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 ...

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

I just got my braces put on today. Hurray? However, I want to tell you about my wisdom teeth extraction experience first.

After my consultations with the 4 different orthodontists, I went back to my dentist and asked for a second opinion. She agreed and suggested I take them all out to avoid any problems in the future as it might ruin my orthodontic treatment at a later time.

This time around I didn’t shop for an oral surgeon. I went to have a consultation with the recommended oral surgeon by my dentist and it cost me $125 (that’s probably why I didn’t shop around). Three weeks later, I had all 4 of them removed. You can see from the panoramic x-ray that all 4 were impacted – bummer!


The day of the surgery, I did as instructed and didn’t eat or drink six hours prior to the operation. I was sedated and 1 hour later I woke up with a nice buzz. I was also gauzed up. The overall experience wasn’t too bad. I didn’t have much pain (but was really swollen in a funny way) the following days and did as instructed. A week later, I got a little pump to pump out food from my holes where the extractions were made. I started getting lazy thinking I was recovering fast and by the 2nd week I got an infection :(.

It has been 4.5 weeks since my extraction and I am still recovering on one molar extraction. I can still see a hole and I think I got another small infection but salt water is doing its trick and it is healing once again. The rest of the extractions have healed well but I use the pump and pump out and food residue just in case.

So remember – keep those holes clean!

Choosing an Orthodontist

I finally decided to get braces put on after my cleaning with my dentist. She pointed out some thinning of my front tooth and brought up the recent crack I had on a premolar. I figured I should get it done soon while I was still relatively young (mid 20s). At the same time I was feeling some minor pain on one of my molars while biting down (another sign of a cracked tooth). So that was it, I was getting braces.

That is when my search for an orthodontists started. I started calling and setting up appointments with several orthodontists and used online rating sites to help. Here they are:

Ortho #1: At my current dental clinic
- Out of pocket expense: $5100
- Type of braces: clear traditional, regular traditional
- Treatment time: 18 months to 24 months
- This ortho told me that I do not have to take out my wisdom teeth. He also said I cannot use Invisalign because my teeth are too severe for that type of treatment.

Ortho #2: My friends current ortho
- Out of pocket expense: $4610 (clear regular) or $4985 Invisalign - this included a limited time $1000 off promotion
- Type of braces: clear traditional, Invisalign
- Treatment time: 18 months to 24 months
- The price provided is with a $1000 discount if I get it done by tomorrow. They said the promotion ended the next day but I didn't really beleive them. I also didnt like the orthodontist because he tried to "bond" with me talking about my country and I dont think he was professional. I told the assistant I wanted to use invisalign and then later when the doctor came to see me he directly said.. "I hear you are interested in Invisalign. You can do it but you have to be a good boy and wear it all the time". I was like, you are not even giving me the options? So I asked about the regular ones then he said I could use them too. Then he said invisalign will fix the teeth 90%, but regular will fix it 100%.

Ortho #3: Found good reviews online
- Out of pocket expense: $5687
- Type of braces: damon braces 3 and 3 MX
- Treatment time: 20 months to 24 months
- All wisdom teeth need to be removed

Ortho #4: Found another good review online
- Out of pocket expense: $6000
- Type of braces: damon braces 3 and 3 MX
- Treatment time: 20 months to 24 months
- All wisdom teeth need to be removed

After 4 consultations and 1.5 months of thinking I went for orthodontist number 3. It was a tossup between Number 3 and Number 4 as they were both really good in terms of the orthodontists education, the number of years in service, treatment towards customers (not pushy and not like a salesperson).

When choosing your orthodontist I would suggest looking at where they graduated from, trying to see if are they money oriented or they really care about you, listen to what they have to say compared to other orthodontists, and see what others have to say.

Good luck choosing your orthodontist! I hope I made the right choice.