[R Smoov]

How's the teeth wars Vork?

I remember being the only kid in my high school class with braces. People don't really care that much about it. Plus you get to make cool color patterns!

I'm sporting my invisible retainers now like a boss. For anyone with fucked up teeth go get some braces!

[sthesia]

Just had clear brackets installed today. Had been prepping for this over the past few months when I first went in for a consultation to improve my smile.

My treatment plan started with extraction of all 4 wisdom teeth (as they were causing crowding) by an oral surgeon. The it was root canals by an endodontist to 2 teeth adjacent to the extracted wisdom teeth (as the wisdom teeth caused accelerated decay of those teeth due to pressure from growing at an abnormal angle). After root canals, had temp crowns placed on those rear 2 teeth by a prosthodontist. Got clear brackets put on today by the orthodontist; plus a wire across the top set. Will have 2 pre-molars extracted tomm by another oral surgeon to allow for a faster and better end cosmetic result; before the bottom wire goes on next week back with the ortho. Estimated duration of wear is 12-15 months, which I'm hoping flies by. Following orthodontics, I will have perm crowns placed on the rear teeth that currently have temps. The final touches to the front teeth visible in the smile line, I will address as a final step with a prosthodontist. I was initially thinking about veneers up front, but after reading DVY's dental mega thread I think PFC's might serve me better in the long run. Regardless, I will wait until the ortho comes off to decide what needs to be done to the smile line to perfect the cosmetic result.

In anticipation of the braces going on, I purchased a WaterPik. It comes with a water flosser as well as an electronic toothbrush. The toothbrush has a built-in 2 minute timer; which signals every 30 sec mark allowing you to spread the brushing around equally. The flosser comes with several attachment heads, including an orthodontic head that I will be using exclusively for the next year or so. I'm still researching options for what type of to-go care I need to carry with me on a daily basis (pocket mirror? mini tooth brush? special ortho floss? dental wax? etc..)

I'm excited about the next stage of my plan. Looking fwd to next month when I plan to have a tonsillectomy to address some enlarged tonsils and adenoids, which I suspect have been causing me some sleep issues. During the same anesthetic for my tonsillectomy, I'm having a plastic surgeon do some work correcting some crookedness in my nose from a prior sports injury. I'm full expecting that recovery to be brutal ... but am playing the long game here. Hope that recovery doesn't keep me away from my 4-5d/wk workout regimen for too long.

I'm sure people in my shoes have said this before, but ... damn I wish I could fast fwd a year in the future.

[The Beast1]

(03-16-2012 11:07 PM)Mrs. Chocolate Wrote:  

Put the braces and forget them. Smile, talk to people as if nothing is going on.

This, your teeth are VERY important. Drop the ego and get it done. The sooner the better.

[DVY]

@sthesia- ^^^Good shit bro. The process is going to brutal

[AntiTrace]

I'm thinking of doing it too. I have some crowns that are seperating and starting to form a gap, which I have never had before. My dentist is gonna look at them in January and I'll go from there.

I don't want braces, but Id rather have braces for a year or whatever and not have a gap in my teeth

[sthesia]

AT- perhaps Invisalign will work for you. I'd look into it.
My options were Invisalign, lingual braces, standard braces.

Lingual braces would have been more challenging to install; would have caused more discomfort due to cutting/irritating my tongue constantly; and would have required a longer treatment time. Benefit would have been they would not be visible as they get bonded to the back of your teeth.

I could've tried Invisalign, but the treatment time would have been longer; the end result not as perfect; and there existed a possibility that after treatment I might still need some amount of time with braces. Benefit again was no visible braces.

As I wanted the best possible cosmetic result and the fastest treatment time, I opted for standard braces. My brackets are clear; only the wire is a sliver of silver. My smile line is such that there is minimal visibility of about 2 brackets during normal mouth opening while talking.

I'm only on day 1 of treatment so far. Had 2 more teeth extractions today and will have the bottom wire installed next week. Am still figuring out how the hell to chew food with these things on. I am taking it easy with food for next 24h to allow extraction sockets to heal as well.

I'm concerned about getting adequate protein intake given that I've found it difficult to chew tough things like meat, steak, and lamb so far. Having to swallow my food without a lot of chewing is quite unsatisfying. I will likely be trying to get quite a bit of protein from protein shakes. I am planning to do ~3 protein shakes per day on the 4 days per week that I lift weights. The remaining 3 I have not yet figured out how much protein I should get from shakes and what types of whole food proteins I can easily consume. (Although scrambled eggs and soft omelettes without crunchy add-ins like broccoli seem like a good bet.)

My current bodyfat % is around 22-23% (as measured by calipers by my trainer) today. I'm looking to get down below 15% and perhaps these braces-induced dietary limitations will be an impetus to get me on my way.

