Metal Mouth Message Board

I just got my braces a few days ago. I am 46 years old. My teeth are not that crooked however I have been suffering for a long time from pain assiciated with "bruxing". I have also worn down my front teeth slightly from the grinding, which is heart breaking.

I wanted to get bonding done to repair my front teeth but my dentist kept telling me that I would pop them off by grinding my teeth. I have looked into biofeedback, etc. I finally found a dentist that makes an NTI device and upon consulting him, he recommended that I get braces. He said my bite is so uncomfortable that I keep wanting to grind them down.

I thought about it for awhile and realized he was right. My bite was so bad that my front teeth would hit before anything in the back hit. I couldn't touch down in the back unless I really bit down hard.

Anyway, so far everything has been great! I got the damon3 braces even though I swore that I would only get the ceramics. Once the orthodontist told me that the damon3 would go faster and there would be less pain, I was sold. I have had very little pain so far.

My biggest shock of all is all the food that keeps getting "stuck". Oh my gosh! The meal that just keeps giving. I am like a chipmunk. I can just keep on eating all day from that one meal if I wanted to! When I rinsed out in the sink the thought that ran through my mind was that I would have to install a garbage disposal in my bathroom sink! I ran out and bought an interplak device to irrigate. That has really helped alot. And it feels great.

I have also learned since then, to kind of eat and suck the stuff out, which then leads to the cheeks starting to feel quite sore from all the motion.

I was just reading some posts about the wax and decided to put some in. I have no idea how to do it, how it stays in, what happens when you eat, etc. It does feel a little better though. If anyone can share their experiences with the wax it would be great. I am worried that it will trap food against my teeth.

Also does anyone else have 2 sets of hooks on the back teeth? I have 8 in all!

Welcome to the club. I'm 54 and got braces end of January 2005. I had a bite problem also, but with only one side of my mouth and a couple of tipped molars because of a long ago extraction. I have gone through alot of wax!! I bought in bulk from this site, getting the silicon type. It's easier to work with. I know they say to get the site dry before you put it on, but how do you do that when it's the back molars you are trying to cover !? I usually make sure my fingers holding the piece of wax are wet, then it won't stick to them when I try to attach it to the hooks. Yes, alot of us have hooks, and bands on both molars. I no longer put wax on during the day, but I do at night or if I know I'll be doing alot of talking !! It's a weird journey...hang in there

jchapp248 wote:

The meal that just keeps giving.

You had me laughing with this one! Are you going to do bonding after your braces?

'I have also worn down my front teeth slightly from the grinding, which is heart breaking.'

I know how you feel jchapp248, I'm only 16, grind my teeth and now my front lower teeth look really stupid, and I hate knowing that I can never get those teeth to look they way they once did

On the plus side, welcome to archwired!

Congratulations on taking the plunge and getting your braces. You will be happy you did so.

Yes, I agree that braces are an important first step in correcting many problems with our bites, speech, smile, self-esteem, etc. (My story is similar to yours -- multi-step renovation). Often time the quick fix is not the best route; hang in there...you will be glad you followed your dentist and ortho's advice and got braced first.

I also had Damons and have to say they were great! No pain at all, very comfortable, and very easy pain-free adjustment appointments. I too started out wanting ceramic, but learned about Damon 2's and went for them; being a busy adult, I found that having fewer appointments was a major benefit! And at the end of your journey, you will find that the Damon's pop right off during your debanding appt; many members here have reported that ceramics are very difficult to come off.

As far as eating....the best tip I got from the ortho assistant when I got my braces put on: Eat on your back teeth! Use a fork and knive for most foods or pull stuff into small pieces, and eat on your back teeth...this will eliminate 90% of the food getting stuck to any front or side teeth. And, my other tip: always carry bottled water with you -- swishing vigorously with water (preferably room temp rather than ice cold) will dislodge 95% of any remaining food. And you can do this very discretely almost anywhere! Carrying bottled water is so normal these days no one will notice!

Welcome to the community, glad you found this site at the beginning of your journey!

Not to worry about braces at your age either -- as you can see from my handle I was 42 when I got braced, and will be 44 when my entire renovation is done soon!

Congratulations on getting your braces and welcome to the big group of over-40 adults on this forum. I am 56 and in braces for the 2nd time, having had them as an adolescent.

