Getting Started
Consultation
I requested an appointment online and waited for their office to contact me to make my consultation appointment. I was nervous about the thought of people examining my teeth and telling me what was wrong with them. Not to mention the fact that I had convinced myself that I was the oldest patient they have ever seen at age 24. I didn’t get the news I was hoping for. I thought that they would tell me they could just pull my canine and straighten my teeth in a few months. That idea hadn’t even crossed my orthodontist’s mind because they like to keep symmetry and that heavily relies on keeping the front 6 teeth. They did tell me that if I was dead set on getting the canine pulled, they would send the oral surgeon a referral to get it pulled but they would then refuse to treat me because they don’t like pulling healthy teeth, not to mention my smile would be asymmetrical. The bad news didn’t end there, they then informed me that I would have to have 4 premolars removed (2 on top and 2 on bottom) and wear braces for 18-24 months. I walked out of there saying forget it, I'll just live with my current teeth. On the drive home I calmed down and came to my senses that 2 years with braces is nothing compared to having a confident healthy smile for the rest of my life. It was about to be a big adjustment but I already didn’t like my teeth so I knew worst case scenario would be not liking my smile for another 2 years but this time there would be light at the end of the tunnel. The next step was to call and make a records appointment.
Records
The records appointment is where they take all the pictures and get your payment plan set up. My total treatment cost $5050. I had to pay a down payment of $500 and I pay about $189 each month. Whether you get your braces off early or not doesn’t affect your payment, you still have the full 24 months to pay. One of the workers took pictures of my mouth at several angles while having me hold these mouth opener things to keep my lips and cheeks out of the way. It wasn’t painful at all, just a little uncomfortable to have my biggest insecurity exposed to that lady and her camera. After the pictures, they had another person come in and take impressions of my mouth. This is the part where they have you bite down on a tray full of putty. It isn’t as bad as some people say just relax and breathe through your nose, you’ll be fine. They had to take mine twice because I have the tendency to laugh in uncomfortable situations and this was one of those times and I screwed it up. Once they were pleased with the impressions, I went back into a little room and they gave me a goodie bag that included a shirt, tumbler, and a travel toothbrush. Since I had to have teeth removed, I had to take a few extra steps to get my braces on.
Brackets
We decided that I would get only my brackets put on (not the wires) before I got my teeth pulled because that part takes the longest. They glued brackets on all of my teeth except for the 4 that were going to be pulled. I’m not going to lie, I looked crazy. You think braces look bad at first? Try having just the brackets on with no wires; see pictures below. The oral surgeon they recommended didn’t have any openings for 2 months and I was immediately regretting them putting the brackets on. I managed to get an appointment with a different oral surgeon in a couple of weeks which was better but that still meant I had to wear brackets for no reason which was annoying.
Extractions & Wires
The day finally came for me to get my extractions. I got 4 teeth pulled, went to the pharmacy to get my steroids and pain killers, and got my wires put on all within an hour. I was bloody and high as a kite, so I guess it’s probably best that I got it all over with the same day. Getting the wires put on only took a few minutes and they explained how to clean my teeth and what foods to avoid. Luckily, they gave me written instructions because that day was a bit of a blur.
It’s hard to say what the braces felt like the first week or so because I was distracted with keeping my pulled-teeth sockets clean and pain-free. I had prescription strength pain meds which helped ease me into that first week of braces. I ate typical soft foods like applesauce, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, yogurt, etc. but that was mainly because of my extractions, not the braces. Take ibuprofen to help manage pain and use the wax they give you because your mouth will feel like someone took a cheese grater to your cheeks while you’re adjusting.
To be honest, the first month or so your teeth are going to look really ugly if they were as crooked as mine. The brackets make every crooked tooth stand out in its own way and it’s not ideal, but it’s just part of the process. I got what are called self-ligating braces. They don’t use colored elastics like the older style of braces, they have little doors that close around the wires to help reduce friction and pain. I didn’t know I was getting this style of braces until I got home and realized that they never asked me what color of elastics I wanted. I was kind of relieved that I wasn’t going to have to choose a color every appointment.
I highly suggest taking pictures of your teeth from different angles in good natural lighting to track your progress. At first, I was taking pictures every single day, but once they stopped moving so fast I started taking pictures once or twice a month. It might not feel like they are moving but trust me they are and it is rewarding and motivating to compare pictures and see your progress.
