Jump to content

HOW UNCOMFORTABLE ARE BRACES?


OMGAWD

Recommended Posts

Guest chiynadollxD

I got my braces on in October. After christmas (when I normally would gain weight) I had lost 20lbs compared to before braces. That should be a good example of how bad they are. 

I couldnt eat nearly as much as I could before. Im like one of those super big eaters that sit at an All you can eat restaurant for 3+ hours om nom nom-ing the whole time. The 2 weeks after I first got braces on I was on a tofu/congee diet, and same after every ortho appt. 

Maybe just me, but mine are a big pain the in richard simmons. Oh, also, anything that requires digging my front teeth into are off limits. but im too lazy to cut up fruits so I havent had much fruit at all for the last 5 months too. T.T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest hiswendy

There's definitely a lot of pressure so it ached for the first days after I got them, and after every visit to the dentist. You get used to it though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i had braces for 2.5years. it could've been 2 years if i had been diligent on my appointments.

i don't think braces are that bad. i had crooked teeth and a bite problem so i had most of the treatments. i had my top jaw expanded and that wasn't bad. i had 6 teeth extractions. i think the worst part of the whole experience is when they put the expanders in between your teeth to space them out before they put the actual braces in. i thought that was the most painful part.

it's true that you have sore teeth and gums but it's only for a day or two after each tightening appointment. i personally thought it was okay. it was painful the first time but after that, it was nothing. you just know what to expect. if you have low pain tolerance or just like to find excuses, it might be "extremely" painful for you.

i lost weight when i had braces but i don't think i can contribute it to getting braces. i lost weight because i joined a sports team around the same time i got braces and i spent a lot of time training.

you won't be able to eat a lot stuff like you used to though. i spent the first two days after each tightening appointment eating softer foods. but since i love to eat, i ate a lot also. it wasn't so bad. i actually miss my braces sometimes.

the only thing i can think of that annoyed me was getting food in my braces. i was never the one to carry a toothbrush with me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Octopus__

I had mild aches when it came to my braces. Most of the time when I was required to wear elastics, I didn't. My teeth were just compacted in place with braces until I knew an orthro appointment was coming up. At least a week before this appointment, I would double band - sometimes even triple band my elastics. It hurt like hell. So avoiding most of this pain, just wearing your elastics like you're supposed to so you don't need to suffer like I did.

I had braces for 3 years. Oh did I hate them. I remember when I got them off I went straight to biting into an apple. It was glorious..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

your teeth get loose with braces?!

D:

i had never heard that before. so, do they come out?! i'd like to keep all my teeth...

i'm wondering more if it's irritable?

like...can't-do-homework type of irritable?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest MsChaofan

I only had it for a year and afterwards I got to used to clear ones.The first week or two it really hurts, since so much pressure is put into moving your teeth. It'll hurt to eat. But after that. is doesn't hurt all that much, you just have to make sure to clean your braces properly.

I did had this happen once, that my left bottom teeth moved left and the right bottom teeth moved right so much, that it looked like I was missing two teeth. crazy.gif But they fixed that afterwards. I don't think they can become loose though, it just hurts.

Another plus; you can pick the colours you want for your braces. The result was worth it. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest akira53

When you first get them your teeth are sore for the first few days and then with every tightening adjustment, but after a while you just get used to it. You'll still be able to enjoy your food. :)

yeah just when you get the bands changed, it's pretty painful.  It just feels like a lot of pressure on your teeth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest monkeyinabarrel

It varies a bit for everyone. For me the most painful parts were getting them on and getting them off. I was sore for a few days and when they were removing them out felt like they were chiseled off

Getting them tightened wasn't that bad. The annoying part was I couldn't eat gummy candy because they removed one of my back bands (though everybody else who had braces around me didn't have that problem D:<)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest dorkafied!

When I first got my braces they weren't that painful, the part that hurt the most for me was getting four of my teeth removed -_-

Other than that, I don't think braces were all that bad :lol: 

I remember when I got my braces removed, I never felt so happy to bite into a peach :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a couple (possibly dumb) questions based on what people posted:

1. Since straightening your teeth essentially moves it around in the gum from its original position, does that mean it loosens your teeth and even after you get your braces off they'll always be loose (essentially falling out when you get older? :o ). That's why you have to wear retainers right? cause your teeth will shift back to their original placement on your loose gums? I've been wanting braces for quite a while but I never considered your teeth/gum being loose before... >.< scared of them falling out more easily later..is this just an irrational fear I'm having here? haha.

2. Does it hurt when you exercise?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest rachilde

I have a couple (possibly dumb) questions based on what people posted:

1. Since straightening your teeth essentially moves it around in the gum from its original position, does that mean it loosens your teeth and even after you get your braces off they'll always be loose (essentially falling out when you get older? :o ). That's why you have to wear retainers right? cause your teeth will shift back to their original placement on your loose gums? I've been wanting braces for quite a while but I never considered your teeth/gum being loose before... >.< scared of them falling out more easily later..is this just an irrational fear I'm having here? haha.

2. Does it hurt when you exercise?

It's true that you will need to wear retainers or else they will eventually shift into a less than perfect formation--but they will probably not revert back to their completely original formation. Teeth are not naturally rooted in cement, though, and any prolonged force against your teeth will cause them to shift. All sorts of things can cause them to shift like differences in bite (I had jaw surgery and the 'natural' arrangement of my teeth before and after surgery is different because I now bite differently). My teeth today are no more loose than what they were before braces. They don't feel like they wiggle or anything haha... Teeth fall out because of root decay, which is more about tooth care than about braces.