[AntiTrace]

good luck bro. Im sure ill be joining you in a few months time.

How old are you?

[clever alias]

was just strongly reccomended i get orthognatic (spelling?) surgery :-(

[Kaizen]

I had to get braces for a 2nd time in my late 20s. I was mortified about getting them on. But it turned out to be a non issue.

If a hot girl had braces, you wouldn't care enough to not date her.

So don't worry about. Hope that helps.

[CtrlAltElite]

I'm 23 now. I still got them. It sucks, but it's required because of double-jaw surgery. They don't really register in my mind much these days, but I'll get self conscious about smiling.

Hopefully I get them off this summer or so.

[sthesia]

CA- orthognathtic surgery can hurt like hell. Sometimes it is even staged; meaning broken up into 2-3 different surgeries done at different times. I myself had the option of undergoing surgical correction during my initial evaluation of my smile. However, the reason surgery was even offered was because one my measured angles of symmetry was off by <0.5% and my treatment team was thorough as hell ... So they ran every simulation possible. I ended up deciding against the jaw surgery option as I could achieve just as good of a result with orthodontics with much less pain, no need for multiple surgeries, and not having to take multiple stints of time off from work for surgical recovery.

Some people have mentioned having to have braces re-installed several years after their initial treatment. I'm guessing some of these cases were likely due to people not being diligent about their post-braces dental care ... Specifically, non-compliance with retainers. I've been a terrible flosser all of my life, hence I bought a waterpik recently. I'm afraid of also being non-compliant with post-braces retainer wear, which is why I think I will be looking into whether a permanent hidden retainer is worth installing. If others have experience with that, I would be eager to hear more.

[DVY]

permanent retainers are great, but hygenie is a huge issue. Usually they put a permanent retainer on the bottom front teeth (lingual).

[clever alias]

there are risks, but braces can't do anymore, I have an edge to edge bite and that apparently can fuck your mouth up later in life. there wont be abetter time than now and im young enough to bounce back in 2 months or so. its also a small correction (something like 1 or 2 mm) so it would be one sitting.

[one-two]

Well, I feel obligated to chime in. I'm almost 29, had full-on metal braces for almost two years now. Also had the jaw surgery to make room for them things. Now I'm supposed to wear rubber bands to keep everything aligned properly.

If you just got them, put a ton of wax on the sharp edges. The surface must be really dry - otherwise the wax won't stick. Also, whenever you go in to change the wire, ask them to cut it real short in the back. Sometimes they just curl the leftover wire and that piece will rip right through your inner cheek.

Your game will suffer. Nobody cares that you have braces, because everyone can relate. However, they will judge you for having them as a grownup. It's like a damn light switch when the girls see your teeth. But it's a huge thing when you are out and you see a girl with braces too. Having said all that, this is a good time to focus on your lifting and diet. If you're going to get the surgery, purchase a juicer now. When it comes time to drink all your meals through a straw, you want to know exactly how much ginger to put with your cucumber/spinach/lime/apple

[one-two]

(11-02-2013 07:05 AM)sthesia Wrote:  

Some people have mentioned having to have braces re-installed several years after their initial treatment. I'm guessing some of these cases were likely due to people not being diligent about their post-braces dental care ... Specifically, non-compliance with retainers. I've been a terrible flosser all of my life, hence I bought a waterpik recently. I'm afraid of also being non-compliant with post-braces retainer wear, which is why I think I will be looking into whether a permanent hidden retainer is worth installing. If others have experience with that, I would be eager to hear more.

Waterpik is fantastic. I like to put some mouthwash in mine.

[clever alias]

how were your teeth before the surgery? i jad braces as a kid but my jaw grew more than it was supposed to. my teeth are straight, just the top row and the bottom row don't align.
how was your recovery?

im not overly concerned about my game suffering because this is a big "build myself up" time anyway. plus ill be in china for most of the recovery (about 3 months post surgery)

[one-two]

My teeth were straight(er) than what they used to be, but still a little off from their final position. Recovery was painful. I took me about 2 weeks to eat solid food, scrabbled eggs.

I had the kind of surgery where they break your lower jaw in two places and stretch it out a little. The first month everything was wired shut with tons of rubber bands. Part of my tongue was stuck between my back teeth, so I couldn't reach all the way around. After a week or so, the doc cut some of those bands off. That hurt a lot, cause all the muscles were in a permanent clinch this whole time. They gave me whole bunch of painkillers, but they just made me feel funny and did nothing for the pain.

Right when I was about to fall asleep, my muscles would relax and the jaw would snap open for like a second. That would hurt a lot inside the ear. The only thing that helped was a really hot shower stream aimed at my ear. I would do like 3 or 4 of those every night and eventually pass out. Throughout the day I did icepacks to reduce swelling and heatpacks to help with the soreness. I really like the clay heatpacks from CVS. Their thermal mass is way better than that jello balls junk.

