My braces journey (clear at the top/metal lowers)

[sibilla]

oh bless you, I know how all that feels, I have a daughter with mental health problems who is going through a really bad time at the moment so am having to cope with that along with the godawful bite plane and new bottom braces. I do feel for you... try not to expect too much of yourself, the braces will get easier all on their own so try to use your energies on the things you can make a difference to - your children and husband because the braces will just get on with what they are doing in the background.... I'm not for one minute trying to belittle what you are going through, just offering up what I try to do to get me through the truly rough days....

As for drinking - I have to admit, I only drink water during the day anyway but in the evenings if I have a glass of wine, I'll just rinse with water afterwards rather than brushing my teeth straight after.

I haven't been able to master the art of flossing with braces and bite plane. I use a water pik and if it helps, was complimented on my "incredible cleaning" at my last appointment..

Hang in there - take whatever over the counter medication you can to help with the pain - it does stop, honest....and it all does get easier.....

[belistic10]

thanks for that, it is just so rough at the moment. I am busting to buy a waterpik to help with the whole flossing thing and so i can keep them really really clean as i am majorly paranoid about getting those bracket marks when they come off but i cannot afford $200 for one in the shops here at the moment i also would like a good electric toothbrush but again cannot right now. That is true i can only focus on things i can do something about, but i feel like my mind is consumed with these braces at the moment! even went for a walk last night to take my mind off it, worked for 30mins atleast
wish i could stop all the bills- too many at the moment!

speaking of which time for more painkillers! thanks for the reminder

[sibilla]

What is it about bills that they always manage to come in bunches just when you don't need them?? (not that they're ever needed but you know what I mean!)

You'll be amazed at how much just going for a walk helps - there's something about taking yourself out of it for a while which seems to help on a deeper level than we realise. True enough the problems are still there but it seems to give your mind time to sort it all out. I've lost count of the time I've spent walking when things get too hard at home, and just giving myself that time does do some good.

Hope the painkillers help soon, but I know it's not just the physical pain you're trying to deal with - I had a major case of "what the **** have I done" last night and didn't think I could carry on with the bite plane so I'm not for one moment trying to sell myself as some kind of saint - far from it, I'm just continually amazed at how quickly things with braces etc get easier (until the adjustments when it all kicks off again for a while).

[belistic10]

yes i know what you mean, the bills have a way of piling up right when you dont need them! I guess its hard at this point as you have all the pain & nothing to show for it yet. once i see some changes i will feel better i hope! having a bit of the what have i done to myself stage too, but i am sure it will pass. theres no going back now so i just gotta get through somehow.

[belistic10]

far out how long can this aching last?? surely 3 days is enough?? if it goes on like this for weeks i am going to be really sick of it
i managed to floss a tiny bit last night, it still scares me. i really hate the feeling of it going under the gum line lol I used some oral b superfloss, i still find it too thick and hard to get between properly. some of my lower crowded teeth i couldnt even get it between them so i had to giveup, and how the heck do you floss between molars??? i gave it a go and got my floss stuck for a good 5mins

[sibilla]

oh dear! the aching can carry on for a while, often it'll be different teeth that are a achy/sensitive. Then all of a sudden it'll stop only to start up again a few days later somewhere else again! Sorry!! It can take a while for it all to settle down when the braces are new and when you've had an adjustment - they are probably the worst times - as I'm sure everyone here would agree with? - after that it's just intermittent tenderness (well, at least that's been my experience....) Trouble is, everyone's pain threshold is different and what is tolerable to one person is hell to another..... Hang in there.....

[belistic10]

the worst is my top teeth along the front and bottom teeth along the front. but i have this one spot on the ''tongue-side'' of my mouth where my back molar is that is really sore on the gum?! i dont know why as its not on the bracket side or anything but on the other side near my tongue and it really hurts! feels like an ulcer but its so far back that i cannot see, and when i touch it it hurts and it feels a bit swollen. Has anyone else had this?? maybe i should do salt water rinse for a bit and see if it helps any.

not doing too bad but the achyness isnt much fun. I normally have a high pain threshold but thats for intense pain of a shorter duration (like having my kids) lol vs this which is a constant everyday type moderate pain. Guess combined with my usual home duties and the patience i need to deal with the kids all day every day it is harder. I know it will pass, just got to remain strong.

flossing still unsuccessful, getting really worried about that. i cant seem to do it, floss wont even fit between some teeth and it hurts :9

[belistic10]

6days in now. Had a pretty bad breakdown last night but maybe its what i needed to move on. I am in afair bit of pain with an unknown sore spot in my mouth and a couple of other sore spots along my cheeks from the metal wire/brackets. I got annoyed with my partner as we are both stressed out at the moment and i didnt feel like he was understanding that i just need a kind word or a hug sometimes, and that i dont expect him to be able to ''fix'' the pain i am in right now just a difference in how men & women think i guess but that certainly didnt make me feel any better last night. Feeling tired today, and just sick of this pain in sores!! i sadly prefer the teeth aching pain to this soreness on my cheeks etc

[belistic10]

ok quick update tonight (its late here lol) yesterday went to the ortho to get checked the major pain i am having in my mouth around my back molar (near my throat!) he reckons its gum inflammation, yeah no crap it hurts!! so they have given me a special mouth rinse to use until hopefully that clears up, in the meantime to keep brushing and flossing even though it hurts and keep taking painkillers!