Braces did not hurt when I exercised. They hurt when I first got them and sometimes when they were adjusted. Not a walk in the park, but not a seriously traumatic experience either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Getting braces will be painful for about the first week or so, because of the pain you won't be able to bite anything so a soft food diet would be good, but after that it'll be just fine. You should cut up your food into bits so it's easier to bite until you get more used to it (and eventually you will be able to bite just fine with braces). Until your next braces adjustment appointment in which they will swap out the wire with a thicker and stronger wire, you might feel some more pain and pressure. But for me, each of those appointments weren't as bad as the first week of getting braces. There was slight pain but it was definitely bearable. While wearing braces, you cannot eat certain foods such as popcorn, gum, brocolli, etc. because those may break your braces and make it hard to clean. As a word of caution, there WILL be many times when you get cuts in your mouth/lips from the braces. Be prepared for canker sores!

When I went to take off my braces, it was a very weird sensation. No force being exerted on your teeth. Nothing pokey in your mouth. Instead, it feels slimey and smooth and it DOES feel like your teeth may be coming off. But after a few minutes, you'll be enjoying the life of no braces once again. :w00t: One thing I noticed though, after taking off braces, I seemed to talk differently. Perhaps because it changed my teeth/jaw? I seem to have a harder time than before pronouncing stuff. :mellow: But that's just me...

I have a couple (possibly dumb) questions based on what people posted:

1. Since straightening your teeth essentially moves it around in the gum from its original position, does that mean it loosens your teeth and even after you get your braces off they'll always be loose (essentially falling out when you get older? :o ). That's why you have to wear retainers right? cause your teeth will shift back to their original placement on your loose gums? I've been wanting braces for quite a while but I never considered your teeth/gum being loose before... >.< scared of them falling out more easily later..is this just an irrational fear I'm having here? haha.

2. Does it hurt when you exercise?

1. I've had mines off for many years now and NO, your teeth does not become loose! Not sure where that idea came from. It does not wiggle around or anything like that. But because the braces are removed, your teeth will most likely shift a bit but not dramatically or instantly. That's what the retainers are for but even those won't prevent your teeth from shifting. But it won't go back to the way it was before, that's for sure! :vicx: You will be able to eat just fine. I was told by my doctor it's important to drink lots of milk so your bones/teeth aren't brittle but most likely, you are already drinking milk so no worries.

2. If you mean things like jumping jacks or intense-motion activities, as long as you close your mouth and don't bite and if it's not during the first few weeks or even the first month of getting braces, you'll be fine.

All in all, I think having surgery or wisdom teeth extraction are way more traumatic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest 40daydreamers

well I have braces now and it's not as bad as everyone makes them seem. As everyone has already states, getting them tightened sucks, but it's not the end of the world either. The only thing that sucks about it though is that your teeth feel sore, which means you can't eat solid foods.. :( I know suffering a few days of eating nothing but soup is not fun. The only other thing that sucks really about braces is when you first have to get spacers to create space between your teeth so they have room to put on the brackets or whatever. You have to wear those for a week or so. That also means no solid foods for a whole week! Man, I was getting sick of tomato soup.

Sighs, and get them ASAP because braces, generally, are on for 2-3 years.. I have to wear mine into my first year of college because I got them late. :( Hopefully, I will have them off during the summer before my sophomore year in college

Oh, and I get self- conscious when I eat because food can get stuck in between the braces or towards the back of my braces and that's just plain annoying.. <_<

but I also have a question. When you get your braces off and the retainers come off and stuff, how often do you have to visit your orthodontist? Is it about the same schedule as when you had braces, coming in every 6 weeks or so?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest rachilde

but I also have a question. When you get your braces off and the retainers come off and stuff, how often do you have to visit your orthodontist? Is it about the same schedule as when you had braces, coming in every 6 weeks or so?

You pretty much never need to unless you lose your retainer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

but I also have a question. When you get your braces off and the retainers come off and stuff, how often do you have to visit your orthodontist? Is it about the same schedule as when you had braces, coming in every 6 weeks or so?

At first yes, but since there's nothing more for them to do, there really is no use to go. They sent me a letter saying that they'll start to charge $25 per appointment a bit after I took off my braces. So I just told them I didn't need to go anymore. Same for retainers, after a while, it'll start to get dirty to which you might want to call and have them make you a new one (which will probably cost money too). I just stopped wearing them several years after removing braces... My teeth shifted slightly but it's still lined up, although not as perfectly round as when I first took off braces. :vicx:

Did anyone have to go back to getting braces because their teeth shifted? I think if you do go back though, you won't have to wear the whole braces thing. You may just be able to get those Invisalign ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest nameless

I had braces t sucked D: But it wasn't unbearable or anything. I just didn't like how I looked with it x)

It limits what you can eat (hard/sticky foods) and if you are a gum chewer.. well, it's going to have to stop.

Well, not really, I chewed gum sometimes but it was a painnn because of it sticking sometimes so I just stopped, you shouldn't though. You could eat and do all you want, but it's just best if you don't because the brackets could pop off and sticky foods are annoying.

Here's basically the worst parts of it:

- canker sores

- poking wires(only if too long though)

- food stuck under the wires

- sore teeth after tightening appointments

To address your other concerns:

Your teeth do not become loose, your bones reposit and deposit, creating new socket placements for new teeth positions. However, teeth tend to want to move back to their original spots, therefore the retainers to hold them in their place, preventing them from shifting.

Your teeth will feel absolutely normal after braces. Just a lot smoother feeling because it is all straight ^^

So yep, I'm not a pro, but I'm a dental student :] And I had braces 3 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..