14 votes

If you've ever wore braces or any similar mouth/teeth focused apparel, what has your experience been like?

My experience has mostly been:

"It's fine, your teeth sometimes feel weird but that's it"

"It's stabbing my cheek a little"

"It's destroying my cheek and it has taken my appetite away"

(Top one is by far the most frequent, haven't felt bottom one in months.)

The initial recommendations made are relatively strict but they're not meant to be followed until the apparel is off, only until the 'glue' is solidified. First time I have flossed regularly, since you can't really brush the braces, although I still brush the stuff above the braces since I find anything that ends up on that area hard to reach by flossing. Occasionally the metal wire in the middle can often escape, which is how it can stab your cheek.

I also use/have also used palatal expanders, mine looking like this and this for bottom & top respectively. Generally speaking, if you grit your teeth a lot, the top expander will probably not last very long, or at least mine didn't. In a lot of occasions the top expander has to be glued to not just fall off. In these cases, eating can often become very frustrating and it will probably be guaranteed to take longer than it used to.

The bottom one is much safer from your mouth, although in my experience it can often pop out of the lower cavity while being used. You always take it off before eating something or drinking something other than water and only put it back in after brushing your teeth. It doesn't take up too much of the space your tongue occupies.

14 comments

  1. beezselzak
    Link
    I've been on Invisalign for a few months, and I have a few months to go. It was very physically painful the first few days/week, but it got a lot better after that. Nowadays I don't notice when I...

    I've been on Invisalign for a few months, and I have a few months to go.

    It was very physically painful the first few days/week, but it got a lot better after that. Nowadays I don't notice when I have my aligners in. Sometimes I have a little panic moment 'omg where did i put them!' and I realize they're in my mouth and I laugh.

    I'm kinda self-conscious about my aligners, also because I have attachments on some of my teeth, but people don't even seem to see them. Or at least they don't comment. To my surprise, they haven't negatively affected my romantic life. My smile is getting visibly better too, which is a big plus.

    Because I don't eat with them in, my diet has gotten less snacky. That's probably for the best. But I don't have to actually change what I eat, just when. They tire out my jaw a little, so I don't smile as much (ironic hehe) but it's nice to compare my teeth to how they used to be and see so much of a difference.

    9 votes
  2. hhh
    Link
    It's been a little while but the main thing I remember was: -eating after they were adjusted was horrible. just this profound soreness that felt like my gums were getting hit by a bat every time i...

    It's been a little while but the main thing I remember was:

    -eating after they were adjusted was horrible. just this profound soreness that felt like my gums were getting hit by a bat every time i took
    a bite

    -the paletal expander I had (which was similar to yours but more medieval) made the area right under the little divider flap on the front of my nose feel bruised all the time and it hurt to touch

    -I don't think I damaged my braces very often eating forbidden foods but it's probably a good idea to avoid things that can act as wedges (ie: hard chips like fritos or pita chips)
    gum was a pain in the ass to get out of the braces

    -having them taken off hurt like having them adjusted the day after

    -after they were taken off my teeth felt very smooth

    to be honest most of the time I just forgot they were there. on occasion they would shop wires poorly and they'd poke my cheek but usually they were pretty good about fixing that

    ..

    -flossing was infernal. horrible. it took forever even with superfloss.

    5 votes
  3. [2]
    Omnicrola
    Link
    Been a long long time since I had them, but your description lines up with what I remember. Sometimes a little painful, mostly ignorable. Annoyed that I couldn't eat certain things for awhile....

    Been a long long time since I had them, but your description lines up with what I remember. Sometimes a little painful, mostly ignorable. Annoyed that I couldn't eat certain things for awhile.

    Best part was choosing the color of the tiny rubber bands during a checkup. I often picked a holiday that was coming up. So black and orange for Halloween, red white blue for 4th of July, etc.

    When the braces finally come off, wear your fucking retainer. I stopped wearing mine too soon because it was annoying. Bottom teeth shifted back after awhile, so undid some of that work.

    4 votes
    1. AnthonyB
      Link Parent
      Oh God, this is so true. I think if I wrote my own version of Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen (or the superior No Sex), it would be about wearing a retainer. I ditched mine almost immediately...

