Braces - your stories

[limey]

I recently had braces installed and I am having some growing pains. My cheeks are catching on some of the braces, causing some bleeding, but I have been told that this will get better. Are there any foods that I should avoid? A friend of mine also has braces and rinces his mouth with hydrogen peroxide to make sure he kills all of the food bacteria, but I'm not so sure I want to take this route.

[Nancy]

Didn't your dentist explain to you what to eat or not? As I recall you're not allowed to eat things like: pieces of candy and toffee...it'll get stuck too easily.

as for the scrathes on your cheeks, it should be possible for you to get your hands on some....well I can't remember what the dentist called the stuff but it was a see-trough mass, feeling like chewing gum...you can put this stuff on your braces covering those nasty, sharp edges! try ask your dentist for this, you wont regret it I promise!

that hydrogen peroxide sounds nasty! just brush your teeth properly and you should be just fine!

[limey]

I have tried the wax, but I find that it comes off when eating and it's kinda unpleasant to find it in my food. It is getting better. I've laso heard that things like artificial food colourings stain. I have the clear glass braces.

[flamingpeach]

My sister use to have braces, and wax was her best friend. Only for the beginning did she stay way from bread and gum.

Once we were in florida and she had something overly chewy that pulled a wire loose and cut the inside of her cheek open. We had to find a dentist on the fly who'd fix it for her.

I felt terrible for her. Braces are evil.

[sailor]

Yeah, I had braces until seventh grade. Wax is definitely your friend. I dont know what to tell you... it will get better than it is now, but its still pretty uncomfortable. Its a great feeling getting them off.

[numist]

The wax is ok, but I just left it off and let my lips get some tough scar tissue. After a month, the bleeding stopped. If its one of the wires that is poking you, tell your dentist next time - the ends are supposed to be bent in and out of the way anyway.

Avoid eating peanuts, those can just take your braces right off if they get wedged in, they are stronger than the glue.

Hydrogen peroxide is unnecessary, but make sure you do your twice daily brushings and youll be fine.

[nosuchuserexist]

Most orthodontists say to not chew gum, chew hard candy or ice or anything else either really hard or really chewy and sticky. I chewed caramels, crunched ice, ate hard candies and chewed them up and never had a problem. Your results may vary.

If your ortho hasn't given them to you yet, find some of those weird plastic tooth pick things that can be bent into angles. They will be your best friend for getting things unstuck from your braces. And don't worry about the cheeks bleeding, you'll build up callouses after a while.

[Plan9Senior]

I had braces for only 1 year and it was when I was in 7th grade. I remember how horribly nasty the retainer is after the braces come off but I don't remember having the actual braces as being hard to deal with. As a matter of fact, sick and twisted as it sounds, I used to love the hurt that you feel the day after you get them tightened... im strange like that .

[Sleepyjack]

I had braces for about 15 months, i think, between 8th and 9th grade. I don't really remember much about them though. I also had horrid memories of the retainer, even with an adundance of cleaning it still smelt really bad and just seemed like bad news in general

PLan9 said
I used to love the hurt that you feel the day after you get them tightened... im strange like that

me too

I also got excited when i got to change the caps or colours of the braces. I don't think i had much or any trouble with bleeding or anything though?

[Peryn]

I just got done with my braces. I too had those clear ones. My teeth weren't the whitest by any means going into it, so i dont think id notice if the clear braces stained too much. Either way, i had them for 2 years and i ate mustard, dyes, candy, whatever and never once noticed any kind of staining. Unfortunately, my dentist didn't tell me this till afterword, but those clear braces tend to be a much bigger pain in the ass than the metal ones (though more than worth it imo.). They require a ton more glue to stay on, they break off easier, more epxensive, etc. BUT, they are far less noticable than those metal ones...and thats really nice.

[timalkin]

Just wait until they put the rubber bands on (if they do that in your case). I didn't know what pain was until that day.

[Chuckles]

i had braces for 6 years. The reason for so long is cuz i didn't wear the bands or gear at night like you are supposed to if instructed to. Even tho it sucks, DO IT. It cuts down time so much. with time you get used to em, and you can eat anything. I didn't use wax or anythin, just brushed well, mouthwash, etc. Tightening sucks, especially when they do a huge change in wire or whatever, god thats hell. They will rub abit but you again, with time, you dont notice it, no more bleeding, etc. The thing i hated the most was the food getting stuck, just gotta get it out with tongue or whatever. I used to be able to suck the food out haha, pro status :P Best feelign in the world when you get em off tho, and they really do work. You'll be glad you did em.

[nash]

I had braces for a year and a half. I did the bands every day and night just like the orthodontist told me to and I got them off quicker than expected. Still a little crooked because I have weird teeth.

I still wear my retainer occasionally and I've never had a problem with them smelling bad or whatever. If I feel that they're getting dirty I just soak them in mouthwash for a little bit. Or sometimes I rinse my mouth with mouthwash while the retainers are in.

[rrf]

ahhh.... braces, that wonderful time of my life
i pretty much ate whatever. i even chewed ice and had no problems... however i did break a bracket off once eating a hot dog lol... and again in a terrifying weight lifting accident...

its all worth it the day you get em off... you will be a better person for it

[gilada]

Having braces was pretty miserable. Lotsa wax and have them cut the wires on the back as short as possible. They were always digging into the back of my mouth. You just get used to it. Not that you enjoy it.

[AfterBurn]

I've never had braces but a friend of mine had. Before braces his teeth were pretty nasty and his smile was ugly too cause of his teeth but after braces the ladies loved his smile and he's been getting way more action than me these days, lol. He had braces from the 10th grade til about the 12th and we're now both in university and he has great straight teeth. So just withstand the pain and the emberassment because the payout is great!

