Adult braces

[MoragWilson]

Having adult braces fitted later today - train track type, top and bottom. AIBU to ask if anyone can offer some guidance on how to cope immediately after and in the few days after fitting.

Thinking I'll need to modify what I eat, maybe how i speak? Will I be in pain/discomfort? What helps? What doesn't?

I know I ABU to post on AIBU but my nerves have brought me here Thats me with my lovely straight teeth, by the way.

[summerholsdreamin]

I had adult braces about 3 years ago.
One really good tip I was given was to try not to get dehydrated. Make sure you consciously drink lots of fluid.

Dehydration causes the issues of your cheeks/mouth to dry out, giving less cushioning against the braces. So if I was dehydrated the metal would sink
into my cheeks causing painful sores.
Used to happen a lot especially at night.

So... drink lots!

[Meekonsandwich]

Oh and those flossing sticks, you can get straight one's that you can bend are invaluble for cleaning your braces.

[Meekonsandwich]

Stock up on pain killers for when you get them tightened.

For the love of god do not do what I did and go to a cafe and bite down into a sandwich.

You will not get that crap out of your braces for HOURS.
Bring a toothbrush with you where ever you go,

The orthodontist will tell you what foods and drinks to avoid,
Apple, gum, toffee, coffee and tea (will stain your teeth and mean you'll have lovely little white squares on your straight teeth! (Which believe me if you go through months of pain of having them tightened will piss you off)

Use a straw.

[Custardmiteofglut]

A little late to this thread, but like you OP, I've also just had braces fitted this week - Monday in fact.
They are ripping my mouth up a treat and it looks like I've had lip fillers as I've got a slight trout pout. Eating is a chore and I'm not enjoying mealtimes. I'm not snacking as much and I'm hopeful I'll lose weight too - every cloud and all that.
That said, I can feel the pressure of the wire pushing my teeth around, so I'll take the misery of sore mouth and awkward eating as it's a short window of time.
I got the Six Month Smiles ceramic braces, but they are still big alien things stuck to your teeth, just more teeth coloured.
My dentist recommended curadex extra soft brushes and they are really good. I'm also using the tepi mini brushes for between the brackets.
I've attached a couple of pics - one without and one with newly fitted braces. I'm hopeful that by September I'll have them off and will have lovely straight teeth.
Good luck!

[Wackadoodle84]

I also have an appointment for braces today, not fitting today , but will be taking molds etc. Had them as a teenager but wasn't very retainer compliant so here I go again! Best of luck op

[GetAHaircutCarl]

watermelon my teeth were not too bad.

I don't have any fillings and only one crown where I'd sliced off the side of a tooth as a wild young thing .

But when I was pregnant they slipped and became a bit uneven. Most people thought I was potty to bother but I'm glad I did. The treatment was quick and relatively painless and I have fab teeth now.

[TheZeppo]

waterlemon my teeth were awful. Almost all my teeth are filled the dentist replaced several fillings before he fitted the brace. He warned me he'd take it off if my hygiene wasn't perfect (it is now, but wasn't as a child!)

[KickAssAngel]

I have a bridge and still getting my teeth done, so I hope it's worth doing.

Mine is mainly because I grind my teeth so badly that I damage them, so they're being rearranged and then I'll wear a bit guard at night.

It has been horrendously painful, and after 4 year I'm still getting things attached and rubber bands added etc. My front teeth looked OK to start with, so there won't even be a cosmetic advantage, it's all along the back.

Hate it!

[Oinkypig]

Tip for people with braces, if you have a wire/bracket digging in and no ortho wax you can use the outside waxy layer from babybels instead.

[Clnz4fun]

Has anyone had any success with adult NHS orthodontics . My teeth are very bad and have bad overbite . I asked for referral but told no it has to be private - to tune of £2500!!!!

Yes but I still had to pay but less than half of £2500 that I was quoted by private clinic for standard metal braces, nowt wrong with these braces I think they are meant to be the most effective but not exactly aesthetically pleasing.


I only had/still have overcrowding but have permanent gum desease but still classed as cosmetic so not entitled to free treatment. The nhs dentist clinic has a orthodontist working there so I imagine he covers both NHS and private hence the cheaper cost.

I would say braces are worth it for over all health in the long term but obviously best to speak with a orthodontist or other oral hygiene professional.

[Waterlemon]

Sorry to gatecrash op but

Those of you that have had braces fitted - what condition were your teeth in before you started treatment?

I would love to have my teeth straightened but my cross bite and poor dental care and dentistry in childhood has meant that I have several huge fillings and 3 root canals with crowns all on the same side and although my teeth are pretty stable now, all the back.ones are filled.

I'm 40 now and I would like one know if the cost of treatment will be worth it in 10 years time given the state of my teeth.

[tasmaniandevilchaser]

I've got the ceramics, little bit more expensive, but I prefer the look of them. Though I hadn't quite appreciated how much other stuff would be in my mouth - currently got twisted wires and metal hooks and ties pulling the gaps together - I just keep thinking of when it's all finished...!

[Mingewithafringe]

VeryBitchy I had the ceramics. Less obstructive (and you could pick the colour!) they were fine and straightened my teeth very well

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

Has anyone had the ceramic (white) train tracks?

