Braces and Me!?

Question

Ok I'm getting braces next year around June and I have a few questions because I've already started thinking about them. Ok here we go:
1. My friend kind of over exaggerates a little and says that they're horrible and that you'll be sore for like 2 weeks....Do they really hurt that bad?
2. What's the process that they go through when putting them on?
3. What color should I get when I first get them?
4. What are some foods that I should consider when I get them?
5. What food shouldn't I eat?
6. And finally...are braces really that bad?

Ya know I figure if my 11 year old cousin can go through it than I can. I don't really have a bad smile it's just that I have a gap between my teeth.

My orthodontist gave me bite plate last year so I know what it's like to have a bunch of junk in your mouth. It's to help from my back teeth from grinding down.

Oh yeah and I'm a fanatic of Campbell's chicken and stars soup so I'm good there.

Answer 1

1. Your teeth will definately be sore. Maybe not for two weeks, but within the first few days.
2. You will have to have each bracket glued to each teeth, then they will insert the wire. I actually had to have a device put into the roof of my mouth that I had to turn with a small keyish thing almost 3 mouths beforehand, because my mouth was too small.
3. I got red and green for Christmas my first time, but baby pink, black, and clear look good...not all together, but as three different ideas for solids.
4. Eat soft foods.
5. NUTS! POPCORN! ICE!!!
6. Braces are totally not bad...they will make your teeth hurt a few days after each tightening, but in the end, they are definately worth it!

Answer 2

i got the clear brackets about two months ago...
1. when they first put them on me, they only hurt for three days, but it could be longer depending on the person, and if you get the bottom and top at the same time, my last tightening they didnt change the wire, so i dont know how those feel yet.

2. first they insert these metal things over your molars, then they brush on a couple solutions and dry them using a uv light, then they attatch the little square things. Last they secure the wire through the square theings and you have a bunch of wire ends sticking out of your mouth. The only painful parts of the procedure are the inserting of the metal things of your molars, and the cutting of the wires.

3. You should get which ever color you want. just not yellow, clear, or neon green...i think you can guess why.

4 & 5. When you first get them GO EAT, because it will hurt later, The next day i ate maceroni & cheese, it was soft and i didnt need to chew much. Avoid hard or crunchy foods because it hurts. And when you first eat the worst part is not the pain, its the awkwardness and the wierd feel of eating with braces. At first you might want to break apart your food, instead of biting into it, ex: sandwhich, it will get all over your braces, this is good to keep in mind especially in public like at school. After the pain is gone avoid sticky stuff like taffy, because it can pull out your braces, but i still chew gum. Avoid biting directly into apples and other hard foods because they could break of the little squares. Other than those suggestions listen to your orthodontist, and use your own judgement on food choices..

6. Braces are not at all what some people say they are. Especially the clear ones. And your teeth change faster than you expect. Mine are straightening already and ive had mine for only two and 1/2 months.

Good luck =)

Answer 3

I used to have them! Ug. :-)

1. Since you only have a gap, the you shouldn't get too sore (not as sore as someone might w/ numerous crooked teeth) When you first get them put on you'll be sore it'll just depend but it does hurt some people bad, some people hardly at all

2 The have a plastic thing that pries your lips open in a big round wide mouth shape, clean and dry your teeth, glue on the metal things to each tooth and then when they are done w/ that, they'll attach a metal wire to the top and bottom row (by hooking it to the metal things on your teeth) and tighten accordingly then put teeny rubberbands on each metal thing of eacho tooth to anchor the wire

3. Go w/ whatever color you like :-) your fav, I think they leave them on for 1month or so or until your next checkup

4. Consider all food as edible :-)

5. apples and other fruits that are kinda the same are hard to eat w/ braces, so cut them up, corn is messy, when they get tightened anything hard is annoying/hurtful to eat. Stringy things tend to get stuck in the metal... no taffy and really sticky stuff like that...

