New to iBraces..

[peppy]

I am 32 and had braces when i was a teenager. When my wisdom teeth grew in impacted and started pushing my teeth around I just stopped wearing my retainer because it just didnt fiit anymore. Now I have TMJ because of the misalignment and my jaw is locking up. Braces seemed to be my only option to help this.

I had iBraces put in last week ( 2/4 ).. I am feeling that I made a big mistake as I was given the option of these or the ceramics. I think I mad the wrong decision..

Because of the way that my teeth align, my bottom teeth touch the back of the from eye teeth, where the brackets are. They needed to build up the back molars on both sides so that they would not touch.
Having that ( what they call Fuji ) in place makes me not be able to close my mouth, and the worst of it my teeth barely touch- therefore I have not been able to eat anything but pudding, baby food and instant potato. They cant tell me how long I will need this fuji on my back teeth ...

Has anyone had to have this built up and had this much problem???

I do not have brackets on the back 2 teeth on each side (top or bottom) so it is not a feeling of pain in those teeth, just that there is just about no contact for any of them...

On top of that I am frustrated that I sound like I have a hearing problem or a speech impediment. I find myself taking a long time to say what I am trying to because I am looking for other words to say that they might understand, And i find after talking for a short amount of time that my mouth and tongue get too tired to even talk. This ia a problem since I work on the phones doing tech support all day.. I am wondering how I can do my job...

Any thoughts??

[Stephanie]

I would hang in there. If you got the ibraces to hide your treatment, such that your in a profession where you prefer to keep them hidden, than ibraces may be the right choice for you...

It sounds like your teeth look good, but are causing TMJ and such.

I have heard of ibraces techniques where they need to build up the area so that your teeth don't knock the bracket off when you bite or chew... so that is common.

I personally prefer ceramics, as they are less expensive and not quite noticable... you see alot of celebrities and such get them, when obviously they can afford the lingual type...

At this point, I would hang in there and keep a blog on this site, so we can give you advice to keep your ortho in check.

You may want to post in the lingual braces area...

Any pictures?

[peppy]

Thanks Stephanie.

There were a couple of reasons why I chose the linguals instead of the ceramics. The ortho treated my mom a while back and gave me the same price for the linguals as I would have had with the ceramics, they said that they are the most popular with adults, and having braces before- I was a bit worried about people seeing stuff in my wires.. ( which I would glady opt for now )

My work was not a factor. I work in a call center and no one sees me, my job consists helping people on the phones all day long. Perhaps the linguals arent the best way to go if you have this type of job as I am having a lot of trouble adjusting my speech.

I am a tough girl, I had braces already, a spinal fusion and also multiple tattoos, and i cant understand why I am having a tough time with this.

I am going to try to get some pictures soon, but I didnt take any prior to getting the braces on last week.

My bottom teeth seemed to shift and the alignment is off on them by about 1/2 of a tooth. Initially when I had braces years ago I had 8 teeth removed ( 4 perm, 4 baby). This time I did not need to have any extractions.

This is the 1st time using any forums, not sure if I even posted this in the right place or not.. so confused...

[mikeg]

I'd say since you got a good price on it and a good referall to this ortho, than stick with it, as I have seen them work just as well as other forms of braces.

THe lingual braces are really great for adults and the first month or so will take the most adjusting to them, when eating, talking, etc. But it does get easier!

The blogs are over here:

Braces Forums - Blogs

Stephanie is right, that it is great to track your prorgress and allow us to answer any questions you may have on the way.

Hang in there, you'll have them off before you know it!

[Stephanie]

ya orthodontics sure are taking a swing from when I was a youngin.. With braces behind the teeth and Invisalign doing such a great job, I wonder where braces will be 5 to 10 years from now..

[peppy]

Im starting to wonder why I wasnt offered invisalign. My ortho does offer it but the only options given were the regular ones, linguals or ceramics.
I supposed there are certain criteria that someone must meet?

[Stephanie]

I would say since your case deals with TMJ and such, that the braces are a sure bet, rather than chancing it with Invisalign.

I am yet to read many reviews on users that went iwth Invislaign to help correct TMJ...

[peppy]

Thanks for that.. that is a plus. I am looking for anything to keep my head up right now.

I am hoping to help that before I get any older. I was reading it is best to not wait when if causes lock jaw, which I have had for about a few months now.

[Zoso]

Yup - I can only agree with Mike and Stephanie. Stick with it - your speaking is going to improve, and the more you practice it, the quicker you'll see that improvement. Same goes for eating with those fujis (not heard them called that before) - what you need to do is relearn to chew, chewing on those particular teeth. Start with easier foods, cut it all into small bites, and chew slowly. Before you know it, you'll be back to eating normally, and wondering what all the fuss was about

As to Invisalign - it's good for some cases, and not for others,. It's probably a safe bet to think that your orthodontist felt that it wasn't a good choice for your case. And it's not like Invisalign is without it's little issues either - after all, you can't eat or drink anything but plain cool/cold water with the trays in place, and that can be quite limiting!

[peppy]

Thanks for all of the support. I think I really need it right now... =)