So I'm FINALLY getting my braces off...

Nala

This time on Monday, I will FINALLY be brace-free!
However, I'm just wondering a few things...

1. Will it be sore? (both while the ortho is taking them off, and afterwards).
2. Will I be able to speak properly?
3. What are retainers like as regards eating, kissing, etc?
4. Is there anything else I should know?

Cheers!

Nala

1)Soreness - no, less "sore" than getting them on, it's uncomfortable obviously, but as an orthondontic patient should be used to that!
2)Speaking- You'll be grand after about 5 minutes.
3)Retainers - Removable, take them out for that list of activities, don't have to wear them during the day for very long, less than a month probably.(then nights for about 2 years!)
4) You will be freaked out by how big your teeth seem, this is normal.

mad m

No more probably being called choo choo tracks now.Congrats on getting them off.

Mr.Nice Guy

Nala wrote:

This time on Monday, I will FINALLY be brace-free!
However, I'm just wondering a few things...

1. Will it be sore? (both while the ortho is taking them off, and afterwards).
2. Will I be able to speak properly?
3. What are retainers like as regards eating, kissing, etc?
4. Is there anything else I should know?

Cheers!

Nala

1.No,from what I can recall it is not painful getting them taken off.Certainly not as painful as when they are put on and tightened!

2.Yes,you should be able to speak fine.

3.You won't eat with the retainer.You take it off when you want to eat something.You will find it awkward to speak with the retainer at first,but it will become easier.Kissing shouldn't be problematic either.The retainer will feel fine if you have had braces before since the retainer is far less stressful.
With myself,after a couple of months I was told I only had to use the retainer at night and could go without it during the day so that might be the same for you as well.

4.Anything else?My advice is to wear your retainer often as there is no point in forgetting to use it after everything you have gone through already.
Also,be sure to purchase some special tablets to clean your retainer.Your orthodontist will probably give you a couple of free samples.You basically drop the tablets in a glass of water and you leave your retainer in it for 15 minutes and this stops your retainer from getting dirty.

I hope I have helped you out Nala and make sure you enjoy the day you get your braces off.I know how stressful braces are - getting them put on is painful enough,then having to come back every couple of months to get your braces tightened,not to mention X-rays and impressions for your gums etc.Don't worry though,when you get your braces off it will all be worth it,trust me.

Best of luck.

Gone West

yeah congrats! it depends on what sort of braces you have

Mr.Nice Guy

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

1.No,from what I can recall it is not painful getting them taken off.Certainly not as painful as when they are put on and tightened!

2.Yes,you should be able to speak fine.

3.You won't eat with the retainer.You take it off when you want to eat something.You will find it awkward to speak with the retainer at first,but it will become easier.Kissing shouldn't be problematic either.The retainer will feel fine if you have had braces before since the retainer is far less stressful.
With myself,after a couple of months I was told I only had to use the retainer at night and could go without it during the day so that might be the same for you as well.

4.Anything else?My advice is to wear your retainer often as there is no point in forgetting to use it after everything you have gone through already.
Also,be sure to purchase some special tablets to clean your retainer.Your orthodontist will probably give you a couple of free samples.You basically drop the tablets in a glass of water and you leave your retainer in it for 15 minutes and this stops your retainer from getting dirty.

I hope I have helped you out Nala and make sure you enjoy the day you get your braces off.I know how stressful braces are - getting them put on is painful enough,then having to come back every couple of months to get your braces tightened,not to mention X-rays and impressions for your gums etc.Don't worry though,when you get your braces off it will all be worth it,trust me.

Best of luck.

What are these called? I've been using Sterident but it's real awkward buying it at 16!

Mr.Nice Guy

Deleted User wrote:

What are these called? I've been using Sterident but it's real awkward buying it at 16!

I believe they are called Retainer Brite.They are very good but they're hard to find.It's always useful to try and mooch some off of the orthodontist as they will no doubt have alot of them lying around.

Just had my last visit for two years last week though

cregser

And I've got it allllll ahead of me. Extraction no.2 on Monday

Matthewthebig

Surgery in soon then braces for two years! w0m-fu.cking-0t! I'm getting thema t the age of 17 how unfair is that?

oq4v3ht0u76kf2

Totally unfair... Jesus... um, dude, the very fact you can afford braces (and they probably aren't being forced on you against your wishes) makes you better off than about 60 - 80% of people - they'd kill to have braces, or even teeth, at age 17. Not to mention that actually being 17 would be an achievement for some of these poor people, and if not that then it could well be the mid point of their life.

And I'm not even going to start on how much better off you are than people outside of Ireland...

pickarooney

I just remember wondering what that weird slimy coating was on my teeth. It was just the enamel, but after years of my tongue rubbing off rough metal it felt soooo smooth.

Matthewthebig

Jebus Bob relax

oq4v3ht0u76kf2

Firstly, how do you know my name? o_0 Secondly, I was joking chicken... now let's not hijack this thread. The PM link is there should you want to discuss anything more.

