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Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007
I'm turning 30 in two weeks. My teeth are a mess - my dental hygienist doesn't think very highly of me because I have so much trouble brushing/flossing between some of them. So after the discovery of a cavity between two teeth which requires straightening of said teeth to address, I was referred to an orthodontist. The orthodontist actually said "Wow." when I went for my first consultation.

I'm paying for treatment out of pocket but it needs to get done, so I spent the last two months with spacers in, then out while we waited for my brand-new custom-fitted appliance to come back from the lab, then in again to prep for the appliance. This morning I had a pendulum put in. This torture device's purpose is to move my molars farther back, in order to make room for other teeth. If you've never seen one, google it and wince. I also got a nice "welcome" pack from the orthodontist that includes a brand-new electric toothbrush, a case of wax and some spiffy samples of orajel! Oh, and a DQ gift card so I can buy myself a sundae and ice my poor mouth. I'm looking forward to that delicious soft-serv right now.

Since this is the first time I've had orthodontic treatment, all I know is that my mouth is pretty much going to be a war zone from now until 2018. So... what have I gotten myself into? How is having braces as an adult different than as a kid? Can you give blow jobs with an appliance? What's the best kind of alcohol to drink when you're recovering from a wire adjustment? How do you call off work with a mouth full of metal and spit?

Tell me stories about your adult orthodontic treatment! Funny, sad, scary, whatever. I want to know I'm not alone in this, and laughing at other peoples' pain might help me ignore my own.

Alternately, please call me the worst braces-related names you can think of because while I was bullied for a lot of stupid reasons, I missed out on that particular bullying experience as a child.

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raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless
You're a girl so no one will care. Throw the wax away it's useless, it's supposed to protect your mouth against troublesome sharp edges but it comes off and you just end up tasting the poo poo all day. Buy a waterpick (search for that on Amazon) to clean out your poo poo after you eat bread.

You go in once ina while and they gently caress with your braces and for a day or two after that it hurts. Sometimes it hurts a shitload, my friend in middle school cut the rubber bands off once because it was too much. Usually it's not too much, it just depends how aggro your ortho is. The same friend had a growth spurt at 18 after his braces were off and it hosed all his poo poo up again so he had to go in and the dentist broke his jaw to fix what was going on I guess, which is ridiculous IMO but it was probably the one sadist ortho in town that I fortunately avoided but who has been getting wood off of the pain of adolescent girls and boys his whole horrible career.

The only issue with blowjobs will be that sometimes you'll snag a pube and tear it out so just make the dude shave it down a bit if you date bushmen.

raton fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Feb 24, 2016

Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007
Thank you for that advice, it was both practical and somehow disheartening. I guess I was hoping the wax was actually useful because I feel like I'm really going to want it by tonight.

My orthodontist is probably not a sadist. He has a very gentle touch and I am grateful because I have a decent pain tolerance but I am not the Little Shop of Horrors kind of masochist. Also the assistant joked that I would get the award for "Most tools out" today; she used like every orthodontic tool ever made to get things fitted and glued in place. Her tray was a mess of scary looking implements.

Dear god I do not look forward to having my lowers done.

Scudworth
Jan 1, 2005

When life gives you lemons, you clone those lemons, and make super lemons.

Dinosaur Gum

Sheep-Goats posted:

the dentist broke his jaw to fix what was going on I guess, which is ridiculous IMO but it was probably the one sadist ortho in town that I fortunately avoided

This is actually a common part of treatment for certain kinds of over/under bite and exactly the point where I bid farewell to orthodontics once it was brought up as the next thing I "needed". Told that to my current dental hygienist to explain why my teeth are still kinda messy and she said
"Ohhhh one of my friends had that done! She lost soooo much weight! :sparkles:"

The whole industry is hosed up.

chunkles
Aug 14, 2005

i am completely immersed in darkness
as i turn my body away from the sun
It's not really that big of a deal. A lot of people choose to get those crazy invisalign things or weird sapphire braces but nobody really cares. The discomfort of the braces is worse than any social interaction you'll have, and it's not really that bad aside from when you get tuned up.

