Experience of Dental Braces?

[Kooky]

My 17 year-old niece had braces fitted a few weeks ago - she had two fangs growing in the same space, one removed, needs to push the rest of the teeth into place.

She's in awful pain. Sister says she stays in her room (and she's usually very out-going, for an emo!), her cheeks are very sore, and she can only eat soft food. She's losing weight and doesn't have any to spare.

She's been back to the hospital once and they tightened the brace, which put her in even more pain. I say she needs to go back again ASAP as there shouldn't be bits of wire sticking in her cheeks; she says all her friends say it's normal and you just have to put up with it. They have wax to put on the rough ends, apparently (Obviously sister is useless at challenging anybody, asking questions - just accepts whatever she's told.)

Do you know if this is normal? Is it because it's a crappy NHS brace? I've offered to pay for a better one but C says they're about 3 grand. I'll pay it if it helps.

[Lili Von Shtupp]

I had very old school braces. Nowadays they just bond the brace directly on the tooth, but for mine they had to create spaces in between the teeth so they could wedge a metal band around each tooth. And they pulled two teeth to make the space needed. I was also given wax for the rough edges, and it does help, but if they are really bad, like wires sticking out, then the orthodontist may be able to fix that. I went back monthly to have the wires tightened, and I would say it hurt for a bit each time, but then became uncomfortable for a few days til my teeth were used to it just in time for me to go back and have it done again. It wasn't fun, but I never stopped eating or doing normal things. If it's only been a few weeks, I say give it time and let her eat all the ice cream she wants.

[slinky]

As I recall, it is painful for a couple of days when they tighten them, but then you adjust as Lili noted. (But I only had braces on the bottom teeth) As for the wire, she should have the orthodontist check to see if there is a bit he can cut off so it doesn't stick out so much, but otherwise, unfortunately the wax is about the only solution. Tell her to take Panadol and/or ibuprofen to help with the soreness if she's not doing so already.

However, it seems from your description that the pain is ongoing and she isn't adjusting and if that is the case, maybe some more questions should be raised with the orthodontist - perhaps he's tightening too much, too fast for her?

[Tack]

Tack Minor experienced much the same K (in Singapore). I couldn't believe it was normal either but his cheek linings did eventually toughen up (wax was used at first) and the wire tightening sessions became more bearable (painkillers were needed). The soft food thing is for the duration though (nearly 2 years!). I think TM knocked off a tooth plate 4-5 times by eating not-very-hard food and that sets back the whole exercise and requires urgent (and expensive) attention.

[BoD]

I've got 'em, and the first few weeks were hell. Yes, the damn things rip your cheeks to bits and of course you can't help running your tongue over the braces so you get a sore tongue as well. The wax does help, but in the meantime eating and talking are a pain (literally). There should not be exposed bits of wire digging into her cheeks though. This means that the orthodontist hasn't trimmed then ends properly (happens pretty often)

Don't worry though, it does get better and soon she will hardly notice them - apart from a bit of aching for a day or so each time they are tightened

[Kooky]

Thanks folks - BoD, I did hope you'd comment, as a current wearer.

Poor things, they sound bloody awful Doesn't sound like the NHS is a factor, either. Makes me very thankful that I may have crap teeth (too soft) but at least they're straight.

I think C goes back again in early June but I'm going to try to persuade her to visit her regular dentist before then to see if the rough ends can be minimised. She's got her 18th party coming up, and she deserves not to be miserable.

(Not that she's not brave - lost count of the number of piercings in lip, nose, and ear. )

[BoD]

If it is the ends of the wires that need trimming is really is a 10 second job. Is the orthodentist/hospital so far away that she can't just pop in for a couple of mins?

I suspect that the only NHS factor would be that you would get metal rather then composite white brackets for the wire - this is purely a vanity thing as the metal ones are apparently stronger even though composite are a lot more expensive, and the frequency of visits for tightening. I go every 2 weeks whereas it would seem that your niece is going once a month at best. I actually got to almost like the pain after each tightening as at least it means that things are moving

[Tack]

Interesting that you are doing this BoD, Mr T is in the process of getting an implant but the chap is trying to talk him into a brace. His teeth have always been atrociously wonky (what were his parents thinking?) but while it was only for vanity reasons he couldn't be faffed. Now apparently his bite is causing stress damage and his teeth will suffer, they do have visible cracks/lines. We can't decide if this is upselling or if a brace now will save some implants later.

Tack Minor's brace experience was ghastly. It seemed whenever he got used to one set up it changed so that he regained a lisp (something he worked to remove asap) and lost all grinding surfaces, let alone the discomfort. His was primarily to correct an overbite, his teeth weren't that wonky. He had orthodontist visits and tightening once a month.