      When the braces finally come off, wear your fucking retainer.

      Oh God, this is so true. I think if I wrote my own version of Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen (or the superior No Sex), it would be about wearing a retainer. I ditched mine almost immediately and my top row shifted enough to make me need braces again. It is by far the biggest regret I have from my teenage years. OP, if you're reading this, wear your retainer! Also, make sure you always floss, or at the very least, use a waterpik.

      4 votes
  4. [2]
    TemulentTeatotaler
    (edited )
    Link
    I'm not sure what your options are, but you might check out water flossing. From my limited bit of research they hold up to conventional methods, and they're supposed to be a lot easier with...

    I'm not sure what your options are, but you might check out water flossing. From my limited bit of research they hold up to conventional methods, and they're supposed to be a lot easier with braces since it's just water pressure.

    4 votes
    1. kfwyre
      Link Parent
      I love, love, LOVE my water flosser. I would recommend it to anyone, braces or not. So much better than regular flossing, and way easier to do (IMO) once you learn the technique for it.

      I love, love, LOVE my water flosser. I would recommend it to anyone, braces or not. So much better than regular flossing, and way easier to do (IMO) once you learn the technique for it.

      1 vote
  5. sky_Pharaoh
    Link
    I had braces in my teen years. It was very painful at first but then you kinda just get used to it, other than the occasional poke in your cheek from the metal wire. I wore my retainers for like a...

    I had braces in my teen years. It was very painful at first but then you kinda just get used to it, other than the occasional poke in your cheek from the metal wire. I wore my retainers for like a month and then stopped cause I was just lazy, and luckily my teeth haven’t shifted much but I have a small gap between my front teeth. I still get compliments on my smile so it doesn’t bother me very much, but still, wear your retainers.

    4 votes
  6. [4]
    JCPhoenix
    Link
    Before I got braces in high school, I had to have the top expander. It was cemented into place and I had to wear it for several months, using that little "key" to expand it nightly. It sucked...

    Before I got braces in high school, I had to have the top expander. It was cemented into place and I had to wear it for several months, using that little "key" to expand it nightly. It sucked because food would get stuck between the top of mouth and the appliance. Also had to learn how to sorta relearn how to talk since that thing was in the way of my tongue.

    Braces weren't so bad. Yeah they hurt in the beginning and when things were tightened for a bit, but overall it wasn't a terrible experience. It certainly didn't stop my girlfriend and I. She also had had braces.

    Afterwards, got a Invisalign-type upper retainer. On the bottom I had a sublingual wire as permanent retainer. Finally got it removed last year, after like 15yrs, when it broke.

    3 votes
    1. hhh
      Link Parent
      I completely forgot about that. yeah that was strange. suddenly there's no room in your mouth to rest your tongue and you can't touch the roof for speaking either. I had a pretty bad lisp the...

      Also had to learn how to sorta relearn how to talk since that thing was in the way of my tongue.

      I completely forgot about that. yeah that was strange. suddenly there's no room in your mouth to rest your tongue and you can't touch the roof for speaking either. I had a pretty bad lisp the first few days until I learned how to work around the retainer.

      3 votes
    2. [2]
      Kuromantis
      Link Parent
      You had to expand it yourself? In my case to dentist did it for me every half-month. Yeah, those are definitely a large part of the experience when you have them unfortunately.

      Before I got braces in high school, I had to have the top expander. It was cemented into place and I had to wear it for several months, using that little "key" to expand it nightly.

      You had to expand it yourself? In my case to dentist did it for me every half-month.

      It sucked because food would get stuck between the top of mouth and the appliance. Also had to learn how to sorta relearn how to talk since that thing was in the way of my tongue.

      Yeah, those are definitely a large part of the experience when you have them unfortunately.

      1 vote
      1. JCPhoenix
        Link Parent
        Yeah I did it myself using this little tool. Probably the same as what your ortho used, but I just had to do mine nightly or every few days or something. Can't remember the exact frequency. But it...

