Does anyone have braces????

F

firmscorpio

Cathlete
I am 37.I got my braces put on my top teeth yesterday morning.I will be getting them on my bottom in a couple of months.What a shock it is to have them and see them.I feel like a freak.My teeth are very sore today.They hurt when i eat(which is mainly soft foods).It's a challenge eating because i have to rinse out every time i eat.It's works out perfect because i have to revamp my eating.I can't eat alot of foods and some foods are too much of a hassle to clean out.I know breads are out for sure.Does anyone have braces and do you have any tips??? How long does the soreness last?
 
I don't have braces now but did for three years. The soreness lasts for a few days. I would take some tylenol or motrin to help with the pain. Every month when you go to get them tightened your mouth will be the same way, sore. So at that time for about two days I would eat soft stuff. Also, they say not to eat things like caramel, gum with sugar (sugarless is fine), popcorn, anything like that that is hard and/or sticky. Believe them when I say this because I popped more than a few brackets in those three years and they would keep telling me to stop eating that stuff. It is kind of hard not to when you are in high school. No one can tell you anything at that age. Also, make sure to get wax from them that you can put on your braces. I would get cuts and sores on the sides of my cheeks and on the skin where my bottom lip and braces rubbed together. It gets really bad so the wax helps to keep the sharpness away from your skin. Other than that, make sure to get a good toothbrush that can get inbetween all those brackets. Good luck. Also, whenever you get them taken off, make sure to wear your retainer even at least at night. I wish I would have because now after these years, my teeth are starting to go crooked again. Hope that helps. Feel free to ask any more questions!
 
My DD just got hers (top & bottom) 2 days ago, and she's complaining like mad. She's already telling her sister that she'll sell her all of the Halloween candy she can't eat.

Meanwhile, I'm giving her high-calorie-density foods (think cheddar cheese, etc.) to help keep her energy up, since it's been SO difficult for her to eat anything... and she's a gymnast who needs calories.

Hang in there! All of her friends tell her the 2nd day is the worse... and it gets better from there!
 
I don't post much here, but I can totally identify with your situation. I'm 28, and I've had my braces on for 9 months now. The first few days after getting them on were the worst, as far as pain goes. I ate a lot of applesauce, yogurt, mashed potatoes and soup during the first week. But before you know it, the pain will be gone and you'll be able to eat more normal foods. Hang in there!

I just want to recommend this website for adults with braces, if you haven't found it already. They have a wonderful and supportive forum there, and tons of useful information: www.archwired.com

If you have any questions about life with braces, feel free to PM me. :)
 
I got my braces at 44 and had them for 2 years.

I found a water pik to be great and floss threader. The soreness will pass it will be so worth it. My front teeth got knocked loose so I really didn't have a choice. I wear my retainer faithfully. Good Luck

Susan
 
My daughter has them. Try and look for the orthodontal wax, you can put this on different spots on your braces to help with cuts inside your mouth. I have gotten the wax for my daughter in Walmart,and drug stores, all in the toothbrush isle.
 
Oh, I have to second the Waterpik - you MUST get one of these! I can brush and floss til the cows come home, but my teeth don't feel really CLEAN until I've used the Waterpik. $30 well-spent!
 
This thread is so timely! Thanks for posting these tips. DD11 just had 2 baby teeth pulled yesterday in prep for getting braces.

I'm concerned about her losing weight. She's 4'8" and only weighs 73 pounds so she can't afford to lose. Plus, she's a picky eater to begin with. Is sipping through a straw okay? I'm thinking of supplementing with shakes if she's not eating very well. Fortunately, applesauce and yogurt are things she'll eat.

Sue
 
I want to get braces! I'm 37, and want to have straight teeth. I'm planning on getting them when we are settled back in the States and I have a good dentist who can recommend a good orthodontist (don't get me started on my dentist here - I'm sure there are good ones, but mine is NOT GOOD!)

Good luck w/ your braces - I'm sure the result will be worth it!:D
 
I got my braces at 44. I just got them off about three months ago. A water pik was a life safer!! I also found a portable one so I could take it on vacation. Ditto on the Tylenol/Motrin during the sore times. Also - where your retainers as advised when you get them off - and don't leave them where the dog can get them!!!

Also - where your bands when your told!! It speeeds the process!!

Good luck!!
Dawn
 
Thank you for the great information.Alot of people are getting braces later in life.I do wish i got them years ago.I am going to buy a water pik at Wal-mart tomorrow. I do have the wax.Today they are really sore.It's almost a bother to eat(which you know that won't happen).I'm glad i got them.I can't wait to get my bottom ones on.They are the ones that are crooked the most.It will be well worth it to have striaght teeth.It's amazing how important our teeth are.A smile is the best!!!!!!!
 