6. Braces suck for the time being because they way they look and sometimes they're uncomfortable, but in the long run they're not so bad

Answer 4

wow lots of braces questions.. well I lived with em for 6 yrs so I figure Im qualified to give my opinion.

1, Yes braces are that bad and yes the do really hurt everytime they get tightened.. not to mention that they will cut the inside of your cheeks till you build scar tissue,

2. its a fairly simple process to have them put on doesnt take more then like an hr.

3. If your young go funky... I did the christmas thing or pink or whatever.. if your an adult clear or grey is probably the way to go to not draw attention to the metal in your mouth.

4. I hope you like soup

5. toffee is a bad idea... take it from me first hand. your ortho will not be your friend.

6. Yup braces are as bad as they sound. but if I could say anything the 6 yrs I had braces and went through hell was worth the one day I got them off and saw my new smile.

there is nothing like having perfect teeth expecially after having teeth bad enough to have braces.

Good Luck and remember all the pain and crap is going to be worth it I promise. I have never regreted it

Answer 5

wow...you do have some questions!!!!! ill try to answer as best as i can...i had braces for 3 years...

1. at first, i'm not going to lie, they are horrible. but for 2 weeks?! probably not. i was REALLY sore for....3 days i think. not too bad.
2. when they put your braces on, they glue the bracketon with cement. its gross...so make sure you dont lick your teeth until your ortho wipes it off...it tastes DISGUSTING!!!! anywho, they have this light (usually blue) that hardens the cement. and they do that for all of your teeth...in the back you have bands usually, that go all the way around your tooth. those are tricky sometimes because they have to have the right size...then after everythings cemented, you get wires and colors!!!
3. color doesnt really matter...whatever you like and whatever looks cute! i had purple and blue when i got mine, but its really up to you.
4. at first, i'd stick with soft foods. i ate A LOT of soup, ice cream, peanut butter sandwiches, etc. at first. once you're used to them, you can eat almost anything!!!
5. when you have braces, stay away from the hard stuff or the sticky stuff (yes, gum...but i've found that freedent doesnt stick)
6. braces really aren't that bad..you'll be sore, but in the end you'll have a gorgeous smile! i should send you before and after pics of me...man...lol...my teeth are GORGEOUS! (still obsessed...just got them off a month ago lol)

GOOD LUCK! any questions, feel free to email me...

Answer 6

OK.
I had braces for 6 years. I'm not going to lie and say they don't hurt and they aren't aggravating, but you will not regret them when you see the results. Here are the answers to your questions.

1. Your friend is not telling you a joke, but they really may have exaggerated the two week idea. Mine and all my friends who had them hurt for only one week. After that week, you will get used to them, and they wont hurt much until they tighten them. They tighten them by shortning the wire, and then they just put it back on. It only takes like 10 minutes to tighten them, and it doesnt hurt until the next day, if at all. Just use a lot of orthodontic wax. I promise you can deal with it.

2. When they put your braces on, they will first clean your teeth, then they will put this thing that holds your lips open..it makes them get very dry and really cracked. Then they put a chemical on each tooth. They will then start to place silver brackets on your teeth, with a sour tasting cement. After they get the brackets on, they will put bands around your back teeth. They will fill them with glue and tell you to bite down on them. Then they wipe away the excess. After all the gluing, they put in a wire, and then put tiny rubber bands around each bracket to hold the wire in place. They dont give you shots, they don't hurt you, and they don't pull your teeth out. So its not so bad. Don't be nervous.

3.I suggest getting either your favorite color, your favorite schools color, or a color to match your clothing styles. I would NOT suggest getting clear or white. They WILL stain before you go back, and will make your teeth look really yellow and nasty. (the color is the tiny rubber bands, and you can change it each time they tighten them).

4. The day you get them, go have your favorite food at your favorite restaurant. Eat a lot!! The next morning, have some grits, and for supper have mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, or soup. Repeat this for about 1 week or less.. and then you will be able to eat a little more hard things each day.

