Braces

So I got braces put in a few days ago. I had no idea what I was in for really, only what I wanted out of them. I've had them for about 4 days and I can't fucking chew or smile or talk without something going wrong. I know it's supposed to get easier with time but it feels like medieval torture right now.

I mean, why do they still use metal? Surely there must be some kind of softer but equally sturdy material that doesn't chafe the inside of your lip or cut your tongue up when you roll it around desperately trying to fucking dislodge food gumming up your teeth. Ugh. Trying to eat is the worst part. I had egg noodles the other day and had to leave most of it.

Anyone else had to deal with this? The only advice my ortho's given me is "take Panadol or painkillers if you need to" and "use this fucking useless wax thing to prevent scratching, even though it doesn't adhere for longer than six hours and comes off when you eat"

I had braces when I was about 14. cut my mouth to shreds. you get used to it though.

currently in my fourth month of invisalign treatment. yes, they're more expensive - but it's worth it imho. they're practically invisible unless i point them out to you, you can take them out for eating and drinking, and there's practically no pain at all except a bit of pressure on the teeth for a few days after you get a new set.

I've still got scars on the inside of my cheeks.

  On 1/28/2011 at 3:57 PM, usagi said:

I got 'fast-acting' ones which are supposed to cut a few months of treatment time...

I would bet that the fast-acting translates to more soreness.

  On 1/28/2011 at 6:23 PM, keltoi said:

.........<<<--- Usagi

WATMM ->

Topanga? what?

how old are you guys?

I enjoy my braces. They made my teeth look good. They don't really bother me on a day to day basis

i had headgear, i had to wear that shit at night. hurt like something fierce, uncomfortable etc. i have never had braces though. my teeth are fine enough the headgear helped.

this kid kinda looked like me back then

i always found it so sad yet kinda funny when i saw the kids that had to wear headgear in the day. that would be horrible.

Throughout highschool I had them. Five years. You get used to it. Now I have an amazing smile :D

I still have nightmares about braces, but I seem to recall getting used to them after maybe a week. Somehow I think that kind of thing is probably easier when you're younger. Had them a total of 3 years, first year of high school included. The painkiller idea your doctor had is a good one. Painkillers were definitely the best part of getting braces. Well, that and the whole having a structurally sound jaw by the end of it thing.

fap

fapfapfap

I've got 99 braces but my bitch ain't got none.

i've had nearly everything you can get at the orthodontist. it's a bitch, your mouth gets torn up, the wire tightening makes your jaw muscles ache like hell, the rubber bands are even more painful.

it could be worse though, you could have the expander. those are absolutely horrible. it's like a Saw trap

  On 1/28/2011 at 3:40 PM, Iain C said:

currently in my fourth month of invisalign treatment. yes, they're more expensive - but it's worth it imho. they're practically invisible unless i point them out to you, you can take them out for eating and drinking, and there's practically no pain at all except a bit of pressure on the teeth for a few days after you get a new set.

i was pissed when i couldn't get these

  On 1/28/2011 at 10:24 PM, halisray said:

Throughout highschool I had them. Five years. You get used to it. Now I have an amazing smile :D

same, my teeth are perfect now

The chafing, fuck I remember the chafing.

I'm missing a couple teeth and happen to have lost my retainer a long time ago... so I'm sure that in a few years I'll need braces again due to teeth shifting about.

just remember, no matter what they tell you, you wear that fuckin retainer for the rest of your life.

i stopped wearin mine for a while, then noticed i couldnt put it in anymore , a few more years after that and one of my teeth is starting to push out of the line. and i aint doin it again. hello fucked up mouth for the rest of my life.

You should pick up some dental wax and squish it into the areas that chafe your mouth, it'll really help. I just picked up a new set of retainers five years after losing my last pair. Smetty is right, make sure you wear those things everyday.

i have a serious case of receding gums on my lower teeth and i need to have that surgery that takes grafts of your skin from the roof of your mouth and transplants to the gums. I hear it is extremely painful :-(