottom. Well...

Yesterday, when I flossed, a wire poked into my cheek. I couldn't get it out! I was afraid it was pierce my cheek inside out! But happily it didn't happen and I managed to escape somehow what a nightmare

There's some slight progress already, yay! I will make sure to post some better quality photos this time. I'm also starting getting used to the braces and they feel less and less huge every day. Also, my waterpik arrived today, so I'm going to give it a try today evening.

9 days have gone by quickly. I still can't chew with my front teeth, but I can manage. I can hardly feel the braces anymore = good news!
I'm posting a quick comparison. Not much has happened, I think canines are quite stubborn teeth. Do you have any experience with similar canines?

Sorry for the yellow hue in the photos, but I'm taking them in my bathroom which hasn't got any windows... Pre-braces photo also attached.

I had that wire poke into my tongue once and holy #### that's terrible. Also had the tongue get pierced by one of the sharp hooks on the bracket as I was driving, had to pull over because of the pain and get it unstuck!! Hope yours wasn't too bad!

Things will get better pain-wise for you and also for the self consciousness part.

Thanks for the reply mapleleafman! Yes, I'm slowly getting better, eating almost normally now. And I don't think about braces all day anymore I think my performance at work must have been bad all this time I could think only about braces, haha
But yeah, it's been almost 3 weeks already! Next adjustment: 20th March. Bottom also is going to be fitted then.
I hope I will get elastics as soon as possible - I can't wait to have my midline corrected - worst aspect of my smile I think.
Best of luck to you!

I've been lurking here for a while. Not much happened and I was longing for some progress. So today bottoms went on and I got elastics (Toucans) - I have to wear them all the time except for eating and brushing my teeth. I feel quite miserable with all that stuff in my mouth I have a lisp and I can barely open my mouth because of the elastics. Sorry for the rant guys, I promise to be more positive about the whole process So on the positive side - I can see the teeth got whiter because of all the brushing - they are naturally quite yellow, so this is some very good news for me
And here are some photos

And the last one