Bakalakadaka
Sep 18, 2004

My orthodontist wants me to get braces (for the third time) and surgery (second time) because my mouth stalwartly refuses to stay in order. Second round of braces + first surgery were early 20s, now late 20s. At least my teeth are healthy and dentist appointments are easy!

Braces suck but no one will care that you have them unless they are dumb.

Grundulum
Feb 28, 2006

Scudworth posted:

This is actually a common part of treatment for certain kinds of over/under bite and exactly the point where I bid farewell to orthodontics once it was brought up as the next thing I "needed". Told that to my current dental hygienist to explain why my teeth are still kinda messy and she said
"Ohhhh one of my friends had that done! She lost soooo much weight! :sparkles:"

The whole industry is hosed up.

You surely will lose weight if you have that kind of procedure done. I lost 17 pounds in a week before I relearned how to swallow. There was a period of time where the only way I could get food down my throat was to throw my head back like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park.

My advice to Faerunner is to pay attention to the foods you can and can't eat. Apples will quite happily break the metal components off your front teeth, and popcorn kernels will get stuck in all sorts of horrible crevices that now exist (actually, that last may not be so different from the current state of affairs). If you absolutely must eat popcorn, do it the day or two before your ortho appointments; if you missed any pieces when you brushed they'll give you poo poo for breaking the rules but at least they will pull out the pieces before your gums can get inflamed and painful.

Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007
Yeah, popcorn was already miserable; but then pretty much anything would get stuck somewhere - bread, chicken, spinach, apple... I have a lateral incisor half an inch behind the cuspid tooth on one side, plus the bicuspids are rotated and crowded, and the maxillary cuspid and a bicuspid are spooning on the other side. I spent my camp counselor/student teaching days listening to little kids exclaim: "Miss Fae, you have another tooth up there! That's weird! Let me see it, open your mouth again!".

I hate kids sometimes.

The pendulum wires have ripped open my tongue on the way to me learning how to swallow with a mouthful of metal. But I've managed to eat a waffle, scrambled eggs and even some cut up breakfast sausage this morning! I feel like this is an accomplishment worth celebrating. I'm hoping I don't lose weight - I'm already scrawny, I don't want to be skeletal. Thankfully my lower teeth are in much better shape and I do not need my jaw broken.

Peddle2thaMetal
Apr 17, 2012

ooooooooo yeaaaahhh
I've broken many a bracket on beef jerky, so be careful with that. As stated earlier bread will get stuck in them pretty badly. The wax comment was spot on too. Good luck!

Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007
Lessons learned so far:

1. A floss threader is going to be my new best friend.
2. Wax is a pain in the rear end, comes off when you eat/brush and does not taste good, and is so far not very useful in alleviating irritation. Maybe when a wire breaks?
3. Bread = bad. Scrambled eggs are not much better.
4. Liquor stings on irritated mouth skin, but it also numbs nicely. Bonus #1 of having braces as an adult - you can drink to numb the pain!
5. Girls with braces are apparently a fetish. Thank you, internet.

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless

Grundulum posted:

You surely will lose weight if you have that kind of procedure done. I lost 17 pounds in a week before I relearned how to swallow. There was a period of time where the only way I could get food down my throat was to throw my head back like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park.

My advice to Faerunner is to pay attention to the foods you can and can't eat. Apples will quite happily break the metal components off your front teeth, and popcorn kernels will get stuck in all sorts of horrible crevices that now exist (actually, that last may not be so different from the current state of affairs). If you absolutely must eat popcorn, do it the day or two before your ortho appointments; if you missed any pieces when you brushed they'll give you poo poo for breaking the rules but at least they will pull out the pieces before your gums can get inflamed and painful.

When I had braces I could have eaten a cinderblock and those things wouldn't have come off my teeth. Corn chips, kickboxing three times a week, whatever, poo poo didn't budge.

turbomoose
Nov 29, 2008
Playing the banjo can be a relaxing activity and create lifelong friendships!
\
:backtowork:
Depending on the temperature of the drink your braces might expand or contract, which can be a bit uncomfortable, especially after tune ups when you're kinda sore

GoutPatrol
Oct 17, 2009

*Stupid Babby*

chunkles posted:

It's not really that big of a deal. A lot of people choose to get those crazy invisalign things or weird sapphire braces but nobody really cares. The discomfort of the braces is worse than any social interaction you'll have, and it's not really that bad aside from when you get tuned up.