They look a bit less obtrusive than the metal ones.

[iaintgettingonnoplane]

I've had my braces for one year with another gear or so to go! Train tracks top and bottom.

Like previous poster has said, wax is a must the first time you have them done the wires will really irritate and rub the skin inside your mouth. After a few visits it will harden, I never use the wax anymore. Ask your orthodontist if you can have colours, mine are currently pink

After the first visit it will hurt a lot but this will get much much better over time. I still struggle to eat anything I have to bite into, sandwiches, burgers etc as the bite is so sensitive but I just tear them into small pieces. There's nothing I can't eat now that I used to be able to eat so far, it just takes a little bit longer

Most importantly, smile and think of the end results. I am so much more confident now than I was before. I would never wear coloured lipstick etc as I was so embarrassed by my teeth and didn't want to draw attention to my mouth. When they come off my confidence will be over the moon!

For other posters asking how you go about getting them on a budget, mine are actually free! I had a severe cross bite and my adult tooth on my upper left canine never came through. X rays showed it was buried right up in the roof of my mouth, so I had to have surgery to expose the hidden tooth, which was just as gruesome as it sounds

Springs are used to open the gap and a chain attached to the exposed canine which is attached to my braces to pull it into place. The first photo is the day I had them put on, the second in July of last year. The last set of photos were taken today. In the last photo you can see the little canine tooth finally being pulled into place. To think this was once in the roof of my mouth! The work they can do is incredible!!

Anyway as my case was so complex my dentist put me forward to the university hospital. My orthodontist is a student doing his postgraduate (obviously supervised) and therefore my braces are free. So might be worth asking your dentist!!

Good luck let us know how it goes!!

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

Has anyone had any success with adult NHS orthodontics . My teeth are very bad and have bad overbite . I asked for referral but told no it has to be private - to tune of £2500!!!!

I'm awaiting referral (they keep rescheduling) for possible SARPE (upper palate expansion), braces and bimax surgery, having been referred by NHS dental hospital.

I have a skeletal crossbite and short upper jaw.

I had assumed I would have to go private but the private surgeon I saw insisted I go through NHS. I didn't think it would be considered severe enough for NHS treatment, given that I'd had already had NHS braces when I was under 18.

But there you go.

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

Has anyone had any success with adult NHS orthodontics . My teeth are very bad and have bad overbite . I asked for referral but told no it has to be private - to tune of £2500!!!!

I'm awaiting referral (they keep rescheduling) for possible SARPE (upper palate expansion), braces and bimax surgery, having been referred by NHS dental hospital.

I have a skeletal crossbite and short upper jaw.

I had assumed I would have to go private but the private surgeon I saw insisted I go through NHS. I didn't think it would be considered severe enough for NHS treatment, given that I'd had already had NHS braces when I was under 18.

But there you go.

[Onthedowns]

Has anyone had any success with adult NHS orthodontics . My teeth are very bad and have bad overbite . I asked for referral but told no it has to be private - to tune of £2500!!!!

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

Verybitchy - I'm intrigued, what is the full nine yards?

Upper palate surgical expansion. Followed by braces.

It's for when the crossbite is skeletal, rather than dental (I think).

[DesdemonasHandkerchief]

I'm mid 50's and have had train track bottom braces on for 2 years - after the first 11 months decided to go the whole hog and get top ones too which has prolonged the whole process! Hoping to get them off at Easter. First three days or so is pretty grim and you'll want to rip them out of your mouth but it does get easier fairly quickly, worst bit for me was the metal rubbing on the inside of my mouth. For a long time I was bulk buying dental wax on Amazon until my mouth toughened up, my dentist said she thought adults were more prone to this problem than the teens and preteens she sees. It's not much fun but as others have said the end results are worth it (you'll be amazed how much your teeth move just in the first 6 weeks) and I wish I'd done it decades ago. Good luck, come back and tell us how you're getting on.

[bananafish81]

I had adult braces but I had an inman aligner - which was a removable applicance that fixed my wonky tombstone teeth within 3 months. I'd had train tracks as a kid but never had a wire retainer glued on the back of the teeth, so they went back out of line

3 months of the inman, then bleaching and bonding (ABB - alignment, bleach & bonding, minimally invasive cosmetic dentistry) and my teeth were completely transformed. Needless to say my dentist glued a fixed wire to the back of my teeth to stop them moving again!!

[Popskipiekin]

Use the wax
Use the wax
Use the wax
Did I mention? Use the wax!!
And be prepared for severe agony discomfort in initial fortnight - I was pregnant and couldn't dose up on anything remotely strong enough. It was never half as bad again with the tightening I had further down the line. Totally worth it for a nice smile.

[TheZeppo]

I love my braces!

No pain, bit sore after they are tightened. My lips get really dry too.

Spoke a bit strangely for a few days but all good. They are moving nicely and defo more confident already.

Whoever asked how to do it- I just googled orthodontists. Think it's becoming quite common, so don't worry about calling for a chat.

[ohmygodyouguys]

See if you can get a waterpik. It's fantastic for getting bits of food out that the toothbrush doesn't reach. I got mine from Boots.

[cauliwobbles]

Teething gel comes in handy!

I had Invisalign but DD had train tracks. She said threat was useless.