Braced today...What Did I Do?!?!

[JoshMM]

32, male, married, 3 year old daughter, etc.


During different points of my life, I can remember thinking "what the he'll have I done?" Entering the United States Marine Corps, going through the Police Academy, triathlon, etc.

And cue that feeling right...NOW! Only the 5th or 6th time now. I decided to get these things because my bottom teeth started crowding a little, top front teeth chipped a few times because of my bite, and I have 2 incisors up top that really used to look like cool vampire fangs (almost fake looking), but have started to kick out a bit and I really started to notice my upper lip was sticking out. After my consul, I realized my the center of my top and bottom jaw do not line up. I had never noticed before.

So today I got the clear on top, metal on bottom. It sucked. No soreness, but my speech does not exactly go smooth now. I will post pics soon.

I am DREADING going to my firefighter I class Tuesday lol. Those guys are going to give me grief. So tell me it gets better. I don't even want to smile right now hahaha.

Josh

[tdawg7669]

Dude, Im a 20 year old male who just got braced a few weeks ago. I know what you are going through. It sucks. Or it did, until I went to a party that Saturday, and realized that nobody really cared. In fact it ended up being a conversation starter and people gained respect for me for doing something about a problem I had, even though I knew it wouldnt be fun. Yea, expect your buddys to give you grief, for like a day.

It DOES get better. Eating will suck for the first week, and then you wont even notice except for a few days after every adjustment.

[TumbleDryLow]

I think every single person goes though the "what the hell did I just do" phase. It will pass. Believe it or not, you really do get used to these things being on your teeth. As for the speech thing, it's not as bad as you think it is. In my case no one else noticed except me. Give it a week and you will sound normal to yourself again.
Congratulations on beginning treatment!

[Theresa48]

Yup, seems like that is the standard experience..."What the H*ll did I do!?"

I'm in the same boat...I came home and cried, then drank a bunch of beer (it was a Friday night afterall...) out of a plastic cup because I was afraid glass would chip my teeth because I couldn't feel them!

Now, 6 days later, so much better. I felt like a space case for a few days because I was so focused on my mouth...now, it's pretty much normal and I'm glad I did it and my students think that I am the coolest with braces!

[braceface84]

I just got mine yesterday and its WAY better than I expected. I was worried people would look at me funny or say rude comments, but everyone at work has been really supportive. I've gotten lots of "you can't even see them" comments (I got damon clear). I know its not true, but nice of them to say anyways
I have a softball game tonight with a bunch of friends and I'm kind of nervous about their reaction, but I really think after the first look, people don't even care. Good luck

[Leyfy]

Hey..

First post here!

I got my braces last tuesday. I have ceramic brackets, and I am a secondary school teacher - that means in the UK I teach 11-18 year olds.

To be honest, now I've had them on just over a week I am REALLY glad. The students at school I have barely noticed (and those that have are mainly curious) and now I am used to them it is pretty much normal now. I can feel my teeth have moved already and I cant WAIT to see the final outcome!

Good luck - stick with it

[Jethro]

Hang in there, it REALLY does get better. I have a simlar job and thought the hazing would be merciless...a few people inquired, but no big deal...honest! So keep a good sense of humor about it and relax...people really don't care about what's going on in our mouths.

I too sounded like I had been "overserved" after being braced, but it went away within a few days...no one else even noticed. Keeping hydrated and having bottled water handy was a big help.

Best of luck to you.

Jethro

[Audra]

I felt that way the first month or so. In the first week I wanted to take pliars to the brackets and rip them off my teeth. After a while you don't even notice them anymore.

Felt the same way the week after jaw surgery, but 100 times worse. That's slowly getting better too.

[tonyavicci]

just got my braces today! uppers only, lowers will be in a few months. so far i'm doing good, no pain. I'm 28 so don't feel bad. besides they'll be gone before you know it. I have a canine that grew through my gums, because my baby never fell out, gotta get it pulled down. and i have some gaps now from extractions, can't wait to get them closer together. I'm sure no one will notice your braces too much, i'm sure they look cool. i had to go with blue and purple ligs cause they look cool, and hey why not? good luck to you and me both!

[psych braces]

I was banded and completely braced in one day. I had another plan in mind (thursday appointment and the following fri-mon off work) but this past monday I was thrown into this and had to return to work immediately following. I felt really weird and sort of hid from co-workers. When people say that others don't really notice I can't understand this because everybody noticed mine. Some people look away because they are either embarrassed for you (that's really their problem) or embarrassed because they don't know what to say. I am quite certain that people do notice but in kindness decide not to speak about it (at least to your face). I think the best think to do is to just begin the conversation yourself, as this will put others at ease making you feel less self-conscious. I didn't feel better about my braces until I adopted this strategy: Say "I see you've noticed my braces, do you want to know why I did this? Usually a question or two arises after my answer and its something like this: "How long will you have braces?" "How does it feel". Now you get to answer by telling of the psychological and physical feelings of having the braces and this helps them to understand you better and then everyone is more at ease.

[Skydog]

JoshMM,

Don't feel alone! I just got braced this week for the same reason as you (crowding bottoms, wearing away uppers) and I am a female in my late fifties! Argh!

Second time for me - first time as a teenager.

[bracedup]

Good luck to you and Congratulations. It will get better, most people will be supportive (some may not). Feel good about your decision, the results will speak for themselves...

[JoshMM]

Well, everyone was right. Although I am still self-conscious, it is better. I went to an air show today, and that was really my first time in public. I started talking to a pilot standing next to his plane "do these fly out of Gulfport?" and he said "the Gulf War?! This is a commuter plane, not a fighter." I laughed and told him I had just gotten braces and I am working on my speech still. He laughed and told me his speech was bad even without braces.

My teeth were super sore, the routine is a real pain, but I started looking at old pictures and I am so stoked to be fixing my teeth. Worth all the hassle for years to come. Thanks again to everyone for the support.

[BARRY MILLER]

Hey Josh I am 37 yrs old and a Sergent in the police dept. I had my braces put on at age 34 while I as a senior officer and no one cared. A few of the guys asked questions and now the ones who asked me questions ,they too got the guts to get braces. We have a GREAT dental plan that pays 100 % of orthodontics for us and our dependants . On my team of 20 officers there are about 12 who have braces, had them or getting them. Now almost 2.5 years later I have Hawley retainers top and bottom that I am to wear 24/7 for a year then at 12 hrs a day for a few years. I wear my retainers to work most days (I got my braces off while I was on vacation so I had a time to practice speaking with them in) I do cheat some days and either don't wear my reatianers at all or just part of the day with no problems at all. My ortho said that this was just fine if I do cheat the odd day but no too much. Email me if you have any questions barrymiller007@yahoo.ca

[MegP60+]

I'm sure everyone feels the same at first, once those brackets are glued on there is no going back. I thought everyone would notice immediately, but after two weeks have not found it to be a big deal. Most people are surprised to see I am wearing braces and ask how long I will have to wear them, then they forget about them. I just think that this is a great thing I am doing for myself, and forget about them most of the time, except for the extended times I have to spend brushing/flossing/rinsing.