5. You shouldn't eat: popcorn, Doritos, Fritos, Gum, Tootsie Rolls, Caramel, Nuts, Hard Candy, or anything hard, sticky, or gummy. You can eat these things, but it will make your mouth hurt and get stuck in your braces, and worse the orthodontist will be able to tell exactly what caused your wire to bend or break. Try to follow their advice, but I will admit, I chewed gum the entire time I had mine, and it didnt do anything.

6. Braces really are not that bad once you are used to them! In fact, the day you get them off, it feels wierd. I wanted mine back on at first, but the results are worth every pain and ache. Don't worry, you will get used to them after a few appointments, and you will not even think about them being there!! I promise.

I hope this helps, you can contact me if you have any other ?s. Good Luck!

Answer 7

OK well I recently got braces about 5 months ago. When you first get them it hurts for about 3 days, but everyone is different. And for me the pain was pretty bad, but then again that's just me and everyone's different. I really don't know how they put them on because I was closing my eyes the whole time. Well it really depends on what color you want to get. I chose pink and I thought it looked great. Some advice...yellow looks really weird, and so does black. Well when you first get them your teeth will be sore and you won't be able to chew for 3-5 days. SO I suggest soup,yogurt,or anything you don't have to chew. The foods you can't eat when having braces are gum,hard candy,popcorn,hard nuts,ect....and they will give you a list too.

No, for me vraces really aren't that bad...the worst thing is getting them tightened, not being able to chew gum:(,and getting food stuck in them.

Answer 8

Wow, someone's got a whole list of questions!
And when you go to the orthodontist, they'll answer every question you have!
I have braces, and when I found out i was getting em', everyone told me, that I would get used to them. And I have! But it depends on if your sensitive or not, or who is tightening your braces. Braces are bad, and people should be fortunate of who have good teeth, but as people say it will be well worth the work, when there off, and there advice worked before, so I'm giving it too you!

Answer 9

i felt like everyone's answers were scary and would make me be afraid of braces. here's my life with them, and answering you're questions

1. they do hurt, there's no real way to sugar coat that one. of course it hurts, but that's your teeth's way of getting used to the braces. you like pudding? or applesauce? get used to them for about i'd say a couple days, maybe a week. i think my 1st meal with them was macroni, cause you don't really bite down with macroni. they do hurt, but pain relivers will help

2. they put this special glue on (mine tasted sour and gross. nothing ever tastes good at the dentist) then they put the brackets on tooth by tooth. that's not that bad. the painful part is putting the wires in, because they have to open up the brackets in order to put the wires in, and thats painful cause it's pushing on your teeth. some brackets open easily, some don't. it's quick though, it will go by fast. i think the longest part was waiting for the glue to dry, i think that's why it takes like an hour appointment or something

3. idk if i got colors my 1st time. if i did, i don't remember them. my suggestions? something neutral, so if you change outfits then colors to match. never ever get clear. it shows more if you have food stuck in your teeth and it turns colors depending on what you eat. white maybe for your 1st time. or whatever your favorite color is.

4. as i mentioned before, pudding, applesauce, easy stuff. macroni works too, as long as you don't chew it. haha it sounds stupid, but mashed potatos are good too. soup is a biggie. soup is good

5. def. hard foods, like apples and stuff. they tell you the usual no gum, sticky candy, hard foods, stuff like that. when you get used to your braces, you can graduate up to eating hard foods again (this is basically like the process little kids go through when growing teeth)

6. at every orthodontist appointment and at the process of getting them on, yes you will hate them. nobody likes braces. i know i had always wanted braces, thought they looked cool, got them, and wanted them off. i didn't want the pain that was associated with having them. everyone's experience is different. mine was probably more painful because i have short roots on my teeth (farther down in my gums then most people) and i have smaller teeth and i have gaps, so the braces were to try and bring the teeth together and make room for the other ones trying to get down. if you can get through the 1st i'd say 6 days with them, then you're golden for the rest of the time.

i liked changing colors, that was cool