I just got back from the orthodontist, I think he said that there's a problem with the alignment and some of the teeth are crooked. Now, he said that braces were an option, I could decide against them but braces are the only way to fix my teeth and and I really wanted to fix them. I don't know what to do, I'll have to wear them for 18 months which my mom said was a short time for braces. The orthodontist said that I'd have to wear bands and have a retainer after the braces and I might have to get one of my teeth removed to make space. My parents are willing to pay for it and my mom's going to talk to my dad about it later. I feel like everything's happening really fast, he said we could get x-rays next week if we decide to go ahead with the plan. I'm sort of scared because I don't want to get a healthy tooth removed (he said I might have to but I have kind of bad luck), my mom said that I won't be able to eat some kinds of food and I'll have to get used to talking with them. Everyone says that it hurts when they put them on or tighten them too! I do want my teeth to get fixed but I don't know what I should do :help:
If you can get them, I would. Any teeth they pull will be molars/wisdom and there'll be anesthetic so there won't be any pain. As for pain getting them on? I don't recall any and I had braces on twice. Yay! Any pain you do get will be short lived and similar to the pain you get after being to the dentist if the hygienist has pressed too hard during a cleaning. It doesn't actually hurt to tighten them. The talking was no problem. Maybe one day of strange sensation but that's it. As for not eating stuff, it's mostly candy and gum because you have to be more careful about stuff sticking in there and giving you cavities. "Hard" foods like apples are probably best cut into wedges before eating just so you don't stress the braces when you bite into them but, really, I don't remember giving up anything besides chewing gum. When I had my braces off, the ortho decided I didn't need the band so you may be the same. I wouldn't worry about them too much. They really don't cause too much trouble at all. An added bonus is that you'll have beautiful teeth AND after you're done with them, going to the dentist will be a breeze. (Not that the ortho is worse but the appointments are more frequent so the dental appts will seem like nothing by comparison.)
Do it! Straight teeth are great to have, and the odds are that if you don't get them now, you'll want to later, and you'll just end up having to pay for them yourself. Braces are a totally normal thing, loads of kids get them. I had mine on for a couple of months shy of 2 years. Braces aren't painful, per se, but more of an agitating, achy, annoying sort of pain. And it all goes away pretty quickly. You'll just be eating some soft foods for a couple of days at the beginning!
It isn't painful but when you first get them put on and during each tightening, it will be uncomfortable and your mouth will be sore but that only lasts for a few hours. Flossing will be a bit more difficult but they give you special floss. In the end, it's worth it.
I had braces for 18 months as well so I understand what you're going through. It was really hard to adjust to for me as well, and I'm not gonna lie: it does hurt like the devil for the first couple of months. But the good news is that it hurts less and for shorter periods of time each time you go back, so for the last six months I barely felt anything. I've never had any teeth removed so I can't offer my opinion on that, but if your doctor thinks that's what you should do and your family are willing to support that then I'd go for it. It'll be bad for a while but by the end of it you will look and feel so much better and have a lovely smile! :icon_bigg If you do decide to get braces, just follow your doctor's advice and hang in there. It isn't as bad as you may think. (*hug*)
I had to get 4 teeth removed to put on braces for my crooked teeth. 2 on the upper jaw and 2 on the lower one. I had braces on for 2 years and Retainer after that for 6 months. But my teeth were still crooked. I went to a better orthodontist and he said I have to have braces again if I want my teeth to be fine. So I had them for another 2 years and retainer for another 6 months. So that's 5 years of continuous braces on my teeth. They weren't painful at all. The orthodontist gave me an anesthetic injection on my upper and lower jaws both times and it took half and hour to put on the braces both times. It was not painful or harmful at all. I actually enjoyed having braces on since they made my teeth look awesome. The effort was worth it. The best part for me is that I could feel my teeth move into place and see results personally. Every month during my visit to the orthodontist he would point out what changes happened and showed them to me in a mirror. That was the best part of my day.
