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#1 Post by **Heath** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:23 am

I am very thankful for this site, it has answered many of my questions. I am 22 years old and I live in Winston Salem, NC. I have needed braces for years but my parents didn't have the money. Now I am working and have my own insurance, so I am ready to have a new smile! I have already went throught the x-rays, molds, and all that good stuff. In two weeks (April 13th) I have to get 4 teeth extracted. The next week I get spacers put in, and the next will be when I get the braces on (April 27th). All four of my wisdom teeth were extracted when I was 18, and I am told that these extractions will not be nearly as painful as the wisdom teeth. I am really dreading the spacers, more than the braces! No pain, no gain. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of myself soon. I am glad to know that I am not the only person out of high school going through this.

#2 Post by **Linalin** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 6:28 am

Hi Heath!

Which teeth do you have to have extracted?
I'm getting all 4 of my wisdom done today.. joy!

haha

Also, the spacers ARE a pain in the butt I will admit that, but in my experience they were only sore for the first day or so. Otherwise, they're more annoying than anything. I felt like I had big chunks of food in my teeth. lol

#3 Post by **vanilla** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 4:04 am

Hi Heath! It's comforting to know that the wisdom teeth extraction is more painful that the other extractions. I have had my wisdom teeth out as well and am in serious negotiations with my orthodontist to not remove the teeth on either side of my front teeth due to crowding. I feel I'm losing the battle so BRING IT ON!

... tho' I will look weird for a while

#4 Post by **Heath** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:19 am

I am getting the tooth behind each canine removed in all 4 quadrants. One week and two days to go! I am definitely paying a little extra to get the IV sedation...I don't wanna know what they are doing.

#5 Post by **Heath** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 11:48 pm

Well I had my four teeth extracted 3 days ago. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It only took about 30 minutes, and thanks to the IV sedation I hardly remember any of it. I haven't had to take anything for pain and all four extraction sites are healing very quickly. Only 4 more days until spacers!

#6 Post by **Heath** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 6:23 pm

I am a little bit late posting a new message. I had 8 spacers for a week! The first couple of days wasn't so bad, I was able to eat most foods on one side or the other. By the 3rd day I was in quite a bit of pain. I couldn't eat anything that required any amount of chewing. I ate mostly soup, yogurt, and applesauce.
The spacers came out and the braces went on. From the time I went back until the time I came out was an hour and a half. The only thing that hurt was putting the bands on the back four teeth. I was quite surprised at how fast the brackets went on. And the arch wire was nothing, a little pressure and a few snips and it was over. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated.
Now that they are on, it feels very awkward! I feel like they stick out a foot in front of my face. Everyone tells me that they are not as bad as I think. Today is my third day with them on. My teeth are still sore, but I am able to eat a little more than I have been. This will definitely take some time to get used to, but the end result will be well worth it.