Thanks for all the extra advise on brushing and getting used to eating with braces on.
I figured foods like corn on the cob and ribs are out unless I cut the corn/meat off the cob/bone. i am not giving up ribs for nothing I <3 BBQ…
I have a toothbrush and paste at work anyway, so I brush my teeth after lunch. But I will look into some way to hygenically carry one in my purse for when I’m out and about.
I really did seriously consider the invisalign system, but I figured that the first hint of pain out it would come and I would just say “f$@k it” and quit wearing the darn thing. Cementing them on is the way to go for me. Plus, it is the same price for the invisalign or the clear bracket braces.
I LOVE my dentist. She is so awsome!! Always making sure that you are comfortable with what is going on during a cleaning and exam. Never charges for random stuff- everything is detailed out.
Oh, I thought I stated my age in the OP but I guess I didn’t… I’m 32.
I got braces when I was 21. It was partially cosmetic, and partially because I chipped an upper front tooth biting down because it met the lower tooth crooked… I did not want chipped teeth! I had to get my wisdom teeth and 4 other teeth out before getting the braces as I had too many teeth for the size of my jaw.
As others have said, usually your whole mouth aches for a couple of days when you first get them, but then it fades and it’s more of an annoyance. Your teeth ache again for about a day each time you get them tightened. Inside of your cheeks will most likely get cut by the brackets and hurt. The dental gum stuff they give you helps, but really your cheeks just have to toughen up.
The main problem I found was that my teeth became way more sensitive - although I could eat steak and hard foods with braces on, I had to chew carefully as biting down too hard hurt. It took about a year after the braces came off for the sensitivity to mostly go away, but I can’t comfortably chew on ice anymore as my teeth are more cold sensitive.
If you have to wear little rubber bands, wear them as instructed. Don’t skip wearing them or it will take longer to align your teeth. If you have them off for a day - it takes 2 days to get the alignment back to where it was.
Having people messing round in your mouth every 6 weeks sucks. Usually the orthodontic nurses are pretty sympathetic though and do their best to minimise your discomfort. I did get rather sick of it by the end, but when you get them off and realise you have lovely straight teeth it is worth every penny and uncomfortable moment. It does take a bit to retrain yourself to smile like instead of though!
I don’t know what Invisalign is, but the plates I had were ones you could remove if necessary. Really, you will forget they’re there after a day or three.
I don’t know if anyone mentioned this yet, but be prepared to accidentally break at least one of the metal brackets off. I know I did that at least once.
Also, the number one thing they tell you not to do (even worse than chewing gum!) is apparently chewing ice cubes. I ignored that rule quite often… Which might have been the reason I broke one of the brackets, come to think of it.
I had braces back in the 1960’s with the headgear and the wires outside like this. I had metal bands around each tooth that the little metal doodads were attached to, they weren’t cemented to my teeth. Damn, I wish Invisalign was invented back then!
I did have the wax for pokey wires and a waterpik for cleaning. I don’t think they mentioned anything about flossing. Corn on the cob was hard to eat. I don’t remember the pain so much, but it was all worth it.
The pain generally isn’t that bad for normal adjustments. IIRC, the dire warnings about chewing gum are pretty baseless, but caramel chews will rip the brackets right off your teeth.
If the orthodontist even mentions something called a “power chain”, just bite his hand off at the soonest opportunity, because that spells serious pain. I don’t remember why I was subjected to that, but oy, it was days of soup and yogurt.
Lvgeogeek~ You can rule out anything sticky to eat or that you have to bite into, like apples. You’ll be using a knife and fork for a while. If you get a chance before you see your dentist, check out www.lumineers.com. Depending on your teeth, your dentist can use lumineers instead of braces, and it only takes 2 dentist visits for the procedure. Ive been working on a project with them so have picked up quite a bit of info! Good luck!
I got the braces on last Wednesday (the 17th). So far it hasn’t been so bad. Not a terrible amount of pain. Yet. The front brackets are not tied into the back (anchor?) brackets yet. That will be on my next appointment.
I would post some picts, but the clear brackets don’t show up so well in the pictures. I guess that’s a good thing.
I have progressed from drinkable yogurt to soup to some actual food, just little tiny bites. I cant bite anything with my front teeth, though I did try to bite a Wendy’s french fry on the front teeth (ow ow ow). I did manage bacon, in tiny pieces chewed (very carefully) with my molars. Chicken salad (tiny chix pieces), breakfast foods, and mashed potatoes of course have been OK. The Chinese food, not so much. That will take some work. I haven’t attempted to eat meat (steak or pork) that requires real hardy chewing yet, but it has only been 5 days.
Sometimes if the front teeth come together to “hard” it can be a bit painful. I sneezed the day after I got them on and the teeth bumped together, the pain was unbelievable.
The weirdest sensation is getting used to the wire tension “changing” when I drink hot or cold drinks.
instead of 
though!