I got Invisalign last week because I am a vain person. I had braces when I was a kid, but my widsom teeth caused crowding in my lower jaw once they came in. I wasn't bothered by it (it was just one tooth slowly moving behind another) but a couple months ago I felt my bite change over the course of a week because of it. Dentist said it shouldn't be too bad because it ain't a horror show in there. If anyone has had a clear plastic retainer before, Invisalign is exactly that. You get a new one every 2-3 weeks when they get loose (due to your teeth moving to fit the mold.)

Pros of Inisalign:

Can eat anything you want, when you take them off (they must stay on 20-22 hours of the day. So just take them off when eating, then put them back in)
People really can't notice: People didn't know I had them in until I told them

Cons:

Screwing up my speech. Mostly S-sounds, if you're rambling and speaking quickly it can turn you into a mushmouth.
Drymouth

green chicken feet
Nov 5, 2015

spray-paint the vegetables
dog food stalls
with the beefcake pantyhose
Grimey Drawer
At first, your mouth may be torn up and covered in sores from the irritation, but over time, the inside of your lips will get tougher or something and it will improve a lot. The wax was a waste of time, at least for me. That's something I remember from when I had braces way back when.

Also, baby food actually tastes good and is made of healthy ingredients. The peach, pear, and banana ones, that is. The meat ones are scary.

Something I wish I had known back then - hydrogen peroxide can help mouth injuries to heal more quickly because it keeps them clean. I like Peroxyl Sore Mouth Rinse (mouthwash) by Colgate.

Doghouse
Oct 22, 2004

I was playing Harvest Moon 64 with this kid who lived on my street and my cows were not doing well and I got so raged up and frustrated that my eyes welled up with tears and my friend was like are you crying dude. Are you crying because of the cows. I didn't understand the feeding mechanic.
What about invisalign, is that as effective as real braces? Seems easier to deal with

photomikey
Dec 30, 2012
Sounds like you're already committed, I'll give you the advice I'd have given you three months ago plus some bonus advice for now.

If you can eat fine and you don't look funny, it doesn't matter if your dentist or orthodontist says "wow", or they want to take pictures of you for a medical journal, or they invite their friends over to have a look - it doesn't matter. If you can eat fine and you are satisfied with the way you look, you don't need braces. When the orthodontist says "wow", he means "wow, I can make a boat payment with this", or "wow, I should really get back to Aruba again". People without $5k to spend manage to get their cavities fixed, so ask what your other options are to get that cavity fixed without 18 months of braces. Trust me, there are other options.

That said, if you can't eat right or you don't like the way you look, braces work pretty good. As others have said, you hurt for a few days after an adjustment, then you don't really notice for a few weeks. The wax worked pretty well for me. As far as being an adult with braces, nobody ever really said much to me about it except to ask questions about what it's like to be an adult with braces, because they were considering it. I did feel like I looked ridiculous for two years. Whatever. It's done now.

When they offer you options for an appointment, always take the earliest available. All the action happens in the first few days after they tighten. If they say "Tuesday or Thursday", always pick Tuesday. You just cut two days off your treatment. It doesn't sound like much, but you will be there every three weeks for two years - if you cut off two days each time, you will cut a month off your treatment.

Toward the end, know when to say enough. The ortho makes $150 (or whatever) every time you come in. He will want to go 6 more visits once you're done, to fund that boat payment and the impending trip to Aruba. When your teeth are fixed, tell him you're done, and have him remove them.

lizardman
Jun 30, 2007

by R. Guyovich
As far as vanity or anxiety over appearance goes, having braces as an adult is a lot better than as a kid I think. Your peers are adults and will not react (unles they're just the biggest of assholes) - it's almost as if people mature as they age! If you're dating, the braces aren't any less attractive than having conspicuously crooked teeth as an adult, so even there you're coming out even.

