Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I Got Braces!

I've been needing braces for years. Unfortunately, braces were not in the budget growing up. So now as an adult I'm finally taking care of something that should have been done years ago. I looked into Invisalign a while ago, but when I was told the cost I decided that my crooked teeth were just fine, thank you very much. However, as the years went on I realized my jaw and mouth just didn't sit right. So I went to the orthodontist and asked about Invisalign. He told me that my getting Invisalign was like "going after an elephant with a pea shooter". Funny guy. Then I was told I would need braces. Yikes! I have a severe overbite, really worn teeth, and a messed up jaw. It's not like I had much choice. So here I am in braces at age 27. I've had them for about four days so far and I'm actually getting used to the things. I have ceramic on top and metal on the bottom. My tongue is roughed up and really sore. I also had to go in to the office yesterday to get the top cleats bent in and some extra glue taken off. The glue had dried to a sharp point which tore my tongue up something terrible. I'm a very picky and sensitive person so for me to have this metal and wires all in my mouth is annoying and frustrating. I'm not much liking it, but at least right now I don't hate it nearly as much as I did just a couple days ago. I went in at 7:00 am on Friday, March 21. After leaving the office later I had a "What the heck did I just do?" moment. I was pretty bummed out. Then I found a site called www.archwired.com. It has been a wonderful help to me and very supportive. I highly recommend it for any adult already in or considering braces.

My tongue is doing better and that was the main thing that was stressful. I'm also getting sick and tired of people asking me what in the world I did this for. Of course, all of those people need braces as well, so whatever. It's hard. I get so jealous hearing others talk about getting their braces off. Heck, I'm only on day 4. My estimate is anywhere between 18-36 months and I won't know which end I'm on until I get further along and we see how my teeth are moving. I also have to get two teeth extracted on top on Thursday. I'm a huge sissy about stuff like this and I'm really scared.

I just keep repeating to myself: "It's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it..."

2 comments:

Dana said...

Hi! Had to comment about this one too, lol! I got braces at 25, they were off by 28 and it was sooooo worth it! I can't even remember what my teeth were like before. Takes awhile to get used to it but the results are fabulous!

Pyrose said...

Thanks for the encouragement. I enjoy hearing from others who had this done as an adult and are pleased with the results. I'm looking forward to my progress.