Getting Braces

The Process
It seemed to take forever between my first visit to the orthodontist and actually getting the braces on my teeth.  Here was the process (which, naturally, may vary for you).

1. Initial consultation and x-rays.  This was pretty straight forward.  The ortho. basically just discusses why you want to get braces and outlines options.  If you have already researched the different types of methods and know which you would like, you can discuss this with your ortho. so that he can see if it is an option for you.  They will take preliminary x-rays.

2.  More imaging and impressions.  Basically, they just take several more x-rays of your teeth.    They will check your bite, do some measuring, basically look at your overall mouth.  The impressions are taken using a product that feels like sticking your teeth into play-do.  Not terrible.

3.  Three weeks later (time needed to have molds completed) meet with the orthodontist to view a mold of your teeth and discuss your treatment.

4. Time for braces!

So, I was looking at about 8 weeks from the first visit until the braces went on.  Part of this had to do with appointment availability. 

Braces Day!
It took about half an hour for my orthodontist to place my braces, as compared to the two hours that others experience.

My dentist did not talk to me about damon braces or lingual braces, which I thought he should have done.  Nonetheless, the process was fine and I would have probably gone with traditional braces anyhow.  That's because I am getting them done at a school and want to do the "easiest" procedure for the student if that makes sense.

The second day was simply torture.  I feel as though other people downplay the pain, but it hurt like hell for a solid week.  In fact, I will dedicate another blog post just to the pain.

Feeling Awkward
I felt incredibly awkward the first day I had my braces.  My mouth felt absolutely chock full of metal, and aesthetically I was not pleased.  Furthermore, my bite felt off, which I told my orthodontist and he did his best to fix, but it still didn't feel as though I could close my teeth properly.  I'm 70% better now, so I guess it was just a matter of time.

I also have to harp a bit on how uncomfortable your mouth feels initially.  Not pain (that's not until day 2), but some pressure and just a general feeling of having a bunch of stuff in your mouth.  I tried to eat right away and was totally grossed out by the amount of food that was sticking between my teeth and my braces while I tried to chew.  This was awful, but two weeks later I barely notice this at all. 

Your lips will get very dry during the application as your mouth is propped open, so lip balm definitely would have helped.  My orthodontist suggested that I take a pain killer right away when I got home, but since I didn't feel any pain (just a good deal of pressure), I ignored him.  BAD IDEA.  Alright, go ahead and read about the pain... [Click Here] 

Up close and personal with my braces.