Getting Braces - What to expect?

JessHimself

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Jan 7, 2011
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So I'm set to get braces next week, and I will have them for approx. 3 years, and I heard that for the first little bit, your lips get cut up, and that they are painful. Is there anything else I should expect not only when I first get them, but in general aswell?
 

Kaboose the Moose

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Feb 15, 2009
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It's only painful when a new wire is put and the teeth move to it's allocated position. In general though the orthodontist hands out a white, putty like substance as well to apply to the brace brackets that cut into the lip/inner cheek wall.

Apart form that expect a lot of food to get jammed there.
 

HT_Black

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May 1, 2009
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Okay, so imagine the worst pain you can. Imagine a combination of aching, cutting, and burning beyond the limits of all the pain you've ever known. That's inside your mouth--inside your teeth--twenty-four-seven, three-sixty-five, for four years. You'll have to learn new ways of eating and talking unless you want to cut your lips to ribbons, and if you're lucky you'll only get one or two stray wires lodged inside your tongue. Your mouth will know nothing but agony and numbness, in that order, until the day you get them removed.

It'll make your smile nice and pretty, though. So who cares?
 

Eternal_Lament

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Sep 23, 2010
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The next time you eat after getting a new wire in hurts like hell, but the rest if fine. Brushing your teeth though gets a little bit harder.
 

Samwise137

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Aug 3, 2010
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BRING CHAPSTICK! The orthodontic gloves wreak havok on your lips. Other than that, it's not so bad. Wearing a retainer after a long period off? Now THAT's bad!
 

JessHimself

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Jan 7, 2011
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HT_Black said:
Okay, so imagine the worst pain you can. Imagine a combination of aching, cutting, and burning beyond the limits of all the pain you've ever known. That's inside your mouth--inside your teeth--twenty-four-seven, three-sixty-five, for four years. You'll have to learn new ways of eating and talking unless you want to cut your lips to ribbons, and if you're lucky you'll only get one or two stray wires lodged inside your tongue. Your mouth will know nothing but agony and numbness, in that order, until the day you get them removed.

It'll make your smile nice and pretty, though. So who cares?
My stomach just churned a little... But the end will justify the means I guess. I also need to get a spreader (Not too sure on the medical term) for my top jaw, anyone have any fun with those?
 

Trippy Turtle

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May 10, 2010
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for me it was 2 days of pain and eating only soup. Then about 6-8 months of my cheeks getting cut up and they hurt a bit after tightening them. the bottom ones hurt heaps more then the top ones. panadol does not ease the pain of braces. its harder to brush with braces on. you will bloody well miss hem when their gone :(.

edit: i forgot to mention the ulcers from the wire cutting you and WHATEVER YOU DO DONT LICK YOUR TEETH UNTIL THEY HAVE BEEN BRUSHED ONCE THEY ARE OFF!!! although i have warned you this task is nearly impossible. oh and dont let the wire get hooked to your cheek... its hell getting it out.


You just lost the game.
 

MissGinaKid

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Mar 16, 2010
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It only hurts for a week after getting new wire. But you have to get new wire alot so be ready for it. You can pretty much eat the same stuff but if you want your teeth to look good. Brush vigerously and use mouthwash. Otherwise you'll have crap in your teeth 24/7 simply beacuse the braces hide it so well.
 

ginty2

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Dec 16, 2008
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i would expect some pain when they put new wires in. i don't know what modern braces are like but when i had to wear them i also had that headgear thing to wear. i think elastics were the worst part of braces, the new wires were bad enough but those damned elasics were absolute torture!
 

MassiveGeek

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Jan 11, 2009
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I had braces for 4 years, and from my own personal experience this I'll have to tell you before anything else:

It's fucking worth it.

Anyway, yes, braces are a bit of a pain and take some getting used to. Your teeth will be pulled by steel wires, so it's gonna feel weird, although the pulling will go away eventually until your next visit. Yes, you're probably gonna get some cuts, which is extremely annoying since the braces will rub against it and it'll take longer to heal because of it. Also, as mentioned, food will stuck in them, you'll eventually learn how to get it out with your tounge I'd guess(at least I did), but if you have trouble try bringing toothpicks of something with you when you go out to eat. :p Just in case.

You'll get used to it though, trust me.
 

dex-dex

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Oct 20, 2009
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when the wire is put it in it will be uncomfortable but nothing unbearable
also stay away from gooey candy like gummy bears they are hard to pick out.
but my orthodontist said not to chew gum but I so did.

elastics are a ***** as well. and it is key to really brush EVERYWHERE! my brother had them and two of his back molars had a mark of where the braces were adhered to. because he missed it quite a bit.
 

JessHimself

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Jan 7, 2011
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I'd like to say that everyones posts have been really helpful, and a nice boost of confidence :)
Thank you everyone very much!
 
Mar 30, 2010
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I had braces back when I was a young 'un. It didn't really hurt, there was just constant pressure more than anything. The only thing to look out for is if you play rugby, believe me when I say your lips can get pretty torn up during a game - after all gumshields only work for the upper jaw.

Don't worry about it though, getting/having braces doesn't really hurt and after a month or two you won't even notice them.
 

