Estelle's long orthodontics journey to a perfected smile

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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EstelleDeParis
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Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:18 am
Location: United States

Estelle's long orthodontics journey to a perfected smile

#1 Post by EstelleDeParis »

I am getting ready to go to the orthodontist as this morning is the beginning of a new era! I figured with my periodontitis, a recent extraction due to decay because I can not floss properly it was about time to jump on the train of the great American smile.

Where I come from wearing braces is something for kids and if you didn't as a kid, oh well. Dentists are more patriarchal and it is accepted to have a naturally crooked smile, people tend to think and tell me "Your teeth give you character!". Honestly I don't think so, I never did and strangely enough I think it makes the wrong statement about myself. Because my teeth are hard to clean i always felt like I give the impression that I don't take care of my teeth and this is so not true, I am unfortunately cursed with bad genetics. I brush twice a day, floss, rinse and have cavities, root canals, crowns. When my dear husband barely brushes, eat candies like there is no tomorrow and only had 2 cavities in his entire life. That's the way it is!

Of course there is a lot of vanity on my part to pursue the perfected smile, I figured that since at age 34 it's all about being on the steep slop of loosing your looks, I could compensate with gaining a nice smile.

The journey starts this morning. I expect a little bit of pain, discomfort, frustration, drooling and looking like a dork for a while! Haha!
I also expect excitement and surprise. I can not imagine my smile straight and can't wait to see it happening under my eyes!
I am as nervous as I am happy to do this. Money well spent if you ask me!

To be continued...
With pictures!!!
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Margie
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#2 Post by Margie »

Good luck today!

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NervousNewbie
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#3 Post by NervousNewbie »

I can't wait to read your first update. By the way, your ticker is so cute!
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Braced September 23, 2010
Debraced February 20, 2014
Estimated Treatment Time: 24 months
Actual Treatment Time: 41 months

My Journey

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BraceFace2o1o
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#4 Post by BraceFace2o1o »

Hi! I can certainly relate to some of your post. Good luck for today and I look forward to reading your updates here :D
Braces: Metal fixed upper and lower
Estimated treatment time: 18-24 months
Braces Removed: August 2013 (after 33 months in braces)
Retainers: Upper & lower essix and lower bonded
My Story / Before & After photos

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EstelleDeParis
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Location: United States

#5 Post by EstelleDeParis »

Thank NervousNewbie, the ticker I am using is from this website: http://www.ticker.7910.org
They have tons of cute ones!!! It was hard to choose.

So I had the braces yesterday most of the top and bottom along with spacers around 3 of my crowns. I go back next monday to have the molar bands put on.

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As you can see on the picture, the bottom is going to be the challenge along with the shifting on the top part. When I rub my tongue on the back of my front teeth I can already feel how tense the left part is and how much it's pulling. As for the bottom it is soooooo sore. It also looks like I will wear some elastic bands at some point since I noticed hooks.

The discomfort is constant and I experienced a lot of pain later at night. First when I thought I could eat a tiny piece of deli ham which felt like I was chewing on a nail. I had to stick to mushy mac&cheese and soup. Two days of liquid diet left me starving and I really need to cook more during the week ends so I can have some food that works for me during the week.

I have a recipe for cauliflower au gratin if anybody is interested I would be happy to post it. I compensate the loss of protein with protein powder and because I tend to have low blood pressure I bought glucose shakes.
Luckily there is a blender at work so I make myself shake with ice cream, bananas, protein powder and peanut butter YUM!

Last night, I crashed. I got the braces in the early morning and then worked for 8 hours. I then went home and straight to bed but unfortunately I woke up after I bite down during my sleep which happened 3 times all together. Ugh the pain is nothing like anything I ever experienced before. I felt like I bite hard on a piece of titanium! NOT COOL!

How do you guys deal with the night pain and the reflex of closing your mouth. Someone at work suggested to buy a mouth guard. The kind they use for boxing and when forming it to use wax or parchment paper so it doesn't stick the braces. What do you guys think?

Today the bottom teeth are so sore that flossing hurt and I had to stop. I also do not use my sonicare because the vibrations is the weirdest feeling. The only thing that felt good was the waterpik on the lowest setting. They gave a survival kit with an ortho toothbrush.

I guess it's like when you work out and the day after you really feel how it affected your body.
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EstelleDeParis
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#6 Post by EstelleDeParis »

I am so tired :cry:
I can't sleep right to begin with as i suffer from insomnia from time to time and since I am wearing braces I wake up at night after I clenched. The pain is so sharp!
I don't think that in 3 days I was able to get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time, it then takes me hours to fall asleep again and I have to say that it is really hard on me.

I see the orthodontist Monday and will talk about it with him.
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EstelleDeParis
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#7 Post by EstelleDeParis »

Woohoo!!!

I slept pretty well. I figured I would wax most of my braces so when I clench, it doesn't hurt too much and it worked! I also think that I am getting used to them a little bit more everyday and the various sores are healing.