I'll stick up for the wax. Yeah, it falls off easy, but if the metal is really scraping your poo poo and driving you crazy it can give you a much needed respite. Roll it into a big ball and just smoosh it into the problem area.

photomikey
Dec 30, 2012

lizardman posted:

I'll stick up for the wax. Yeah, it falls off easy, but if the metal is really scraping your poo poo and driving you crazy it can give you a much needed respite. Roll it into a big ball and just smoosh it into the problem area.
++ There is nothing so soothing than having a stray wire jab you in the gums for 24 straight hours and then jabbing a ball of wax on it and having instant relief. It's like itching poison ivy - it feels so, so good.

Bakalakadaka
Sep 18, 2004

Wax is good but remember to take it out before you eat :gonk:

Sialia
Feb 12, 2016

This is going to be pretty fun when I have to deal with it in a year or two. My teeth are a mess, I am not reassured by this thread.

green chicken feet
Nov 5, 2015

spray-paint the vegetables
dog food stalls
with the beefcake pantyhose
Grimey Drawer

Bakalakadaka posted:

Wax is good but remember to take it out before you eat :gonk:

Or just chew some of those wax cartoon lips you can get at a gas station - or anywhere else that sells bizarrely outdated snacks - and kill two birds with one stone. No, don't actually try this. Something tells me the flavored wax would get stuck in the braces like bubblegum and create a disaster.

Do they even make those things anymore? Fake edit: Yes, and you can buy them by the dozen on Amazon, of course. And did you know this chunk of molded wax is fat-free?

McPhock
Dec 25, 2004
hat-wearing champion of rhode island
Your teeth will never, ever feel as weird to you as in the first 30 seconds after your braces come off

Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007

Bakalakadaka posted:

Wax is good but remember to take it out before you eat :gonk:

And speaking of eating (and baby food - why do I feel like that is a good recommendation?), I managed an entire soft meal tonight! Mashed potatoes and "ham salad", because I can't chew right now.

I wax-balled one of the brackets today before work because my inner cheek is having none of this speaking-while-rubbing-on-metal poo poo. It's sore as hell even WITH the wax, but the wax did stay on while I ate because I wasn't chewing anything. And then I forgot to take the wax off before I brushed. :downs: At least it was easy to spit it out in the sink...

photomikey, my orthodontist got 10% up front and is getting monthly payments for the next 18 months... (braces may take longer before they come off) but that's all he quoted me. If he starts charging me per appointment after that I will rip the braces off myself and tell him to shove his tickets to Aruba up his rear end.

...not really, but I will voice my displeasure quite loudly. He quoted a price up front, and I expect to get full service out of that price. I'm sure he's getting quite a few car payments out of his practice.

Also I found out he has a mailbox outside his office with wax and rubber bands so you can just swing by and grab more when you need. Although I realize that this costs him virtually nothing to provide, it does make me feel better about paying him to glue wires into my mouth.

Speaking of wires, I got my tongue stuck in the little loop of wire on the 'leg' of my pendulum last night and it hurt like a motherfucker and I yelled and my husband just gave me a pitying look and shook his head.

Sialia, it could be worse than needing braces.

Your teeth could look like this. (don't click that link, just imagine the worst possible thing ever in your mouth.)
:nms:http://imgur.com/r/WTF/6eEfj6J:nms:
DON'T FORGET TO FLOSS, MOTHERFUCKERS.

Tamarillo
Aug 6, 2009
On the wax debate, honestly, for the 2.5 years I had braces as a teen the wax never worked for me, and I went an entire month with wire out the back bracket scratching the skin at the back of my jaw every time I smiled. When I went in to get it fixed, literally all the orthodontist did was use a wire cutter to trim it off, and I remember getting pissed off that I hadn't thought of doing that myself.

Don't even bother trying to floss with normal floss, just buy a Waterpik : http://www.amazon.com/Waterpik-Aquarius-Water-Flosser-WP-660C/dp/B00HFQQ0VU/ref=dp_ob_title_hpc . I use one now because my teeth are still a bit wonk and flossing is hard between some of the joins, but I would have killed for one of these when I had braces.

And yes when your braces come off it feels like your teeth are all covered in slime and it's weird as hell.

hopeandjoy
Nov 28, 2014



What really sucks is when you have a permanent lower retainer and gives you tongue sores and you never 100% get used the feel of it against your tongue.

