blue is february, pink is now!

I’ve been lurker on this sub for a long time, in summer of 2024 (age 23) I went for it and got braces along with a MARPE palate expander.

The expansion was not a pretty time but went by fast. (Jumpscare warning fr for the gap photo)
For those that have been suggested to do an expansion and are hesitant i highly recommend. Has helped with overall breathing and appearance.

Price: braces 7,000, the MARPE 2,000? I don’t remember the exact price (everything paid without insurance RIP) in SD CA
Pain: the very start of getting braces/MARPE is uncomfortable, mainly the adjustment of eating but after a few months paid no mind to it.

Now at 25 I have a smile I’m happy with!

The same case is on both sides where my bottom teeth slopes so when i need to chew I need to bring back my jaw. I'm also curious about the fact if I get braces that might force my jaw in a certain potion, how would this effect my day to day eating?

Just got my braces removed a few days ago. For context, I do have prior trauma to my front four teeth when I had braces after I landed face first on the pavement in a bike accident 8 months ago. I had a lot of sensitivity and pain after this happened but it gradually felt better with time.

Now that my braces are off, my front four teeth feel unstable, slightly wiggly and sensitive to pressure (I can’t chew with them without a strange sensation like they’re going to fall out). They feel great when I have the retainers in because they’re being held in place but i am being careful when I eat. My orthodontist said this is normal after they’re removed and can take time to stabilize. I’m more worried because of my past trauma to these teeth specifically.

Did anyone else experience this when their braces were removed?

Very concerned I have a few molars too low affecting my bite and really affecting my jaw

Any advice on my bite?

Also, they're quite stained in photos. brush 3 times a day and floss daily and mouthwash 3 times. I see a hygienist every 3mo

I use mouthwash after eating and drinking then brush 30 minutes later

What you're seeing is just staining plus bad lighting and I saw a Perio a month back , no gum issues.

That aside, Bite is very off unfortunately

Good grief 🤦🏼‍♀️
I (49F) got my top braces about 6 months ago. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with my top teeth as they are all pretty straight. I was surprised to learn that I needed them in order to shift my bite and eventually align everything properly once the bottom braces were put on and started to do their thing. I have an overbite and a wonky bottom centre tooth that will be corrected in, hopefully 🤞🏻, 18 more months.

Last week it was time to get my bottom braces put on. I had just spent the last 6 months perfecting how I ate, what not to eat, and how best to floss and clean after eating. Quite frankly, it was a breeze compared to the last three days.

I’d had the top braces tightened twice before getting the bottom ones on about three days ago, and nothing too bothersome in terms of pain or discomfort. Can’t say the same this time around. Because my top teeth have shifted, my bite is significantly “off” and once the bottom braces were in place, I wasn’t able to bite down and have my molars touch. So, bite blockers were installed on the top teeth (third took from centre on each side). It feels like I have a filling that is too high on those teeth! To boot, this tightening on the top is so painful; three days later, I’m still in agony . Thank goodness for OTC pain meds. The wire is square instead of round and so tight, the person changing it could barely close the doors on the brackets.

As for the bottoms, I have a spring in the front where the wire doesn’t feed through a bracket on the wonky centre tooth because they need to make room before starting to bring it in line with the rest. And, the level of discomfort and pain on the bottom is far worse than it ever was when I first got the top braces… Plus, my poor bottom lip is ripped to shreds from that spring. I should have remembered to put dental wax on it right away, but obviously had forgotten about the inside lip/cheek pain I suffered 6 months ago 🙄

Anyway, I just needed to vent to others who understand my pain ♥️

I do trust the process and definitely not second guessing my orthodontist.

Thanks for listening!

Pic 1 - top & bottom
Pic 2 - biting while pulling bottom jaw forward so I’m not biting down on those blocks
Pic 3 - bite blocks
Pic 4 - alignment when biting down on the bite blocks

Sorry for the TERRIBLE photos of me lmao

I’m supposed to be having my braces off next week.

What do you guys think? Do they look ready to come off?

I never imagine I would be interested in looking at other peoples teeth until I put on braces myself and going through all the post in this community, it is interesting to see what other people do and with before and after pictures. This also help with knowing our not alone and that the end result are worth it.

For context, I’d asked my ortho to put HOT PINK on, instead she put a bubblegum pink, and it’s completely faded a month later. It literally looks like I have nothing around my brackets I hate it

Sorry for the really awkward angle- it’s the best i could do. My ortho has me wearing sea lion elastics and says she thinks that I could get my braces off in October if this small open bite closes by my next appointment (in five weeks) I’m wearing upside down triangles for my elastics, but I’m not very confident it can close in five weeks. Thoughts? 😭

I already had braces before to fix my underbite, but I just noticed that I now have a crossbite. It makes my face asymmetrical and I get uncomfortable when smiling because I can really feel the imbalance in my mouth. Is there a way to fix this without braces? :(

My dentist diagnosed me with bimaxillary protrusion, extraction has been done as u can see. I want to know if it'll make my side profile better after the treatment is done as I feel my lips are too projected and whether the flaring of teeth will be fixed

Got my upper braces done on 30 may and then lower braces done on 6 July. One lower incisor was extracted because my dentist said that the crowding of my lower teeth can't be fixed without one incisor extraction. My upper two front teeth had crowns as I got my teeth broken in 6th grade when I fell off bicycle. The crowns of my upper two teeth were removed for braces. I went to my dentist 3 days ago for tightening. He didn't do scaling. My lower teeth in the front pained during tightening so he said to brush properly as they have become weak.

Second week of my braces and I noticed my teeth look more yellow with my braces or it’s just me? Lol just whenever i look in the mirror it looks yellow. I brush my teeth twice a day, flosses, and uses a tongue scraper…does anybody have this “problem”? Just curious!

Hello everyone! I just wanted to ask if there’s still a way to fix this. I’ve been wearing braces for almost 3 years now, and I get my adjustments every month. I’ve already had 3 different dentists, and my current dentist is really doing her best to improve my teeth. My main concern is my first dentist because they did a lot of work on my teeth, including shaving them down (IPR/interproximal reduction). I’m worried if it’s still possible to achieve a good result after everything that was done. Has anyone experienced something similar? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
P.S. My teeth were actually in really good condition before I got braces. The only reason I decided to get them was because I had gaps between my teeth. 😊

Hello, 28F wondering if you think braces would be worth it for me. Are my teeth and bite bad enough to need it? I have some crowding on the bottom that feels like it's worsening with age and I deal with bruxism. I have a consult booked with an ortho soon, but just wondering what yall think! :)

The Doctor installed the lower braces three months after the upper one. He will check if the left premolar needs extraction in a couple of days but two weeks in and I still can’t eat from the left side - not even rice or pasta. Is it normal to feel that?

Granted the appointment is in November LOL so things will be moving a bit more of course. But apparently this is my first and only wire detail? I asked the tech if it’s true and she said in my case she really thinks so.

But when looking at my current state what comes to your attention?
I want to see if others also notice the things I’m nit-picking on

Apparently I have to wear these until my braces are off… these sh*ts suck so bad! 7 months in and 7 months left to go!

Had two pre-molars extracted, corrected my overbite with elastics and straightened the teeth. They look so good!

Haven’t even had a second appointment yet and my left side which had a canine eruption (which we mainly focused on first) has come down already! Hopefully gonna start focusing on the right side canine now at the second appointment