[BoD]

Although I should have had them years ago for vanity reasons, in the end I had little choice (it's complicated)

My orthodontist has actually talked to me about the impact of braced on speech. It seems that there has been little study done, but there is obviously an impact. When I first had the braces fitted I did lisp (an excellent addition to the pain)I am also looking forward to learning how to whistle again.

Leaving the country has meant that I have had to accelerate all sorts of things, so on Monday I have an appointment to have an implant fitted, an appointment to have a bridge and one with the orthodontist for I know not what. I think I'll just take a camp bed and a good book

[Kooky]

Ugh, poor BoD. I remember my full day in Dr Ang's chair very well. Was shell-shocked when I came out.

I think we're getting old, Bodders. I do worry about what will happen when all my crowns fall off, or will my teeth fall out? Have, um 18 or 19 crowns (def all 16 at the front) and not much left of my teeth. I keep telling Neo he has to make sure my teeth are looked after, my hair is done, my legs are shaved, etc., when I'm too old to know what's what

C has a slight speech impediment already, and her jaw is a bit crooked. Orthodontist mentioned surgery to correct that but sister was automatically against it. She doesn't go to the appointments with C due to them being outside her "safe zone" (agoraphobia) so she hasn't a clue what it's all about and assumes it's purely vanity - she's actually petrified of anything to do with hospitals and procedures. I think we need to know more about it all but anyway, C is 18 next week so she can do what she wants to do.

Sigh. Sometimes I think I need a few months back there to be a Mother.

When do you leave, BoD?

[BoD]

K,
I guess that 17/18 is a tough time to have braces. It's fine at 13/14 when everybody is doing it - it even seems to be almost fashionable these days, and it turns out to be fine as an adult when you don't really care what other people think

I'd just pass this on to her. Yes, it is pretty awful for the first few weeks with the pain and the inability to eat properly. My initial reaction was to want to go back the next day and have them taken off. But, it does get better and the cheeks/tongue do get used to the rough edges and it will be worth it in the end. However she should not hesitate to ask the orthodontist what is going on and should not be afraid to ask to get the ends of the wires trimmed properly.

Tack,

I had non fixed braces as a teenager to correct the overbite, but they never really went far enough, and I did start again similarly about 10 years ago again with non fixed braces, but the progress was limited as I was not prepared to wear them during the day. More recently however I had to have the two front teeth removed, and was given a choice of implants (pretty much in the same place) or orthodontics to basically move all my side teeth round to fill in the gap left by the front 2 - thus in a rather extreme way fixing to overbite. It's been a long process and am still not quite there, but am glad that it happened. It sounds as if the issue is less cut and dried for Mr T. But having implants is a pretty big procedure (though completely painless) not to mention being hideously expensive

[Fat Bob]

Right, that's enough of seriousness.

Does she look like this?

[Kooky]

Close.

[Jedi]

In Thailand they have 'Fashion Braces'

[Kooky]

Are they aka grills? Ridiculous.

[Tack]

Wow BoD, that sounds pretty extreme. Good luck with the rest of it. Mr T is going off the idea of braces more and more so I guess he'll get yet another opinion or hope that current guy wrong. Yes, implants are expensive. FYI He will be paying GBP2.5K for his single one here in UK.
On another note, you are leaving Singapore !! Where to? All the best with that.

K, Tack Minor is glad he did it so I hope C eventually feels the same.

[Jedi]

Are they aka grills? Ridiculous.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-01 ... races-cute

Crazy stuff!

[Adolf]

My 17 year-old niece had braces fitted a few weeks ago - she had two fangs growing in the same space, one removed, needs to push the rest of the teeth into place.

She's in awful pain. Sister says she stays in her room (and she's usually very out-going, for an emo!), her cheeks are very sore, and she can only eat soft food. She's losing weight and doesn't have any to spare.

She's been back to the hospital once and they tightened the brace, which put her in even more pain. I say she needs to go back again ASAP as there shouldn't be bits of wire sticking in her cheeks; she says all her friends say it's normal and you just have to put up with it. They have wax to put on the rough ends, apparently (Obviously sister is useless at challenging anybody, asking questions - just accepts whatever she's told.)

Do you know if this is normal? Is it because it's a crappy NHS brace? I've offered to pay for a better one but C says they're about 3 grand. I'll pay it if it helps.

I think that the braces does not fixed properly and have some problem out there...
You should ask the doctor to check that one and have made the check up again....

[Sardonicus]

Gee Adolph, what with your other posts here I thought you were going to say something banal and mind-numbingly obvious. Silly me.

[BoD]

They've gone!

[mdora]

I had to be on braces for almost 2 years because my teeth were just too hard for comfort. I think there were 2 that were inclining to the side and should they continue to grow that way, it would very well affect the other teeth and their position. So I opted to get braces, thinking it would be like normal. Well, it was alright because it fixed away worries of the arrangement but it was not easy to keep up with it especially when eating.