Don't get a permanent retainer when your done, is what I'm saying. It's all the drawbacks of braces, minus the tightening.

Weldon Pemberton
May 19, 2012

Sheep-Goats posted:

You go in once ina while and they gently caress with your braces and for a day or two after that it hurts. Sometimes it hurts a shitload, my friend in middle school cut the rubber bands off once because it was too much. Usually it's not too much, it just depends how aggro your ortho is.

Yeah this is one thing I really remember from having braces. One time you'd go in for a tightening and your teeth would merely be a bit achey, like DOMS for your teeth level bad. Then some other time you'd go in and later be lying on the couch trying not to cry until you could finally fall asleep at 3am. Also once my mother made me lamb chops as a treat when I got a tooth removed and the braces re-positioned, and I was unable to eat them. Don't schedule a gourmet dinner for after a brace tightening!

They will give you lots of things to clean your teeth with after the things are fitted so don't worry about that.

Rosalind
Apr 30, 2013

When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change.

I had braces for 1 year and 6 months as an adult. I also had surgery on my upper and lower jaw during that time so I got the works done. I finally got the braces off in February 2015 and now wear a top and bottom retainer to bed every night.

When I got my braces on, I had so much pain that I was on a liquid diet for more than a month after getting them on. The orthodontist said he'd never heard of anyone having so much pain for so long after just getting the braces on before they even did any real tightening or anything. Then one of the wires was rubbing against my inner lip for the first month so I got a giant sore that was about an inch long. It became infected and I had to be on antibiotics. They debated taking the braces off entirely so that it could heal but I fought them and said I wanted to just get it over with.

I used a ton of wax. Wax saved me because after every tightening I would develop sores all over my mouth where the wire was rubbing in new places. About 2-3 days after tightening, I'd have a dozen or so new sores if I didn't coat pretty much the entire wire and every bracket with wax.

I got carded all the time which was hilarious. I smiled at a police officer once and he checked my ID because he thought I was a truant high school kid apparently.

Jaw surgery was fine. It sucked having to basically give up a month of my life to recovery and then 3 more months to looking like the most swollen chipmunk face ever, but it was never too bad pain-wise. No pain at all because they cut the nerves so really it just felt numb. I would get so hungry for food I missed during that time that I'd try to make like a "pizza soup" which was just a slice of pizza in my expensive blender with pizza sauce and cheese. In my half-starved mind, it was the most delicious food I have ever eaten.

But yeah combined with the fact that I was already a skinny bitch before all this and all the pain and not eating of braces and surgery I went from "skinny" to "does she have an eating disorder and/or cancer?" which wasn't fun. I feel like I look like an insect in all the photos of me from around that time.

Waterpiks are annoying as heck to use and people recommending them are probably doing so because they don't know that an Airfloss exists. Get an Airfloss instead and fill it with mouthwash.

Rosalind fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Feb 28, 2016

Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007
I didn't know an Airfloss existed either before you mentioned it. Looks like waterpik systems are cheaper though.

How bad is wearing a retainer? I know they're important so your teeth don't shift back, but they seem less comfortable than the braces... I guess at least you can take them out.

Chillbro Baggins
Oct 8, 2004
Bad Angus! Bad!

Faerunner posted:

5. Girls with braces are apparently a fetish. Thank you, internet.

That's what I came in to say, you could have a lucrative career ahead of you in porn :v:

I had braces when I was 16 because my canines were poking out of my gums above the rest of my teeth. Now I look mostly human when I smile! (Once the pointy teeth were put in their place, the orthodontist took a Dremel to 'em, I have an odd genetic whatsit and no lateral incisors.)

hopeandjoy posted:

Don't get a permanent retainer when your done, is what I'm saying. It's all the drawbacks of braces, minus the tightening.
This person speaks truth. I have one, and while it doesn't cut up my tongue, it is annoying and makes it hard to clean my lower teeth.

Faerunner posted:

How bad is wearing a retainer? I know they're important so your teeth don't shift back, but they seem less comfortable than the braces... I guess at least you can take them out.
Either wear it every night or throw it away, if you go without for a few days and then resume using it, it's like getting a tuneup on the braces.

raton
Jul 28, 2003

by FactsAreUseless

Faerunner posted:

I didn't know an Airfloss existed either before you mentioned it. Looks like waterpik systems are cheaper though.

