Hi everyone!
I got my braces done today. And to be frank, I am hating it. Feeling like snatching it out haha, but more on that later.
Process Of Getting The Braces On
I went to my appointment at 9:15 today. I went and met my orthodontist. He explained me that my mouth needs to be completely dry. To start with, he put some cotton in the upper part of my teeth inside and widens my mouth with his gloved fingers. Then, he paints my teeth with something to clean my teeth and wash it off to make your teeth prepared for the glue. He told me that I am not supposed to taste that thing as it doesn’t taste good and luckily it didn’t hit my tongue. J
Then he dried my mouth to start the bracket fixing process.
My orthodontist told me to get braces on my upper part of the teeth only because there was no space if I get my braces on my lower part of my teeth and that will knock off or damage my bottom braces with my top teeth. So he advised me to get braces on the bottom part of my mouth after 3 months.
So, to begin with, my ortho started working on my left side first (top). Foremost, they stick the bracket to your teeth one at a time starting from the back teeth with glue. Once all the brackets were sticked, he removed any excess glue. He used a little blue light to fix the glue which he hold over each of the brackets in turn. The same thing was done to the right side of my upper part of my teeth. Eventually all the brackets were place to my upper part of the teeth.
Once this was done, they removed the cotton wool so that I can move my mouth. He then started preparing for fitting the wires. He then fitted the ligatures. Ligatures are basically the elastic bands that go round your bracket and hold the wire in place.
To put the ligatures in the wire, they basically clip it into each bracket individually. The back brackets have holes in them in which the wire is posted through and all the other brackets have a groove that the wire pops in to. The ligatures are then put over the bracket so that the wire stays where it should. Once all the brackets are attached, they trim the excess wire off using little plier type thing so that it doesn’t trouble your cheek.
Quick Tip: Move your mouth around and suck your cheeks in once this is done to check that nothing sharp digs in.
That’s all. The braces are done. I was told to gargle some water to help my very dry mouth and then was given a mirror. I was shaken when I saw my face in the mirror wondering what they’d done to my face.
Well.. Well.. Well.. I would say that getting braces on is nothing to worry about at all. It doesn’t hurt at all. It’s just little uncomfortable from the dryness of your mouth and the weird feeling that you feel after the braces are on. It feels like someone has binded your teeth haha. No doubt the braces are not at all heavy, but to your lips, it does cover them that feel massive and hefty.
After Care Instructions
My orthodontist advised to make an appointment after 15 days (next appointment is the 23rd Sep 2015).
Then he provided me some information on what to expect during the initial days which are as follows:
Pain
My orthodontist told me that as an adult, the initial pains could last up to 2 weeks, but may be less or none at all. If the braces are done at an earlier age, it would give less pain or no pain. The foremost type of pain is aching of the mouth as the idea of braces is to move the fibers that hold the teeth in place. To get this done, the force is exerted on the teeth which will obviously cause pain. To overcome this pain, he advised that some pain killer will help ease off the pain. Also, he told me that this would make eating harder for the first few days as any extra pressure will cause more pain. Another type of pain is sores and ulcers caused from the braces rubbing your mouth. To overcome this, he advised me a tube named Dologel-CT. We need to apply this gel on the affected area and gradually it should be fine.
Breakages, Staining and Sharp Wires
It’s not habitual for braces to break, stain and for the wires to dig in. My ortho told me to call him straight away if my brace breaks or brackets pop off. He told me that it will hardly take 5 minutes to trim this off and he has no issue doing it as often as needed.
What Not To Eat / Drink
Well, there is a pretty big list haha. My ortho said that in the initial days when there is pain, I should treat myself with liquid and soft foods. Hard/crunch foods are a BIG NO during this time as this could easily break wires and pop off brackets, as well not to eat sticky things like sweets, chewing gums and toffees as it would stick to your brackets. He also advised to avoid sugar wherever possible as this will stick to the braces and may cause cavities. He insisted me to brush my teeth twice a day daily. He told me that eventually when my mouth will get used to braces, I would be able to eat everything but during the early days, I need to take care. I was told to cut into small pieces as it would be easy to eat and will avoid any breakages.
As far as drinks are concerned, I was told to have lot of water, milk and unsweetened tea. It is a must to stay hydrated. I feel that my mouth gets dry often so I try to keep myself hydrated as much as I can. A Big No to cold drinks or any drink that contain soda as this does not really help your teeth so you need to be very careful with these. If in case, you have a craving to drink this, you can use a straw and drink as this would limit the contact of the liquid with your teeth also prevents staining. Also, a big NO to alcoholic drinks. I am trying to think of clear drinks without much sugar that I can drink so I will keep you posted if I find any. J
Cleaning
This is the most important part after having braces. My ortho advised me to clean my teeth thoroughly after every meal where possible and not to snack between meals. He recommended me an orthodontic cut toothbrush that contains a little brush to clean under the wires on the other end. I was told that it was important to brush concentrating on each tooth at a time. He said to brush along the gum line of all teeth first, then to brush the bottom of the teeth. Once the brushing is done, I could then use a fluoride, a non-alcohol mouthwash to rinse out. I asked my ortho if he could recommend me specific tooth paste, but he said that it didn’t really matter and I was free to use any tooth paste I like.
Today is First Day
It’s almost an end of the day and this is what I am thinking…
I have gone for metal braces as it was cost effective and it’s so visible. And I really dislike them.
Painful? Yes, it is. Since 3 hours after the braces are fitted, I could not feel any pain. But after that, I had a nonstop pain. It had pained a lot but not unbearable. It did get me little crabby with everyone around me because of this niggling pain. Combiflam did help reduce the pain to 70% and I was really relieved but yes it does not go away completely. So far, no ulcers have been formed so no need to apply the prescribed gel and also am trying to avoid as much as I can so that my mouth get used to it as early as it can.
Eating? Oops. I had khichdi, soup and bread today as thought this would be easy to eat. I tried to eat chapatti/roti, but it hurt so much. Managed to eat yogurt and yes ice-cream did help. Though ice-cream is cold, but it really relieves the pain. So it’s a big YES for having n number of ice creams haha. Having a glass of milk helped me fill my stomach. Tomorrow I am thinking to have porridge with banana in it or will make a banana shake for me. I really like having soup as it is tasty, healthy and also it does not require tooth work.
Brushing? Well brushing is not really hard. I have been taking 5-7 minutes and I am through. Don’t do it too hard as it will hurt you on gum line and it will definitely be very painful.
Look and feel? Hating it today.. but trying to get used to it. I don’t think they are as bad as I see them as everyone else is also amazed by them. I prefer smiling while taking pictures to avoid showcase of my braces which is really funny. Sometimes I just burst into a laugh but that makes me feel good so its really OKAY. But I noticed that if I take pictures from far, it does not really matter.
Conclusion
I am really happy that I took this decision to get the braces on. I know the initial days are going to be hard but I am sure that the end result will be fantabulous (fingers crossed) and yes I am excited to see some progress. The thought of the beautiful teeth I am going to have at the end of this makes it all feel worth it.
So this is it for today..!! See you in few weeks..!!
Lots of Love,
Khayali Shah
{Instagram : Khayali29}
Live a passionate life filled with love, care, adventure and bliss 