        Yeah I did it myself using this little tool. Probably the same as what your ortho used, but I just had to do mine nightly or every few days or something. Can't remember the exact frequency. But it was often enough that I was instructed to do it myself.

        I forgot to mention that I was in band in high school. I was a flutist. When I got braces, I could be barely play initially because the braces messed with my embouchure.

        If I get braces again as an adult, because my teeth have shifted, I'm doing the Invasalign style!

        3 votes
  7. xstresedg
    Link
    I had braces for grade 10 and 11, if I remember correctly. It's been a while haha. Post-installation sucked because I got them like 3 or 4 days before Christmas. I could only eat mashed potatos...

    I had braces for grade 10 and 11, if I remember correctly. It's been a while haha.

    Post-installation sucked because I got them like 3 or 4 days before Christmas. I could only eat mashed potatos and jello salad. I was able to get one piece of a sausage down after about a half hour because chewing hurt very bad. I had to cut them into pieces smaller than a Cheerio. After a week or two, the pain subsided. Though, every adjustment, it hurt again for a couple days.

    The brackets usually caught on my cheeks so they were always cut up, and I slept a lot on my stomach back then so my inner lips were usually a bit too. Worse was when I had a spring put in to push two teeth away to give a third tooth room to move (which proved futile as the tooth was dual-rooted or something, which the dentist found out after he tried turning the tooth with his hands, which was brutally painful). The spring would dig into my inner lip while I slept, and when I woke up, it was fairly embedded, so pulling my lip off sounded like something being suctioned off of something else. It amused me.

    I did once have a wire come partially out of the farthest bracket back on my right side after having a Werther's toffee square. I was able to push it back into place.

    That's all I can really remember it being in terms of uncomfortability. My plastic retainer wasn't so bad to wear after my braces came off, I just wish I followed my dentist's recommendations fully. I stopped wearing them daily too soon, switching to only nighttime, and then stopped wearing them all together very early too. Some of my teeth have gone a bit back into a less desirable position, though overall my teeth look okay now.

    The main reason for my braces was that my upper right canine was due to what a few people I know called a vampire tooth (https://imgur.com/DNVgso3, not a picture of me, just one I found online)

    3 votes
  8. whbboyd
    Link
    It varied between uncomfortable and incredibly painful. After a few years, I decided I was done going through all that for unnecessary cosmetic purposes, put my foot down (I was like thirteen or...

    It varied between uncomfortable and incredibly painful. After a few years, I decided I was done going through all that for unnecessary cosmetic purposes, put my foot down (I was like thirteen or fourteen at this point), and got everything taken out. Almost twenty years later, my only regret is that I put up with it for so long. Cosmetic orthodontics on children is a trend I would be happy to see burned to the ground and forgotten.

    The palate spreader did cure me of sucking my thumb, which is about the only positive thing I can say about the experience.

    2 votes
  9. wedgel
    Link
    I had top and bottom retainers glued in for two years and braces for four. Yes, the years overlapped so I had retainers and braces cemented in my mouth for two years. It was all through jr high....

    I had top and bottom retainers glued in for two years and braces for four. Yes, the years overlapped so I had retainers and braces cemented in my mouth for two years. It was all through jr high. It was pretty terrible. The retainers left little room for my tongue and screwed up my speech quite a bit. I had terrible headaches from the braces and they would scrape up the inside of my mouth. But when I had them both in the headaches were much worse. They pulled my regular adult cannines that were in place and moved the second four canines, that were up in the gums (I had a full set of fangs), where the old ones were (I have no idea why they didn't just pull the second set.) I hated them and was thrilled when I finally got rid of that shit. They gave me a mouth guard to sleep in. It had three tiny square holes to breath through and the fucking thing didn't fit. I couldn't get it in. I asked for another and was told to just force it. So after a week of migraines I threw it away. My teeth aren't exactly straight and now my jaw doesn't line up, so every time I see a new dentist they recommend I get braces (which is irritating as fuck.) My teeth are somewhat better than before but my orthadonist was pretty much shit, so please shop around for a good one. And if you get braces you'll probably want to avoid shit like taffy.

    1 vote