Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi to all!

Well Brace Day was yesterday. After a few years of wanting to have this done I just wanted to get it over with. I went in and I was done in an hour (top braces only to begin with). It was so much easier than I thought it would be. The hardest part was trying not to swallow when she was etching my teeth and such.

One oddity was that apparently they don't need to put brackets on most peoples 12 year molars because they are straight on almost everybody. APPARENTLY, mine are not straight so they are now sporting brackets with these little hooks that are digging into my cheeks. LOADS of fun I tell you. The orthodontist told me I was going to get my money's worth.

Eating hasn't been a big deal. I had chicken and corn and potatoes last night and roast pork lo mein for dinner just now (the noodles got stuck a little but I managed to wiggle them out). My teeth are pretty sore but the Advil and my Sonicare toothbrush seem to help (it feels like a massage). I have had my Sonicare for over a year and a half and it was the best purchase I ever made. If you ever use one you will not go back to a regular toothbrush. After experiencing a couple days with braces I have to say that everyone with braces needs one.

Well, here are my pics. Before braces and day 1 in braces. According to the ortho I have a Class II Division II malocclusion. I have moderate crowding, my front teeth tip inward, and a deep bite. Not the worst diagnosis but no picnic either I suppose.

We shall see what new experiences tomorrow holds.

Sorry about the crooked 2nd pic. My husband was holding the camera at a funny angle and he made me turn my head. We will do better next time.

Wow! I think your teeth look good already. I bet they will line up pretty fast. They look great as it is!!

I hope they do. The ortho quoted me 10-12 months. I am trying to be tolerant and patient but it's only been two days and I am ready for de-bracing day. I love flossing my teeth (makes them feel all fresh and clean) and with braces flossing is a nightmare. I guess I need some cheering up.

(The reason my teeth are in good shape is thanks to my mom) She was a dental assistant for years and made me want to take good care of my teeth. She bought me this book when I was little called "Chippy goes to the Dentist". It was about a little squirrel who ate a bunch of candy and sweets and didn't brush his teeth. He ended up with a cavity and a swollen cheek. I was always terrifed that would happen to me.

Anyway....Thanks to Mama for the good brushing and flossing habits

Welcome!

I know you get tired of hearing this but.....................I think your teeth already look great. If you hadn't told us, I would have thought it was an after pic.

Take care!!

Awww, gotta love mom's for looking out for you Cheer up, at least your sentence is half the time of a lot of brace wearers And just think, now you will have beautiful straight teeth AND you won't have to worry about jaw problems as you get older. It'll all be worth it in the end!

I didn't include the fact that I am 24 years old. My ortho told me she had braces as an adult and that it would take me a couple weeks to get used to them.

The worst part so far are the hooks on my back brackets (the ones on my 12 year molars). I use the wax but I already have mouth sores....I told my husband it was like having barbed wire in my mouth.....I know I was being a little dramatic....

By the way, Daisy is my favorite cat's name....She is a sweetheart. Big orange tabby with a white front and white muzzle with white paws. Most loving cat I have ever had. She is in my lap right now.....

Hi there

Just wanted to say hello your teeth are already looking really fab your treatment should be a breeze, I hope lol.. I hope your starting to feel comfortable in your braces..

for me I have upper and lower braces as well as upper and lower expanders.. I also have coiled springs along the archwire.. I think a mouth full of metal is an understatement its alot to have in your mouth but im finding each day im feeling more comfortable about whats hanging out in my mouth..

Good luck with your treatment..

Okay. I have had a flossing breakthrough. I just stick the floss under the wire and then grap it with tweezers and pull it through. Works like a charm. I was through flossing in no time.

My cheeks are finally getting used to having hooks poking into them. I didn't even use wax today. I did take some Advil for the sore teeth though. No need to be hero.

This whole process has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. I suppose it might be more diffucult when it comes to having top and bottoms on (I only have tops at the moment). And depending on what gets attached from top to bottom to fix my bad bite. We shall see.

I love flossing my teeth too! And with braces, I've just stopped... gone from everyday to like once a week if I get up the energy for it. It's really bad... Can't wait to get them off and start flossing again!

I agree that you're teeth looked really great already but I'm sure they will look PERFECT when you're done


They do have floss precut with one end that it stiffer so that you can thread them under the bracket easier!

Today was interesting. I decided to try and eat Sushi. I ordered Bagel Rolls (salmon, cream cheese, cucumber wrapped in seaweed and rice). It was great but it really got stuck in my teeth. I was really disgusted when I had to fish (pardon the pun) a piece of Salmon out of my braces. Uggh!

The pain is really not that bad anymore. It seems to just move from tooth to tooth.

Tomorrow will be the 1 week anniversary so I will post a pic.

Well, it has been one week since I was braced. I thought I would go ahead and post an updated picture. The wire has straightened out alot since day 1.

My teeth have FINALLY stopped hurting so badly. I can chew pretty well and I didn't need any wax today.

I am going to ask the ortho what her plan is to fix my bite. The more my top teeth move the worse my bite gets. My teeth are not even meeting in some places. It feels really weird compared to how my teeth used to line up. It feels like something is really wrong. When I bite down my back right teeth hit first. THAT never happened before.

Did this happen to everyone else? My husband says sometimes things have to get worse before they better but I don't know......

Yay, happy one week Daisy! You're right, they have moved a lot already I can't say from experience but I read here a lot that things usually get worse before they get better. Hang in there, it'll all turn out in the end!

The fix will be putting on the lower braces. I have what you have without the over bite. Tops were on for 8 months. Your tops tipped in will also have your bottoms doing the same (slightly) like so:

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With the tops braced, they slowly straighten out which of course means they miss hitting the bottoms like they are used to (have grown to).

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Where eventually they'll all be nice and straight :

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Tiny movements of course, which is what you are feeling right now but all part of the process so nothing to fear.

As for using tweezers for flossing

Didn't the ortho give you a goody bag with all sorts of things? Including floss threaders?

Looks like big plastic needles.

You thread the dental floss through it and through the teeth or more convenient but somewhat costly, dental floss with stiff ends as already mentioned, Superfloss or EZ floss.

No need for tweezers. Head to your favorite drugstore's dental section, and pick up some, it will make your life much easier flossing for sure.

I didn't like the threader. It takes WAY too long to floss. She also gave me some floss that has a stiff end but it is rough and has this fluffy section that won't fit between my teeth.

Don't worry though, I figured out how to floss with just my fingers and some satin floss. Works just fine. I REALLY miss my Reach Flosser though.

Today was the first day that I didn't feel like I had something on my teeth that I wanted to push forward and spit out. (You guys have to know what I mean). I didn't need wax or Tylenol. Life is good.

Ken,
Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it. I am working on reading through your story. Amazing journey!