Melbourne Orthodontic Group

Adult Braces Journey – Recap

admin-mog — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:30:23 +0000

I wanted to show you all what I looked like with my braces. I am posting this a few months after I got them off, and it seems so strange now to see myself with the braces when they seemed so common place and normal just a few short months ago!

Watch and see as I give you a quick recap of being in braces as an adult.

Teen Braces – Use the Wax!

admin-mog — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 05:11:24 +0000

Stubborn…I think that is the best word to describe him! But what would I know right? Henry has been suffering a little from the rear brackets rubbing on his cheeks as I did, and I am sure most other new braces wearers do too.

“Use the wax Henry” I implored Obi-wan Kenobi style…but alas his rationale was that his mouth would toughen up and if he used the wax it would just be as bad when he didn’t use it.

In theory that kind of makes sense, however from experience I know that using the wax gives you comfort from the ‘bits that rub’ and at the same time your mouth does still toughen up to the point that you no longer need the wax.

But Henry’s way worked too, it just took a bit longer for the ulcers to heal as they had little respite, and every time he drank juice he remembered they were there and why he didn’t drink juice….

Sigh…all he had to do was ‘use the force’ uh…I mean wax! But what would I know right?

Teen Braces Journey – Lower Braces

admin-mog — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:09:31 +0000

Well clever Henry was doing so well at letting his teeth move and keeping them clean that it was time to fit his lower braces. He sat back, had the clean and polish, self priming etch applied and the brackets stuck in place. It was then Monique’s job to thread that first nice soft gentle wire through the brackets and we’re done.

He felt the pressure immediately, and continued throughout the next few days to update me as to which teeth were feeling the pressure now…yes apparently I can add orthodontic expert to my list of mother skills as I explained that the teeth were moving and realigning and that is why they felt different at different times – that seemed to sit well and he stopped fussing over them eventually.

It is just 1 ½ weeks since he had his lower braces fitted and apart from some ulcerated cheeks he barely knows they are there!

Teen Braces Journey – Broken Bracket

admin-mog — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:06:33 +0000

Having proudly made it through 16 months of treatment without once breaking bending or dislodging anything, I was mortified when Henry informed me that he had heard a ‘click’ and asked me to check a bracket for him.

Yes, it had in fact unstuck itself from his tooth…oh the shame!

I was pleased that it happened before we left the practice for Henry’s sake as I could not then point any blame fingers that he ‘must have done something wrong’…I mean what naughty teenager would eat the wrong foods and cause a breakage huh? Not my perfect son that is for sure…

Adult Braces Journey – Well Who Would Have Thought?

admin-mog — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:42:52 +0000

If there is one thing I should have learned throughout this whole experience, it is that these guys know what they are talking about! I was assured that I would get used to the retainer and that it would not be so difficult to talk the more I did it. I, on the other hand, was convinced that they were talking about people who had nice little retainers, not great big purple hunks of plastic like mine was….

Well guess what…by the 4^th day it was a so much better, and I had only a slightly noticeable shushing sound on my ‘s’ that gave away the fact that I was wearing them at all. The best advice I was given was to go home, crank up the stereo and sing for a couple of hours…I decided to spare the neighbours and our pets the agony of that sound.

So to those who have just completed their braces journey as I have – a collective high five, and a promise that you will in fact get used to your retainer – the more you practice talking the quicker your tongue can readjust to its presence.

To those of you reading who have not yet begun, or still have time to go I say hang in there. Ask anybody who has been there ‘was it worth it?’ and you will hear a resounding “Yes!” every time!