They also give you that industrial strength mouthwash, cause you can't brush, but it turns your teeth brown. You can't lick your lips either, so they get really chapped, but you don't feel a damn thing because the nerves are all numb. It's been three months now and some small areas of my chin are still tingly. Doc says it could take a while to get all sensation back.

[Every10GivesMeA10]

I have braces and don't experience issues with it. Girls usually find it cute. Keep in mind I'm younger so it may be different for older guys.

[clever alias]

thats actually much much faster than I had imagined. solid food after just 2 weeks sounds fast. yeah i meed the opposite surgery, breaking the jaw and pushing it back. its the potential for nerve damage that has me mosy hesitant

[Capitán Peligroso]

Here's some proof you can be sexy with braces:

The better teeth you have, the better, in all seriousness. It's worth it to bite the bullet for a couple of years and build your skills in the process. Anybody care to chime in with a 2/10, WNB? I thought not. Dominican Republic, if anyone cares.

[sthesia]

Just rounding out 7 months of treatment time since my braces went on in late Oct 2013. I've had clear brackets with a silver wire across the top and the bottom for the entire treatment time so far.


Progress has been steady. I started off with a bit of an underbite; for which my treatment team (orthodontist, prosthodontist, oral surgeon, craniofacial surgeon) had suggested the possibility of orthognathic jaw surgery as one option. Instead, I opted for correction via braces. It took about 6 months, with most of those wearing rubber bands, for the top teeth to now close in front of the bottom teeth ... thus, effectively completely reversing my previous underbite. I'll admit that it was a pretty cool feeling the first day my top teeth landed in front of my bottom teeth as I closed my mouth and smiled.


I had a few extractions prior to the brackets being put on due to crowding issues; those gaps have been closing up nicely as teeth have been de-rotated and pulled into better aesthetic positions.


In a few weeks, I have my next monthly meeting with my orthodontist (who is coordinating the orthodontic phase of my 1-1.5yr overall treatment plan.) I am guessing that he will likely recc continuing rubber bands for a few more weeks to further improve the underbite, after which maybe we will move on to more fine tuning type adjustments. But, 7 months in to the treatment plan, I'd say I am so far happy with the results. In the back of my mind, I still have summer 2015 as my hopeful goal to see the end results of all this work we have been putting in.


The electric toothbrush I bought (Waterpik brand) has proved very useful. The battery life is great. I have taken it on several 4-5 day long trips and it has performed wonderfully by holding its charge thru the entire duration of the trip without any problems. I have been less than compliant with the nightly water flosser usage (also Waterpik brand.) It's just one habit that has been tough to incorporate with my nightly regimen. (Note: I am already in the bathroom doing 2% sal acid face wash, retin-A application, benzaclin application, wrapping up vitamin/mineral supplementation for the day.)


I'll try to carry a small plastic toothbrush with me most days to do a quick brush post-lunch while away from home. Haven't needed to use the dental wax after the first month; I think this is due to my treatment team being pretty diligent in cutting my wire short and tucking in the power chains very neatly.


Initially I had some issues eating meats and other tough foods; but that has gotten much better. I've been keeping relatively low carb, so avoiding crunchy or hard breads has been easy. Recently, I haven't had any issues eating steaks (which some weeks I end up eating 4-5x over the course of a week.) I get most of my fruit/veggie intake by juicing, but occasionally will get some steamed/sauteed broccoli and cauliflower stuck in between the braces which can be annoying. I usually eat mixed berries every night as well, and those often get trapped in between the brackets/wires.


Socially, the clear brackets have not been immediately noticed by strangers easily at all. I've noticed my speech patterns have unconsciously changed as my mouth moves in a way to subconsciously hide my braces. Also, I think the teeth moving inside the mouth can change the way you try to pronounce certain words. I am hoping this improves once the braces come off ... have any others experienced this?


A few close friends noticed the brackets early on; asked a few questions about them; related their own personal stories of braces in the past; and then pretty much never brought it up again. I imagine braces only become an issue socially, if the wearer considers them an issue. At this point, I don't even realize that they are on when I am out on the town.


Hope this ongoing commentary is helpful for any other guy considering cosmetically improving the aesthetics of his smile.

[game_ethic]

(06-01-2014 06:52 PM)sthesia Wrote:  

Just rounding out 7 months of treatment time since my braces went on in late Oct 2013. I've had clear brackets with a silver wire across the top and the bottom for the entire treatment time so far.


