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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I decided to mosey on over here, and saw that you finally got debraced. YOU LOOK FAB-U-LOUS!!! Bet you still can't believe it, huh? I'm almost a year out from debracing, and can't even remember what they felt like. Now that I see old pics of myself, I see how different my smile was with my braces. Lemme tell ya - your teeth will only look and feel BETTER from here on out. I have no overjet whatsoever anymore. Just updated my story a bit.
It's good to see an "oldie" again....I totally know what you mean about forgetting what braces were like. It's like I never had them, except I love my new smile!
I was with a group of people--mostly just acquaintances and what I heard said to me was "you have nice tea". I looked around because I knew I wasn't drinking tea. I said "what?". And then another person said, "I was noticing that too". Then it dawned on me--words that were music to my ears--words that were meant for other people not me--"YOU HAVE NICE TEETH!"
I was just wondering how you are doing with your retainers? I'm on the countdown and that is the kind my orthodontist uses. (He doesn't like metal in the mouth long-term.) I really haven't spoken to him about them too much. I forgot to ask at my last appointment in July. I was shocked at the time when he told me I'd be able to get them off at my next appointment. A long wait though since his earliest appointment was over 2 months out.
I'm a bit nervous about them. Do they hit your gumline? Do you brux at all? If so, how does that work with the retainers in?
Glad to see you are checking in periodically.
Jill
Braces as Phase II treatment for TMJD.
Lower mandibular repositioning splint 26 months.
Lower braces on 10.75 months into Phase II treatment.
Duration in braces: 2 years, 2 weeks, 5 days
Removal of Braces: September 18, 2013 TMJD treatment now complete!
Congratulations Jill!!! Finally done--it's such a feeling of accomplishment!
The essix retainer is fine. I only have to wear it at night. The ortho made it so the gumline edges of the retainer were completely comfortable before I left. I barely notice it now, I'm so used to it being a part of my nightly routine.
My only complaint is that my mouth gets a little dry when I wear the retainer--but when I'm asleep I don't realize it....
I wouldn't want to go thru having braces again (not happening)--but if I ever had to, I would know soooooo much more than the 1st time around!
I got my braces off 10 days ago. I have upper and lower Essix's, but they only cover the front 6's from canine to canine.
Would you believe I've had trouble sneezing the upper one out? The first time it happened, I was driving and the sneeze hit hard and fast. I heard a funny sound when I sneezed and a few seconds realized that my retainer had hit my dashboard and bounced off. I eventually found it under my seat. Really disgusting. It has been windy here and I've now sneezed it out 6 times. The orthodontic offices have 'tightened' them up, but they are no match for the sneezes. They are making me a spare upper just in case I lose the one I'm wearing. Ever wonder how far a sneeze goes? I now know.
I have a separate upper customized sleep Essix though.
I'm glad you have had luck. I'll be very excited when I'm 'released' to nighttime only. Remembering to take them off to eat is a real pain... especially in public. A good nighttime routine is so much easier.
Jill
Braces as Phase II treatment for TMJD.
Lower mandibular repositioning splint 26 months.
Lower braces on 10.75 months into Phase II treatment.
Duration in braces: 2 years, 2 weeks, 5 days
Removal of Braces: September 18, 2013 TMJD treatment now complete!
I got my braces off 10 days ago. I have upper and lower Essix's, but they only cover the front 6's from canine to canine.
Would you believe I've had trouble sneezing the upper one out? The first time it happened, I was driving and the sneeze hit hard and fast. I heard a funny sound when I sneezed and a few seconds realized that my retainer had hit my dashboard and bounced off. I eventually found it under my seat. Really disgusting. It has been windy here and I've now sneezed it out 6 times. The orthodontic offices have 'tightened' them up, but they are no match for the sneezes. They are making me a spare upper just in case I lose the one I'm wearing. Ever wonder how far a sneeze goes? I now know.
I have a separate upper customized sleep Essix though.
I'm glad you have had luck. I'll be very excited when I'm 'released' to nighttime only. Remembering to take them off to eat is a real pain... especially in public. A good nighttime routine is so much easier.
Jill
WOW!!!! You did it!!!! Congrats!!
Sorry for your worries about the Essix, I have not the same problem with mine. It might not fit as it should to your teeth, being too lose. Maybe you can ask them to make an Essix that covers more of your teeth? Or ask them if it was fittet correctly when you got it.
Klobird!! Haven't checked this board since forever! So so glad to hear the news of dw banding, I am 6 months late!!! LATE CONGRATULATIONS nevertheless! And you look absolutely beautiful!!!!
Hey BIP!!!---I hope you see this post--it was so nice to see your comments!!
I don't come here very often anymore either. I know I said I would, but once I got my braces off, it was like I never had them...very weird!! And most of the people posting now are all newbies--everyone else kind of quits posting when they get there's off too....hmmmmm....
I have to go back to the ortho!...I thought I was done with that!!!...My regular dentist is writing my ortho a letter recommending that he take off the bonded wire behind my front bottom teeth...I've been telling them all that I can't floss down there because the teeth are too tight together. FINALLY the dentist was going to show me how to do it....hahaha....he was like hmmmmm....thats weird..I cant get the floss through there....BIG DUH!!!! (This guy was filling in for "superdentist"...she was out of town on an emergency visit to see her sick grandchild)....so anyway it's reunion time for me...
Oh, YUCK! I hope they're going to figure out a solution for you! I also do not want one of those permanent retainers on the bottom but I'm pretty sure my orthodontist uses them on both the bottom and the top teeth. Ick.
[quote="klobird"]I have to go back to the ortho!...I thought I was done with that!!!...My regular dentist is writing my ortho a letter recommending that he take off the bonded wire behind my front bottom teeth...I've been telling them all that I can't floss down there because the teeth are too tight together. quote]
Do you use a thin floss like Glide and a threader?
Dee17 wrote:Oh, YUCK! I hope they're going to figure out a solution for you! I also do not want one of those permanent retainers on the bottom but I'm pretty sure my orthodontist uses them on both the bottom and the top teeth. Ick.
I have them top and bottom am rarely aware of them. The drawback is that it makes flossing a little more of a chore. That said, the bonded retainers are keeping my teeth firmly in place 24/7. After going through the braces procedure, isn't it worth an extra minute or so a day to keep everything in place?
Congrats!! 