I got my braces off 8 months ago. I had them put on when I was 41 and I only needed to wear them a year. All the pain and annoyances were so worth it in the end. After about a week you'll get used to them. Then, the only time they'll bother you is after an adjustment or when you get the rubber bands put on. Let me know after the bottom ones are on how you're doing. I got a lot of support from this site when I finally made the decision to get braces.
 
One more thing I wanted to say is, you will be amazed at how quickly your teeth start to straighten out! I know I was! I highly recommend taking pictures of your teeth during your journey, so you can see the changes taking place. I take a picture after each adjustment, and keep a blog documenting my progress. :)

Oh, and don't be afraid to have fun with your braces too. I have ceramic brackets on my upper teeth, so they're not noticeable in pictures and such. But my lower brackets are titanium, and I always get colored ligatures on them to match the season - it's fun, and people can really only see them if I smile really big. I have black and orange right now, for Halloween. At my next adjustment (Nov 20), I'm going to get red and green for Christmas. :)

It will definitely be worth all the pain and annoyance in the end. :D
 
I don't have them now, but I had them when I was around 23.

Definitely get yourself a water pik! You will be amazed at how much stuff it can get out that regular brushing can't. (Some people with braces avoid popcorn, because it really sticks, but the Water Pik will get it out).

As for the initial pain/discomfort, I found that chewing on a piece of licorice (the actual wood) helped a bit.
 
Thank you materialsgirl,for that website archwire.com.I need all the support i can get.I am going to get a waterpik tomorrow.It hurts to eat.It's frustrating.I was on vacation this week.So,Monday will be interesting with everyone noticing and asking me.I am alittle insecure and self consious.It definitely takes to time to get use to braces.I only have the top ones on for now.It will be more interesting when i get the bottom ones on in a couple of months.Thanks everyone for your input!
 
I think you might be suprised that some people may not even notice you're wearing braces. That was the case for me. I wasn't bothered by that though. What really p'd me off was when people didn't notice that I had them off! My DH for one. Then again, men aren't very observant when it comes to things like that, and that may not be such a bad thing!
 
Ok,what is a water pick?? i had braces when i was 14 and all i used was the floss threader thing.This is a good timed thread however,because i am thinking about getting mine back on,since my dear wisdom teeth have rearranged my teeth a bit.whoo-hoo!!
 
As a dental hygienist who just got my braces off not too long ago, I totally recommend getting a Water Pik. It is so much easier to use than floss and you can really "blast" the food out from around your braces. It is also great in preventing/fighting gingivitis.
 
Ummm...I've had braces twice. x( LOL. Once as a teen and since I was NAUGHTY and never wore my retainer, my teeth went crooked again and I wore them as an adult. I got them off in 2000 and you better believe, I wear my retainer almost EVERY NIGHT now. Please don't make the same mistake I did...WEAR YOUR RETAINER. They even do permanent retainers for the bottom teeth now. If I had it all to do over again, I would get the permanent ones.

Anyway...regarding your question about soreness. It only lasts for a couple of days after a tightening (the first day is the worst and it slowly tapers off from there). Although it may not seem possible, trust me, you will get used to them and the soreness feelings and will barely notice it after awhile. If you are OK with over the counter pain medicine, I would suggest ibuprofen. It should knock the discomfort right out. I used to actually look forward to getting my braces tightened because I am a hygiene freak and they change those little band thingies that go on each bracket when you get them tightened. If you drink red wind and/or eat tomato sauces, trust me, you will understand what I mean and why it's nice when you get these changed out each month. :)

A couple of things I would suggest for cleanliness...definitely get a water-pik type flossing system. Threading floss through the wires is a big old pain in the _ss and doesn't get all of the stuck food out of your brackets. The water pik will flush all the gunk right out of there. Also, I would highly recommend an electric toothbrush (preferably, a Sonic Care brand...in my opinion, these are the best). Make sure you change the head on the brush about every other month while you are wearing braces, as the abrasion will make the bristles wear down quickly.

Good luck and congrats on getting braces...you will be SO happy with the results and it will be so worth it. I am so glad I did it.

Dianna

http://www.picturetrail.com/Luv2WorkHard
 
I agree that retainers are very important after your braces are off. I'll have to wear mine forever. I have the clear plastic ones. I wore them for 6 months after my braces were removed and now I wear them nightly. I asked my ortho about a permanent retainer and he felt it was unnecessary in most cases because you'll always have to watch what you eat, otherwise you can break the bracket. I remember breaking a braket eating pizza crust when I had my braces. That's another thing I should remind you about, avoid hard foods. Some orthos start charging extra to replace broken brackets. Mind didn't, but I only replaced one.
 
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