BeautifulDisaster - Story Revealed

[BeautifulDisaster]

I am less than 48 hours from getting braced.
At 26, it has been a long time coming.

This is my starting point:

May2014-AllViews.jpg

In short, underdeveloped jaws, and severe overcrowding.

I had my heart set on clear or ceramic self-ligating braces. I went on three consultations, but decided on an orthodontist who prefers working with traditional braces. Although I'm a little bummed that I won't be using self-ligating braces, I trust my ortho's skill, regardless of the appliance he uses.

Originally, it seemed like I would need four extractions. After going over my case with his partner, my ortho decided to forgo the extractions for the time being. He first wants to see if he can widen my arch enough to accommodate my teeth. If, at any point, this method would require unhealthy movement for the gums/jaw or too much tipping, then we will proceed the treatment with extractions.

My estimated sentence is 24 months. If I do need extractions, my ortho says that it would only increase my treatment time by about 3 months. Sounds like a small price to pay for the potential benefits of saving my teeth and widening my smile.


This is finally happening. I had my teeth cleaned today. Now I'm about as ready as I will ever be.

[BeautifulDisaster]

I have officially joined the bracket club!

This is my pre-braces smile. Admittedly, I avoided smiling with my teeth. God forbid I would ruin a perfectly good picture with my imperfect smile.

Pre-Braces.jpg

And this is my smile now:

090614Day1-Smile.jpg

I can't close my mouth all the way. One of my upper teeth was hitting the bracket on the bottom, so I got bumpers to keep me from biting down. I will have to rethink my daily salad at lunch.

Here I show a little more of my bracket configuration:

090614Day1-Open.jpg

I have clear uppers and regular metal bottoms. I went with white ligs on the uppers and teal ligs on the bottom. The white ligs are still throwing me off. They seem so bright against my teeth. I was nervous about getting clear ligs because of the staining. Now I wish I had gone with clears, especially for my tin grin debut, but I'll have plenty of time to play around with lig colors in the future. I may even play around with colored ligs on my clear brackets at some point. I love the teal ligs, and I'm sure I'll be getting them frequently. Apparently, it's the most popular color at my ortho's office.

All in all, the 2 hour appointment went well. It has been over 4 hours since I was braced, and I still haven't experienced any discomfort. I'm sure it's coming.

This is how the price breaks down:
My ortho charges a $6,000 rate for 24 month treatment, not including retainers.
I got a "back-to-school" special, which discounted 10%, dropping it down to $5,400.
I got clear brackets on top for an additional $200.

In total: $5,600.
Insurance coverage: $2,000
Out-of-pocket: $3,600.

When I was considering self-ligating braces, I was budgeting upwards of $8k. I am thrilled that my out-of-pocket expense will be under $5k, even after adding a retention plan.

This is all going to take some adjusting, but I'm glad my journey is finally underway.

[mapleleafman888]

Hey, congrats on getting the braces on! I am 26 also, have had braces for 1 year now and eventually you get used of them. The first week is by far the most painful, but it goes by so fast.

How are you feeling this morning?

Hope all is well, and welcome to the site!

Maple

[nicolie825]

Congrats on getting braced! Hope youre not experiencing too much discomfort or pain. Looking forward to seeing your progress

[BeautifulDisaster]

My first 2 weeks with braces have been...interesting.

I was definitely sore for the first 5 days. Flossing ended in blood and tears. I also learned the hard way that I was too sore for my electric toothbrush. I was eating a lot of soups, oatmeal, and canned peaches (cut up in small pieces). I wasn't using my jaws, at all. I would just grind the food against my teeth or the roof of my mouth with my tongue.

About a week in, I was able to eat regular food, as long as it was cut up in small pieces. An additional challenge is chewing with molar bite turbos. Since my jaws aren't touching, I can't chew or grind food. I still have trouble biting into food. It's a lot easier when I pop bite-sized pieces of food in my mouth, and just swish them around. It's not pretty, but I manage.

I have stopped snacking quite as much. Considering all the hygiene that takes place after I eat, I'd rather avoid eating in between.

My little hygiene routine goes like this:
-Waterpik & brush my teeth after breakfast
-Brush, Christmas-tree brush between the brackets, and mouth wash after lunch.
-Waterpik, threader floss, and brush my teeth after dinner. My general dentist prescribed me a fluoride toothpaste, so I leave that in my mouth overnight.


I have an appointment today. My ortho wants to place some sort of device between my back molar teeth. Since he is trying to widen my arch, he wants to make sure my back molar teeth don't move inward (he cited the "equal but opposite reaction" law of motion). I'm a little nervous that it will be painful/uncomfortable, or will cause halitosis because of the lingering bacteria. But I'm all in.