[Ripsaw]

I was able to shoot my rubber bands and hit just about anything I was aiming at within 10 feet. I had a style of metal braces that used wire, but the attachments that held the wire on used these cool metal keys that would slide in and be locked in by bending the top and bottom edges. The head-gear hurt like hell, as did getting poked by the wire, but I learned how to shift the wire to even it out, and one time I even used a pair of wirecutters to take a small piece off. I'd advise getting a water-pik, or something similar, because brushing and rinsing might not get out all of the food that gets stuck.

Ironically, I never broke my braces on food, but I have broken teeth. *shakes his fist at Taco Bell and Wrigleys*

[RemyLebeau97]

Limey, I use to have the same problem. The little hook on the very back of the braces would catch the side of my cheek when I would open and shut my mouth. That little hook is what the use to tighten them up every time u go back to visit. I found that using a little liquid Orajel will help knumb the pain. As for the bleeding I think you might wanna ask your orthodontist and he/she may give you some kind of padding to put in there or cover the hook.

[a1t3r3g0]

I had braces for almost 4 years. Yes, 4! I had f'd up teeth, but now they are perfectly straight and shiney! Well, except for two of my bottom teeth.. they aren't as straight as they could be because I never wore my retainer.

WEAR YOUR RETAINER!!! I really wish I did!

[SparklingDot]

Poor limey... getting used to things put in your mouth is awful. My cheeks got really cut up when I first got my braces. I tried wax, but it was more trouble thanit was worth. I jus toughed it out and it doesn't bother me so much now.

I still eat just about everything I used to, excluding crunchy tacos / tortilla chips. Sugarless gum is a good thing, I prefer Orbit. And just be careful when you are eating sandwiches / cake, etc around people as the bread tends to get stuck. Otherwise, just feel your way out and do the things the ortho tells you (within reason).

[mr_mcrafe]

I had them for nearly 2 years, but hardly used the wax. My cheeks got hurt at first but toughened over time (untoughened now). Basically the foods I was told to skip were things like raw carrot and biting into whole apples, stuff like that that could rip off the braces, and also sugary stuff like fizz. Believe me braces are worth it in the end, and so many people have them nowdays it's nothing unusual (well not in NZ).

Once however, the wire snapped off and went into my cheek and it had a hook on the end and hooked itself inside my cheek. That was incredibly painful and I can't remember how I got it out, with plyers (sp) I think. My mouth was all twisted to the side while it was stuck there .

For brushing, get an electric toothbrush with a 2min brush timer, and get braces toothbruch heads for it.

WEAR YOUR RETAINER. I stopped a little early and now one of my front bottom teeth is out of place a bit and the retainer doesn't fit to get back on (and I can't find it).

[Cowman]

I have braces, they're clear so you pretty much don't notice them.
I've never had any real pain, a little soreness after they tighten them but it's nothing that I worry about.

As for what foods to eat..well, most of the foods that you're not supposed to eat aren't very healthy anyway, so personally I don't have a huge problem. Things like tofee, caramel, corn chips,ice cubes, gum....I don't eat anyway

[majik_6]

When I had braces, hamburger buns from Wendy's were about the most painful thing to eat (especially after tightening sessions). I knocked at least 5 or 6 brackets off, mostly on hard/chewy foods.

Things to avoid: car hoods. I wrecked my bicycle into a parked car when I had braces, and realized once I got home and tried talking to my mom (I was looking in the mirror at the time) that my lip had actually been pierced on the inside and was hooked securely to the small nub that they use for attaching the rubber bands. Not fun at all. Kinda funny, though...until I started laughing really hard. THAT hurt.

[maynard0012]

I just got braces this morning. Within an hour, 4 of the little brackets had popped off. They said they couldn't see me 'til tomorrow. Lame! So I'm taking the day off and rolling on Adderoll.

[Parker]

I would avoid peanuts and bread. The only thing with bread is that it is essential in eating on a daily basis, but just make sure that brush a lot. Also, if you are feeling pain I would have the orthodontist check it out. Finally, Listerine is a thousand times better than Hydrogen Peroxide, so use Listerine.

[CinnamonGirl]

Another thing to avoid: chicken fighting. I got hit in the mouth, and somehow a wire got knocked loose and went through my lip...yeek.

My orthodontist had this special rinse that was specifically made for people with braces, but I can't remember what it was called...I seem to remember it being a prescription thing, though.

[onetime2]

My horror story was when I was having them put in. The orthodontist was having trouble getting them on and was forcing his hands into my mouth. He ripped the sides of my mouth open as he was doing it and I was crying because it hurt so much. He then proceeded to tell me "Stop crying and stop feeling sorry for yourself." Of course at the time doctors were always right and all and I didn't even recognize that ripping the corners of my mouth open was wrong. It wasn't until years later that I thought about that little exchange and realized what an ass he was.

[SAM821]

wow... brutal story... i currently have braces right now (clear) ive had them for about 10 months... the doctors said i would have them for two years... i really hope that its sooner though... Ive broken about 6 or 7 brackets... i just broke on a week ago eating chicken wings... i couldnt resist... im starting to chew gum again.... ive had the typical "poking" problems, and stuff getting in between the braces....

But i think the worst thats happens thus far is that i never floss (in 21) and since ive had braces, it took a toll on my gums... well.. needless to say, when the dentist told me my teeth are gonna fall out, it scared the shit out of me and i am flossing again!


so my question is... does 2 years mean 2 YEARS??? or is it sooner?