What does wearing braces feel like?

I've been checking out a website called Quora, which provides forums for readers to provide informative answers to questions from other readers. I answered a question about "What does it feel like to wear braces?" Here's my answer from my own experience.

Read Miles Lewis' answer to What does it feel like to wear braces? on Quora

And here are some more orthodontic related responses to questions provided by others on the forums. Some interesting answers.

Read Christopher Gajewski's answer to Was having braces so hard during the '50s, '60s and '70s? on Quora

Read Chaitya Shah's answer to What made wearing braces so embarrassing or memorable? on Quora

Read Shweta Pandya's answer to What made wearing braces so embarrassing or memorable? on Quora

Read Paul Vitols' answer to I'm getting braces this week. My parents didn't tell me until last night. Can you describe to me how bad it hurts and what it feels like? on Quora

Poltergeist II Evil Braces Blog Post

Here's an excerpt from my old Foureyedmetalmouth blog, about one of my fave braces movie moments: 

Saturday, 26 June 2004

Hey, I just saw Poltergeist II again. Thats the one where the Freeling's son Robbie gets attacked by his own posssessed braces!! I swear i just cant get tired of seeing that scene. Thats a braces classic! First he's there in front of his mirror looking at his braces and trying to shave, and then his braces get possessed and wires start coming out, and at the end, he's completely covered in braces wire!! (A muffled cry of "mmmmmmmmph, mmmmmph" comes up from behind the wire.)

Excerpts From My Old Braces Blog

When I underwent my adult braces experience back during 2003-2005, I used to blog about my experience. I also had (and still have) glasses, so I called my blog Foureyedmetalmouth. The blog no longer exists, but I was able to salvage a large part of it from a web archive. I posted an entry from it back in March 17, 2017, in a post called A Professional in Braces (2003).  

Since that time, I have put together a collection of excerpts salvaged from the old Foureyedmetalmouth blog, and have put them together for your reading enjoyment. It shows some of my own experiences as an adult with braces, and as someone who was actually getting a kick out of it. Click Here to go there. You can also find a link to the Foureyedmetalmouth blog excerpts just below the Mouthwear Stories archive on the right column of this blog. ⇒⇒⇒⇒⇒⇒

Here's an excerpt from the blog, about getting my braces off, and receiving my retainer:

BRACES OFF . . . RETAINERS ON!!!                                                              Thursday, 28 April 2005

Some people make a big deal about getting their braces off, and act like its such a big change. I do still remember the way the wires poked me at times, and the feel of that stuff in my mouth, but on the basis of the way it felt, the change for me wasnt really that much to comment on. Its a bigger difference on the psychological side. Being an adult, there was always a self­consciousness about have braces, and that was there when I spoke and smiled. Now, thats off me, and its actually a relief from that standpoint. 

As someone who, admittedly, always thought braces were pretty cool growing up, and who was glad when I was told I needed them as an adult, I'm going to miss the wire and elastics and brackets. But, its cool that I've been able to enjoy a braces journey. And my teeth look great after the treatment. I've been told they look really good now, and I agree. 

After getting my braces off, the ortho gave me a temporary reatiner that looked like a teeth whitening tray.  . . . They also fitted me for my regular retainer. After about a week, my regular retainer came in, and I got it, along with a case.  . . .  

The retainers actually look pretty cool.. theyve got the acrylic part that is formed to fit my mouth behin my  teeth, and its got the metal hard wires that look like bent paperclips which got around my teeth to keep them in place. There is also a small piece of plastic over the wire on my bottom teeth. At first the reatiner had a really bad taste to it, but I washed it thoroughly, and it came off. I've heard peopel complain about their reatiners, but I have to admit I havent had a problem with it. I was told to wear it as often as possible, but I've only done it at night... but it seems to be going quite well notwithstanding that.

Actual original pic from my Foureyedmetalmouth blog.

A Professional in Braces (2003)

One thing I haven't mentioned is that when I had my braces as an adult, back around 2003-2004, I actually kept a blog about my experiences.  Since I also had glasses (and still do), I called my blog Foureyedmetalmouth.  It wasn't as broadly oriented as this blog, but rather just dealt with my day to day experiences wearing braces as an adult. Since getting my braces off, I stopped posting, and with time, the blog was deleted (and the web company that hosted it went out of business). However, thanks to an internet archive I found, I was able to recently salvage parts of my old blog, and I plan to post some of my old posts from that blog. 

