Can I do it?

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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EbonyQ
Posts: 425
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Europe

Can I do it?

#1 Post by EbonyQ »

Hello guys!
I’m 22 and my dentist managed to make me agree to braces two weeks ago….

I have been a good candidate for braces since I was little. The dentist I had back then tried to push me very hard to get braces and because of the bad communication we had together I never got to explain why I did not want them ( we all have heard the stories of people who could not eat for days and I saw the pain my friends had). Every time on my annual appointment she used to hand me a list of orthos I should contact and got angry if I did not do so. This dentist gave me dental fear and when I was 17 years old I stopped going completely as a result of my fear. It's exactly one year since I made my first dental visit since I was 17 years old, my savoir was a friend of dad who is a dentist. Even though my teeth looks like a mess he never mentioned anything about that. Braces was not a topic before I wanted to extract my canine. Its above two of my other teeth and very visible, looking like a fang. My big brother had his extracted by another dentist years ago was happy with his choice.

My dentist deserves a huge hug for the effort he had done to save my canine. I have refused braces out of fear and old feelings from my old dentist every time, and he has never pushed me. Every time I refused he dropped the subject, and it was only when I tried to get him to extract my canine again that braces became a topic once more. He felt it was a bit drastic to extract such an important tooth. He did impressions of my teeth just so I did not need to see the ortho myself (the ortho is working next door :roll: lol) and had a meeting with him to see which options I had, everything for free since all I wanted was to extract it, it was he who wanted to see my options. This was in April and I still refused braces (we started all this extraction vs ortho thing in January). The idea of having braces on my teeth was too impossible. He asked me to give it some thought till my next appointment. Even though he felt it would be wrong he could extract it if this was what I truly wanted.

Since April I have looked up braces on Google and cried because of the emotional feelings I get when I picture braces on my teeth. I have watched myself in the mirror and cried of what I have seen. I could cry at night because I hated my teeth, sometimes I wanted to find a hammer and smash the canine out.
I have hardly been thinking of anything else than this tooth and braces this summer, would love having straight teeth but getting braces seem too much for me to do.

I called my dentist's assistant two weeks ago to get my canine extracted. After some trubble getting my appoitemnt (computer freezing, the software not wanting to register my appointment ect) I finally got it and it felt strange… I knew that extracting this canine was not the solution, my other teeth would still be a mess, but somehow extracting sounded like my only option.
Later that day she called me back to say that the appointment I got was too short for the extraction and that my dentist would want to examine it first. My dentist had also been speaking with the ortho about this tooth and it seemed like I would have to have this extraction done by a specialist, my dentist would call.
My dentist called the next day and said that he had a meeting with two specialists, and he would not let me extract it. My teeth would start to move and I could within a year have problems with my bite. They had looked on my x-ray and the impression I did a few months ago, and thought that it would be better to extract a premolar with a very deep filling on that side and get braces. He was very good at explaining why I could not extract this tooth and why he would not do it. When he told the price he had got from the ortho I was tempted to say yes, he had managed to get me a very good price. And it would take me about 9 months to get my whole upper jaw fixed!
He was like “I can take the phone with me and make an appointment with him right now” when he heard that I was considering this but I needed some time to think.
I called him back after a few hours and told him that I would do it.
Not long after this I got a phone call from the ortho’s assistant and my appointment…!!! I was so calm when she called, I could not believe this. A few months ago I would have been a wreck! My dentist had presented this is such a good way that day, and I could hear how much work he had been putting into this that I finally understood that this was the right thing to do.

My appointment is November the 11th!!! :shock: :shock:

However, my calmness was not there to last :( . Three days after agreeing to this I started to have problems with sleep and my stomach. November seems like a forever and had to call my ortho to ask if I could get an appointment sooner, I could not go on like this... When the ortho's assistant explained that it was not possible I was only one word from cancelling the who whole thing..! The fear had gotten to me and did not know what to do. Luckily some good friends managed to calm me down (among the Klobird on this forum).

So this is me. Terrified of getting braces and thinking every day that I should cancel this appointment, but I don’t really have any other choice than braces. I really hope my ortho is good with dental fear or else he will get a h*** of a job lol :roll:

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lau
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Re: Can I do it?

#2 Post by lau »

hi there-
look its your own decision- noone can tell you if you CAN or CANNOT do it. I can share my own experience- I almost canceled my appointment to get my braces ( I have full metal bottom and top) but before I did i called my mom (i am 37!) and talked to her for like 30 minutes about the pros and cons and she pushed/helped me go thru with it. I've hated my teeth since i was around 20, that feeling doesnt stop, i think it increases. Now that I am 37 have a 2-year old and my teeth continued to move, i decided that NOW it is the time to do it. Also I am married so it is easier i am not dating :-) BUT I work in a company near senior management positions, and noone has braces, still I decided to do it now because eventually i will feel much better and more self confidence.

hope this helps- all the best
Lau

klobird
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Re: Can I do it?

