If you want to share the detailed saga of your braces story, this is the place to do it. You can use this forum as a braces journal, editing and updating your posts as your treatment goes on. Remember to also visit the main ArchWired.com site for additional stories from other readers!
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I thought I would start my diary on the road to straight teeth. I am 28, and have always wanted straight teeth, so I decided it was time! I have the "vampire look" and I want that to go away!
I got braced on the 7th, dealt with the scarey first few days, and now things are very good. I am looking forward to my first adjustment the end of March.
I had 4 extractions, and I have ceramic uppers and metal lowers...plus elastics. Already had my wisdom teeth out
I am planning on taking pictures monthly to show the progress The ortho says 18-24 months...I hope closer to 18 but I want as perfect a smile as I can get!
Here are my pictures from 6 days post bracing! 2/13/08
Upper Jaw:
Lower Jaw:
Thanks for looking!
Z
Last edited by Zuke on Tue May 27, 2008 9:53 am, edited 8 times in total.
Thanks for the comments, I have that one chip on the front tooth, but they said that would be polished right off when I get the braces off, so I am happy about that
I hope they look nice, the ortho seemed excited, not sure if it was because of my teeth or the fact that he just got several thousand dollars from me!
I THINK I have noticed something. but maybe that is just wishful thinking My hubby says that he thinks my teeth look a bit different, but that just might be him being nice
But there is more space between my teeth when I floss, so that is a good sign. Thank goodness I haven't had much pain or sensitivity, I feel for those that do!
Finally got that flipping wire cut today, oh that was bugging me!! Now I don't have to wear any wax, which is GREAT! I am glad my cheeks have toughened up enough to not have to put wax on.
The ortho took a quick look and seemed surprised when I told him there was no pain.....well your teeth sure are moving was his response..hmmm..I am not noticing much other than flossing is getting easier.
I think because we look at our teeth all the time we don't notice it so much. My husband made the comment lst night WOW your teeth are moving. So I went and looked (again) and then looked at where my extraction was done and noticed he was right that my gap is closing, slowly, but closing.
I am always looking at my teeth now...I don't know if in my mind I am hoping one of these times I will look in the mirror and they will all be straight....or what
Glad to hear your gaps are closing up! That is GREAT news!!
Zuke wrote:.I don't know if in my mind I am hoping one of these times I will look in the mirror and they will all be straight....or what
Z
Bwahahhaha!! I do the same thing too. Hehe. EVERY time I go to the loo at work I check them. And when I get home I check them.
Katt's right that its harder to see any movement when you're lookin at them all the time.
Yesterday I noticed that my wire had straightened out a bit which means some kind of movement...but it was really hard to tell cos I think the moving teeth were just pushing out, not actually straightening.
The flossing is really where you can tell in the first weeks. It took me about 7 weeks to physically see a difference in the mirror, it was quite odd really. I was looking in that mirror for weeks and not really seeing any difference and yet one morning I looked and they seemed to have moved overnight! Weird.
I had taken photos and comparing the photos you can see gradual movement over that 7 weeks, it wasn't really overnight (obviously), but the changes were only obvious when comparing photos (particularly the photos looking straight up from below to teeth rather than even face on).
You won't know yourself in a few weeks. According to my ortho the alignment cases (like mine and to a lesser degree yours) are those where you get the most visual satisfaction quickly.
2 upper 1st bicuspids extracted
Uppers braced (metal), molar bands upper & lower 25 May 07
Lowers braced 22 Oct 07
Next adjustment 21 Apr 2008
Estimated brace time 2.5 years
Good luck on your extractions, mine were icky the first day, then all was OK after that Take LOTS of Tylenol!
After the teeth were taken out, I really didn't have much of a choice on the braces, either braces and nice teeth, or no braces and HUGE holes in my smile ) Oh, and the nitrous gas helped alot ) HEHEHE Didn't care about those teeth being pulled!
Just go and look at all the before and after pics of everyone else's brace stories! That helped more than anything! And I kept myself VERY busy...so I didn't have time to think about them!
I ALREADY had my extractions - 2 weeks AGO! The extractions weren't terrible but they weren't great! Two of my teeth were fused to the bone! I have a partial dry socket that I'm working through right now - can't wait until that's healed!! By the way, they completely knocked me out with general anesthesia. It was GREAT!!!
Yes, I have been reading everyone's success stories and can't wait until I can write mine!
I've heard the time just flies by so I'm really hoping it does!
By the way, they completely knocked me out with general anesthesia. It was GREAT!!! 