Funsizee's Braces Journey at 26

[Funsizee]

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I got my braces. So far, the pressure has definitely subsided and I am able to eat more comfortably now compared to my first week.

The teeth clenching is still bothering me because it wakes me up in the middle of the night. Brushing my teeth, flossing and using the waterpik takes me about 15 minutes, which can be a hassle sometimes. I do take a dental kit everywhere I go so that I am able to brush my teeth right after I eat.

The only thing that is currently bothering me is my lower teeth. It seems that my Lower central right incisor (I'm not sure if my description is accurate so I posted a photo below with the red arrow) is not moving. It seems to stick out more while the rest of my bottom teeth seems to have moved back a little bit. I'm not sure if it is something to worry about?

Other than that, my next appointment will be on April 23rd and I am super excited

[Tobilei]

Glad the pain has eased! And don't worry about where your teeth are at just yet. Things move, things get worse, then they get better, it's all part of the process

You have my empathy on the teeth clenching I do it too and it's much worse with braces than it was before. My ortho said it's likely my jaw trying to adjust to my new bite.

[Bikerchick85]

Hey Funsizee! I'm having the same problem with a lower central incisor. It is soooo tall & I hate it! But I asked my ortho about it at my last appointment on 4/10/13 and she said that the heavier wire they placed that day will help level them and they'll reposition some brackets on the lower arch to get rid of the funky tall tooth! So no need to worry... Just make sure you point it out to them so they can get rid of it. You can see a pic of mine in the stories section. It's even taller now than it was when I took that picture. BTW.. you have beautiful teeth!

[Kurisu]

I agree that you have really nice teeth. The protrusion doesn't look bad - did u ever have braces before? I'm surprised that they are quoting you 24-30 months considering the positions and shape of your teeth aren't, well, "wonky" at all!

Ah I can't wait to see more pictures of your progress! You do not need to wear rubber bands? I'm worried when I will have to (just got braced yesterday!!).

Cheers to a beautiful smile once this is all over!!

[Funsizee]

I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since I got my braces. I apologize for the lack of updates as I have been so busy with school (finals week).

I finally had my 1st ortho appointment 2 weeks ago and it went pretty well. Here are the list of things that were done:

1. IPR (upper and bottom)
2. Changed my bottom wire to a thicker wire
3. Power chains on my bottom teeth
4. Power chains on my right upper (only the last 3 teeth on each side)
5. 2 central incisor & bicuspid brackets were removed and repositioned.
6. New elastics (Leopard), which I hate wearing because its very visible. (See below photo - sorry it's huge. I don't know how to resize it lol)

The IPR was not painful at all. It just felt like my ortho did so much, I was afraid my teeth would look thin after but the gaps were so small, it was hardly noticeable. After my appointment, my teeth felt sore for the first couple of days. The only thing that still bothers me is my teeth clenching. My ortho said that it was normal and it was because my bite is off and not to worry. I have also decided not to get any extractions, so my length of treatment has been cut down dramatically. I am looking at 16 months (maybe less). My next ortho appointment will be 6 weeks from now.

Looking at my day 1 photos, I can definitely see a bit of improvement, so I'm very happy

[Funsizee]

Hey Funsizee! I'm having the same problem with a lower central incisor. It is soooo tall & I hate it! But I asked my ortho about it at my last appointment on 4/10/13 and she said that the heavier wire they placed that day will help level them and they'll reposition some brackets on the lower arch to get rid of the funky tall tooth! So no need to worry... Just make sure you point it out to them so they can get rid of it. You can see a pic of mine in the stories section. It's even taller now than it was when I took that picture. BTW.. you have beautiful teeth!

I'm glad I pointed it out so they repositioned the other brackets but not the lower central incisor. They actually changed my wire to a stronger one instead. Overall, I'm just glad I don't have to extract 4 teeth or do the TADS thingy

And thank you so much! Your teeth are also beautiful

[Funsizee]

I agree that you have really nice teeth. The protrusion doesn't look bad - did u ever have braces before? I'm surprised that they are quoting you 24-30 months considering the positions and shape of your teeth aren't, well, "wonky" at all!

Ah I can't wait to see more pictures of your progress! You do not need to wear rubber bands? I'm worried when I will have to (just got braced yesterday!!).

Cheers to a beautiful smile once this is all over!!

Hi Kirisu!

Congratulations on the start of your braces journey!

I have never had braces before but I have always thought of getting them but I was too self-conscious. Now that I am married, I figured now is the perfect time lol. The estimated treatment time I was quoted for was with 4 extractions. Since I have decided not to do the extractions, my treatment time is 16 months or maybe even less.

I have been wearing rubber bands since the 1st day I got my braces on. Check out my WEEK 6 update and you can see a gigantic photo of my current rubber band configuration lol. I just started wearing the center rubber band 2 weeks ago to help with the protrusion. I personally didn't mind the side rubber bands because it's not as noticeable but I'm still a bit conscious wearing the center one.

Don't worry too much about wearing rubber bands as you will eventually get used to it. I actually don't like not wearing it and prefer to have them on because I'm so used to it. If I don't wear it for a bit, it feels weird... the same feeling you get if you forget your cell phone at home lol

[Tobilei]

Sorry you're stuck in elastics for now but your teeth are looking great

[Funsizee]

Sorry you're stuck in elastics for now but your teeth are looking great

Thanks Tobi I checked out your thread and your teeth look amazing!!!! I can't really tell if your power chain is on the top or the bottom though.

Mine is very visible on the bottom since it's silver-ish. It makes the bottom wire look thick and bulky.

[NeilH]

Hi, that's really great progress and so quickly. Good luck with the elastics, I'm sure they will be worth it.

[Tobilei]

Sorry you're stuck in elastics for now but your teeth are looking great

Thanks Tobi I checked out your thread and your teeth look amazing!!!! I can't really tell if your power chain is on the top or the bottom though.

Mine is very visible on the bottom since it's silver-ish. It makes the bottom wire look thick and bulky.

It's on the bottom And it's probably because I have quite a thick wire going through the top at the moment combined with those silver hooks he added to my wire

Thanks! It's hard to see the changes as much when it's your own teeth I think

[Funsizee]

Hey all,

It's been a while since I last posted an update. So here it is, my 3rd month update. The pre-braces picture is from the day of my braces appointment. Looking at the before and my 3rd photo, I can actually see some progress, especially my center upper teeth. Overall, I am very happy with my progress so far.

My next ortho appointment is this Thursday, June 20th. I'm not really sure what to expect but I will definitely post an update right after

[Tobilei]

Good luck for tomorrow They look great!

[NeilH]

Hi, how are you getting on? Haven't heard from you for a while.