Yellowgurl's Guide To BRACES, =) Options

[yellowgurl]

Okay, there are probably many people out there who have braces and are probably concerned about many questions. And these are what I have come up with.

DO THEY HURT?
I hate to tell you, but yes it does only when the dentist tightens it and when you have been picking at your teeth or brace. Sometimes they might hurt if you eat something really hard like apples. You can take painkillers if it ABSOLUTELY hurts like crazy...

WILL/DO I LOOK BAD IN BRACES?
actually... no you wont. It's the inside that counts and it all depends on the person. Everyone is beautiful and its the personality that matters.

HOW CAN YOU CLEAN YOUR TEETH?
Usually the dentist gives you a toothbrush especially for braces to get all the spots or just use a regular or if you prefer a electronic buzzing one. Either way, floss by putting it under the wire and getting it at the top of your teeth and floss . Or you can get special floss.

AHHHH! THERES FOOD STUCK I CANT GET IT OUT!!
Now you may notice the important of flossing. Sometimes eating foods like leafy veggies and corn, gum, caramel, bread and many other junk will get caught. Usual I would use a toothpick because it cant get all the food. Or swish your mouth with water and check with the mirror after a meal. After awhile, you just MIGHT not care anymore and when people ask eww whats that just smile and say LUNCH and laugh =) OR!! IF you are completely alone just pick it out with your teeth =)


HOW LONG UNTIL THEY COME OFF!?
It all depends, if you're teeth arent that straight it may take longer. Varys from 1/2 year - max 2,3,4? Nobody Knows? There isnt a exact time period but your dentist should know though.
newly added: yes you might have to wear a retainer to hold it in shape.

WHAT CAN'T YOU EAT WITH BRACES
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! eat WHATEVER YOU WANT. I find that saying that you cant eat the thing you hate gives a plus side to braces but to tell you the truth you can eat absolutely everything. Crunchy, hard foods may be difficult to chew when its the first week or when its just been tightened but after awhile you adjust to it and it's fine. My dentist said dont chew ice, dont eat gum since it damages the wire. I do it anyways =) but its true, so cut hard food and avoid sticky edibles if you really want to be safe.

I DONT WANT BRACES BUT I HAVE TO GET THEM.. WHAT CAN I DO?
First of all, braces are expensive, so be happy that you're getting a prettier set of straight teeth that your parents probably had to pay over 3000 bucks for. You can try to get invisible ones (ask your dentist) but usually thats even more expensive and it turns into a yellowish colour. So smile, and just make the best of the situation.
More from feleeza:
Invisalign has clear, plastic braces. But this is only for gaps and other minor defects. NOT for overbites, underbites, etc. And it also costs $2,000 more than regular braces.

ABOUT THE BOX OF WAX THEY GIVE YOU (Sometimes):
Im not sure if everyone gets one but for me sometimes the wires too long so it pokes my gums at the end so what you are supposed to do is put wax on the ends and its better. just take about as much as you need to cover the wire and stick it on and maneuver it till it feels better when its done. From what I learned, after you change the elastics and wire, just move your mouth a bit to see if anything hurts and if it happens to poke your gums tell your dentist to cut it shorter =)



from ag3nt_sm17h
CAN THEY GET STUCK TOGETHER WHILE MAKING OUT?

No. Don't worry. It's nearly impossible to get braces suck while making out, unless you are one of the people who use their teeth to make out. In my personal experiance it is not possible to do so

Newly added: from wonders79

Correction from --What cant you eat:

IS NOT TRUE There ARE things that you CAN NOT eat with braces. Believe me, I have had tons of experience. Your brackets might not fall out the first time, but they will after a while. Plus, it's not good for your teeth either. Once, while I was chewing on skittles, my back band fell off. I thought it wasn't a big deal, and I kept at it. Soon enough, my back band fell off again :/
So yeah, pleaaaaaase do not eat: sticky candy (skittles, mentos...). Or if you're dying to have some, have LIMITED amounts only, and be careful if you want to eat them.

HOW LONG?
Also, time varies for your braces. They can go up to FIVE years, and I've known people who have had them for five years. Your teeth are the calender to how long your braces stay on. If you don't take care of them, then you will have problems=longer time.

YOUR TOOTHBRUSH IS YOUR BEST FRIEND
Haha, okay. I also want to add that when you brush your teeth with braces, to MAKE SURE you have brushed your entire mouth. It's harder, because you have little brackets here and there, but it's important. People who have braces tend to get cavaties easily. Especially the backbackback teeth (the ones nearest your throat). My dentist told me he has had numerous patients who had cavaties near that area. SO BRUSH (especially those back teeth to avoid cavaties)!

AFTER YOUR BRACES..
And the downside to braces is that you get retainers after. That's why I got my braces a second time...I never got retainers, so my teeth went all crooked again. And you'll have to wear those retainers for (most) of the rest of your life. Um, I've never gotten them...soo, no experience there.



Finally words, just relax, and think about all the things you could benefit from having straight teeth, like.... a better smile, no more food stuck, guys might comment on how prettier it is =) its endless. Just have some fun with it like colourful patterns for elastics. Ask your dentist for anymore questions, or feel free to PM me. That's all I could think of and feel free to add more anyone.




-
My experience:

So you might be thinking, WHAT MAKES ME THE EXPERT? haha.. well I have had braces not long.. but its been a year or so. I have gone through having SO MUCH food stuck in my teeth to trying to pick it out with my fingers in public. I practiced smiling in front of a mirror because it was so awkward. GRADUALLY, I got use to it and everything was fine. I got use to the tightening and enjoyed having braces because I didnt like my crooked teeth =) I have many friends who had braces so I was fine that I wasn't the only one and im pretty sure NO ONE is x) Anyways, Thats it for now, I'll stop boring you.


EDIT// I added in some mentioned things from the replies. Everyone has different points of views and solutions so just read it =) its helpful.