Week 122 with the Damon Braces

Summary: As good as it gets

I have come to accept that my teeth will not be 100% perfect as they have worn themselves into specific shapes from before my braces. I think this is a good thing as I will have lower expectations next week when I see the orthodontist. I say this as over the last few weeks I have been noticing that the rubberbands haven't helped much in pushing my front teeth forward as I can still see my lower teeth are hitting them a little too early.

Also, ever since I changed to the rabbit rubberbands, I have been eating a lot of them. I don't normally take them off when eating so they end up breaking and before I know it, I have swallowed them.

Another thing I noticed is that it might be true (as the ortho said) that one of my front teeth is slightly larger than the other which is probably causing it to look like it is a little too forward. Hopefully when my braces come off, the ortho will be able to smoothen it all out and make it look nice and neat.

Fingers crossed it all goes well next week. I must remember to take picture right before, in case they do come off!

Days 1 & 2 with the Damon Braces

Status Summary: All my teeth hurt... some more than other.

Initial photos:

I got my braces on yesterday afternoon. The entire process took about 2 hours (check-in, x-rays, impressions, braces, education, and billing). The experience of getting the brackets and the wires on was not too bad. It was a bit hard keeping my tongue tucked in with that restrainer they had and I had to swallow a few times which was hard.

After I the Damon braces were all put on they noticed my incisor was hitting one of the brackets. So they added some composite material on both sides which lifted my bite. Great, except I can't bite at all. The only 2 connecting points when I bite are the spots where they put the composite material.

No pain so far, just minor discomfort.

The last part of the appointment was the billing. I had to pay $200 down payment and the remaining balance was of $4900 split in equal payments over the next 18 months (fortunately I have a FSA).

Now on to how the braces feel...

The first day was not too bad. I was kind of excited because I was feeling no pain. I also felt a little bit of pressure on my teeth so I knew the wires were working. :D. However, 6 hours later I my teeth were getting very sensitive. I would say every single tooth was sore to the touch. The only thing that would relieve it is biting my finger.

It seemed to get worse as time went by. I woke up 3 times in the middle of the night due to pain (I probably tried biting or something).

On Day 2 nothing seemed to be getting better. My teeth were more sore and the inner lip started hurting so I put on some wax. I did realize that as long as I don't move my lips and keep my teeth from touching each other I was ok. The other trick is to keep yourself distracted.

I can't wait for my teeth to move so that I can get those composites removed and start biting again.

2 days down... XXXX more to go ...

Welcome!

I decided to start writing about my journey and experience with braces, more specifically the Damon Braces since I will be spending the next 2 years with them.

It has been about 3 months since I decided to have braces and it has been a pretty long journey. This in reference to the process of finding an orthodontist and my wisdom teeth extraction which I will write about in my next couple of posting.

Tomorrow will be the day when I get the brackets and the braces put on. They have said it will take about an hour and 45 minutes. I am looking forward to it but at the same time I am not sure if I will get tired of it and want them off soon after.

Come back and check out my postings and share your experience as well!