Help dd has just had braces fitted

[MegCleary]

And she is in shock. She hates how she looks, how it feels is & in tears.
We thought we had prepped her but apparently not.
They are straightforward train tracks. Any tips??

My daughters mouth was over crowded and had a brace, she even had to have four teeth removed, she was so brave. I was the one nearly passing out in the dentist room, while they did it. My legs were wobbly to say the least. She went through the pain and aching with every tightening. Ripped mouth, where the wire rubbed etc. Had braces now for 2 years and nearly at the end of the tunnel. Her teeth are straight and has so much more confidence as she can see the gains. I would just highlight the fact that she will get used to them, the end result will be that she will have the perfect smile. People don't notice them, once she is used to having them as they become normal. Along with that, you have to look after your teeth better. Just aim at the Hollywood smile she will get at the end.

My DD had 4 years of braces, 4 teeth removed and at the end of it orthognathic surgery where he jaw was broken and moved.

She has a beautiful smile.

As the teeth straighten, they won't look so out of place.

My teeth were really crooked and I felt braces drew attention to them. As soon as they started to straighten I didn't care if people saw my braces.

Does that make sense?

@MegCleary

She says they’re not too sore (which makes me worry they’re not tight enough!). Thanks for the reassurance, I thought we had explained it enough. Feel so guilty. I think she thought they would be ‘clear’. Tips on food appreciated

They will start to feel tighter over next couple of days. So don't worry about that part! It gets worse before it's gets bette reform memory

I hated my braces at first (I had crossed over teeth at the front) but as soon as my teeth started to straighten and I had gotten used to them I actually quite liked them 😁 I got to choose different band colours every time I had them tightened and I thought they made me look quirky, never got bullied for them (I got bullied for everything else but) I’m glad I got them done cause now I have a nice smile, your daughter will come round, it takes some adjusting 😁

Bless her. I have a dd the same age and she is so self conscious. She had braces fitted in Nov as she had a large gap at the front and an overbite. She was able to choose the colour and lots of her school friends have/had braces. Already they are straightening up beautifully and she is feeling more confident. There is a bit of pain when tightened but it goes down with pain relief.

Hope your dd gets used to them soon, it will be so worth it in the end. She will get used to them so quick as well, dd forgets a lot of the time she even has braces.

I'm not sure it will make her feel any better at this point, but I've just been quoted £3.5k to have my teeth straightened as an adult

I wish I'd known that at 13yo

I’m paying c£7k to have mine fixed as an adult. I’m a big girl and still had a little cry after they went on – it’s a big change to how you look. It’s probably easier as an adult to recognise that you’ll reap the rewards and be glad you did it. Teenagers are more likely to focus on the here and now. What helped me was watching YouTube videos of people documenting their braces “journey” and reading articles by adults with them. Instagram and TikTok might be better for her!

That she has OCD may be relevant here - has she received any input for that in the past? I wonder if it might be worth you getting in touch with whoever provided her diagnosis/treatment to request a (hopefully) one-off session to help her use her coping strategies in this scenario? If that's not possible, the [[https://www.slam.nhs.uk/our-services/service-finder-details?CODE=SU0264
national child and adolescent OCD service]] may be able to point you in the direction of some useful resources?

She has had cbt 2 years ago and all compulsions and thoughts stopped.

@MegCleary that's great. But she's in a new, uncomfortable situation, and it may be that her reaction to the braces could be managed if she knew to use some of her CBT strategies. She will hopefully know about things such as sitting with discomfort, the anxiety curve etc. but may need a bit of a prompt to use them in this situation.

Those of you with DC who have braces - whatever you do, don't let them forget to wear their retainer! It'll make all the effort pointless as the teeth will slip back to how they were.

Teens are awful about losing stuff, if you can afford it buy a spare retainer when you get the first one fitted/moulded (you have to ask specifically, and pay a bit) - it's so easy to lose a retainer as you have to take them out when eating.

Also pop retainers in cleaning solution for dentures (you can buy dissolvable tablets) once a week for a couple of hours to stop them getting smelly.

Pretty much every single person in my children's years got very visible braces (and those who didn't now moan that their teeth don't look as good as those who did). It meant that no one commented negatively at all. Two of my children was allowed to choose coloured bits which changed every few weeks; the other didn't get this option.
Honestly I'm sure she'll get used to it in no time. One of mine had to wear them a whole extra year because of covid and only got them removed just before they turned 18 which was a bit annoying but otherwise they were fine.

My teeth are the envy of so many people I work with because my parents cared enough to get me braces. My 2 younger kids have just finished braces and they look great.
Shell be fine in a couple of weeks. It's stressful at first.
She will NEVER regret hacking straight teeth when she's older!

Well it is a rollercoaster isn’t it. Her mood seems better I keep encouraging her to take painkillers, use wax and bonjela she has two cuts/ulcers which must be agony.
She says now they are not that bad looking just trying to figure out food .
Thanks for the tips they have helped