I will be blogging about my experiences about once a week on any changes/pain/concerns etc. And will throw in a YouTube video once in a while to show you guys progress.
So just a little bit of background on my specific case:
Iam soon turning 21 in April and have wanted a perfect smile for about 10 years. The last 5yrs I was doing some mad research and thinking hard about what I wanted to do and just this year I saved all the money to finally go ahead and do it. Was $6,200 but I had $3100 (Canadian) covered from dental. The main reason I wanted braces was to align and straighten my severely crooked bottom teeth and to round out my mouth to have fuller arches and a wider smile. I had black spaces on the sides when I smiled and my top teeth were slightly crooked as well. My treatment is estimated to be 20-24 months.
*Keep in mind EVERYONES case is different with cost/procedures and what type of braces will work best for you.
I originally wanted to get Invisilign (clear on top and bottom retainers, no metal required) and made an appointment with an Orthodontist. For her personally, my case was a little severe and out of her comfort zone so she sent me over to an Ortho that was more complex. I had about 4 visits with her when she crushed me when she told me I shouldnt get Invisilign for the simple fact that my case was still too severe. She had said they would work and improve my teeth but not give me a 100 percent result and I may need to go into braces again right after which meant (4+ years of braces + double the cost)..um....no thanks!
We finally decided upon braces (The Damon Braces) I got 6 clear top brackets with the rest metal. I have to wear light rubber bands that are fairly hidden for the duration of my treatment. I have stoppers on my molars to prevent me from biting down and hitting my back brackets. For the first few months I have 3 springs (one on the left canine and two over my bottom teeth) Before I got my braces it was a very long, drawn out process...I had to see 2 Orthos as well as go to about 25 appointments, get all my dental work done, get molds, xrays and get all 4 of my wisdom teeth out before we could start (I have a blog post on that).
As far as getting them on it took about 2 hours. Its a very easy process just very long and annoying after a while. No pain putting them on and my mouth didnt feel as stretched out as I thought it would with the big plastic parts they put in your mouth to hold your cheeks back. My jaw did get sore after 2 hours of holding it open but after the brackets were on the wire was a breeze. All they do for each tooth is pretty much dry it with air, put on glue to hold the bracket, push the bracket on the tooth and cure it with a light. Takes about 3 minutes per tooth. The first time I felt them was with just the brackets (no wire) and they didnt feel that weird to me...once the wires were on they do feel quite weird and bulky in the sense that your mouth and lips dont really know what to do for awhile. I talk totally normal I dont have a lisp but my lips get confused on where to rest and do stick out a lot.
There is one thing I will tell you and I know its completely normal but its a feeling that you will never know until you get braces and thats...having all the metal in your mouth and feeling like its 30 times bigger then it actually is and it feels like everyone in the world is staring at your mouth. (Even though when we see people with braces it is noticeable but its not all you notice...and I happen to think braces ON OTHER PEOPLE are cute) Thats the toughest part for me....Im very in tuned to what I look like (like most people) and my confidence is just completely shot after this. I feel so ugly and I feel like I will never look good with them on. Im not gonna say they are pretty nor will they ever be but hopefully after they straighten and I get the springs off it will look less harsh. Your mind also has to get used to seeing yourself like that. Once you see yourself your heart kind of sinks because a) you know they cant come off b) your stuck with them for 1-2 years c) your in for a lot of pain for a good few weeks d) retraining your mouth to talk, eat, drink, and for you lips to sit normal is a challenge. (Eating is especially hard with the big block of filling in my molars preventing me from biting down all the way. It feels like hard gum stuck in your teeth that you cant get out and the sensation of where your food is, is very odd)
As far as pain...I didnt feel any within the first 4 hours...none at all it was mostly getting used to them. But I did take a nap and woke up and there is certain teeth that if I touch them they are tender and almost feel loose and wobbly. Quite a bit of pressure. Nothing unbearable yet. There is no sharp brackets in my mouth and so far, dont have any problems with sores inside my mouth. Once, I was using my tongue to clean out the sides of my braces and it kind of hooked onto a bracket so just be careful of rubbing your tongue along the outside. As far as rubber bands go....most frustrating shit I've ever experienced! They are tiny and so hard to hook on to your brackets. Between big fingers + small elastics + saliva and your cheeks and with a very small bracket to work with ...it becomes very frustrating....the only thing keeping me going is getting the springs off and seeing improvement and getting these bad boys off. Im glad the top are clear but the springs dont exactly make it very clear at the moment. Ive eaten a softer chilli so far and its not that bad to chew...I just use my back teeth because my front teeth are sore. I will update soon! xo
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