New here, Newly Braced and 1st post!

[Juliebrynn1]

i am sooo sorry to be posting on lisa k thread. i am still trying to figure this all out. Thank you so much for your reply. I will try to start my own thread somehow. I appreaciate everyones stories and again, I am sooo very sorry. I am a mess and honestly appreciate everyones help. Thank you.

[SinkFullOfDinner]

Please help me understand how i can go to my old posts...i am sooo sorry to be posting on lisa k thread...I will try to start my own thread somehow.

Pls don't worry. Everyone says LisaK is the understanding type and wouldn't want you to feel badly. Here, I'll post on the thread again just to prove it! If you want to start a topic, just click on the "*New Topic" button at the bottom of a forum (a "main" forum, not a "topic" like here). If you want to sees your other posts, either click on the blue "number" under your username next to any other post you've made, or go to your User Control Panel or Profile which you can access by clicking on the menu behind your username in the upper right of any page. The Administrator also has many helpful topics and how-to's at the top of each forum. Don't feel bad about it, it just means that others have been stuck with braces for far too long and have had too many months [*sigh*] to already figure the site out.

[Juliebrynn1]

Thank you so so much for your reply.

[BlondeCam]

Wax!!!! Yes!!! Use it!!! LisaK, I'm 42 and getting retreated. It will get better. I drank lots of Atkins and Nutrisystem shakes in the very beginning. I think everyone's teeth feel loose and wonky.
Best of luck ladies!!! Don't give up, it'll get better and for the love of god, use the wax

[LisaK]

Well thank you for the warm welcome! Yes its been a tough few weeks. Ive actually had my braces 3 weeks today as a matter of fact...lol. The discomfort had mostly gone away now. I only really feel it when I eat. The pressure on my teeth is what bothers me. Im sure in time that will get better. My mouth hates me with these brackets though. They rub up on the inside of my mouth. Some days it gets super sore. Thank goodness for wax. Good luck with your journey! Stay in touch would love to hear yours.

Hi Lisa, just wanted to say your beginning story is similar to mine! I'm surprised they didn't try to refit a new bite plate though? I Have one.. it really helps at night and has improved my jaw soreness and headaches already!... It is awful to try and wear it throughout the day though, and extremely hard to talk with so I tend to cheat... Has your bite changed much? Are you able to eat much? - My teeth also get completely on edge any time I eat! Like you said, feels like every nerve is reacting.. its really aggravating.

I go back in two weeks. ( I guess Ill be going every 5 weeks?) They might refit me then, Im not sure? I hope they dont. I say that because with the braces on I have a little lisp and its gotten much better thankfully. I guess they wanted mine to be in all the time. I wouldnt be able to take mine out. I work in customer service and I take many phone calls throughout the day. With it impairing my speech will really suck! So fingers crossed that, I wont need it. My bite hasnt really changed at all. Eating, Its up and down. Im started to eat more solid food, but still cant chew since I cant bite down all the way. so I just cut it into small pieces and swallow. So gross , but Im hungry!..lol

[LisaK]

LisaK - Sorry to step on your thread, but it sounds like JulieB is drowning and needs a life preserver thrown her way.

JulieB - For goodness sake, use the wax! It's there for a reason. I challenge you to find even 1 out of 10 people on the board who viewed wax as anything but a godsend. Really. If it's a friend telling you not to use wax, they don't know what they're talking about and you should show them the palm of your hand. If it's your ortho or their assistant saying it, this is the one and only time that I will be so bold as to say they're full of shizzle.

Trust me, your cheek and lips will adjust even with the wax, and will likely do so faster if you're not constantly tearing them up. The first week sucks anyway; no need to make it that much worse by unnecessarily withholding aid. A bit o' wax will improve your mood immensely. And don't skimp on it. Use as much as you need. If you need additional help, poster djspeece likes to recommend an alcohol chaser. He is wise (like Yoda, though not quite as old and he puts his words in the right order - usually). Follow his advice.

LisaK - I return your thread to it's regularly scheduled programming.

..lol.. I needed to laugh and you sure allowed me to do that! No worries my friends. Anyone is welcomed to ask away on my thread here. Im pretty new to all this and havent posted much because..... I dont know this site very well yet. To be continued!!

[LisaK]

Alright... Im just made it past the 3 week mark of having these lovely braces on. The discomfort isnt as bad as it was in the beginning. I mostly get it now in certain areas that I believe my teeth are moving and def when I eat. Its a struggle, but this is the price we pay for a beautiful smile. I use my Waterpik faithfully which is like a godsend to me! I dont know if I should floss and use the Waterpik? I keep reading different stories. Id rather be safe than sorry so Ive been able to floss for 2 days in a row. What a freaken chore I tell you!! I stand in front of the sink and mirror for id say.... 30mins trying to weave in and out of the wires as Im drooling all over myself. Its so gross. Ive mastered not spraying myself, the walls, mirror, floor or anything else around me with the Waterpik..lol.. I go back in two weeks for my first follow up since the braces have been put on. So far, I think Im doing alright besides having a break down here and there. I learned that spinach is not my bestfriend. I had some for the first time last night for dinner. What a chore trying to get the strings of it out from everything in my mouth. TMI! ..lol

[atrixa]

Alright... Im just made it past the 3 week mark of having these lovely braces on. The discomfort isnt as bad as it was in the beginning. I mostly get it now in certain areas that I believe my teeth are moving and def when I eat. Its a struggle, but this is the price we pay for a beautiful smile. I use my Waterpik faithfully which is like a godsend to me! I dont know if I should floss and use the Waterpik? I keep reading different stories. Id rather be safe than sorry so Ive been able to floss for 2 days in a row. What a freaken chore I tell you!! I stand in front of the sink and mirror for id say.... 30mins trying to weave in and out of the wires as Im drooling all over myself. Its so gross. Ive mastered not spraying myself, the walls, mirror, floor or anything else around me with the Waterpik..lol.. I go back in two weeks for my first follow up since the braces have been put on. So far, I think Im doing alright besides having a break down here and there. I learned that spinach is not my bestfriend. I had some for the first time last night for dinner. What a chore trying to get the strings of it out from everything in my mouth. TMI! ..lol

Yep, the drool. Gross but unavoidable. I try to both floss and use my waterpik if I can. Spinach is such a nuisance I just avoid it now. It seems to defy laws of physics and wrap around my wire...

