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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Love the supplies kit. I had absolutley no idea that you could even get mint wax!!! I'm on a mission now to get me some of that!!!
I have 2 small compact mirrors, one at work on my desk and the other in my gym back. Can't go anywhere without a mirror; never know when a chicken drumstick is going to be hanging off my teeth without my knowing.
My compact mirrors though *sigh* get strange looks from people, esp. at work. They are heart shaped and covered in...glitter...albeit, blue glitter (I had to at least get a 'boy' colour) but it does look odd when I am sitting at my desk and pull out a glittery heart shaped mirror, esp. for those people who have no idea I have braces...they just think I am incredibly vain I'm sure!
You and I have very similar stories. I think I have the most in common with your story -- and your teeth than anyone else.
I'm also 24, was braced just 5 days ago, and have also been very self conscious of my smile all my life, despite still getting compliments on my looks and other aspects of myself. (another thing we have in common is working on "other things" i guess in a way to make up for it?
I have the same problem with the large gap in between teeth, and have one tooth stuck behind (i dont know the terminology that well, i actually feel like my ortho did not thoroughly go through everything as i'd like, or maybe i didn't ask enough questions)
i'm really self conscious when i go out now, more than ever before. so far only my boyfriend, best friend and one other friend have seen me -- and the other friend didn't even say anything about them so i don't even know if he noticed since i have clear uppers.
i keep telling myself that its a means to a greater good, and i find myself looking at other people when i go out and thinking "i cant wait to have a straight smile like this person or that person"
its hard for me right now, being that i'm on day 5. today was the first day i woke up with no pain. i think the way i look bothers me the most though. even though i hated my smile, i still laughed and joked all the time more than i have done the last few days. i find myself doing that less and less since i've had them on, which is hard. but i totally hear you in regards to the liquid courage!! i haven't had that much to drink yet, but i notice after a few drinks, i ease up a lot.
i'm also finding however, that i'm playing with a lot of fashion. i'm getting really into hats and keeping my hair down. i guess that i think that deters some attention away from the braces.
Wow it's so ironic that I have almost all the exact same products sitting at home in my bathroom. Isn't that satin floss the best?? I haven't used anything else since discovering it. My friend said her dentist actually gives that stuff to her for free at the end of each adjustment! Should have gone to him...my dentist refuses to give me anything else but un-waxed floss and it always shreds!
And I must say (DaneAnthony) this was one of the funniest things I've read in a while:
My compact mirrors though *sigh* get strange looks from people, esp. at work. They are heart shaped and covered in...glitter...albeit, blue glitter (I had to at least get a 'boy' colour) but it does look odd when I am sitting at my desk and pull out a glittery heart shaped mirror
I guess I never really thought about it before...but I'm sure it must be near impossible to find a manly compact mirror! Oh well...it makes for a laugh
young67 what color ligatures do you have? it looks like you dont any.... lucky you!!
and to the guys regarding the compact mirrors, if you go to dentakit.com you can order an awesome travel size supply kit and it comes with a plain compact mirror! i think its black and doesnt even look like a compact mirror at all..
Great pics! I can't say I've ever saw that elastic configuration before! Didn't know it was even possible! How is it?
DaneAnthony ~
LMAO thinking of you at your desk with your blue-glitter compact! I'm sure you would get looks! Kudos to you for being strong and standing your ground. I imagine the manufacturers only think about us girls!
02/04/08 Extractions (4 deciduous second molars & 1 wisdom tooth)
My compact mirrors though *sigh* get strange looks from people, esp. at work. They are heart shaped and covered in...glitter...albeit, blue glitter (I had to at least get a 'boy' colour) but it does look odd when I am sitting at my desk and pull out a glittery heart shaped mirror, esp. for those people who have no idea I have braces...they just think I am incredibly vain I'm sure!
Dane, that was HILARIOUS!
"In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."-Albert Camus
Hello everybody. Just wanted to give a one month update on my brace face journey. I have a million thoughts in my head about my braces, but I'll just cover the basics for now. Here goes.