Here is one of my more interesting old posts. It was from a time right after I went to a professional conference for the first time with my braces. Braces are indeed an interesting experience when you are an adult in a fairly conservative profession, trying to look "proper" while having a mouthful of ortho gadgetry.  Enjoy.

A PROFESSIONAL IN BRACES/SOCIAL IN BRACES 

Monday, 13 October 2003

I just finished attending a professional conference/convention. This is my first in braces, and I believe of all the fairly large group of people attending, I was the only one in mouthmetal. After the convention, I had to go to another social gathering. I must admit that I am still a bit reticent to appear with my braces in front of people, especially those who havent yet seen me in braces. At the conference, there were several friends (or maybe acquaintances is more like it) of mine who had not yet seen me in braces, and I must admit that after several months in braces, I still feel uncomfortable confronting people in them the first time. I was trying to be discreet about my mouthmetal, yet still try to look natural. Theres this silly balance one has to pull of whereby you have to try to not bare your braces too obviously, yet still not try to obscure them too much... if you bare your braces too intensely you appear a bit too happy to have braces, and you may appear a bit odd... but if you try too hard to obscure your braces (which is probably my tendency moreso than baring them too much, at least with people I try to be "professional" with and those who havent seen my braces before) you will just draw even more attention to them, and look even dumber. So, anyway, the moral of the story is that as an adult, and after several months, you still may feel a bit awkward for having a tin grin. I guess I should consider that this makes it all just that much more "authentic" since a typical teenager would probably, in most circumstances, feel quite awkward in braces, and if I had gotten them in my teens, even though I think braces are cool, I would still probably have the feeling of awkwardness nonetheless....especially in a school full of people who are all too willing to tease you for other reasons and who would like nothing better than to find a new reason to get onto you.  

Questions by a reader, and my answers

One of my readers, Geo, has been reading my account of having adult braces, and has asked me some questions about my braces experience. Here are the questions:

How was your romantic life effected? What were elastics like for you? Any run ins with people you used to know who saw your new braces? How'd you introduce them to friends? Any moments you wish you could rip them off?

And here are my rsponses:

How was your romantic life effected?

My romantic life:  I was always a bit of a loner, and at the time I got by braces, I was working in a job that involved little social contact other than some of the other employees and my boss.  It was a new job in a new location, and I was not really dating at the time. I was told a year or two before about the need for braces from my dentist, but did not yet follow through on it. I did not intend to stay in that job forever, but it occurred to me that it was a good time to go ahead with the braces treatment, due to my minimal social contact or social life.  So, I went for it. Ironically, it was shortly after I got my braces that someone set me up on a date with someone. We contacted each other by email first and then set up a date.

I decided on our first date I would just be causal about it, and try to not make any deal at all about my braces. I did not actually tell my date about the braces beforehand.  It was a odd circumstance for me, I guess.  The date went well, and I had no comment about my braces. She did ask whether I had been a nerd in high school, which may have been about my braces, or maybe just about my overall demeanor. (I guess I am a little on the shy, semi-nerdy side.)  I do not recall my answer.

During the rest of my dating, she did comment here and there about my braces. Just routine stuff, nothing too odd or weird. During one incident of lovemaking, I noticed that she seemed to intentionally be trying to lick my braces with her teeth.  This happened one time, and I think her tougue got a little stuck on it, which explains why she never did it again. LOL. I dated her for two years with braces, and shortly after I got my braces off, we got married.

What were elastics like for you?

Elastics: I seem to recall that in the initial months of my treatment, I did not have elastics. Then, after some time, I was prescribed two elastics, one on each side of my mouth, connecting my upper braces to my lower. They were to be worn 24/7. That stayed that way for a time. Then further along, for a few months, I was prescribed longer elastics which were to be worn in a triangle pattern between the top and bottom teeth.  These elastics were more heavy duty, and I was given a pliers-like appliance to apply them to my braces.  Then finally, to the very end of my treatment, I was prescribed wearing a whole bunch of elastics . . .the same type of elastics that I had originally on opposite sides of my mouth, except this time I had several on both sides of my mouth.  I think like three on each side, making it quite difficult to talk. and that was it.

Any run ins with people you used to know who saw your new braces?  

A few. I did have friends from before that I visited, or they visited me at my new location. One did ask me, "so you have braces now?" and I told him yes, and mentioned that I was told I needed them. Another friend also visited me, and made no mention whatsoever of my braces, although he had to have seen them. This second friend was at my apartment, and made a vague comment about the waterpik device I had (which he saw out) . . . which was an odd reference which I think was meant to get me to talk about my braces. But I didn't really say anything further.

