Are you wondering what will happen when you get braces or retainers? Here, I'll give a basic explanation on what it's like.
I've had problems with my teeth nearly my entire life. I killed a bunch of my baby teeth when I was two, and my genetics were just awful as far as my teeth went.
Once your teeth are straightened, it'll be easier to take care of them and it will be easier to eat. Straight teeth can also boost your confidence, but you should remember to love yourself either way.
You or your parents will have to make an appointment with the orthodontist to check out your teeth and see if your ready for braces. They might also recommend getting Invasalign, but I ended up with braces instead. I'm pretty sure Invisalign is a lot cheaper than braces, but I think it works better for crooked teeth then with overbite, underbite, or crossbite. Either way, ask your orthodontist which option would be better.
When the day comes along for you to get braces, they will probably take pictures of your teeth before they get started. It's kind of awkward when they do this, but it doesn't take very long.
The day you get braces will probably be the longest appointment you have there. In my experience, they cleaned my teeth, (brush your teeth before you go anways), applied the glue stuff, put on the brackets, the wires, and the colorful things for the brackets. For me, the appointment took around 2 hours.
Depending on how crooked your teeth are, it could take longer or shorter.
Around when they start cleaning your teeth, they put this plastic thing in your mouth to suck your saliva out. This is because they can't put the braces on if your teeth are wet. I recommend bringing some lip balm afterward, since your whole mouth will be very dry. They also put these things in to keep your mouth open while they work.
If you're feeling pain, you can always kindly ask the orthodontist to stop. You can always ask questions if you aren't sure what's going on.
One of the fun things about getting braces is picking out the colors. Stay away from colors like yellow, green, and white. Yellow and green might look like you have food stuck in your mouth. White will either make your teeth look more yellow, or it'll easily get stained from food. I recommend using blue, purple, pink, orange, and red shades.
Once they've finished, they might give you a kit of stuff to take care of them. They'll also give you information on how to floss and things you should use.
An easier way to floss is with a Waterpik. *not sponsored* It's much easier, but I will warn you that it might spray all over the place if you don't close your mouth. But, it's much easier than the way they'll probably show you in the beginning.
You'll come back about every month for another appointment, where they will change the color things and might adjust the wires or brackets.
As you go farther, you might get power chains to tighten up gaps, or elastics if your bite isn't where it should be. They might do other things too that I'm not aware of.
Then, you'll eventually get them off. They basically reverse what they did the first time, but it goes quicker. After that, they will take impressions for retainers.
This is the most awkward moment of all. They squeeze this weird clay-type stuff onto your teeth for like a minute on each side. I had to do it 4 times, because they made two sets of retainers for me. It's such a weird feeling, but you'll make it.
There's three types of retainers that I'm aware of. There is the typical wire one that you can take out, a plastic one that almost looks like a clear mouthguard, and a permanent one that is glued behind your teeth. I have the first two retainers.
Retainers need to be cleaned so they aren't all gross, so you can buy denture cleaners or something like that to help clean. Follow the instructions on the box to make sure you're doing it right.
I wear mine every day at night. I'm not sure that any orthodontists still tell you to wear them all the time except for eating, but maybe there is.
You only need to go to the orthodontist about every six months with your retainer(s). Eventually, they will tell you to wear them every other night, once a week, once a month, and once every two months or something like that.
As for me, I've had retainers for a bit over a year, and I'm still stuck with every night. XD I think you wear retainers for three years and then you can stop, but I'm not sure on that.
Quick edit: I forgot to mention the pain from getting braces. The first day it might not hurt very much, but they'll definitely get more sore the next day. I would suggest eating softer food for a week and taking a pain medication to help with that.
I remember I was so sad on the third day because I tried eating a Pringle and my mouth felt like my teeth had all simultaneously been pulled out. XD
Anyways, when you go in for another check up, they might be slightly sore, but nothing like when you first get them on. They'll be more sore if you get power chains or elastics.
Also, I don't know if this was just me, but I saw a huge difference just in the first day. If your teeth get slight gaps between each other, you'll probably end up with power chains at the next appointment.
If you have any questions, leave them here. And if I can't answer them, it's probably a good idea to check with an orthodontist.
I hope you all have a lovely day! ❤❤❤
-Ella Mae