Teeth are still aching, mainly my lower ones & especially the one tooth down there that has been crowded towards the back of my mouth (that little bugger is giving me to worst throbbing day & night!) but that pain i can tolerate better than this major gum pain

All in all i guess i am coping ok, getting used to the pain everywhere still using wax as the spring coil on my lowers rubs pretty bad on my gum and some of my right hand side lower brackets too. The ortho put a little clear sleeve over a wire on my right lower side (goes across a extraction site) as that has been cutting my cheek, but now that he has done that i think it was the bracket causing the worst of it dont think i'll tell them that, as him fiddling with the wire etc hurt me.

Finally found some decent floss i have had a bit more luck in using! its called Oral B satin tape, and i find it kinda curls a bit when you pull out the length you want so i have been able to use it without a floss threader, i just thread it under the wire with my finger and grab it out the other side i was quite proud of myself the other day when i managed to floss nearly all my teeth! mind you i was feeling tired and annoyed by the end of it eating i have been going great guns, i just chew everything on my back left molar as its the only side thats not in pain i have discovered i can pretty much eat anything as long as it can be teared or cut up into smaller pieces lol

[belistic10]

yay thankgod that mouth rinse has made a HUGE difference to the pain i was in! feeling so much better & more positive about things now! i have only one spot on my cheek that has a rough white bit on it from a bracket rubbing, its only my lower ones that seem to be causing more irritation but even that has been a bit better lately! the teeth aching pain is nowhere near as bad as it was the first 1.5 weeks so that is awesome i think by 1mth in i should be pretty used to them lol even going out to get food shopping done today i feel not as self conscience talking to people etc

hope all the other newbies are going along well!

[sophier]

Hang in there, it does get better I promise. The first 10 days in braces were incredibly frustrating for me. Got sick of the liquid diet and the aching. Now it has been 5 weeks, and my braces aren't controlling my life anymore. I bet in a few days you'll be feeling a lot better

During the worst pain episodes panadol or normal nurofen didn't work for me, so I started taking ibuprofen + codeine. That works, but it does make you sleepy, so maybe something to think about at night time?

Sending some pain-relieving vibes across the ditch

[belistic10]

thanks things are alot better now, i am getting more used to them now lol Some days i find one particular tooth hurting more than others, and this changes every day usually. lately its been my two front teeth alternating which is hurting the most when i brush i notice it! lol
other than that i still get a bit sore on one side on my cheek but its starting to toughen up alot now, and i have been salt rinsing alot to help it heal.

Cant believe i am nearly 1month in already! feels like i just got them on

havent been around much as have had a very sick baby with hand,foot and mouth. a nasty virus that she caught off my friends daughter unknowingly (children are contagious 3days before any symptoms appear!) so was just unlucky. Other than that things have been ok i guess!

still trying to win this competition i am in, one vote behind!! and the comp ends in 12days!!! so please vote if you can everyone https://apps.facebook.com/offerpop/Cont ... 584&rest=1

[belistic10]

yay just over a month has passed!! not much pain these days, the left side of my mouth is getting tough, but it has been sore alot over the last month because of a couple of brackets rubbing, but lately i have not had to use wax on it so its definately improving my kids keep me busy!! so i dont really have much time to think about them. My youngest is turning 1yr old in 2weeks and then with christmas coming around very fast i am going to be quite busy for the next couple of months!. Nothing much else happenning, still waiting for real change.

[belistic10]

Sorry for the abscence, been very hectic here with the kids etc and to be honest not much is happenning with my mouth LOL havent notice any more real change, but i do have my very first adjustment today so nervous to see what they say about my brushing etc and if i am doing things right i hope they can tell me atleast if my teeth are moving fast etc. fingers crossed it doesnt hurt too much, and i HOPE this coil spring gets removed!! as its caused me some on and off pain lately! also wondering if they will put powerchains on now to close my extraction gaps which i'd love as its a pain having holes in my mouth anyone know what pretty colour powerchains look good?? LOL if they do it i think i will ask for coloured ones hehe leave the rest clear though i think as i may be going for job interviews soon looking for part-time work so i have been busy doing all that as well, and our almost 4yr old has been diagnosed with asthma so its been pretty crazy here lately.

anyway thats all for now

[Domino]

Hi belistic! Thanks for sharing your story so far It's good to hear another who has required 4 extractions (2 up and 2 bottom), as I need that too. Premolars, right?

I'm booked in to have my first two out tomorrow (16th), and I'm pretty nervous. I know that once I do it, there's no going back. It's quite gutting to need to have 4 perfectly healthy teeth out, but I just have to keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the end.

I've only read your first post so far, so I'll try and catch up with the entire story when I get a chance (it's 1:27 AM, unsure if I'll be able to sleep!). I look forward to hearing more of your story and seeing your progress!