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Original poster

Adult braces

54 replies

MoragWilson · 02/03/2017 10:14

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 Grin Thats me with my lovely straight teeth, by the way.

OP posts:
Clnz4fun · 02/03/2017 15:09

I have them now op I got the top set done before bottom a couple weeks later. It was quite painful and my teeth had shooting pains. Def liquid food for a couple days and carful when talking. Clashing teeth hurt!. Few month in now and it's still uncomfortable when they get tightened or adjusted but nothing compared to the first week. And no pain no gain definitely applies to braces I think!.

3 month at most left Grin

fairweathercyclist · 02/03/2017 15:36

DS has train track braces and at the moment he uses electric toothbrush on biting surfaces, kids' soft toothbrush on gums and sides of teeth and the tepe brushes behind the wires. It is very difficult to get your teeth really clean with traintracks though and his gums are not very good at the moment. I guess as he works harder at it they will improve and he has a hygienist appointment in a couple of weeks. It does worry me though, the dentist said last week that it's no good having straight teeth if they are full of holes and that obviously makes sense.

He has dry lips too.

I had braces but they were the type on a pallet that you could take out to eat and to clean your teeth so I didn't have the same issues trying to get my teeth (more to the point gums) clean.

tasmaniandevilchaser · 02/03/2017 17:46

Oh and I had a very very dry mouth for about 4 mths. Boots do a good range of dry mouth products. Thankfully I'm back to normal now.

tasmaniandevilchaser · 02/03/2017 17:47

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

cauliwobbles · 02/03/2017 17:48

Teething gel comes in handy!

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

ohmygodyouguys · 02/03/2017 17:54

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.

TheZeppo · 02/03/2017 17:57

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.

Popskipiekin · 02/03/2017 18:02

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.

bananafish81 · 02/03/2017 18:16

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!!

DesdemonasHandkerchief · 02/03/2017 18:19

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.

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 02/03/2017 19:52

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).

Onthedowns · 02/03/2017 20:08

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 · 02/03/2017 20:17

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 · 02/03/2017 20:18

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.

iaintgettingonnoplane · 02/03/2017 20:22

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 Wink

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 Grin

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 Confused

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 · 02/03/2017 20:25

Has anyone had the ceramic (white) train tracks?

They look a bit less obtrusive than the metal ones.

Mingewithafringe · 02/03/2017 22:03

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

tasmaniandevilchaser · 02/03/2017 22:27

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...!

Waterlemon · 02/03/2017 22:39

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.

Clnz4fun · 02/03/2017 23:07

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.

Oinkypig · 03/03/2017 00:30

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.

KickAssAngel · 03/03/2017 00:46

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!

TheZeppo · 03/03/2017 06:58

waterlemon my teeth were awful. Almost all my teeth are filled Blush 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!)

GetAHaircutCarl · 03/03/2017 07:06

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 Wink.

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.

Wackadoodle84 · 03/03/2017 07:36

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

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