The journey begins!

[sophier]

Hi guys

I'm a 20 year old girl... woman? about to start her braces journey. When I was 8-years-old my dentist told me I "might" need braces in the future. My teeth were actually more crooked back then, but seemed to straighten out a little bit as I got older. I was always self-conscious about the size and prominence of my teeth... my sister used to call me "iceberg teeth" When I changed dentist at 16, I asked my dentist if I should get braces, but she didn't seem to think I should bother. However, I knew my teeth were always going to bother me until I had them fixed. So, late last year I went to an ortho (who I liked) and discussed my options and had x-rays and molds taken of my teeth. The ortho then sent me a plan which I picked up at the following consultation.

The issues I talked about with her are: the short lateral incisors, and crookedness of the left one; my overjet; crowding.

Issues she pointed out that I have: short lateral incisors, crowding and prominence/slant of upper social 6 teeth. Apparently I do not have an overbite or an overjet.

My bite does not need correcting and I do not have any jaw problems/pain, or chin recession etc so I was told my case was pretty simple.

Now she told me that if I wanted my teeth to be less prominent I would have to have extractions. But I have chosen to deal with their prominence and opt for no extractions. The treatment time is a lot shorter too.

I have chosen to go with damon clear braces on top and normal damons on the bottom teeth.

My sentence: 15-18 months ( hopefully 15 )

I will not have my braces on till March or April, as my ortho is waiting for the damon clear braces that cover all the top teeth as apposed to just the social 6. I have a wide smile so she thought it would be better to wait till the full set arrived.


On the 7th of February I am getting my wisdom teeth (all 4) out under general anesthetic. The bottom two are horizontally impacted, one of the top ones is impacted on an angle . The oral surgeon told me there will be huge holes left over temporarily because my teeth are "monsters" lol. Are my teeth really that big jeez. Wish me luck folks

Thanks for reading!

[sophier]

Oh and please ignore the marks on the pictures, they are not there in real life haha.

[luchababe]

I too was told that my teeth are angled out more at the front than 'normal' and I could get some teeth removed in order to make room for them to stand up straighter. No thanks! I think I'll deal with the slight angle.

Good luck with your braces! Your teeth look so nice right now, you'll look even awesomer once the braces come off!

[sophier]

Thanks luchababe. I've been following your progress for a while now and you have such beautiful teeth The thought of getting 8 teeth out (including 4 wisdoms) terrified me. I think once I have straight teeth, the prominence won't be noticeable, heres hoping anyway haha.

[sophier]

It has been 4 days since I got my 4 wisdom teeth out. The two lower ones were horizontally impacted and one of the top wisdom teeth was vertically impacted.

I was put under general to have them out. When I woke up I was pretty swollen but had very little pain thanks to the numbness. The next day was awful, my lower face had swollen to twice the size. I looked like a peanut head! Pain is pretty bad, and I haven't been able to eat anything solid yet.


Bring on these braces!

[sophier]

Had my braces put on yesterday.

It was pretty painful having them put on, as my lower molars were extremely sensitive thanks to the spacers I wore for 3 days.

So far, my teeth are aching on and off quite badly. Can't eat anything, or bite down.

I have Damon Clear brackets on the uppers and normal Damon's on the lowers.

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Tell me what you think

[sophier]

3rd day in braces update.

Teeth have been hurting a lot. Bought some baby teething gel, which helped numb the area a little bit. Still can't eat, or bite down. Have been surviving on yoghurt and liquid breakfast drinks.

Movement: Left lateral incisor has come down a tiny tiny bit. Measured the angle of the wire. Makes the pain worth it.

[sophier]

Update: Nearly 1 week in

No pain any more woohoo. Lips are constantly dry though plus my tongue is a little sore underneath. Most of the tenderness comes from the pre-molars.

I can eat more solid food now as well, but it still hurts biting down, so I tend to avoid anything harder than soft bread.


Movement:

My central incisors are a little more level (top arch), plus my bottom central and later incisors have straightened up quite a bit.

Thanks for reading!

[msbee]

Hey Sophier, the 1st few months are the worst, but once that wire straightens out (which is really quick), it'll be so much less painful. =)
Hang in there, you'll be back on normal food soon!

[belistic10]

hi its so nice to read your story it really helps me out as i am about to get my braces on monday i am also most likely getting the damon clear at the top (not sure if its all or just the first 6) and damon metal lowers
Can i ask how you have found the clears?? do you find their profile sticks out more than the metal or not much difference? it is one thing that concerns me a bit as i also have a overbite/overjet. And the office just told me today that the damon clears do not stain. have you found this to be correct? any advice would help me sooo much I think yours look great on, so i hope i am happy with mine when they go on! guess i have no choice
how are you going getting used to them all now? eek i am just slightly nervous..

[sophier]

msbee - Thanks so much for stopping by They've been on for 2.5 weeks now, and I'm pretty used to them now


belistic10 - Hey there, I can imagine you're nervous about getting yours on, as I was exactly the same I won't lie to you, the first week, you will likely be quite sore, but nothing some ibuprofen+codeine can't fix. Stock up on some yoghurt, pudding etc, soft things that you don't have to bite down on. Cleaning will be hard to get used to the first few days, but you will get better at it, as time goes on. If you don't have a Waterpik, I'd suggest picking up a large plastic syringe from a Drug Store. Sounds strange, but it allows you to spray water in areas that are hard to reach.

When I first looked in the mirror after getting the braces put on, I thought "OMG what have I done!!!", and continued to think that way for the first 3 days or so. It is true the clear damons have a higher profile than the metals, however, I still prefer them. They are very smooth which definitely helps with the comfort. I haven't noticed any staining of the bracket itself, and as they are self ligating, there are no ligatures, they are usually what stain with normal ceramics. If you notice any staining, it is probably the glue which they use to stick the bracket on the tooth.

Try not to worry too much, you'll be fine Thanks for stopping by.

[sophier]

1 Month update!

So it's been just over a month since I was braced. I've made some noticeable progress which I'm thrilled about
After about 1 week I was able to start introducing solids back into my diet, but I still had to be careful. Week 2, my teeth started to become wiggly - those bad boys were on the move! Week 3, my pesky lateral incisor came down to meet the others.

Anyway enough talk

2 weeks in.

braces2weeks.jpg

1 month

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[sophier]

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1st day and 1 month comparison

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[sophier]

Had my first adjustment today. Ouch! Got new thicker, square wires top and bottom and I have to say I hate their guts! In a few days the pain will be over I guess. I also had some IPR done top and bottom which was REALLY fun

Still... it will be worth it in the end



Pics to come!

[sophier]

My 2 month pics are way overdue - sorry about that!

For the first 3-5 days after my first adjustment I was in quite a bit of pain Reminded me of when I got the bad boys on in October. Paracetamol + Codeine was a life saver during this time.

I've noticed my teeth have less flaring and protrusion now which is exciting. The thicker wire is obviously doing the trick.

My midlines have aligned well, however they are both to the right of the centre of my mouth/lips. I'm not sure how easy this is to change or if it will be changed? It's only approx 2 mm. I wonder if elastics will help with this? It doesn't bother me much, but I guess when you go through braces you want everything perfect at the end. I know I've gotten greedy


Anyway here are my pics

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