Braces ?, how is it ? Options

[Reem]

Hello every one I m going to fix my braces after few days and Im kinda
sOoOOoOOOO Exited LOL
I've been dreaming of it FOR YEARS
but
as it is getting closer
Im so woried !!!!
OuCh!
how painful is it???
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)
any one with braces here ??

do you think putting on my headphones will make me feel better???
Im gOnNA cRyYYyYYY!!!!
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)
but Im still so happpY to get this mouth full of metaLLL!

[anakrron]

I had braces for a year - had them off last June - and it was fine. I was rather apprehensive about having it fitted at first, but since one of my friends (who would scream with pain with a papercut) didn't complain much about it, I assumed it wouldn't be too bad. The fitting took about 40 minutes, and rather uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt that much. You could listen to music (if that's what you meant by headphones) but it might be a bit distracting for the dentist...

It's worse after you have it on, because you can't eat much for about a week, and for me, the braces rubbed on the inside of my lip so that it was really sore. But after a week or so I think my mouth toughened up & got used to the brace, so I didn't feel it much at all. After some more weeks, I felt completely normal.

Depending on how bad your teeth is, you can have your brace from 1 year to up to several years. Some people have to wear a retainer for a set period of time after getting them off, and personally the retainer was more uncfomrtable than the actual brace. I sitll have to wear a retainer at night though.

Anyhoo, even if it is a bit of a bother, it's all worth it when you finally have it off and see your perfectly aligned teeth!

[zongyi]

i've completed my braces programme,
am currently wearing retailers now.
Well, you won't feel a thing when the dentist puts on the braces for you,
but it'll be extremely painful after that for one week.
braces are indeed ugly,
but you'll look like an angel after the programme.
sacrifice 2+ years for flawless teeth?
i think its v worth it.
good luck. ;-}

tips: you better gobble own your favourite food now as you cant bite into hard things for one week after putting on braces.

[Car Expert]

I've got braces, and most of the time, they seem fine. But when you've just had an orthodontist appointment, you'll find they do hurt after the first few days. Appointments are usually every six weeks.

You also have to use a different technique when brushing your teeth. You have to brush each tooth, moving your brush in a circular movement, so any food that might be stuck behind the braces or on the teeth can come out.

As zongyi said, there are also things you have to give up on eating and drinking. They include:

• Juice
• Fizzy drinks
• Sticky food (e.g. chewing gum)
• Nuts
• Crusts on toast

Hope that helps (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Car Expert

[ashmoors]

Nothing really to worry bout. I had them for 18 months and there were no big issues. Its just annoying when the wire pokes your cheek and you develope and ulcer(s). Oh and a tip for your first meal- dont have your parents serve you broccoli. I spent 30 mins after dinner trying to get it all out of the metal :| And as CE said, cleaning is important. Dont clean properly and your teeth where the braces were will be whiter than the rest of the tooth. Sorry not trying to scare you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[anakrron]

I've got braces, and most of the time, they seem fine. But when you've just had an orthodontist appointment, you'll find they do hurt after the first few days. Appointments are usually every six weeks.

You also have to use a different technique when brushing your teeth. You have to brush each tooth, moving your brush in a circular movement, so any food that might be stuck behind the braces or on the teeth can come out.

As zongyi said, there are also things you have to give up on eating and drinking. They include:

• Juice
• Fizzy drinks
• Sticky food (e.g. chewing gum)
• Nuts
• Crusts on toast

Hope that helps (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Car Expert

Really? When I had braces I didn't stop eating the crusts or the nuts (I don't like the first three foods in normal circumstances anyway)... maybe I was breaking the rules. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) I also wasn't very careful with brushing either - at the beginning, I was given all sorts of toothbrushes, mouthwashes etc, but I kind of abandoned them after a few weeks. Oops... it didn't seem to make much difference! Although that might be because I only had them for a year....

[Car Expert]

I've got braces, and most of the time, they seem fine. But when you've just had an orthodontist appointment, you'll find they do hurt after the first few days. Appointments are usually every six weeks.

You also have to use a different technique when brushing your teeth. You have to brush each tooth, moving your brush in a circular movement, so any food that might be stuck behind the braces or on the teeth can come out.

As zongyi said, there are also things you have to give up on eating and drinking. They include:

• Juice
• Fizzy drinks
• Sticky food (e.g. chewing gum)
• Nuts
• Crusts on toast

Hope that helps (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Car Expert

Really? When I had braces I didn't stop eating the crusts or the nuts (I don't like the first three foods in normal circumstances anyway)... maybe I was breaking the rules. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

I was given a leaflet, which mentioned that.

Car Expert

[tzl_tzl]

I've got braces, and most of the time, they seem fine. But when you've just had an orthodontist appointment, you'll find they do hurt after the first few days. Appointments are usually every six weeks.

You also have to use a different technique when brushing your teeth. You have to brush each tooth, moving your brush in a circular movement, so any food that might be stuck behind the braces or on the teeth can come out.

