Wife (42) got them Monday

[ROimport]

Hi all - my wife got her braces on Monday. She's 42 and we've been dealing with periodontal disease for over a year. Now that the perio is under control, we got the go-ahead to get the braces. Monday we got them. Tuesday she was in tears from the pain. She convinced herself she was the ONLY person who had that kind of pain and she wanted to go back on Wednesday to have them removed.

Her teeth are a crowded, misaligned mess, but was this the price she was going to have to pay - every day - for the next 30 months? Luckily I have nieces and grand nephews who have braces and they were able to calm her down. She also talked to her mom (my wife is from Romania and she talks to her mom via Skype) and her mom told her to stick with it - the pain will pass.

Now it's Thursday - it seem to be getting better but it's going to be a struggle for the first few days. She even wants to stay home on Thanksgiving because she's afraid she won't be able to eat. My niece told her she would be one of four people at the dinner table wearing braces - and to stop worrying.

[RedDress]

does she have molar bands? did she wear separators?

[ROimport]

She wears neither - it was just such a surprise for her about how soon the wires would start to tug and how painful it would be.

Four days on, her biggest complaint is the rubbing of the metal inside her mouth, and she's convinced she'll get some kind of infection or else the sores will be with her for the next 30 months. She's a bit overdramatic when it comes to her health, tho...

[RunningMad]

Hello

I'm new to this forum but glad I found it.

I'm 41 and due to have 2 front teeth out on Fri 19/11 (eek!!) 1 at the top and 1 at the bottom. Then on the 23/11 I'm getting 2 braces fitted. I'm so scared and can't decide if I'm doing the right thing. Especially when I read how painful it all is on here.

My mum doesn't understand why I'm having it done but my husband thinks its up to me bless me. I've always hated my teeth and even though I had a brace on in my teens I don't know what went wrong with my teeth since!

It's good to read about tips to help. I'm going to do a photo before the braces and then take one each month to spur me on! Any other tips??

[50+]

The pain will subside until the next adjustment, then you deal with the pain for a few days and new areas that the braces scrape...but you continue on and tough it out and get great satisfaction from seeing your teeth move and straighten in such a short time! It is truly amazing! It will be worth it in the long run!

[RunningMad]

Thats what I keep telling myself - will be great when they come off in 2 years time!

Has anyone got any UK products they can recommend to help (with anything!)?

Thanks

[RunningMad]

[RedDress]

She wears neither - it was just such a surprise for her about how soon the wires would start to tug and how painful it would be.

Four days on, her biggest complaint is the rubbing of the metal inside her mouth, and she's convinced she'll get some kind of infection or else the sores will be with her for the next 30 months. She's a bit overdramatic when it comes to her health, tho...

she will not get an infection unless she puts dirty fingers in her mouth.
sores in the mouth get worse when you talk to much ..So.. just a hint
In the beginning wax helps a lot to ease the sores. I do not wear wax all the time. I got used to my braces.
She is very lucky she has a very caring husband to accomodate her complains. great job ROimport!

[dangerdude]

Congrats to the wife!

What type of periodontal work did she have done prior? I'm at that stage now. Getting the bones and periodontal pockets in check before I can proceed with the braces.

I've only had a deep cleaning (Scaling and Root Planing) and 1 regular cleaning. Next up is peeling back my gums and getting a deeper clean. They'll also do some bone grafting at that point.

I just hope to be in braces by summer 2011.

[catgyrl]

What your wife is experiencing is perfectly normal. I've had my braces on for 7 months now, and STILL experience intermittent rubbing of the brackets inside my mouth. Tell her to just keep using the wax as often as she needs it, and warm salt water rinses a few times a day will help soothe the pain.

Unfortunately, as her teeth move and straighten out over the course of having her braces, she will probably experience more discomfort in different areas of her mouth. As such, there's no need to "tough it out" and not use wax if she needs it. I had wax in my mouth every day for almost a week at one point, and after that, things were great for a couple of months.

As for the "pain"... that comes with the territory, too, especially right after an adjustment. Ibuprofen taken an hour or two before an adjustment will help, as will taking it afterward. You just have to go with the flow...

Good luck to her. What a sweet husband you are!

-Cathy

[RunningMad]

Well I've just had the two teeth extracted and am sat here with cotton wool gauze stuffed in my mouth and a wonky lip from the numbness. Think this will be the most difficult bit before getting the braces on on Tueday 23/11.

I took a few pictures yesterday as the 'before' piccies.

Do you have to create your ticker every time you want to add it or can you somehow save it?

[Theresa48]

The beginning is the worse!!!!! I cried for days...on and off.

The thing I remember helping me the most...my neice who had had braces and understood sent me beautiful flowers...it really really really really really meant a lot to me to not feel so alone and to have support from someone who had been through it.

send her flowers in the mail for her braces anniversary...one week, two week...wherever she is. Leave her encouraging notes, maybe with sticky notes on the mirror...tell her she looks younger and cuter!

[Sandpiper]

To RunningMad re products in the UK - Difflam is very good, and comes, I think, as a mouth rinse and a spray (you have to ask at the pharmacy counter for it). The spray was recommended by my ortho when I had a quad helix fitted, and it certainly helps in numbing and healing any sores. Hope this helps!

[50+]

One word "WAX" it works wonders!!