Metal Mouth Message Board

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For me, the first thing I did after debanding was go to lunch and order a salad. Yep, eating in public, especially a salad, was pure heaven after having my braces removed. I ate salads frequently when I had my braces, but only at home! :-) It was such a huge relief not to have to run to the restroom...

I guess I will be the lone dissenter in the thread (so far). I too was supposed to have bonded retainers on both arches, I found out (accidentally) a short time before my debanding. In my case, I did not want any objects attached to my teeth - given I already have some fillings and several crowns on...

Congratulations! Your smile looks fantastic.

Welcome to The Naked Tooth Club!

The symmetry of your new smile is wonderful.

Enjoy running naked, eat all your favorite foods, smile big, and ... remember to wear your retainers!

Congrats!

Congratulations on your new smile!

Your teeth look awesome!

Time to celebrate and enjoy all those foods you missed during your journey!

Congratulations on joining the Naked Tooth Club!

Your smile looks fantastic, and as others mentioned, very natual.

It was a long journey for you, but very worthwhile!

Now, get out there, have fun, eat all your favorite foods, and smile, smile, smile!

This is great news; having an appointment solely for discussing retainers is excellent. I wish my ortho had followed this process! I would do a lot of research on the types of retainers prior to the appointment, and determine which would work best for you. (Lots of great retainer information on this...

Hi NatalieMac, Welcome to the club! I can share many of your concerns with getting braced; I hated my smile for over 10 years (due to crookedness and a bad crown on a front tooth), and finally took the plunge at age 42 and got braced. I had my braces for just under two years, and overcame all of the...

Congratulations on taking the plunge and getting braced; you will be so glad you did. The time will fly by -- your debanding will be here before you know it! The first few days are a bit strange, but you will adapt very quickly to being braced and learn new ways to eat, floss, brush, etc. I too lost...

I share your concerns about bonded retainers. If you search this topic on this forum or the Metal Mouth one, you will probably see several of my posts on this topic. I too was supposed to have bonded retainers (upper and lower I found out by chance!) and stressed over it for months prior to de-bandi...

I had Damon 2's and absolutely loved them. They were extremely comfortable and worked quickly. I rarely had to use wax over the 22 months that I was braced. I did notice that my arches opened up quite a bit; however, an expander was never mentioned as part of my treatment plan, so I don't know if I ...

Congratulations on reaching the end of your braced period! The clear retainer that you will be wearing for daytime is an Essix retainer, and looks similar to Invisalign braces. People like this type of retainer since it is clear, and almost invisible. The other type of retainer is a Hawley, which ha...

I can sympathize with you; I never thought I would be able to floss when I had braces. The first few times I tried after being braced took forever and a huge hassle. Flossing is really important when you have braces to ensure you get the bacteria and food particles out of your gum area. Some suggest...

I agree that you have made the right decision in getting braces! Yes, people will notice your braces, however, it is far superior in my opinion, to have people notice your braces than to have them notice a bad smile and think to themselves "why doesn't he/she do something?" You will adjust...

I was in the exact same situation as you when I went for my consultation; my reason for getting braces (at age 42 no less) was to straighten out my top arch to create the right environment to have a crown replaced. I did have crooked bottom teeth, but really my motivation was driven by my top arch. ...