First Adjustment
My first one was 2 weeks after Brace Day. Now I'm scheduled to go monthly. This last time my ortho did some IPR work on me. IPR is interproximal reduction, or sanding betwen my teeth to create gaps. I had to close my eyes during this process because the image of a major powertool in my mouth was too much for me to handle mentally. But it looks a lot scarier than it really feels, no pain but lots of strange pressure. After my IPRs, I got a whole new archwire (same strength), new clear ligs, and a different set of powerchains. It was kinda painful while my tech changed everything out, because my teeth were sensitive, but an hour after my adjustment everything felt normal again. I didn't even need pain meds.
Dental Hygiene
Heres my after food dental routine. 1. Dental toothpick to get major food pieces out. 2. Floss 3. Brush with electric toothbrush 4. Mouthwash for 30 seconds and 5. put a new elastic in. It takes about 10 minutes each time. At first the routine was such a pain, but its second nature now. I know that when I get my braces off, I'll never take flossing for granted ever again. Question. Does anybody else take time to massage their gums like I do? Every night, I'll take my toothbrush, or finger and just massage them. I read somewhere that good blood circulation in your gums can help your teeth move faster. Maybe I'm crazy, but it feels good at least.
Food
I'm noticing that I'm way more conscious of what foods go into my mouth. No more random snacking for me. Also, I'm making wiser food choices. During my first adjustment, my ligatures were so yellow because my diet included lots of processed foods with food coloring. Now a days, I'm eating more natural foods, which is great for my body and health. However, I'm really missing curry. Did I tell you that I used to eat curry weekly? My ideal last meal on earth would be Vietnamese yellow chicken curry soup with crusty French Bread. Now I have to restrict my curryfest to the night before an adjustment.
Smoking
I have a confession. There was a time when I was a hardcore smoker. Seriously, I couldn't make through a morning with out a ciggy break. Within the last year (with the help of my bf) I cut down from addict status to being just a light social smoker. Now a days because of braces, I've almost eliminated smoking all together. I know if I smoke, then I have to run to the bathroom, wash my mouth out, or else it will stain like crazy. Its a pain, so I just avoid it. Vanity trumps nicotine I guess. I'm not a complete angel however, I've had a puff or two after a long night of drinking. But its nothing compared to before.
Others
My boyfriend say he notices that lots of adults have braces now. I ask him, where the heck are they? I'm starting to think they only exist in AW. I haven't seen any other adults with braces really. But then again, he makes fun of me because I have this amazing ability to tune out the world and hop around in my own bubble. I think I'm gonna have to start looking harder for these elusive braced adults.
Self
I'd say I'm generally happy about having braces. I'm just 24, but they make me look even younger. If I'm buying wine, the clerk will scrutinized my ID much more closely than before I had braces. Its annoying, but I don't mind. I'm just glad that I'm finally fixing my crooked teeth. There are so many internal self esteem issues that develop when you have bad teeth (or any deformity really) and I feel as if a huge emotional load is slowly being lifted off my shoulders with each millimeter that my teeth move. Though I'm not comfortable beaming my metal smile to strangers yet because my teeth are still in a state of disarray, I'm sure once that they straighten up a bit more, I'll smile more often. I look forward to the day when I'll smile all the time.
Movement:
Check out the pics below to see my 30 day progress. The 30 day pictures were taken yesterday.
Canine Space: Small gap slowly becoming a bigger gap.
__________________________
Bottom Teeth: Wire is straigtening out! Yea!
Thanks for reading!
Last edited by young67 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:56 am, edited 7 times in total.
You have had a lot of movement in very short time. I wouldn't be surprised if your teeth are pretty much aligned during the next half year or so like me.
Looking forward to following your progress.
Danish
metal braces on: 4 Oct 2007
Tx for: crowding
debonded on: 24 Jun 2009
You know what I just realized? I was just comparing my 3 week photo and my 30 day photo and I think most of the movement of my bottom teeth has actually occurred in just the last 10 days. How crazy is that? Yay for movement!
Hi there - wow I am just going to say what everyone else has said - it is amazing how quickly your teeth are moving! No wonder you have been experiencing a good deal of pain. I am getting braced in a month - had braces as a teenager years ago - and it hurt a lot back then, I still remember! But no pain no gain right! ?
I was wondering - do you know what brand of ceramic brackets you have? They look great - very white!
Didn't know it was even possible! How is it? 