#3 Post by klobird »

Hey Ebony!!

I'm so glad you finally posted here--it takes a while to get used to everything, and to start getting responses but you will!!
Everyone is very encouraging. Just keep posting your questions---ANY question and people will respond usually...

Just keep thinking of how far we've come, and you got thru all of that.....well, this is really, really much easier. I won't lie to you!! And which is worse--teeth you are ashamed of for the rest of your life? Or braces you are ashamed of (which, believe me, you don't need to be...) for 2yrs... Do you feel like it is really that bad where you are?? All that I have found is that kids don't care AT ALL--to them it's normal...and all of the adults don't care or are like--"Wow, I've been thinking about getting braces!". But that's here--and still, when I go to the ortho, there are at least as many adults (men and women) as kids there are kids. Seriously....

You have come this far....it will always, always bug you if you put it off....but, in the end, it's a decision that only you can make....and only you know what you can really handle...

I believe that YOU CAN DO THIS!!

klobird
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Re: Can I do it?

#4 Post by klobird »

OH YA--I forgot---if my parents were paying for it, well, I'd be jumping on that train like yesterday!!!!! You may never have this opportunity again!!

OK, I'm done.... :wink: :tingrin: :flowerbloom:

EbonyQ
Posts: 425
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Europe

Re: Can I do it?

#5 Post by EbonyQ »

Thanks Lau and Klobird! :D

I’m glad I have you Klobird! If I start to freak out again I might send you an I’m-freaking-out-help! letter haha! :mrgreen:

Today I have been reading about braces and I can only remember those parts that are mentioning pain… And when I picture braces on my teeth I want to cry, thinking back on my old dentist and what these teeth has caused me with embarrassment and shame. I have spent all these years running from this and laying to myself that I really need to work with myself to make this work.
I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, right?

Someone who has the Dental kit for braces (I can't post a link before I 7 posts)? Is it worth having? :)

BracedSurgeryStudent
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Re: Can I do it?

#6 Post by BracedSurgeryStudent »

By Dental Kit for braces you mean the neat little cleanin kit the orthodontists gives/stuff you can buy in the store?

I use G.U.M. Go betweens or Proxa Brushes/Interdental Brushes, a traveling tooth brush and trevel toothpaste. Also a dental mirror anda regular tooth brush anticavity flouride rinse the colgate one titled Phos-Flur, that is what I use. Oh and a compact soft tooth brush all these can be found at the local drugstore or pharmacy.
Jenn Medeiros

belistic10
Posts: 345
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:49 am
Location: South Australia

Re: Can I do it?

#7 Post by belistic10 »

Hi, i can understand your nervousness at doing this! i am 25 & getting braces is daunting but to me staying the way i am now, hating my smile, being afraid and self conscience all the time and not wanting to talk/smile to new people especially or anyone really, i just cannot go on like that anymore. I do not want to!! You CAN do this!! we will all be here to help you along the way :) I have had 4 extractions and there is no way i am backing out of this appointment. Just think of the confidence you will gain for the REST of your life from doing this!! it will be sooooo worth it, and soon i am sure you will be smiling confidently :) & there are afew more discreet options for braces too :) I am getting the damon clears at the top, and normal damon metal ones at the bottom which dont get seen really anyway. The clinic i am going to has atleast 50% or 75% (i forget which) of their patients are adults! do it while your in your 20's!! i wish i could have got mine fixed a hell of a lot earlier, but i do not want to be thinking the same thing in another 5-10yrs and wishing i had of got them braces.
Be strong and go for it :) sounds like you have a great supportive dentist too :) hang in there!!
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EbonyQ
Posts: 425
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Europe

Re: Can I do it?

#8 Post by EbonyQ »

Thank you guys! I appreciate it! :)


Today it’s two weeks left!!! OMG! :shock: :yikes:

I will attend my first appointment but I don’t think I can go through with the braces thing. I’m freaking out just by the thought of getting those brackets on my teeth. No, I can’t do it… no.

Maybe someone is just supposed have crooked teeth?
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AM21
Posts: 276
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 9:00 am
Location: Ohio

Re: Can I do it?

#9 Post by AM21 »

EbonyQ wrote:Thank you guys! I appreciate it! :)


Today it’s two weeks left!!! OMG! :shock: :yikes:

I will attend my first appointment but I don’t think I can go through with the braces thing. I’m freaking out just by the thought of getting those brackets on my teeth. No, I can’t do it… no.

Maybe someone is just supposed have crooked teeth?
Hi EbonyQ,

I'm 22 as well. I was excited/afraid to get braces I had always wanted braces but when it was time to get them, I was scared and thought about canceling my appointment.ButI thought about how I was self esteem wise before braces. I had none whatsoever. I was afraid to talk to people because I didn't want them to notice my teeth. I would cover my mouth when I laughed because I was just that self concious and yes, I would cry about my teeth to because I felt like I wasn't pretty because of my wonky teeth... But I just said enough is enough, and went through with it. I don't regret the decision at all. Getting braces has def. been one of the best decisions i have ever, because my teeth are straightening out and I feel so much better about myself.