[LisaK]

Update: Yesterday morning I woke up to a weird feeling on my front tooth. I had my husband take a look and of course he didnt notice anything. I look in the mirror and see that might rubber band that holds the bracket or whatever has half broken on me in my sleep. So I called my Ortho and they said that I needed to get that fixed right away because I have a spring/coil? Connected to that tooth to some molars that they want to move back to make room for my other tooth to move forward. I get there and they tell me since I was supposed to have my 1st adjustment on Tue next week, theyll see if they can save me the trip and just to then. I was all for it. In my head Im like yes, my teeth are going to move faster and Ill see more results..lol. They said everything went well and look good. I did get to move up in wire with my top teeth , but that kept the initial wire on just replaced it with a new wire. I also got my bracket placed back on my tooth, but that had fallen out one more when I woke up two weeks into having them on. There wasnt a wire connected to it yet so it wasnt that big of a deal. So sometime in the night Im sleeping and wake up to feel something hard and tiny moving around in my mouth. I seriously thought that one of teeth broke off or something..lol. My worst nightmare ever!! Since Ive had my braces I realized that I clench my teeth a lot when Im sleeping. I never knew that before until I woke up a few nights in a row since having my braces. I could only tell because Id wake up from sleep in the middle of the night with discomfort in my teeth and to feel that Im clenching down on them. I cant do anything about it while Im sleeping though. Well last night I feel whatever in my mouth and I bit the stupid bracket off again! Im so mad at myself about it. I dont know how they'll be able to get that to stay on once the wire does go in it. Since my bite is off and my teeth rest on the brackets its kind of hard not to bite them off. I did find out that my bite wont be like any normal persons bite would be with straight teeth for at least another 6 months he said. So I have a long road ahead of me. They have the spring/coil thingy on two molars that they want to move back so my Ortho said he wanted to leave a little extra wire so the teeth could move somewhere. Well he did and asked if I want it snipped a little more. I of course said yes and he did. Man do I wish I asked for it to be snipped a little more. Its going right into the back of my mouth along with my brackets on my front teeth just tearing the inside of my lip apart. Im trying to stay positive. I just wish the whole process didnt have all these little areas of discomfort. Nothing that I cant handle, but it would be nice not to have any at all and feel and be like myself again. On a good note...It was awesome to have those wires taken off and be able to brush and floss in just a few minutes, rather me standing at my sink dead tired before I go to bed to floss and brush for another 30mins! Not having any tension or pressure on your teeth for those few minutes...Ahhhh...Just Heaven!! ...hahha... I go back in 6 weeks...Woohooo

[LisaK]

Ive been noticing one of my front teeth turning in. I think I lost the rubber band that holds the wire in again. I didnt notice it, but I have clear ceramic braces and Im pretty plain and dont like to draw attention to my teeth. So I get the newest clear bands for them. I noticed that the wire looks like its not secure in the bracket. I just cant tell if its from my other front tooth turning around to become straight and go over my bottom tooth or if its because I may have broken another one of the same bands that broke while sleeping last time? I tried calling my Ortho this morning and their office is closed. Why?!! I have no clue and its upsetting me. ..lol. I hate these braces and I hope one day I might get used to wearing them, but I feel like theres a slim chance of that. I just want to know if this is alright or not? Stay tuned for an update..uuugh.

[LisaK]

So I went back to my Ortho this morning. I was indeed correct! My band did come off my front tooth and thats why it was turning in. Instead of her putting another rubber band on it, she put the metal wire around it to hold the archwire. The downside to it...she said its probably going to take a while for it to go back to its normal position. Boo!! Shes pushing that I go to thicker wires for my next adjustment in about 3 weeks. I told her I was all for it! Im not sure that means anything more??? But..... if I can get these things off sooner rather than later...Im totally down with it! I hope I can behave myself and not have anymore issues up to my next apt..lol.. I can already feel the tension on my front teeth and its only been about an hour. Good times my friends!...NOT!!..lol

[LisaK]

Well...there isnt too much of an update. Ive noticed that my bottom front teeth are almost completely straight and pulled forward as they should be. I just have a little more of the gap to be filled in where they pulled one to make room for them. So thats a huge plus my book! Anyone reading this and have any issues or have noticed any twitching of your jaw? It mostly happens at night. It just happens to the point I have no control over it and it makes me grind my teeth over my brackets. Its involuntary. Its not something I do on purpose. I never had this issue or had it happen prior to having the braces. Im just curious because sometimes its like a huge jerking motion and Im afraid Ill actually break a bracket off one of these times..lol

[Hammykid]

Congratulations on getting your braces in! I have a small mouth and lots of teeth too. My ortho said he needs to extract eight teeth total (4 wisdom teeth). Of course I'll be getting another opinion next week, as I want to keep all of my teeth if I can help it.