Mr.Nice Guy

cregser wrote:

And I've got it allllll ahead of me. Extraction no.2 on Monday

It will all be worth it in the end,though.I went through all kinds of crap before I got my braces.At one stage I had to get about eleven of my baby teeth removed by anasthetic because they were too strong and my permanent teeth couldn't make them fall out!
I was eating mashed potatoes all week.

The day you get your braces off is the day to keep aiming for.Remember it's only a couple of years of hassle to put up with.

Adam

OrangeRhino wrote:

Firstly, how do you know my name? o_0

(Psssst....check out your profile, Mr. Burke....)

seamus

Getting them out is great. You'll have trouble stopping yourself smiling, and being delighted when people comment for about two days.

Painful to get them off? No. Uncomfortable? A little. Just relax, and it'll be over soon, The "stuck on" ones (on your incisors and canines) will be more uncomfortable than the ones held on by bands. The lower set will be worse than the upper (the teeth are smaller), but when I say worse, it' means "mildly more uncomfortable". Nothing compared to having the cast done, or tightening the wires. I had them for 4.5 years. I know what it's all about

Speaking, no issue for me. It feels weird for about a day, not having them scraping on the insides of your lips, but that's no problem.

I found the retainers a little cumbersome. You get used to them very quickly, but the first few days are weird, particularly when eating and drinking. I also had trouble when talking, S's and other sounds never came out quite right (sometimes I was incomprehensible), but I got a feel for knowing what activities I'd need to remove them for, and when I could leave them in.

Enjoy it! Pretty soon you'll take it for granted, and don't worry about being overly paranoid and protective about your teeth. It's 5 years later and I'm still paranoid that they might be reverting to their former state!

Hugh Hefner

Why is it usually girls who get braces? It just seems that I've met far more girls with braces than I have guys (don't make bisexual jokes).

A guy in my class got them off recently and all his friends were teasing him about speaking badlt with his retainer and people laughed when he answered questions with a massive lisp because of it. But he's a complete ****ing **** and probably masturbates more times per day than you've had hot meals. Those few speech slured days were good days.

The_Conductor

Had braces, many moons ago.
When I got them out- I wasn't used to the spaces between my teeth.
No problems re eating or anything- but had a few things to keep in mind.
As teeth no longer have the usual gapping (that I was used to), have to brush them a lot more, as food tends to get caught where it didn't previously.
I ended up with a cross-bite, which means chewing can be a bit odd, but nothing out of the ordinary. Not sure how long you had your braces for- but one thing I found, was it took me a good while to get used to speaking without them. I think I was probably just very self conscious- the braces had become part of me- and now they were gone.

Well done on getting them out- have fun!!!

azezil

I stopped wearing braces 7 / 8 years ago, still dream about the damn things O_O

Nala

Thanks for the replies so far guys, keep em coming!

I've had the braces on for ~a year and a half.
I'm getting quite nervous now about getting them off. I'm terrified despite the retainer, that they'll go back to the way they were. I'm also terrified I won't be able to talk or kiss properly. I guess I'll just have to have faith in my orthodontist, that she knows what she's doing! She's very nice and seems to be good at what she does. None of my college friends have ever seen me without my braces so it'll be weird for them.

*adele*

aw god congrats!
your sooo lucky to be gettin them off...

Ms Beanbag

well done on getting through it!
I had mine on for 18 months. I used elastic bands aswel and they made my teeth move quicker, but they were extremely painful! did you have bands?
You probably won't get your retainer straight away. They have to take moulds.
You will have a slight lisp but only for the first week or two. You may find it difficult to place the retainer in your mouth aswel, But your ortho should show you. after a while it will become like second nature!
You must wear your retainer or your teeth will go back to the way they were.
I had to wear the retainer full time for about 6 months. Now have been wearing it at night for a year. I have an appointment this week, so hopefully I wont need it anymore..

Nala

I had bands, I also had this horrible thing attached to the roof of my mouth to widen my upper bite out, the thing cut into my tongue so it had to be taken out. I still have marks on my tongue! Thankfully I never had to wear headgear.

I'm getting my braces off in the morning and then I've another appointment in the afternoon (something to do with the retainer). I'm hoping they'll take the mould in the morning and have the retainer ready in the afternoon but something tells me that's just a bit too good to be true. My friend got her retainer a week after she got her braces off.

Ms Beanbag

yeah I had to wait a week untill I got my retainer. they have to send the moulds away so the retainer can be made especially to fit your mouth.
I had to wear headgear aswel. It was awful... It was christened the 'hannibal lector gadget' in my house because it resembled his mouth guard in the film.
:eek:

Nala

Nala wrote:

I had bands, I also had this horrible thing attached to the roof of my mouth to widen my upper bite out, the thing cut into my tongue so it had to be taken out. I still have marks on my tongue! Thankfully I never had to wear headgear.