How'd you introduce them to friends? 

I usually didn't. I just tried to be casual about them, making no comments myself, and just responded to any comments by my friends.

Any moments you wish you could rip them off?

No, not really. But I was in the habit of asking my ortho about how we were in the process, and how much longer it would be.

My Retainer and Other Artifacts

I was digging around my house to see if I could find some artifacts from my orthodontic treatment. I located the retainer I received after finishing two years of fixed braces on both upper and lower teeth. As you can see, my upper retainer is decorated with this nifty alien cartoon.  Ooooo, spooky.  The thing in the back is my retainer carrying case.

Here's another angle of my top retainer (left) and my bottom retainer (right). 

Here's another angle with the top retainer (left) flipped over to see the other side.

As you can see, the lower retainer has a cool feature: there's a molded piece of acrylic attached to the labial bow wire, to hold the teeth in their place.  I liked this neat piece.

Unfortunately, I moved to a new location shortly after getting my retainer. Although I wore my retainer good amount of time before my move, I stopped wearing it consistently after my move. My teeth still look okay, but there has been some shift. Maybe I should go for another round of adult ortho? I'll have to give that one more thought!

And here's my little container of braces wax.  This always came in handy to prevent wires from sticking into my cheeks.

As you can see, I got into the habit of swiping these when I was at the ortho!  I also liked to grab those little packets of "o" shaped elastics for my braces, but for some reason I couldn't find any in my house. I used to have a lot of those.

I bought this little dental mirror so I could look at my orthodontic hardware. I seem to recall it wasn't all that easy to use when you are looking into your own mouth. 

There were other items I wish I could locate: my old waterpik (or actually a generic version of a waterpik), my special brushes the ortho gave me to reach between the brackets, and, as noted above, my elastics. If I find any, I'll be sure to post them.

First Day At Work With Braces

I had gotten my braces on in two sessions, one for the top and one for the bottom. I seem to recall that I intentionally did it during a vacation so that I would have time to adjust to them myself before I faced my co-workers.

I showed up for work in my new braces, and at first made it a point to stay discreet and in my office for most of this time. It surprised me how much people didn't comment at first. It may have been that I was successful at being discreet (a lot of my work was office related, and I could hide there! LOL), or they saw and just were nice enough not to comment.

I recall that the first time I encountered someone who clearly saw my braces was when I crossed a female worker in the hall, and smiled to her a wide braces-covered grin before realizing that I had done so. As a reflexive act, I immediately closed my mouth really quick, and having a hard time of it because of my braces being there. I kind of got my lips briefly caught in the braces, before quickly pulling them over my teeth and covering them up.   My co-worker, mercifully, didn't say anything.

Finally, a few days into my return to work with my metalmouth, another co-worker finally broke the ice and asked me, "When did you get your braces?"  It was the first time she saw them. There were others present, and this allowed me to explain why I was getting orthodontic treatment. Apparently, news spread to others at my job, because as the day went on I would get people visiting me. Were they there to see my mouthmetal? One guy grinned at me and said, in a good natured way, "got a tingrin."
Finally, the oddest experience was that I had was when I suddenly got called by my boss into his office to ask me about something. The thing he asked me about was completely pointless, and the meeting ended rather quickly.  All polite and quick. I can't help but think that my boss (another guy like me), actually may have called me into his office for this impromptu meeting just to see his employee's new braces!!

Getting My Braces at 33

I have a new Adult Braces Poll up. If anyone has had braces as an adult, I encourage you to share their experiences. Its easy and completely anonymous. I would like to shar the results of my polls at some point on this blog, as soon as its been up with enough time for people to respond. 

So, continuing my true story. . . next I got braces. I was still a bit nervous about the whole process, since I was 33 and well into my career. I was concerned about looking odd or different in front of my boss or fellow co-workers.  This is probably routine for many others, but getting my braces on took several visits to my Ortho. First, there was the trip where the x-rays and measurements and all that was taken. I don't remember it all now, but I do remember standing in this big x-ray machine that went around you, and the ortho staff inserting stuff into my mouth.  Oh, yes, I also remember that I had to sit down in the dentist chair, and the staff put a small tray in my mouth that they had me bite down on. They tray contained this gushy silly putty like substance, from which I figure they made the molds of my teeth. They did this twice, once for my bottom teeth and once for my top.

