Info on braces please?!
Question: well, tomorow i am going to the orthodontist to get a braces consultation and xrays and impressions and all and i just want to know what i should expect when i get braces put on, i mean i know ill have pain and all but can someone tell me exactley everything that i might go through, dont send me website links because i dont feel like going to websites, i want to know from somone who is either edjucated in this stuff or has experienced them, thanks
Answers: well, tomorow i am going to the orthodontist to get a braces consultation and xrays and impressions and all and i just want to know what i should expect when i get braces put on, i mean i know ill have pain and all but can someone tell me exactley everything that i might go through, dont send me website links because i dont feel like going to websites, i want to know from somone who is either edjucated in this stuff or has experienced them, thanks
First thing's first:
BRACES ARE NOT ALL THAT BAD.
I got my braces 4 days ago. Before I got them I was very worried about a few things.
1. The pain
2. The look.
3. The inconvenience.
4. The food.
5. The speech.
When you go to your consultation tomorrow all that will happen is that the orthodontist will take a painless and harmless x-ray of your teeth, take photos of your teeth (only a little painful because of the plastic things you have to hold to pull your mouth apart) and take impressions of your teeth. The impressions are again, completely painless. The stuff you bite into doesn't taste bad at all, it will just leave your mouth a little dry afterwards but your orthodontist will have water on hand for you.
That is all that happens at a consultation. After that you will have to wait a couple of months until you can get your actual braces. (I had my consultation in December and got braces in February).
When you return to the orthodontist after the couple of months have passed you will get your elastic bands fitted, or 'spacers' as some people call them. All these do is create a gap between some of your teeth in order to make space for the braces when they are fitted.When these are being fitted it is totally painless. The pain does come however, after a couple of hours. With these bands the worst period is the first 24 hours, just make sure you have paracetamol and soft food on hand all the time- you will be unable to chew stuff. You will have these 'spacers' for a week. Towards the end of the week they will stop hurting all together and you will pretty much be able to eat all you like.
Now it's time for your braces. I'll go through the four worries I had at first and tell you the truth now I've had them.
1. THE PAIN
For me, the spacers were more painful than the brace. It is completely painless when the brace was being put on and the pain has never really started for me. I was told that they were the most painful thing ever- THEY ARE NOT.
The pain, however is there. You are initially unable to eat much and your teeth are very sensitive to eating. This will subside after a week or two and you can feel it getting better as time goes by. The most sensitive part of your mouth with braces is the front. Apples are a big no. But you will find that out.
When you first get your braces put on your mouth feels completely full. It is uncomfortable (but not painful). Again, this goes away within the day.
2. THE LOOK
Okay, nobody can deny that braces don't look that great on anybody, but they do not look that bad. You are unable to see them when you talk- the only time they are visible is when you smile but you will find most people ignore them and after a certain amount of time you will too. You will forget that they are there and eventually you won't be able to imagine what you looked like without them. Seriously. You'll be insecure for the first few days but then you'll get over it.
3. THE INCONVENIENCE
The orthodontist will go through a big list of all the things you need to do to look after your braces and this can seem like a pretty daunting prospect at first. You will get used to it and adapt to it though. You will have to pay a little more attention to brushing, using more than one brush and brushing your teeth after your lunch, which can be a little annoying if you are at school but is perfectly manageable. I take to school the following:
- Travel sized toothpaste - for brushing at lunch
- A small inter-dental brush - same as above
- A hand held make-up mirror - for checking if you hae any food stuck in them
- Lipsalve/Chapstick - for your dry lips
- Water - To rinse your mouth out.
It's fine. You get used to it.
4. THE FOOD
Like I said, some foods are a complete no-no. Apples, toffee, anything chewy and anything hard should be avoided. Your front teeth are the most sensitive so you will have to start breaking things into little pieces instead of physically biting into them. You will get food stuck in your brace but you just have to brush it out or rinse your mouth out with water- it isn't a problem really.
You will also have to start drinking drinks- especially sugary and acidic drinks with a straw. This means that your teeth will stay protected from staining or developing plaque around your brace.
5. THE SPEECH
This is pot luck really. Some people get their speech effected badly and some don't. In my opinion, it is the people who try to talk without showing their brace that sound funny. If you just accept that it is there and that people might catch a glimpse of it then you'll be fine. You may begin to lisp slightly but that will go away- like most things.
The worst thing I have found about my speech is that when I talk my braces cause irritating ulcers on the inside of my mouth. If you have paracetemol and bonjela then you should be fine.
ULTIMATELY- DON'T WORRY! YOU'LL BE FINE AND IT'LL ALL BE WORTH IT.
Sorry about the essay- I hope this helps.
You're gonna die, but don't worry as I will send flowers.
When you get your braces they usually don't just put them on right away first you get what are called spacers, there pretty much tiny rubber bands that go on your back molers to create a small space (it'll feel like you have food stuck in between your teeth, it isn't painful just don't floss back there or you'll pull them out) Then after that depending on why your getting braces (over crowding, over bite, under bite, ect) will factor how many of the braces you get on in the first visit...they put these metal bands around your back teeth (they will be holding the wires in that go across your teeth that hook in the brackets) They will then cement some brackets to your teeth (the little metal squares that you see on ppls teeth) and then they will take the wire and hook it across your teeth and those metal bands in the back molers will hold it in...your teeth will be sore for about a day or two, maybe 3...just eat soft foods and take some asprin, this feeling will go away its just your teeth starting to shift is all...
Good-luck with your braces I hope you get them on and off quickly!! :)
i had braces for two years. its not a nice experience but you can make it a decent one. for the first three days expect huge pain, like you wont be able to bite on anything hard, take plenty of pain killers to take the edge away. every 6-8 weeks they will call you in to see how your doing, they will then replace your squares and tighten up your teeth again so expect more pain, an appointment with the hygienist will also be made, he/she will show you how to take care of your braces and how to clean the awkward parts, they have specialised tooth brushes that can clean behind the wires. you will get used to the whole thing, it gets quite easy
just take care
and good luck
pick decent colours and think of other colours you can have for your next visit
have fun
x
It has been 28 years since I've had braces and I can still remember the pain and discomfort. I hope they have come a long way since then. Wax...lots of wax. It will help you eat when your lips are sore. You can put over the braces so they dont rub you raw. Eat a lot of soft foods. I remember cutting up bologna sandwiches and pizza into small bites and eating them with a fork when I craved real food (so to speak)!
Good luck!
They will hurt you for 4 - 7 days when they are first put on.
After that, they only hurt when you go in to get them tightened/adjusted.
While they're hurting just eat soup, mashed potatoes, etc. SOFT things. Biting into things (like a burger or sandwhich) is going to hurt so don't even try!
If your Orthodontist gives you those rubber bands to wear also, don't be embarassed, WEAR THEM ! They shorten the amount of time you'll have braces.
I had crooked teeth on top and bottom AND an overbite; I got braces, wore those rubber bands like I was supposed to, and I got my braces off in 13 months. Shortest time of anyone I know !!
Congratulations - when you're all done you are going to have a tremendous amount of confidence talking to people. :-)