As zongyi said, there are also things you have to give up on eating and drinking. They include:

• Juice
• Fizzy drinks
• Sticky food (e.g. chewing gum)
• Nuts
• Crusts on toast

Hope that helps (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Car Expert

Really? When I had braces I didn't stop eating the crusts or the nuts (I don't like the first three foods in normal circumstances anyway)... maybe I was breaking the rules. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

I was given a leaflet, which mentioned that.

Car Expert

I got a leaftlet too, but I still drink juice, fizzy drinks, nuts, crusts on toast and even sweets. =p I am a bad boy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) But who cares, when I visit my orthodontist, I will still get a "very good and clean teeth" comment.

Anyway, I might be able to take them off soon as my teeth are almost perfect already. Not painful at the moment but I can't sleep for one night last week due to extreamly painful teeth

[anakrron]

I got a leaftlet too, but I still drink juice, fizzy drinks, nuts, crusts on toast and even sweets. =p I am a bad boy. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) But who cares, when I visit my orthodontist, I will still get a "very good and clean teeth" comment.

Anyway, I might be able to take them off soon as my teeth are almost perfect already. Not painful at the moment but I can't sleep for one night last week due to extreamly painful teeth

Haha, so did I... I really didn't bother doing the million teeth-brushing techniques, but whenever I went for a check up they said my teeth were perfectly fine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) But I wouldn't advise doing the same to the original poster - do try and do what your orthodontist says!

When you get your brace off, it's one of the best feelings in the world (though your teeth feels strangely slimy for a few days afterwards! I couldn't stop licking my teeth, to make sure nothing was stuck to it anymore.

[nicki_flute]

I had to clean for 10 minutes each time I brushed my teeth (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)!

[The Oboemeister]

I carried on as normal with braces... the only thing that was different was the fact that it totally screwed up my oboe playing, cos I had mine for 3 years. Everything else was as normal, I could still eat apples in the normal way. However, you might want to avoid:

Chocolate Eclairs; not the real things, but the cadbury's sweets. I wrenched out 3 of the metal things that stick to your teeth by doing that. Not a good idea if you don't like pain.
Rice; especially when you first get them put on. It sticks in between and you cannot, just cannot, get it out. Rice is even worse if you have a tooth pulled, cos it goes down into the hole in the gum and is a nightmare to get out.

But it is sooo great when they get taken off, it feels like you can put bananas sideways into your mouth whole. But watch out for the retainer, mine was like a massive gumshield and it hurt so much for the first couple of days. Other people had a nice diddy one, but mine is huge and horrid. But it's all well worth it. And you're also lucky that you've either a) managed to get rid of removable braces, the sort you have to wind up to made wider/narrower, or (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) escaped the things entirely.

[hellokitty]

You dont have to give up anything!! You can eat anything you want just clean your teeth and around the brackets extra. The dentist will never know...

[shimmer]

I had a brace fitted after my 13th birthday but due to an incredibly busy orthodontics surgery I only had them tightened once in the first year. Then we heard that they had been suspended (the orthodontics) and that I would hear from a new surgery within a fortnight. 3 months later we finaly got a letter saying we had an appointment for 4 months later to have my brace removed, then I would have to aply to get another brace which would take at least a year, then my origional treatment would be repeated exept I would have to have 4 teeth removed first. I was mad at this to say the least. Then I found out why my origional orthodontics had been suspended - they had a slightly different method of straigtening teeth because they didnt approve of pulling masses of teeth out. This method however cost twice as much for the NHS to fund. The government decided that too much money was being spent on 'needless alternatives' and scraped this method. I was even more mad then.
I finally got my brace off and flatley refused to have 4 teeth out and another brace. Now, a year later, my teeth have returned to their pre-brace state so I spent a year and a half of brace wearing for nothing. GGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! All this just to save the #### government money! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

You can eat anything but think of a good excuse to tell the dentist when there are bits of metal hanging off!!

[ultrasoprano]

sucks to get your braces on your birthday...

i have one piece of advice when getting your braces put on

if it feels like there is some liquidy stuff in your mouth and you think it would be more comfortable to swallow it.................. DON'T~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it will be so much worse if you swallow it

take this advice!!!!!!!!!!1

-christina

[crazy_purple_piano_freak]

Nothing really to worry bout. I had them for 18 months and there were no big issues. Its just annoying when the wire pokes your cheek and you develope and ulcer(s).

Grr I get them every single time! Some of my friends have 'bracewax' which I didnt get and apparently that helps...

Chocolate Eclairs; not the real things, but the cadbury's sweets. I wrenched out 3 of the metal things that stick to your teeth by doing that. Not a good idea if you don't like pain.
Rice; especially when you first get them put on. It sticks in between and you cannot, just cannot, get it out. Rice is even worse if you have a tooth pulled, cos it goes down into the hole in the gum and is a nightmare to get out.

Dried dates wrench out the metal things too...its ok if you have a few, but If you were like me and ate half a pack at once... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)
And being Chinese, we tend to eat rice up to 5 times a week as its always been our main diet...my brace doesnt really bother me..

I have a clear retainer right now..grr hate it.