Getting Braces At The Age of 54!

[Dee17]

Do I just got home from having my braces put on. The experience was much less stressful than I was expecting (of course!). The worst part was having to have my mouth open so wide for such a long time. I was there for just under two hours.
She put the bite turbos in but assured me that I would be able to chew food. I will find out, I guess, when I sit down to eat some supper later on.
My mouth feels fine so far but she said that I could expect to feel pain in about 4-5 hours. The braces just feel very weird in my mouth, I am quite hyper-aware of them and they feel very rough against my tongue when I rub it across them. I guess that's something I'll get used to.
So, now it's time for me to stop whining and get over myself and start adjusting to these things. My first adjustment is December 17th.
Thank you to everyone for all the support and encouragement you've given me to get me to this point. It has been much appreciated!

[BetsyBug]

Yay Dee!! Congratulations!! Don't fret too much over the turbos you really will adapt to them. I though I was going to starve to death the first day, and by a week in I was shoveling in food just like always. (was hoping for a diet effect but it didn't quite work out that way ) I would probably take an ibuprofen now to keep away the soreness to get through dinner but then again maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who doesn't get sore

[Dee17]

Hi Elizabeth,
Well, my appointment went surprisingly well. I just took a Tylenol because I am starting to feel soreness on my left side. My braces feel very strange in my mouth. I can see that this is definitely going to take some getting used to. But overall, I think I just feel enormously relieved to have them actually on so that I can move into the next phase -- acceptance and adjustment. I am hoping (praying) I will get a good night's sleep tonight. My next adventure? Trying to eat dinner. The woman who put my braces on and put the bite turbos ini said that I should be able to chew. I can close my mouth pretty well. So far, so good. I am encouraged. We'll see what the evening brings.
Take care and thanks for your continued support and encouragement,
Dee

[BetsyBug]

My first dinner with my turbos/braces was spagetti with meatsauce... and well it was kind of an ordeal. I had to cut everything really small and really didn't chew anything. Some of the meatballs were big enough I could bite part way through them but that was about it...LOL I got bored with eating before I finished my dinner and ended up tossing most of it. Very quickly though I managed to figure out the eating bit and I am sure you will as well. Did you get molar buildups or did you get turbos behind your incisors?

[Dee17]

Hi Elizabeth,
I just finished eating dinner. Had some leftover mushroom rice, tarka dall and part of a naan bread from an Indian meal I had on Monday night. I purposely saved it because the rice is "soft". Well, I think I'm going to have real chore ahead of me now trying to clean all that stuff out of my brackets. It feels awful. I haven't actually gone to have a look see in the mirror because I'm kind of afraid to!
They gave me molar buildups. The woman who put my braces on assured me, though, that I would be able to chew. I was able to chew the naan bread without too, too much difficulty. My teeth are starting to get sore, though. Mostly on the left side. The orthodontist said that they were going to be putting in a very light gauge wire. I also did not get brackets all the way back behind my extraction gaps. He said that when light gauge wires are stretched that far, they tend to bend and/or break. So, when I go in for my first adjustment on December 17th, they will be putting brackets on those back teeth.
So everything seems to be okay so far. I just really really hope I'll be able to sleep tonight.
I had a good chuckle with the mental image of you trying to eat the spaghetti and meatballs!

[Dee17]

Well, here are some photos in all their unaltered glory. I am astounded by how bad my teeth actually look. For some reason, they don't look nearly so bad when I look at them in the mirror.
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[Dee17]

Next photo:

[img][IMG]http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p55 ... 2c2b6d.jpg[/img][/img]

[Tin Tooth]

YAY! The braces look great Dee! It's not so bad hey? I remember how weird it felt with all this metal stuff in my mouth. LIke super weird! But now, I have already adjusted to the braces. Soon enough you will too!

Your teeth are so white and straight. You are going to have an amazing smile once they close your gap.

[oldguy]

Congraduations..............
The waiting for the braces for me, and thinking about it, was far worse

then the braces are. Looks like you have Damon like mine, only my light

wire was not nice and even like yours, bet you don't have a lot of pain.

Good luck these next few days..........



oldguy

[jem]

Hello Dee,

Looking good. Don't stop smiling!

Jem

[Angel269]

I'm glad to hear your appointment went well.

They look good too hope that you see progress quickly and look forward to more photos

Congrats

[kellyb]

Hi Dee

your braces look great! alot better than how mine looked when they were first fitted.

and what lovely white teeth you have.

[AM21]

Congrats on getting braces!!

[Dee17]

Hello everyone,
Thank you again for all your encouragement and support. I honestly don't know how I would've gotten to this day were it not for all the kind people on this forum.
So, last night was an adventure -- trying to floss my teeth. THE most frustrating 45 minutes I've ever spent in my life. Do any of you have any tips for me? I was using a floss threader and tried putting the floss DOWN through the wire and then UP through the wire, but just couldn't get the hang of it. I finally just gave up and used my waterpik but I know I need to figure it out or I'll be in big trouble.
So, yes, I was quite surprised by how nice they actually look in the pictures. The brackets are much smaller than I expected they would be. They just look a bit wonky with that wire stretched across my gap but I expect that will close. That's the whole point of the braces, right?
I think I may have said earlier that my teeth were always very straight and so I didn't need braces because of something like that. Even my bottom teeth which were bracketed are pretty much straight. A bit of crowding down there but not much. He put brackets on the bottom teeth, though to straighten them UP. Apparently, they are tilted outward, hence, the molar buildups so I don't bite off the brackets down there.
Anyway, even the molar buildups have not been so bad. She assured me that I would be able to chew and I was last night. With some difficulty, but mission accomplished. So, am just getting ready to head in to have some breakfast and hope that I don't have much pain today.
Thanks again everyone for all your encouragement and support. It has been an invaluable comfort for me.
Dee

[EbonyQ]

You did it! WOW! That is being brave! It was not as bad as you thought, right?


How are your teeth today?