SilverMyon

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Dec 31, 2010
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I had braces for many years. At first I had to use two days to learn how to pronounce some words. It was not a big problem and I could make myself understood, but speaking in front of the class during english lessons required some practice. (English is not my native language.)

Braces are only painful every time you put in a new wire. The pain is worst the first day and you don't want to eat anything hard. When the school lunch was nachos, I discovered that I'm not really into masochism. The pain last for a couple of days and light painkillers might help. I became resistant to the pain after a while.

Your mouth will adapt to the braces and you should not cut your mouth on them. If you do, the dentist should fix that or it might just be temporary. Brushing your teeth will be harder and you might want to use some mouthwash.

You should not worry about getting braces. Your teeth will look really nice afterwards.
 

Lilani

Sometimes known as CaitieLou
May 27, 2009
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I first got my braces about 7 years ago, so I have a feeling they are very different now from what I got back then.

Because the main problem I had with my braces was the metal. See, I had them on the top and bottom, and the metal things out front tended to jab and cut the insides of my lips. They gave me this nasty wax stuff to put on them to cushion it, but the wax tasted awful and always wore away pretty fast. So I just dealt with it. Finally, I think I either developed thicker flesh there or just habitually began to keep my lips in a different position out of defense because it stopped...after a few months.

But as far as tooth pain, I never really felt any at all. However apparently I was pretty unusual because I never needed rubber bands, which I hear are a pain to put in and take out (which you have to do every time you eat, or so I've been told).

And if you get a retainer, that isn't very bad at all. But it does get pretty nasty and smelly and you will sound as though you have a severe speech impediment while you're wearing it.

Again, orthodontic technology has probably vastly improved in the past seven years, but that was my experience. Good luck! :D
 

Eclectic Dreck

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Sep 3, 2008
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I would expect to suffer from headaches more frequently, generally in the first few days after they have been tightened. Also be wary of playing any sport where body contact is likely as peeling one's lips from metal barbs isn't a lot of fun. Beyond that, expect to brush your teeth more often and far more vigorously than you are used to as failure to do so leads to garbage breath.
 

Eclectic Dreck

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JessHimself said:
HT_Black said:
Okay, so imagine the worst pain you can. Imagine a combination of aching, cutting, and burning beyond the limits of all the pain you've ever known. That's inside your mouth--inside your teeth--twenty-four-seven, three-sixty-five, for four years. You'll have to learn new ways of eating and talking unless you want to cut your lips to ribbons, and if you're lucky you'll only get one or two stray wires lodged inside your tongue. Your mouth will know nothing but agony and numbness, in that order, until the day you get them removed.

It'll make your smile nice and pretty, though. So who cares?
My stomach just churned a little... But the end will justify the means I guess. I also need to get a spreader (Not too sure on the medical term) for my top jaw, anyone have any fun with those?
I was fortunate enough to not need this device but my sister complained about hers at length. In general, the more one needs to move one's teeth, the more painful the experience is. The pain is not nearly so bad as some would lead you to believe. In fact, the actual tooth pain was easy enough to ignore even right after an adjustment unless I was foolish enough to eat the wrong kind of food (and you'll quickly sort out what the wrong kind of food is yourself). That said, adjustments generally caused headaches, which I personally found far more upsetting than the pain in the teeth simply because it is more difficult to ignore.
 

Gekkeiju

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Jan 3, 2011
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HT_Black said:
Okay, so imagine the worst pain you can. Imagine a combination of aching, cutting, and burning beyond the limits of all the pain you've ever known. That's inside your mouth--inside your teeth--twenty-four-seven, three-sixty-five, for four years. You'll have to learn new ways of eating and talking unless you want to cut your lips to ribbons, and if you're lucky you'll only get one or two stray wires lodged inside your tongue. Your mouth will know nothing but agony and numbness, in that order, until the day you get them removed.

It'll make your smile nice and pretty, though. So who cares?
Whaaaat. Not true.

They hurt for a few days after, like everyone else here has said, but other than that, they dont. Sometimes something will get a bit sharp and start cutting, but you can usually get your orthodontist to file it down for you and make it more comfortable. But be very care with hard foods, like pizza crust and hoola hoops (broke mine on both of those things!) cause it break your wires and then it can start cutting. Otherwise, you can eat pretty much anything you like!

You should get some special toothbrushes from you orthodontist to clean under the wires and things, make sure you use them to prevent your teeth staining in odd places. xD
 

me.vicky

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Jun 23, 2010
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Your lips will get cut up and develop sores every once in a while, you'll have what can only be described as a headache in your mouth every time they get tightened, you might not be able to chew for a few days (I couldn't) your lips will feel odd, like they don't fit over your teeth. You'll have to deal with the shame of breaking a bracket and having to face your orthodontist several times (I did) and be sure not to kiss anyone who also has braces.

And by the end if it, you'll have lovely straight teeth. So far, it's been worth it.
 

DkLnBr

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Apr 2, 2009
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Its already been said a few times, but i'll still say it again. When you first get them, and when they get adjusted, it feels like you got punched in the mouth. It will also cut and scrape the inside of your mouth so expect sores, and on top of all that, food will get stuck in it. But even so, its not all that bad once you get used to it, and your teeth will look purdy.