Just giving you my experience, pick the decision you feel most comfortable with.
Good luck! =]
Braced: August 1, 2011
Sentence: 30 Months
My Braces Blog: http://www.metalmouthtales.blogspot.com

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klobird
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Location: Washington State, USA

Re: Can I do it?

#10 Post by klobird »

Ebony my friend--what is it that my other thread reads elsewhere--!! "I will do this" !!!

Braces are kind of scary because it's something you have never experienced before. All in all--best decision I've ever made too. You really get used to everything. Really. But you know what--if you just go and visit the ortho--you can always do it later. Nobody else can make this decision for you. I think you, in your heart, wish you could actually go thru with it because it's been on your mind for so long...but maybe you're just not ready.

I am here for you no matter what--but please take that 1st harmless step and meet with them!! :wink:

Keep coming around!! I miss you!!

EbonyQ
Posts: 425
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Europe

Re: Can I do it?

#11 Post by EbonyQ »

AM21: thank you for your story. How were your first weeks with braces, as bad as I have read on this forum? :(

Klobird: Thank you my friend! I wish we lived closer :). I’m going to attend my first appointment, hear what the ortho says and then take it from there. You’ll be one of the first to know the ortho’s judgment. You don't have Skype, do you? :)
And yes, deep down in my heart I really want to do this, but I think my fear might be too big right now? hmmm

Oh man, I did just get a few hours’ sleep tonight and have host a bit weight these last few weeks due to the stress, which is not good since I’m a skinny person having difficulties putting on weights. How I’m going to get those kg’s back gain? It's going to take a lot of work that's for sure :P.
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AM21
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Re: Can I do it?

#12 Post by AM21 »

EbonyQ wrote:AM21: thank you for your story. How were your first weeks with braces, as bad as I have read on this forum? :(

Klobird: Thank you my friend! I wish we lived closer :). I’m going to attend my first appointment, hear what the ortho says and then take it from there. You’ll be one of the first to know the ortho’s judgment. You don't have Skype, do you? :)
And yes, deep down in my heart I really want to do this, but I think my fear might be too big right now? hmmm

Oh man, I did just get a few hours’ sleep tonight and have host a bit weight these last few weeks due to the stress, which is not good since I’m a skinny person having difficulties putting on weights. How I’m going to get those kg’s back gain? It's going to take a lot of work that's for sure :P.
The first week wasn't that bad, I had a sore, achy mouth for a few days but nothing regular pain reliever couldn't take care of. While my mouth was sore, I just had to eat soft foods but after about 4 or 5 days, I was back to normal, well as normal as I could be with braces. It was all new to me, learning how to eat slower, brushing my teeth a million times, flossing every night etc. but despite all that, I adjusted to it all because I was determined to have straight teeth. That's only what I experienced, everyone's story with braces is different.

You just have to take the good and the bad and weigh it all out and make the decision that you feel is right for you. If you don't feel ready just yet, then you don't have to do it. If you feel like you are ready, then don't look back and just do it.


Keep us updated! =]
Braced: August 1, 2011
Sentence: 30 Months
My Braces Blog: http://www.metalmouthtales.blogspot.com

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EbonyQ
Posts: 425
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Europe

Re: Can I do it?

#13 Post by EbonyQ »

Friday is the judgment day! I think I have to meet the ortho or his assistant in the parking lot, not way that I can sit in the waiting room lol Don't think they have done that before :lol:

Man, what am I doing?
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klobird
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Re: Can I do it?

#14 Post by klobird »

Hey Eb---remember--it's just a meeting...you will be fine....but ya, I know how it is, with the awful history with dentists....

What Brit (you know Brit... :wink: ) said to me was to let myself wait until the day before, and then I can just freak my brains out on that day....it's worked!! Today is that day before for me, and I can say that I am really fine about tomorrow. I really am. Even with that possibility that he might change his mind about the Forsus (as he said he might have to do).
You know--the anxiety is in the waiting....

You don't have to make any decisions about braces right now--in fact, do not let them push you into it! You can even cancel this appointment. But I think you know that you will regret not going through with at least this step...

Take care, go clothes shopping!!! (And pm me all week if you need to...!)

kmluvgod
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Location: North Carolina

Re: Can I do it?

#15 Post by kmluvgod »

Good morning EbonyQ. Hope that you are well and is confident with your decision. Getting braces was the best decision I've made. My teeth was awful and I really didn't care about my routine dental checkups. If it was left up to me I would have let them fall out. Growing up I was tortured about my teeth, but braces was not an option because it was to expensive. It wasn't until I took my oldest daughter to the orthodontist and found out that the office was willing to work out payment arrangments. I have to admit that the adjustment can sometimes be uncomfortable, but it doesn't last long. When its all said and done you will be pleased with the results :thumbsup:

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