I will be headed to a wedding after my appointment and won't get a chance to update with pictures until next week.

[nicolie825]

The beginning is all about getting used to your braces; teaching yourself how to eat and developiing a new hygiene routine and looks like youre adjusting well! Therabreath is a good mouthwash for bad breath concerns. Even with braces, I dont wake up with morning breath when I use it before bed. I notice when I use another mouthwash at night, I have morning breath lol

[BeautifulDisaster]

My appointment on Saturday was a bit long, but very easy.
The main objective of my appointment was to size my molar bands. I also had an impression made of the roof of my mouth so that they can have a lab make my trans-palatal bar. I will be back this Friday to have it installed. They said that appointment should only take about 30 minutes.

Here is my two week comparison:

090614Day1-Smile.jpg

092014-Week2.jpg

You can see how the wire has smoothed out on my uppers. Not bad after only 2 weeks. I wasn't expecting to see any major movement in the first month, but at least that's a good sign.

Since I was headed to a wedding right after my appointment, I switched over to more neutral colors...clear and silver. I don't like how dull and yellow my teeth look. However, I was very pleased when it took my friends a long time to realize I'd gotten braces. I think I'll be sticking to these lig colors for the time being.

I've grown so much more comfortable with my smile. For the first time since I can remember, I was flashing my teeth for pictures. You can barely tell I had braces in the pictures. I had a random guy tell me he liked how I smiled...now that's not a compliment I'm used to hearing.

The soreness comes and goes. It's not at all bad, but I get tired of chewing. I cut my food in bite-sized pieces before tossing it in my mouth, and that seems to make eating easier.
I haven't needed wax up until now. I do have wires poking into my inner cheeks here and there, but that discomfort only lasts about a day before it goes away.

I'm expecting some discomfort as I adjust to the palatal bar, but we'll see!

[BeautifulDisaster]

I have made it through my first month with braces!

Here are my 1 month progress pictures:

100414Month1-Comparison.jpg

There wasn't much change in my uppers, but at least I've gotten used to the sub-palatal bar going across my mouth.

100414Month1-UppersComparison.jpg

The most impressive change was definitely in the front lowers. I didn't expect to see this kind of movement in just a month.

100414Month1-LowersComparison.jpg

I am happy with the progress so far.

My next appointment is in about 3 weeks. My ortho said that I'd only get my ligs changed. That puts me in at least 3 months on my first wires. He emphasized that developing my jaws would require slow and gentle movement.

I'm loving my clear uppers. My brother thought I only had a hawley retainer on my top teeth. It wasn't until the next time he saw me that he realized I had clear brackets. I love how inconspicuous they are!

Can't wait to see what kind of movement the next month brings.

[Anna5]

Great progress!!!!

[nicolie825]

How exciting! Very nice progress! I love my clear brackets too. My sister knows i have clear brackets on my top teeth and one day she thought i got them taken off already and was just wearing a retainer. Lol i wish! I was like nope, theyre still there lol

[ayelen]

I can't see the pictures yet, but I am glad you are making a good progress. I am 26 too and I am getting my braces tomorrow.

[cata]

Great progress for 1 month!

[lexieplexie]

Really really nice. All the best on journey journey

[BeautifulDisaster]

I'm back with my 2 month update!


My lateral incisor has come a long way. It's a lot more visible now.

110214Month2-Comparison.jpg

My crossbite is slowly disappearing.
Check out how much the wire has smoothed out!

110214Month2-UppersComparison.jpg

110214Month2-LowersComparison.jpg

There was definitely some good movement this month.

My next appointment is in about a month. I should be getting my first wire change.
My lower canine won't be joining the bracket club for another 3-4 appointments. He said the bracket would drive me crazy. I'm just happy that a space is forming so that the canine can later squeeze in.

[BeautifulDisaster]

I have really been slacking on the updates, though I have continued taking pictures to track my progress.

Here are my December pictures. (Please excuse the stained ligs):

120214Month3-Smile.jpg

120214Month2-UppersComparison.jpg

120214Month3-LowersComparison.jpg

Unfortunately, a couple of days before Thanksgiving, I started getting a mind-numbing along my jaw, along with a severe head pounding. Long story short, I had to get a root canal. I didn't have too much time to be sad about it because the pain and sensitive instantly went away.

If you look closely, you'll notice that a bracket popped off on my upper left. More on that later...

Overall, no dramatic changes occurred through month 3. But I've definitely come a long way in just 3 short months.

Month 4 pictures to come.