Progress has been steady. I started off with a bit of an underbite; for which my treatment team (orthodontist, prosthodontist, oral surgeon, craniofacial surgeon) had suggested the possibility of orthognathic jaw surgery as one option. Instead, I opted for correction via braces. It took about 6 months, with most of those wearing rubber bands, for the top teeth to now close in front of the bottom teeth ... thus, effectively completely reversing my previous underbite. I'll admit that it was a pretty cool feeling the first day my top teeth landed in front of my bottom teeth as I closed my mouth and smiled.


I had a few extractions prior to the brackets being put on due to crowding issues; those gaps have been closing up nicely as teeth have been de-rotated and pulled into better aesthetic positions.


In a few weeks, I have my next monthly meeting with my orthodontist (who is coordinating the orthodontic phase of my 1-1.5yr overall treatment plan.) I am guessing that he will likely recc continuing rubber bands for a few more weeks to further improve the underbite, after which maybe we will move on to more fine tuning type adjustments. But, 7 months in to the treatment plan, I'd say I am so far happy with the results. In the back of my mind, I still have summer 2015 as my hopeful goal to see the end results of all this work we have been putting in.


The electric toothbrush I bought (Waterpik brand) has proved very useful. The battery life is great. I have taken it on several 4-5 day long trips and it has performed wonderfully by holding its charge thru the entire duration of the trip without any problems. I have been less than compliant with the nightly water flosser usage (also Waterpik brand.) It's just one habit that has been tough to incorporate with my nightly regimen. (Note: I am already in the bathroom doing 2% sal acid face wash, retin-A application, benzaclin application, wrapping up vitamin/mineral supplementation for the day.)


I'll try to carry a small plastic toothbrush with me most days to do a quick brush post-lunch while away from home. Haven't needed to use the dental wax after the first month; I think this is due to my treatment team being pretty diligent in cutting my wire short and tucking in the power chains very neatly.


Initially I had some issues eating meats and other tough foods; but that has gotten much better. I've been keeping relatively low carb, so avoiding crunchy or hard breads has been easy. Recently, I haven't had any issues eating steaks (which some weeks I end up eating 4-5x over the course of a week.) I get most of my fruit/veggie intake by juicing, but occasionally will get some steamed/sauteed broccoli and cauliflower stuck in between the braces which can be annoying. I usually eat mixed berries every night as well, and those often get trapped in between the brackets/wires.


Socially, the clear brackets have not been immediately noticed by strangers easily at all. I've noticed my speech patterns have unconsciously changed as my mouth moves in a way to subconsciously hide my braces. Also, I think the teeth moving inside the mouth can change the way you try to pronounce certain words. I am hoping this improves once the braces come off ... have any others experienced this?


A few close friends noticed the brackets early on; asked a few questions about them; related their own personal stories of braces in the past; and then pretty much never brought it up again. I imagine braces only become an issue socially, if the wearer considers them an issue. At this point, I don't even realize that they are on when I am out on the town.


Hope this ongoing commentary is helpful for any other guy considering cosmetically improving the aesthetics of his smile.

Glad to hear it's going well for you, sthesia. I've been thinking about getting braces—I have fucked up bottom row teeth(it's not really a problem since people can barely see it, but when I do an actual smile, it's very noticeable), I wake up with pain in my mouth in the morning, and my teeth starts hurting after keeping my mouth closed for prolonged periods(odd, I know), and I also really hate the fact that I have really prominent canine teeth. Aside from that, my top row of teeth are relatively straight. I just have a hard time chewing food and other dental problems. I'm going to go to my orthodontist tomorrow and see if I need braces or not.

[cooledcannon]

On a slightly tangential note:

http://thepaleohygienist.com/2012/10/26/...es-part-i/

This suggests that parents who eat agricultural/grain based/modern diets produce children with worse/more crooked teeth than those who eat hunter gatherer/paleo diets.

[Kieran]

I'm 30 and have had conventional metal braces for about two and a half years now. I look much younger than my age which might be a factor, but I don't feel like it's made any difference with women at all. Before I got them, it seemed like a really big deal, and I took a while to decide whether to go ahead with it or not, but once I got them on it was nothing.

I have another couple of months left, then on to the next stage which is getting a load of crowns / veneers over my broken and worn down front teeth which will hopefully give me a really good end result.

Good luck to everyone with their dental work.

[OGTiger68]

I'm getting traditional braces put on in two days, and I've already decided that if a woman makes a reference to my age (30), I'll just tell them that I went in for the Lil' Jon grill and the dentist fucked it up. I feel the same as a lot of you. One year sounds like a long time (6 months lower only, 6+ for both top and bottom), but it's for a lifetime of never worrying about it again. And I'm planning on using the year as a symbolic time period for other goals, like getting in better shape (dropping 10 lbs or so), learning a new sport like rock climbing, and writing more. If after all that she's not into it, I doubt the braces were the tipping point.