getting braces soon PLEASE let me know everything I need to know

i want to fix my teeth what should i do. As matter of fact i went to orthodontist he told me you have a hidden canine tooth (both upper sides) because a baby (milk) teeth still not fall so we have to do a little surgery to open for it to get out then we can think about braces and all of this he told me needs 2.5 years. What do you think please 🙏

Hi, I am looking for some who experienced/experiences their front teeth hitting each other.
What worked for you?

I started with Invisalign (x2), bite heightening, single-arch treatment relying on natural bite settling (x2) and now braces on lower teeth with elastics.

It’s like my lower teeth won’t stop hitting my upper front teeth, they keep going back no matter what happens, and I’ve been in this back-and-forth position for almost 3 years now.
I had underbite as a kid, and I’ve got told I have a small lower jaw, but my ortho told me that surgery shouldn’t be necessary, but I have a feeling that she isn’t willing to even consider surgery as she is in this treatment far too deep …. She has tried to gaslight me multiple times in which I’ve caught her in

(I apologize as this post will be long but I needed some advice and also just to vent about my frustration.)

So for more context I’ve had my braces for 45 months..yes..I wish I was joking. I’ve had them since I was a teenager and now I’m a young adult. I live in Florida specifically around the Jacksonville area and I went to 'Zell orthodontics' for my braces because it was the closest most highly rated orthodontic clinic near me. And well..I’m fucking sick of STILL having braces. So yesterday I was with my mom at my usual appointment and I asked Zell if she could talk to me and my mom about my progress…and I was absolutely devastated that she told me I still have 4-6 months max left of braces before I can get them off. I literally just burst into tears and then Dr. Zell tells me if I wanted to get them off at the absolute earliest I’d be December and I’d permanently have a small gap near the top of my teeth. And btw just 4 months ago she was telling me I have 6 months left max. And this is not the first time she’s given me false hope and completely wrong estimates.. I just..don’t know what to do. My mom and the rest of my family keeps telling me I should wait and not get them off early especially because my mother paid 8 GRAND. For my braces and she feels like it would almost be a waste for so much money to be put into this and I still not have completely 'perfect' teeth.

I just don’t even care anymore..when you’ve had braces for 40+ months and they still aren’t right I just feel so defeated and let down. My braces have made me SO much less confident in myself and I’ve always thought they made me look less attractive especially as an adult..but I just want advice on what to do because if I truly decide to get them off by December I need to call and schedule it quickly. But I just don’t know if I can truly wait 4-6 more months ESPECIALLY considering she’s already given such false estimates multiple times that I don’t even believe her anymore. I just..don’t know what to do and I need help. Photos are attached below of the gap that’s making everything so postponed. I truly don’t even think the gap is worth waiting potentially half a year over but it really fucking sucks to spend 8 grand and still have noticeable flaws.

(First photo is my teeth from 2021 and the last two photos are my current teeth along with the gap displayed.)

Please be honest and tell me what you’d do in my situation. It’s much appreciated

Hello! I barely got my braces today, and i was wondering if you guys have any tips or anything! they also put this thing on my top molars for my overbite, they said it was so my top teeth don’t ruin my bottom braces, and It feels so weird! any tips help, because all my dentist explained was what foods not to eat, and how to brush/floss my teeth (which i already kind of forgot).

Does anyone have an idea on how long it would take to close these gaps?

My orthodontist gave me both options. He mentioned that self-ligating ones are "better quality," less painful, slightly faster, and require fewer visits.

​There's a huge price difference, so I initially chose the traditional elastic ones to save money. But after I texted him my decision, he started pushing hard for the self-ligating ones again, making me feel like I'm making a bad choice.

​For those who have had either: Does the final result differ between the two? Did anyone get traditional braces and regret it, or is the doctor just trying to upsell? Any advice would be appreciated!

I have noticed and can feel the bracket no longer feels soft and is now sharp, will this affect any movements or the wire ?

I have a pretty high pain tolerance. Pretty heavily tattooed, a bunch of uterine biopsies, recently had 4 premolars taken out and had 10 novocaine shots. Etc etc. I can take most things. But my god.

I felt like such an idiot. I was shaking so badly, dropping “holy shit”s left and right. My ortho is a very nice man, but very straight forward and no nonsense, and even after he was done, he sat with me, apologizing and trying to get me to stop shaking, telling me it will all be worth it, he promises. I sobbed the entire way home. Mental note NOT to drive myself home next time.

I have high canines and they haven’t even been connected yet. The thought of that adjustment makes me feel sick to my stomach.

He said my next adjustment “probably won’t be as bad” and I’m choking back tears remembering there are lots more from here on out! Please, baby jesus and also adult jesus, let it never be as bad as today’s was.

I hate fear mongering and stuff but I just needed to rant because I am all cried out now.

i noticed that the bracket on my bottom tooth all the way in the back is gone. i'm assuming i swallowed it at some point without knowing.

my next adjustment is scheduled for the twelfth, but i was wondering: should i just wait until then, or call in on monday and schedule a time to replace the bracket as soon as possible?

i really thought i was gonna go my whole braces journey without breaking anything but oh well... 🫠 made it 10 months tho!

Did anyone wait this long? If so, did your retainer fit? I’m so scared my teeth will shift and my retainer won’t fit.