Orthodontics treatment has changed considerably since then, and this round is much easier, although I spent half a year in tongue jail with an upper palate expander. My problem was a slight underbite that had developed since I was first in braces. I got them again primarily for functional rather than cosmetic reasons-- bite-correction to save my teeth over the long haul.

Best to you on your treatment!

Just got mine on today, and so glad I found this site. Was wondering tonight why I did this at 48, but sounds like most everyone here is glad later when it's done. I have bands on my back molars, both upper and lower, and wow does it smart!! I guess the wax is the best thing to use there, right?

Welcome to both of you!! Another late bloomer here. I was just shy of my 49th birthday when my braces went on. Hopefully I will be done before I am 51.

Hello NJCarissa!

Welcome aboard to you also. I'm so glad to know that I am not alone to be braced at our age. Hopefully will have mine off by my 50th. They told me if I can bump up my adjustments to every 3 weeks instead of 4 I may be able to get them off sooner, so I will try that as soon as I can.

I'm glad to have stumbled upon archwire. I've read all your posts and feel 'at home' - definitely less awkward in getting my braces at 34.

My family, friends and colleagues were surprised with my decision to be 'braced-up'. They were filled with comments and opinion before and after they saw my metal mouth as they felt that there's nothing wrong with my teeth! lol Front profile wise, I look fine, but not the side profile though.

It's just that I've come to a point where I don't want to look like a cute bunny anymore. I have slightly crooked two-front teeth that sticks out longer than the rest of the God-blessed straight teeth. I just want to have all my teeth straight - of course, to look gorgeous, with a model smile. So, that's vanity.

I'm into my 5th month of treatment now. The journey wasn't easy. I started off by not wanting to waste any time. My first appointment was to get advise and I make my decision there to have my mould done, and asked the ortho to call me up on whether I'll need to extract my teeth. 2 days later, I had 4 pre-molars extracted, and having no patience to wait for the pain to subside, I had the brackets fixed on the same day. I went back to the doc without an appointment a couple of days later, and insisted on having the wires and ligs in place! There's always a price to pay for being demanding, and I suffered for it. Nevertheless, I have no regrets .

For vanity's sake, I am blind towards embarassment as I'm sure everyone I know has gotten used to my lisping and my 'swishing of water in my mouth' after a meal, followed by a quick exit to the restroom to floss and brush my teeth... tee hee hee.

I'm still using wax on the huge hooks at my molars, if I take them out, they'll leave a deep impression on the sides of my cheeks to the extent of giving me ulcers (The hooks look blunt and could still cause that!)

To date, the overlapped two front teeth are straightened out, with a tiny little gap between. The rest of the teeth are spacing out as well to accomodate to the 4 pre-molar gaps. All in all, the pre-molar gaps have closed up at least 3mm or a tad bit more (that's half a tooth's width! Yippeee!).

I'm looking forward to my next appointment (20th August), as the ortho will change my wires and add on new power chains. Ok, I'd better sign off now and will continue to read all your posts later.

ohmygosh wrote: Hopefully will have mine off by my 50th. .

ME TOO !!!

Thanks everyone for the great replies. It seems there is alot of differences in the amount and intensity of cheek sores! It has been one week and I am still sore but not as much. I hope I don't have to wear the wax forever. It is tough putting it in - it doesn't stick great. And yes, I try to dry the teeth off first which is really hard way in the back! I am trying some different wax now which seems to stick just a little better. I am starting to sleep well again which is good.

Welcome to the "Over 40 Braces" Club!

I got mine on at age 41 and off at age 44. I wish I'd done this YEARS AGO! But then again, there was no internet years ago, and I never would have started this website, so perhaps there is a reason for everything....

Anyway, it's nice to imagine getting older and looking BETTER (for any reason). Especially for us women, ya know what I mean?

Anyway, it's nice to imagine getting older and looking BETTER (for any reason). Especially for us women, ya know what I mean?

Wow, I never thought about it this way! What a wonderful philosophy, Lynn!

Hmmmmm, do I need to start an 'over fifties' club? I'll keep looking...there may already be one. I'm 57 and just got my front braces 1 week ago. I go this morning for my back ones. So far, I have only experienced mildly sore teeth. I'm hoping for no metal and straight teeth by 60...