How bad is wearing a retainer? I know they're important so your teeth don't shift back, but they seem less comfortable than the braces... I guess at least you can take them out.

I had one after I got my braces off and I think I followed the instructions which was to wear it at night for a year after or something, I don't know. If I go find it and put it on it tries to move my teeth around a little but not much. I expect they're 95% woo but don't really know.

Rosalind posted:

I had braces for 1 year and 6 months as an adult. I also had surgery on my upper and lower jaw during that time so I got the works done. I finally got the braces off in February 2015 and now wear a top and bottom retainer to bed every night.

When I got my braces on, I had so much pain that I was on a liquid diet for more than a month after getting them on. The orthodontist said he'd never heard of anyone having so much pain for so long after just getting the braces on before they even did any real tightening or anything. Then one of the wires was rubbing against my inner lip for the first month so I got a giant sore that was about an inch long. It became infected and I had to be on antibiotics. They debated taking the braces off entirely so that it could heal but I fought them and said I wanted to just get it over with.

I used a ton of wax. Wax saved me because after every tightening I would develop sores all over my mouth where the wire was rubbing in new places. About 2-3 days after tightening, I'd have a dozen or so new sores if I didn't coat pretty much the entire wire and every bracket with wax.

I got carded all the time which was hilarious. I smiled at a police officer once and he checked my ID because he thought I was a truant high school kid apparently.

Jaw surgery was fine. It sucked having to basically give up a month of my life to recovery and then 3 more months to looking like the most swollen chipmunk face ever, but it was never too bad pain-wise. No pain at all because they cut the nerves so really it just felt numb. I would get so hungry for food I missed during that time that I'd try to make like a "pizza soup" which was just a slice of pizza in my expensive blender with pizza sauce and cheese. In my half-starved mind, it was the most delicious food I have ever eaten.

But yeah combined with the fact that I was already a skinny bitch before all this and all the pain and not eating of braces and surgery I went from "skinny" to "does she have an eating disorder and/or cancer?" which wasn't fun. I feel like I look like an insect in all the photos of me from around that time.

Waterpiks are annoying as heck to use and people recommending them are probably doing so because they don't know that an Airfloss exists. Get an Airfloss instead and fill it with mouthwash.

Are you made out of flower petals and moth dust?

Weldon Pemberton
May 19, 2012

Faerunner posted:

I didn't know an Airfloss existed either before you mentioned it. Looks like waterpik systems are cheaper though.

How bad is wearing a retainer? I know they're important so your teeth don't shift back, but they seem less comfortable than the braces... I guess at least you can take them out.

What kind of retainer? The piece of plastic that fits into your palate with metal wrapping around your teeth, or the stupid mold they make of your teeth that never actually fits that they try to make you wear afterwards?

I had both, the former was fine but mildly annoying to take out for meals and stuff. The latter is just like trying to wear a pair of fake Halloween vampire teeth all the time and it sucks. One of my lower teeth actually just went back to its old position really fast (because it only moved after the final tightening, basically the braces should not have been taken off for another couple months because it was still loose) despite trying to wear them. I had to actually press on the tooth while wearing it to keep it from moving and eventually just gave up.

Uncle Spriggly
Jan 29, 2009
I had a mean underbite and terrible teeth until my early twenties. I spent about 4 years of my life in adult braces, but the final product was absolutely worth it. I have a lot more self confidence and a giant smile that I get complimented on frequently, which is nice considering I used to make dumb smirks.

The worst part was when I had an upper palate surgery so they could widen my top row of teeth. The expander that they put in would spread the gap between my two front teeth until it looked like I was basically missing a tooth. Once they put braces on it sealed up the gap fairly quickly, but I felt like a yokel for a few months.

Tamarillo
Aug 6, 2009

Faerunner posted:

I didn't know an Airfloss existed either before you mentioned it. Looks like waterpik systems are cheaper though.

How bad is wearing a retainer? I know they're important so your teeth don't shift back, but they seem less comfortable than the braces... I guess at least you can take them out.