I remember they made images from all the tests, and the ortho showed them to me on a computer screen, explaining what had to be done. My treatment would require full braces, on top and bottom, with elastics, for two years. I told the ortho about my desire to keep everything discreet, since I was trying to look profesional for my job and my adult friends. It was decided that my braces would be the clear ceramic on top, and metal on the bottom.

Then there were two vists. One to get my top brackets on, and an archwire that didn't yet have any pull to it.  Then a second visit, if I recall about a week later, to put on my lower brackets.  I don't recall when they finally put on my archwires that actually pulled on my teeth, but it may have been that second visit. Anyway, eventually that happened and my elastics were also given to me (two elastic rubber bands on each side of my mouth connecting top and bottom teeth). And my teatment started.

Next, came going to work, and facing others with braces.  I seem to recall that I timed my first visit to get brackets right before a weeks holiday, so I wouldn't have to initially face job in my braces. But, at some point it had to happen. LOL.

Told I Needed Braces

I had been waiting a bit to see if I could pick up more traffic to my blog before I started posting. I'm a bit disappoited in the lack of response so far, but I'll just start my story and hopefully they will come. I would evenually like my blog to be a place where we can have fun sharing or experienced with this odd thing called orthodontia.

I have a survey/poll up, accessible at the top of my blog, and by clicking here, regading having braces during the 50s, 60s, '70s or '80s.  The point of this survey is to find out more (and give people a chance to share) about having braces back "in the day" when they weren't a popular accessory (like they sometimes are today among teens). I'd encourage anyone who has had braces back then to take the anonymous survey and share your story.  I should have a new survey up soon about having adult braces . . . be on the lookout for it.

I got my braces in my thirties a few years ago. The reason was basically crowding. I was suddenly surprised when I went to a routine dental checkup, and first the dental assistant, and then the dentist, both recommended going to an orthodontist. The assistant did my cleaning first, and as she probed around in my mouth, mentioned I may have a problem. She took a page from a stricky pad and wrote on it: "Adult Ortho?"  The dentist then looked at me, and at one point mentioned that I had some problem with crowding that had caused a substantial misalignment which could be problematic. I did have some clear crowding on my lower teeth that you could see from the frint, but noone until then had said anything about it. Apparently, the crowding had caused even worse problems in my back teeth. I was given a referral to an orthontist, and suddenly to my surprise I was taking at the start of my orthodontic journey.

My Braces

My Braces

(Or How I Got Adult Ortho And Was Inspired to Do This Website)

A few years ago, I embarked on an orthodocntic journey as an adult with braces. I started my treatment following a yearly checkup with my dentist, when I was told I had some serious crowding that if untreated could result in losing some teeth. I was suprised, but set up my appointment with an orthodontist, and sure enough, was advised that I needed to get braces.

I never had braces as a kid, in fact I was often told that my teeth and smile were quite straight. Now, as an adult of 33, I was suprised that orthodontia had now entered my life. And so, shortly afterward, I went to my ortho and in several appointments, received my braces, first my uppers and then my lowers, for a full set of metalmouth hardware. Well, not exactly fully metal... I had clear on top and metal on the bottom. And elastics on each side to pull them together.

But my adult braces experience did bring back memories of growing up in the seventies and eighties, a time when some of my friends wore braces during their adolescence. I remember occassionally hearing complaints about their braces, and gripes about some unpleasant aspect of their treatment. There was also the occasional signs of embarrassment and discomfort at having a metal mouth, and the little rituals carried on discreetly of putting on new elastics in the middle of class. Now, as a thirty-something, I found myself experiencing much the of the same, so many years later.

I got to experience the task of showing up for work for the first time in my braces, and of having people see me for the first time. I got used to the usual "you got braces" comments. Shortly after getting my full braces on, there was a professional conference I had to attend . . . my first such conference with my hardware. No comments there, but just a feeling of having something conspicuous and noticable on my teeth. And then there was the hardware: the brackets, the wires, various types of elastics positioned various ways, metal twisty-wires which were quite visible. And the rituals of putting on the elastics on to the tiny hooks on my teeth, and of using braces wax to prevent the wires from poking me.

The upshot of this is that it brought to mind a lot of memories of braces, especially braces in the Seventies and Eighties when I was growing up, when it was less common, and particularly unusual for adults. Braces were sometimes portrayed in TV and movies as a dreaded adolescent indignity, a youthful scourge not unlike wearing glasses and getting acne (the latter two I was quite familiar with as a teen).

So I was inspired to put together this website, devoted to memories of orthodontia over the years.