Hatrack River Forum: To Add To All The Teen Drama Today...

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Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :

I got braces today. So far, only one tooth is really bugging me, and I ate some spaghetti (with hamburger and feta cheese) just fine.

And I'm not going through one of those "Dear god, don't look at my mouth!" things 'cause my teeth have ALWAYS been ugly.

The biggest problem I've seen so far is that I have to limit my pop intake to a can a day.

So, yeah, just updating you fine folks on my oh so interesting life.

[ May 24, 2004, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: Da_Goat ]

Posted by tt&t (Member # 5600) on :

You suck, Goat. [Razz]

Posted by tt&t (Member # 5600) on :

Actually, I feel for ya. When I got braces, it didn't hurt for the first day, it was the second day, after they'd started to feel the pressure, that was sore. But it will go away. [Smile]

You'll probably get a little sore every time they get tightened, though. But I guess you knew that.

Oh, and your mouth might get a bit cut up for the first few weeks, and you might get mouth ulcers. If they gave you wax, use it, dude. The ulcers hurt way more than the braces. <grin>

I get mine off later this year! Woo! [Big Grin]

Posted by tt&t (Member # 5600) on :

Haha actually I'm going to the orthodontist to get 'em tightened in about half an hour. <sigh>

Ok, I'll stop post-whoring in your thread, now. [Razz]

Posted by Zevlag (Member # 1405) on :

I do agree about the wax, should definitely use it.

**is glad to have braces off now**

Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :

When I got braces, I thought the spacers (pre-brace installation, between certain teeth) were far worse than braces themselves. I also had a palate-splitter (a thing which is best left to the imagination). Even so, the spacers were worse.

I still can't stand the feeling of anything between my teeth, which is a good thing, because it forces me to floss.

So, I'm glad that you have braces, your mouth will thank you in later years. *smile*

I find now (even though I didn't wear my retainer as I ought to have) that my smile is fantastic! Also, how my teeth meet when I close my mouth is far more correct. I used to have a slight underbite, and it caused no end of trouble when eating.

Yes, wax; yes, tightening is a literal pain; yes, now I can call you braceface and metalmouth! *ducks*

Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :

I never had braces.

Many think I'm "lucky," but I wish I did earlier, when I was little, so my teeth would be nice now, and so if I wanted them to be that way, I wouldn't have to do it as a teen or older.

Posted by Da_Goat (Member # 5529) on :

I have had a palatte expander for almost a year now. That was much, much worse, but a lot less obvious unless I tried to hock some food out from on top of it.

Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :

Yeah, I never had braces either, they just decided that I had too many teeth and pulled 9 of them, then they kind of fell into place, but I still think braces would have been a good idea, at least on the lower teeth.

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

Getting my braces tightened doesn't really bother me, and braces actually seem like a walk in the park after a retainer (which I was supposed to wear all the time and never did), and headgear (which I was supposed to wear every night and always did), 6 wisdom teeth removed and a skin graft.

Pfft. Braces are nothing!

(Actually, I'm serious; on me, when I get them tightened, they're sore, but not painful.)

And you'll have a gorgeous smile at the end!

hint: If you can, and you don't already have one, get a waterpick (squirty thing sort of like the thing they have at the dentist). It's way easier and faster and better than labourous (sp?) flossing!

Posted by Polio (Member # 6479) on :

Always ALWAYS have the pine-tree toothbrush on hand. Soggy bread is your enemy. Also... [Laugh]

it sucks to be you! [Taunt]

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

See Polio's post also. Beware spinach, lettuce, corn on the cob, ribs...

Not good!

Posted by Lara (Member # 132) on :

Teshi, 6 wisdom teeth?

Yay, goat. The day you get them off will be a day people who've never had braces can't comprehend.

Posted by Olivetta (Member # 6456) on :

Ah, the memories. I got mine off the day before graduation. I looked like I'd swallowed a piano. [Big Grin]

Guess I just wasn't used to seeing all those teeth.

One other bit of advice, besides using the wax:

Lysene(sp?). An amino acid supplement that helps with sores. Or just take a good multi-vitamin regularly. Even if you eat a balanced diet, vitamins do help you heal faster.

Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :

I actually found the wax to be generally useless, more an irritation than anything usually...

Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :

The spacers were definately the worse part. Braces also did terrible things to my french horn skillz. That's what I remember most about them.

Oh, and after many hours of making out with your girlfriend they can cause some irritation. I'm just sayin'.

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

Lysine, maybe? Linky Never heard of that particular use for it. [Dont Know]

Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :

*ouch* ulcers. Use the wax! Use the wax!

I think my most impressive tally was 10 ulcers at one stage.

But I have beautiful teeth now. [Big Grin]

Oh, and don't eat popcorn. I did. It broke the wire at the back. Painful and expensive.

Posted by fiazko (Member # 5812) on :

Add my vote to those who think that the spacers were the worst. I was so excited to get my braces off, I got a tattoo. And I maintain that I would rather be shot, even though I haven't, than go through braces again. Yes, it was worth it, but my only happy memory was the time I bit my %*@!# orthodontist.

Edit: BTW, good luck, Goat.

[ May 25, 2004, 02:03 AM: Message edited by: fiazko ]

Posted by Beca (Member # 4340) on :

I found it much easier to deal with the ulcers than the wax. The wax moved around, and never stayed where I put it. And it felt like having chewing gum stuck on your teeth. So I stopped trying to use it. After a couple weeks, my mouth stopped getting irritated, and that was that.

Tightening wasn't so terrible, but it certainly wasn't fun. I took an Advil or Tylenol if it was distracting me from homework.

The worst part came after I'd had braces for a while, and they had to add some hardware on the inside of my bite. For some reason, the couple ulcers on my tongue were worse than all the rest put together.

I had four bicuspids pulled to make room, then they separated some teeth in the front to make room to move my "shark" teeth forward (I had two rows in my bite for a while). I wore headgear at night for a while to correct a slight overbite, and then had several fun series of elastic chains and/or bands that I had to take out and replace whenever I ate (my teeth were off-center). Braces took almost three years, but I loved my orthodontist. Dr. Zeiler explained (in a German accent) how it all worked, and what he was trying to make happen as he adjusted everything.

My advice to anyone who has or is getting braces: Brush and floss like a maniac. My friends made fun of me for brushing and flossing at school after lunch, but when my braces came off, I didn't have any stains.

Also, wear your retainer when you get your braces off. My parents didn't, and my brother didn't, and their teeth have shifted back a bit. My teeth still look like they did when the braces came off, because I still wear my retainer a few nights every week.

Definitely worth the trouble in the end. Being confident about your smile is a wonderful thing, and straight teeth are easier to keep clean - which means fewer cavities.

Posted by Yozhik (Member # 89) on :

I had braces for about two years, after the orthodontist gave up trying to get me to wear an evil device called a (picture) bionator, which covered both upper and lower jaws so that I had to talk through my teeth.

My favorite memory of braces: while surreptitiously enjoying a Jolly Rancher hard candy during class, I managed to get the piece of candy fused to both my upper and lower rows of braces. So my mouth was glued shut, and I had to sit there waiting for the candy to melt, hoping that the teacher wouldn't call on me.