They're off!! Some questions please?

[Brace Face]

Hi All.

Well today was the day I finally 'got naked' and it felt goooood. The debonding was fairly straightforward, lots of pulling, tugging, sanding and whirring but eventually I was sat upright, given a mirror and the first thing I said was "oh my God, they look like dentures!" My teeth seemed so big and square and straight that they didn't look real to me . My bonded retainers were then placed which was time consuming and tedious and once they were done I felt a slight feeling of disappointment as rather than feeling 'free' I felt like I had simply traded one method of hardware for another. That said, I am already used to them and not lisping so it hasn't taken long to adjust.

I am really really pleased with how my teeth look overall, the alignment is perfect but my teeth do seem yellower than they used to be and more 'translucent' looking in places. I am visiting the hygenist tomorrow so maybe she can do something to clean them up but i'm concerned that, from what I can see, it is not a surface issue but a tooth issue. Does this improve over time? I thought about getting them whitened but I don't want to whiten them if there is an enamel problem.

Also, in the last 3 weeks I developed a painful sensitivity in a tooth that has had root canal treatment in the past. I switched to a Sensitive tooth toothpaste which has helped alot but could my root canal have redeveloped because the tooth has moved?

Finally, (I will shut up eventually) I noticed a small crack on my front tooth which runs downwards. I am thinking that this might have happened when the bracket was being removed as the front ceramic ones are much much harder to get off and more pressure was used. There was significant force on my front teeth. Could this crack become problematic or can it heal?

These queries aside.....getting them off is THE BEST and worth the trip. You won't regret it.

[Phantom Muse]

I am sorry that I can't help with your questions, but CONGRATULATIONS on having your braces removed!!!!!!!!! You must be so thrilled!!

I do remember when I was debraced as a teenager; I thought my teeth were HUGE. With Invisalign, there has never been any moment like that because, well, they've always been somewhat "naked," I guess!

Congrats, and enjoy!

[MsMichelle]

Congrats!!

I know that you are SUPER excited to have them off. I would recommend expressing these concerns to your hygentist because they can direct you and if not give your ortho a call. I have heard of some people getting some tooth sensitivity especially right after they get their braces off. I do know that there should be a period of waiting before you begin any whitening treatment *I could be wrong could someone else chime in on this*

I hope that you get the answers to your questions sooner than later and congratualtions again on getting debanded BraceFace!

[moonie]

Congrats on getting your braces off

How long do you have the permanent ones in? Just curious how that works!

[coconut]

Congratulations, sounds like you're really happy with your results.

Talk to your ortho or dentist about your concerns. They're best placed to advise you.

[Sunny]

Fantastic that your teeth are naked BF!

Talk to your hygienist about your concerns. Hopefully none of these issues are permanent.

It's fantastic that you've adjusted to the bonded retaiers so quickly. Current research shows that these are the best way to retain your teeth, due to them being there all day, without the need to use removable retainers during the majority of your day.

Good luck with your cleaning!

[Brace Face]

Thanks everyone, it's still strange to be walking around naked!! Today I saw my hygenist and my teeth already look tons cleaner and brighter and the hairline crack that I had yesterday seems to have gone too so I think she must have polished that off somehow. She did say it was just a surface thing and it hadn't gone all the way through my tooth thankfully.

MsMichelle - You are right, my hygenist did recommend I wait a little while before whitening, just to let things settle. I have my routine annual dental check up at the end of January so I think I will look into getting it started then. I'll see what my dentist recommends. To be honest, I don't think I can be bothered to have anyone else fiddling about in my chops for a while, i'll end up with lock jaw at this rate!

Moonie - the bonded retainers are for life, unless you really can't stand them. They do feel a bit strange but i'm definitely prepared to give them a good couple of years minimum just to give my teeth maximum settling time. They do mean that cleaning isn't as easy so I know it will be a pain to floss etc but i'm hoping to just get into a new routine with them and just forget they are there. I will also be collecting my removeable Essix retainers next week which will be for night time use only. My ortho is quite determined these suckers aren't going anywhere! Sunny is right, bonded have to be the best way to retain teeth i'm sure.

Thanks for all you good wishes guys, much appreciated at a time when your'e excited but perhaps a teensy bit apprehensive.

[moonie]

Thanks for the update!

My ortho stated I wouldn't get bonded retainers. I asked about the bottom ones and she didn't think it was necessary.

Could you decide on the type of retainer to get after the braces come off? I don't think I want Essix when it's all said and done. Granted, I haven't even had braces yet.. so I'm worrying about something that's a long way off.

[moonie]

Oops, also .. what'd you think of the ceramic top and metal bottom? I just noticed that in your footer. I'm planning on getting that. Still pondering if I should do metal and metal. But, I like how ceramic isn't too obvious.

Thanks for sharing

[Brace Face]

My orthodontist recommended the Essix so that's what I went with but I could have chosen Hawley if I had wanted to. I was definitely really happy with ceramic on top and metal on bottom, the only downside I would say about ceramic is that they are much harder to get off then metal. I had two lots of ceramics on my uppers (my ortho changed them for smaller ones during treatment too) and both times the ceramics broke up into small pieces when they tried to remove them and they had to put ALOT more pressure on my teeth to remove them. I think this pressure is the reason for the hairline crack I have on one of my front teeth. It's not to say that would happen to everyone but it is something to bear in mind. Any bits left on my teeth were buffed off easily and I did enjoy spitting the little bits directly at my ortho!

[MsMichelle]

Awesome Braceface! I know exactly what you mean by NOT having anyone fiddle with your teeth. My dentist is changing my old fillings with the white ones so he did two last week and he wants to do two more before the end of the year, smdh!

[moonie]

thanks for sharing I'll ask my ortho about that in Dec. Maybe I'll go metal on the top. Still have time to decide.