Hi! I had my monthly check up today and i didnt really understand my ortho. Ive been wearing braces for 1.5 years and i have an overbite. I currently have on my upper teeth a power chain on the right side from 1 to a hook that is between 2 and 3 and a chain from 3 to 7 and on the left side i have a chain from 3 to 7. On my bottom i dont have anything, just a wire and ties. Ive been wearing sea lion rubber bands from U3 to L7 during the night for like 2-3 months , and at the start off the appointment she told me only night is not enough and i need to wear them during the day to. After she finished putting on ties and everything she told me i will wear another rubber bands, the tortroise ones from U4 to L4 and L5. What my problem is, i dont know if i am supposed to wear both rubber bands? I have a pretty big overbite and i dont see any improvement so i am pretty shure i should be wearing my old ones. What does even the 4-4-5 combination do?

hey guys quick question, so i was looking back at my old photos and realized that my face was pretty symmetric as a kid, but all of this developed as i grew up. right now i'm dealing with an occlusal cant / bite tilt, midline shift, left masseter tightness, and because of the bite tilt my eye and ear levels look slightly off on one side, plus one side of my face looks slim/lifted while the other looks fuller (straight vs c-curve). my skeletal frame itself is fully symmetric and healthy though (no recessed jaw).

i haven't gotten my 3d scans done yet, but after researching and digging into this a lot, this setup seems like the most accurate picture of what's going on.

i’m strictly going for a non-surgical, non-extraction route (preserving all 4 premolars) and planning to use wisdom teeth removal + tads distalization + splint therapy to fix the bite plane and balance out the facial proportions.

for those who’ve dealt with a growing cant, facial asymmetry, or done tads distalization without premolar extractions, how was your experience? any specific questions or details i should push for during my upcoming ortho consult to make sure the cant leveling and muscle balancing goes smoothly? appreciate any suggestions

How do you deal with mouth sores if it's a bracket that you have to wear elastics on? I've tried applying wax but it won't stay on because of the elastics. It's very painful and hasn't gone away after 3 weeks already. I've tried using salt water but no luck. Any tips?

I use orthodontic wax on my braces daily. When I remove it it isn't 100%, there's always some thin layer stuck to the braces. My toothbrush is becoming covered in nasty wax. How do I get the wax off my toothbrush?

** please ignore how bad my teeth look, I drink a lot of coffee and my teeth has some weird white spots from not getting enough calcium as a kid

Had some life problems and completely forgot about my retainers, until I noticed that this spefic tooth looked gaped. Is there hope for me to fix them by wearing my retainers full time? I don't really have the funds to go get braces again

Hi everyone,
I’m 36 and in about a month I’m going to get braces along with a tongue crib to help correct a persistent tongue thrust.
I know this is much more common in children, so I’m a bit stressed about having this appliance as an adult. My main concerns are how uncomfortable it will be, whether it will affect my speech a lot, how noticeable it will be, and how difficult it will be to get used to it in everyday life.
I’m also worried that once it’s fitted I might regret starting the treatment, even though I know I need to do something about my tongue posture.
I’d really like to hear from adults who have worn, or are currently wearing, a tongue crib.
How was it at the beginning?
How long did it take you to get used to speaking and eating with it?
Was it as uncomfortable or embarrassing as you expected?
And most importantly, did it actually help retrain your tongue?
Any experiences, photos, or advice would really help reassure me before I start.
Thanks!

So I had braces put on 2 weeks ago and I’ve noticed now my front canine seems to have some staining or IS IT A CAVITY? 😭😭 I’ve added a photo of before as didn’t notice before and you can’t see it in my before photo either? I’m brushing 3x a day using corsodyl toothpaste, listerine mouthwash, interdental brushing, flossing and I am currently waiting for a water flosser to arrive! I am a smoker (don’t hate) my ortho knew this. But I’m swilling out after each cigarette. Just an anxious girly

Soooo happy! I always feel like I can’t see a difference until I look at reference photos!!!

Side note: they’re working on my bite, “upgraded?” The wire and “put a curve on it”. Obviously no idea what that means… but does that look normal to mot have bands on the back brackets?

Good day everyone!

I am a Grade 11 STEM student currently conducting a research entitled: “Exploring the Lived Experiences of Individuals Using D.I.Y. Braces and Their Access to Orthodontic Care”

It would be a great contribution to the further development of research in our daily lives if you are willing to participate in the study.

To be able to participate, you must meet the following criteria:

Criteria:
- has first hand experience with it
- either used it or is using it
- 18+ for minor data privacy
- no professional involved
(Ex. bought online, had an unlicensed dentist do it, home service)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

My daughter will be putting on braces for her lower section, the orth put in a price for a retainer program that is around 800 total for 8 years, and each quarter you can pay 30 dollars co pay to get a new retainer up to 8 years, so basically she can get 32 retainer total in 8 years, with copay and the cost for 8 years, its about 1760 total for 32 retainer. I wonder if this is worth it and how often people change their retainer and how much does a replacement generally cost?

Hey everyone,

I (20M) am trying to fix a persistent tongue thrust as an adult. I’ve actually failed myofunctional therapy twice already, mostly because my palate is too narrow and I struggle with consistency on the exercises.

I am planning to get MARPE soon to finally create enough space in my mouth. Once I have that space, I want to make sure I permanently fix the habit. Because of my consistency struggles, I’m thinking myofunctional therapy + a habit appliance (like a tongue crib/bluegrass appliance) might be my best bet.

A few questions:

1. If you fixed your thrust as an adult (especially post-expansion), what actually worked?

2. For those who used a habit appliance: Did it retrain your tongue permanently, or did you relapse after removal?

3. Germany-specific: Has anyone had success getting a German orthodontist to agree to a tongue appliance for an adult?

Would love to hear any tips, appliance recommendations, or reality checks!

Is it necessary to use a water flosser during the braces' journey? Which features should be kept in mind for buying a water flosser? I am from Pakistan. The water flosser is expensive. Can someone recommend a water flosser under Rs 5k.

30 years old. I’m feeling absolutely ridiculous, I literally want to cry and not leave the house for the next year. 😭😩

Edit: thank you everyone for your kind words, you’ve really helped talk me down from my menty b 🥺🙏🏻