The airfloss thing looks exactly like the cordless waterpik. I don't understand the difference and waterpiks are awesome.

I didn't get a retainer because I knew I wouldn't wear it and just let my teeth ease up a bit. Only one tooth twisted slightly. I got away with it for 13 years until the slightly twisted tooth started to shove against other teeth and gave me horrible dull yet persistently throbbing toothaches. This culminated in me getting a permanent retainer (wire glued to back of bottom row of front teeth) to hold that tooth still. Honestly I've gotten used to it and I rarely hurt my tongue on it - but I wouldn't have one if I didn't need one, and when this one gives up on itself I probably won't have it replaced unless the aches start again.

Ohnonotme
Jul 23, 2007
Yay!
I had an Inman Aligner - like a removable retainer that moves teeth in a couple of months as opposed to years, but a bit more "lumpy" than a retainer. loving awesome for moving teeth fast, but apparently no good for badly out of shape teeth. And I LOVE MY WATERPIK!

ninjahedgehog
Feb 17, 2011

It's time to kick the tires and light the fires, Big Bird.


Faerunner posted:

Your teeth could look like this. (don't click that link, just imagine the worst possible thing ever in your mouth.)
:nms:http://imgur.com/r/WTF/6eEfj6J:nms:
DON'T FORGET TO FLOSS, MOTHERFUCKERS.

Please don't click on this link.

Retainer talk: I got my braces off at 16 and wore my retainer 24-7 for the next year and then not at all for about five months, during which my teeth shifted enough that I needed to get a new retainer. I'm 25 now and wear my retainer every night, but even so my teeth are noticeably less straight than they were. :(

ninjahedgehog fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Mar 4, 2016

Jose Mengelez
Sep 11, 2001

by Azathoth

Faerunner posted:

Your teeth could look like this. (don't click that link, just imagine the worst possible thing ever in your mouth.)
:nms:http://imgur.com/r/WTF/6eEfj6J:nms:
DON'T FORGET TO FLOSS, MOTHERFUCKERS.

pretty sure those have been placed there to naturally remove necrotic tissue or something.

Thin Privilege
Jul 8, 2009
IM A STUPID MORON WITH AN UGLY FACE AND A BIG BUTT AND MY BUTT SMELLS AND I LIKE TO KISS MY OWN BUTT
Gravy Boat 2k
I had braces for 2 years in my 20s but my teeth didn't move enough despite wearing the stupid headgear all day (also they gave me incorrect instructions about how to use it that I didn't learn until a new assistant told me like 6 months later), my orthodontist blamed it on me and wanted to charge me $200/month after the 2 years, on top of the $6K I had already paid because "teeth should always be fixed within 2 years". I got them taken off and didn't get a retainer and my teeth moved back even worse than they were before the braces!

What I'm saying is adult teeth suck and make sure to get a good orthodontist.

Oh also he would do one of those super cancer-causing skull scans every 3 months to "see the progress". I wish I had known better ugh.

Thin Privilege fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Mar 5, 2016

Faerunner
Dec 31, 2007
I got the orthodontist who did braces for some famous football player or something around here, I don't remember who. Also one of my coworkers used them and was happy with their services so I figure I'll be ok. They have so far been friendly and knowledgeable and have given me useful tips like rinsing with peroxide/peroxyl mouthwash to help with the irritation. Now if I would just stop poking my drat tongue...

In a controlled study (me sticking wax on one side and not the other), the wax is somewhat useful in reducing cheek irritation. As long as I remember to dig it out before I brush, I haven't had any issues with the wax at all and it doesn't taste like anything nasty. I'm gonna keep using it. And probably get a waterpik because god drat, floss threading takes so long.

ZoDiAC_
Jun 23, 2003

Jose Mengelez posted:

pretty sure those have been placed there to naturally remove necrotic tissue or something.

You'd know, Mr Adult Braces.

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Jose Mengelez
Sep 11, 2001

by Azathoth
had mine at 14, wasn't much of an ordeal overall (even as a self conscious kid).

Tamarillo posted:

literally all the orthodontist did was use a wire cutter to trim it off, and I remember getting pissed off that I hadn't thought of doing that myself.

This made me laugh, same thing happened to me.

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