Newbie having a bad day...

[abaglady]

Hello... Just found this forum and hoping to find some encouragement on a difficult day!

I'm 35, and it's my 27th day in braces. I've wanted to do this for the longest time but could only recently afford it. After years of pulling up my bottom lip to cover as much of my teeth as possible, I am really looking forward to being able to smile properly!

I have rotated incisors top and bottom, quite a bit of crowding, and didn't realise until my ortho told me that I have a problem with my bite (jaws don't match up properly). The ortho says he can't fix that entirely, but I'm OK with that - it's the aesthetics that bother me most (hope nobody thinks me too vain - honestly, my teeth are awful and I am too embarrassed to post photos, but perhaps I will become braver with time, or when I see some improvement!)

In pain today though :(

The usual sorts of painkillers don't seem to be working - the good bit is the pain is mainly in the teeth I hate the most, so I suppose that means something is really happening! Trying to be pleased and excited, but it is very difficult... Would love to hear what others do to distract themselves when it all gets a bit much. I have 18 months of this ahead of me - please tell me it gets better!

[SoCal]

I am a little ahead of you in treatment, and I still feel the same. Some days are better than others. For some reason, this past week, my brackets have felt especially large and I am very self conscious. Before that, I thought I had gotten used to them. My boyfriend says that as soon as I get used to my braces, it will be time to get them removed.

The only thing I have done for pain is take ibuprofen regularly. I just keep thinking that the end result is worth it

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum abaglady!

It's fantastic that you can finally afford to do this for you ... what a wonderful thing to do!

Try warm salt water rinses to help soothe your mouth. These are also great if your mouth is in need of extra TLC. When a persons mouth is sore we recommend rinsing 5+ times a day.

Hopefully you have some major work going on and tomorrow will bring relief and soon excitement with the changes!

Good luck!

[Sunny]

I forgot to add ... the best way I've found to distract myself is to keep busy ... especially keep my head busy, so I'm not thinking about my teeth/mouth etc.

... and yes it does get better, although if your hydration levels get low, it can make things a bit rough till you get them back up again. So please make sure you drink plenty of water.

[abaglady]

Thanks both - good advice re hydration levels. Must admit I often forget about staying hydrated during the working day, and I sometimes suffer headaches and tiredness as a result, but never occurred to me that it would affect my experience with braces! I will make a concerted effort.

Things are a bit better today and being in the office all day with tons to do has helped keep my mind off it. Will try saltwater this evening and tomorrow. Hoping things will be better still in the morning - I have a big presentation to do at work tomorrow, so it would be wonderful to be able to speak comfortably!

SoCal - you are absolutely right - the thing to do is focus on the end result! Hope you're feeling less self-conscious soon.

Sunny - your blog is inspiring! thanks so much for sharing your experience.