I was also able to eat less mushy food. It is not so much the feeling on my teeth that refrain me from trying. Just the fact that one of my upper incisive is rubbing on the lower brackets preventing me from closing my mouth.
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SonyaM
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#8 Post by SonyaM »

Good to hear you're feeling better! I've been having good days/bad days too. I'm sure it's all just normal life with these things. :)
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EstelleDeParis
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#9 Post by EstelleDeParis »

Yeah definitely!

I have another appointment Monday, I know there are gonna be a lot of bad days after that so I eat as much as I can lol

Although it gives me good excuses to prepare the most exquisite smoothies. My first snack at work will consist of strawberries, pinapple, banana and mango smoothies. YUM!
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jensceana73
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#10 Post by jensceana73 »

Hi,

Congrats on getting your braces. I too have a crooked smile and because of it had cavities due to not getting to be able to floss properly...and my dentist said so himself...braces would do you wonders...WONDERS. So...I'm braced...and LOVING IT. My husband is also like yours....eats a boat load of candy and brushes only on full moons :huh: and has way nicer teeth than I could ever dream of. Oh well.
My goal is to be better at 40 than I was at 20 and 30....I'm getting there, hopefully....hopefully, when my eyebrows have sagged completely over my eyes, and my wrinkles look like small caves....people will only notice my wonderful, nice...new...bright...STRAIGHT....smile...and not even think twice to ask about the nose hairs. :yikes: Good luck to you...it does get easier with each day.
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If God wanted me to have straight teeth, he would have made my parents rich..or so I was told....


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catgyrl
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#11 Post by catgyrl »

Hi Estelle-

Congrats to you!!! Everything you're going through (the pain, the difficulty chewing, etc.) is all perfectly normal... and will be intermittent throughout your treatment. As long as you keep that in mind, you'll get through everything just fine. I'm 5 months in; didn't even get a wire change at my last adjustment 2 weeks ago, and all of a sudden one of my lower teeth is killing me - teeth that haven't hurt in over 2 months! Go figure...

I must ask: The ties around your upper ceramic brackets - are those white wire ties, or elastic ligatures? They look really cool, and I've been trying to find a good, clear pic of wire ties. If they are wire, you're lucky in that those are supposed to be stain-resistant.

I found that at the beginning, I'd clench my teeth at night, too. Now, I actually sleep with my mouth open. Maybe it's because my bite is changing, and I no longer clench/grind my teeth anymore.

Good luck to you!
-Cathy

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EstelleDeParis
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#12 Post by EstelleDeParis »

Thank you ladies for your support. Even though I have been reading a lot about braces and all, it is still something else to experience it yourself and as you all say, it definitely gets better each and every day. I actually had a good night sleep last night, I have put wax on the the tooth and bracket that is bumping against my upper incisive and it really help absorbing the shock from the clenching, it did wake me up from time to time but I was able to go back to sleep.

@ Catgyrl: Yes they are the wire ties. The ortho gave me the option of elastic bands or those wire ties because they are stain resistant. I love chocolate and red lipstick. I figured the plastic ones would look disgusting fairly quick :lol:

If you want to see a bigger version of the picture, you can see one on my Flickr album here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/estelledep ... otostream/
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nightowl
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#13 Post by nightowl »

Hello there :)

Congratulations on getting braced :) sorry to hear that at first it was a bit of trouble but glad to hear that it is starting to get better for you !

As for the clenching of the teeth i find that i keep doing that too! I've also formed a paranoia that it will cause my brackets to fall off since i woke up on wednesday morning with my back bracket unattached, and i'm pretty sure i somehow chewed it off in my sleep haha :) so i think it shall be banded when i go for my adjustment and i think i'll ask my ortho about a mouthguard tooo for extra precaution and to ease my mind a bit haha

Also, i just wanted to ask if you would recommend getting a waterpik, because i have been thinking about getting one myself (:

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EstelleDeParis
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#14 Post by EstelleDeParis »

I absolutely love my waterpik! It removes a lot of little bits of food. Even after I carefully brushed! I recommend it when wearing braces.
It is a good complement to my dental hygiene but I personally do not substitute it to flossing though considering it more to be a complement water pressure cleaning.

I use frequently 4 of the attachment/picks that come with it. The general pick, the plaque one for teeth and crowns, the orthodontic and the gum one.

Lately I can't floss because it hurts too much to go between certain teeth so the waterpik is a life saver! I heard you can use certain mouthwash in it but it says on their manual to call them to know which mouthwash to use.
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EstelleDeParis
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#15 Post by EstelleDeParis »

I went to the orthodontist twice in the last 2 weeks.
All 4 mollar bands are in!

They didn't rewire the bottom because my teeth are still sore from the original wiring. My teeth are moving a lot in the front and there is already a baby step accomplished!

In the pictures below you can see how the bottom front teeth are starting to straighten, slowly but surely!
I do feel random crackling and pressure once in a while, weirdest feeling ever! But all together I got used to wearing braces and can tell sometimes i do not fell them at all!

Day 1
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Day 17
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