I had braces about 7 years ago (as an adult), and joined Archwired when I was newly-braced. Archwired was quite different then, with a really active community environment, and posts and replies were being made all day long. It was a great resource and made the time in braces fun. When I found myself staring down a diagnosis of "Retracted Mandible" some years later, along with the shocking revelation that I needed to go back into braces to fix it, I started snooping around the internet looking for similar stories. Which, of course, lead me right back to Archwired
Since then I've been mooching around the edges, meaning to post my story for anyone else who found themselves in my situation, and goes looking for info like I did. I'll get round to posting some pics and details another time. I just wanted to say something that's been on my mind since I re-activated my profile in Archwired :
I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE BACK
Last time I was happy to be taking control and fixing a problem that had always bothered me. I didn't mind (mostly) wearing metal braces, and apart from some serious tenderness when archwires were changed (think blending sushi rolls for tea), braces didn't really bother me. This time is different. Although I made the decision to go ahead with my treatment, I felt like I really had no choice. Either dive back into the world of orthodontics (now in a very different phase of my life), or live with a jaw splint for the foreseeable future (doing nothing was literally not an option). Last time I was happy with all-metal, and was never tempted to try for inconspicuous with ceramic. This time I wish they were completely invisible.
So far I've managed to travel part of the journey (hopefully) back to orthodontic health with minimal public display. My upper expander mostly only shows if I smile, and my lower brackets while metal aren't too obvious. This all changes tomorrow though. I'm over the moon to be getting my expander out, but I'm really dreading getting upper braces again
. While I know it's no one's business but mine (and the bank managers 
), I can't help but resent having to go back into braces now. I hate to admit it but I'm embarrassed to be taking my kids to childcare and school and showing up in braces. Not that I have any opinions on other adults I see in braces, far from it. I guess part of the problem for me is that it's not visibly obvious why I have to wear braces again. Only a few close friends know my story and why I had no option but to go down this path; to everyone else my teeth look beautifully straight. Which they are. Unfortunately for me, they're also pulled back so far that my lower jaw was rammed into the TMJ sockets. Which sucks, but isn't immediately obvious to people when they clock that you have braces. You can see the confusion on their faces as their brains go "Oh, she has braces. But her teeth weren't crooked, were they? Wait a minute, they were really, really straight!". I get embarrassed when people clearly notice my expander/braces but don't mention it. I want to shout "I really did need to get braces, I didn't just want to!" Ergh. This wasn't meant to be a moan. Tomorrow is D-Day for me; I can't avoid it any longer - tomorrow I'll be fully braced. Again. Which made me wonder (and is really supposed to be the purpose of this post) - Are there any other Archwired Alumni out there?? Anyone else going through not only braces for the second time, but Archwired for the second time??Anyhoo, thanks for reading: Good luck with your treatments
