Ceramic Braces Help!!

[princessjessie]

Yesterday I got my braces put on (Top and bottom, ceramic), and i HATE them.
I'm 16 and I thought I would prefer ceramic because they are less noticeable, but they look horrible. You can still see that they are there, and it looks silly with the clear bracket but still being able to see the wire!

It cost 800$ extra for ceramic, but now I'm really regretting my decision. Does anyone know if the orthodontist would be able to change the ceramic brackets to metal at my next appointment (10 weeks time)? If so, would there be an extra charge, or would I get the 800$ back?

Mum is really angry at me, and wouldn't be willing to pay any more, but I really dislike these ceramic brackets! Eugh.

[ports]

Kid. Deal with it.

You paid $800 more for a cosmetic option.

They made impression of your teeth last month, and the brackets came in an aligner to glue to certain spots from the tray. Here's the problem... they really have to take new impressions to replace the full set, because in 10 weeks, your teeth are going to move a lot... OR they could change every bracket by hand, and you risk them not being placed exactly right.. plus all of the physical labor and chair time you take up.

So change will cost you a lot of money.. probably $500-800.

Again I say... deal with it. the braces are a small part of your life, for only a few years.

[princessjessie]

Haha. They made the impression on wednesday. I want them changed because carrying a toothbrush around is so unpractical and I forget to brush after every meal and I'm worried about them discolouring. Do you know if I can get coloured ligatures on the ceramic ones?
Okay well thank you for clearing that up for me.

[josie]

Your ceramic braces will not discolour whatever you eat - I have clear ceramics for nearly a year now and they are still the same colour as the day they were put on, and I've eaten just about everything.

It will set your treatment time back to change your brackets to metal, because your teeth will need to readjust to the new wire and bracket placement. You would be pretty much wasting this 10 wks with them on and would need to wear the metal ones for some time longer. You will not get the extra $800 back - after all, what is the ortho supposed to do with your used brackets and his/her used time? They can hardly do anything much with either. You will lose that $800 and you will have to pay extra on top, for the chair-time and cost of the new metal brackets.

Besides which, being someone who has ceramic on top for aesthetic reasons, I would far rather have these ceramic braces than metal. Yes, it is obvious something is there - they are not invisible by any means - but when people see your teeth, they don't see a mouthful of metal. Which is often the impression with all-metal brackets. Focus on keeping your teeth clean and on following your ortho's instructions. A short period with braces is worth a life time of straight teeth - getting hung up on what the braces look like is losing the point, which is what your teeth will look like afterwards, not during.

[princessjessie]

Thank you! Maybe it's because I'm not used to them yet.
Do you know if both the top and bottom come off at the same time, or wether they are taken off just when they are straight. Because on my top set, I only have them for an impacted canine tooth, which my ortho said should only take 8-10 months to fix, but my bottom have crowding. So would he take the top off once they're done, or leave them until the bottom are done too? Thank you for your answers!

[Sunny]

Jessie give yourself time ... of course you can see the brackets, but with the ceramic options, they are less noticable from a distance. Any type of bracket takes time to adjust to and it's important that you take great care of your mouth ... keeping well hydrated, using wax if any brackets are rubbing, flossing once a day, brushing two or three times a day and if your mouth is sore rinsing with warm salt water.

Get travel sized toothbrushes and toothpaste and put it in a small container. Include toothpicks, wax, a container for elastics (if you need them), a little mirror and small interdental brushes. A container with these items means you can eat anythink at any time and not have to worry about your mouth being in a mess or stinky due to food being left behind. Drinking water while you're eating helps to wash the food away, which should cut down on the amount of cleaning you need to do during the day.

Ceramic brackets will not stain! If you have ligs they will stain, no matter what colour they are. Some of the darker colours show less staining. Coloured ligs look amazing on ceramic brackets, in my opinion they look loads better on ceramic brackets due to the glow of the cearmic brackets.

Hopefully your impacted canine will behave well and that will be corrected quickly. The alignment is fast, but the bite can take a lot longer to fix, so once your canine is in place, there is likely to be more work needing to be done that is related to getting your bite sorted. Talk to your ortho about this. If one arch is finished ahead of the other, the brackets can come off and your lifetime of retainer wear begins. Sometimes a few brackets may need to be left to anchor elastics, although buttons can be bonded for these also. Your ortho will have your treatment plan, so discuss this with him!

Good luck with getting through this adjusting phase ... and soon loving how your teeth and bite look!

[ports]

OP, I'm 25. I work in a manufacturing facility as a plant engineer... so I'm around machinery and dirty places all day. I just keep a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc in my desk. I eat lunch, then take a few minutes to brush my teeth.. when I go out to dinner, I just excuse myself and go to the restroom with a glass of water and brush really quick. Colgate Wisps are really helpful and small. So are small bottles of mouthwash.

Carrying a small toothbrush is just as practical as carrying a wallet, keys, a cell phone. 10-15 years ago, no one thought it was practical to lug around a big cellular telephone... look at the world now. Everyone found a place to hide one on their person..

You will get through it.

[princessjessie]

Thank you all for the replies. My ortho gave me everything you all mentioned (toothbrushes, floss, wax, even water bottles haha).
I'm hoping to have my braces off in the shortest time possible so that I am brace-free for my formal next year, so I definitely plan on taking good care of my braces.

~ The only reason I find taking a toothbrush etc everywhere is because the only time I carry a bag is on school days (3 days a week!) so I will have to start bringing one everywhere i suppose.

Thank you all.

[josie]

princessjessie - I don't carry anything for my braces - no toothpicks, no toothbrush or paste and no floss. I just brush twice a day and I floss once a week (on my otho's instruction). If I eat out somewhere, I just swish with water discreetly and that gets most stuff out of my braces. I can usually feel with my tongue if something is there and remove it with my napkin. If I get really paranoid, I go to the bathroom and check. I've never had anything stuck that I can't just pull out with my fingers. Which is all to say - not all of us carry a bunch of stuff around. It just depends on what you want to do.

[princessjessie]

cool! thanks heaps : )

[ports]

If I eat larger foods, it only gets caught on the sides of my mouth. Around teeth 4 through 7. (1 being the front center). But if I eat smaller things like stir fry/vegetables .. it gets caught up front too. And I don't like the feel of either, or the taste.. simple rinsing usually doesnt remove it from mine... so I have to brush each time.

[Sassee]

I bought a small change purse and I can fit my travel toothbrush, wax, travel toothpaste and mirror in it. No one knows whats in it and it can fit into a pocket. I take that with me everywhere, like Ports I have to brush each time I eat something.