I'm getting my braces off in the morning and then I've another appointment in the afternoon (something to do with the retainer). I'm hoping they'll take the mould in the morning and have the retainer ready in the afternoon but something tells me that's just a bit too good to be true. My friend got her retainer a week after she got her braces off.

Yep, that's how they work it, you come in early, get the braces off, moulds taken, and when you come back in they give you your retainer. It's good that you're worried about them going back to where they were, that'll make you wear the retainers as much as you're supposed to.

Good Luck and most of all enjoy straight teeth!

Nala

I'm just afraid they'll move in the week without the retainer, guess they can't move a noticeable amount THAT quickly!

nope, you get the retainer in the second appointment you have for tomorrow. I guess you're in James's cause thats what they did for me.

golden gal

i have braces at the moment and they are a godsend. my teeth were an absolute state before i had the braces but now they are quite straight and im looking forward to getting them off soon. people i havnt seen in ages complement me on how straight they are. im hoping to get them whitened afterwards too.

for anyone that is considering getting them, DO!! they are sooo worth while!!
has anyone got their teeth whitened? whats that like? mine badly need it!!

idontknowmyname

nah its not sore...is a bit strange at first, are you getting any type of wire bonded to the back of ur teeth to keep them in place?

Pythia

I had braces for 4 years, wore headgear 18 hours a day for a year, had elastics going across my mouth (from top left canine tooth to bottom right canine one), had a chain brace, had to wear a retainer for a year full time after and have to wear it at night still for the rest of my life, my teeth will move back otherwise. And since I have an a-symmetrical jaw, it's still not perfect. (Also I had to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth chisseled out of my gums under general anaethetic as there was no room in my mouth for them to come down) Luckily I had all this done when I was a young teenager so it didn't bother me too much. Still, getting them off was one of the happiest days of my life! My teeth look basically perfect.

Jonny Arson

I know the feeling in getting your braces off and its fcuking amazing!

I've had mine off for two months now and they are sooo straight. It was defintiely worth it in the end despite having to put up with them for 26 months.

My advice to you is to watch out for those evil money grabbing dentists. I went back to my dentist last week for a clean and I was charged 75 frickin' euro! Then my dentist makes out that my teeth badly need whitening when they are ok. He tries to scare me with all sorts of shock tactics and then I have to ask how much this would cost and he says 400 f**king euro! Money grabbers thats all they are. Anyway I still need a few fillings and I have to get work done on my top front teeth as one was already chipped and while I had my braces on I chipped the other one! So I have two dodgy partially chipped front teeth which is probably gonna cost a bomb aswell to fix!

Advice to anyone nervous about getting braces ... they are worth it!

Blisterman

And girls with braces are hot!

cajun_tiger

hey getting them off not a bother.... just remember to wear the retainer all the time... both me and my sister had them on for 3 years each(badly f***ed up teeth)

i wore my retainer and my teeth are fine..

my sister didn't and they are nearly all back in the places they were before she got braces....

best of luck...

lomb

where are u guys getting these braces and how much is it costing?

PlasseyMinstrel

I got half of my braces off - lower set now out and retainer in place. Gotta wear the retainer continuously for six months then nights for six months. Top set probably coming out at 2nd-next appt (next appt to see if its ok to do so).

No pain when taking off the lower set, same as any other appt really. I had to wait a week for my retainer and didn't mind at all as everyone was marvelling at my shiny white teeth that hadn't seen the light of day in THREE YEARS!!! Can't wait to get the top set off, it'll look mad. Even though I've a year of retainer wearing ahead of me I can always take them out and see the teeth. It was definitely worthwhile, but I couldn't go through the whole thing again. Like someone has already said, none of my college friends have ever seen me without braces so the lower set was a shock and the full set will be weird! I HATE the look of my braces in photos so I can't wait to have a proper smile. It kinda sucked that I had to wear them all the way through 6th year, including the debs, and the start of college. But I got through it, and am happy to have done so.

Wow, this is total rambling nonsense,

Nala

I am now brace-free!

I've worn the retainer about 2/3 of the time since I got it and already I have noticed a small gap form where there wasn't one before. So I am ****ting it that there'll be more gaps. (I want my teeth to stay EXACTLY as they are!). My orthodontist was quite vague about how much I should wear the reteiner. First she said to wear it as much as I can, then she said to try just wearing it at night to see whether the teeth move or not. I think I'll stick with wearing it as much as I can. I have a check-up appointment in 2 month's time. The orthodontist mentioned something about putting a wire across the back of my teeth to hold them in place but said it wouldn't be possible (???). I'd love if she did that, I couls stop worrying then!

I can't speak properly with the retainer, which is one of the reasons why I hate wearing it.

PlasseyMinstrel

is the gap possible where the retainer sits between 2 teeth?

sounds strange that the orthodontist couldn't decide when you should be wearing it. Better to err on the side of caution. Any speech impediments should iron themselves out in no time - a day or two is what it took me I think.

seamus

Nala wrote:

I can't speak properly with the retainer, which is one of the reasons why I hate wearing it.

You'll get used to it in time.