“Half-way Through - Orange, CT”

I wore braces when I was young, before retainers existed. As my wisdom teeth tried to come through and had no room, my teeth moved. I had all 4 removed, and wore a permanent metal retainer attached on my bottom teeth for several years. Still, my teeth never looked really good again. With time and age (I'm 60)they worsened. The bottom is very crowded and the top has a very crooked tooth. There is also an issue with my bite which will only get worse over time. So I decided it was now or never.

My experience has been positive thanks to a well experienced provider. Except for 1 set, I have never had pain. BUT I am always very aware that they are on. I have had to file rough areas of every set. My tongue has never gotten used to them. The top one sometimes irritates my inside lip When I take them out to eat I have multiple attachment points which jut out and cut my lower lip. All of these things should be expected. The smiling face of the model wearing the braces belies the real story. There will be discomfort. My teeth are sensitive and so I never expected to get used to them and forget them were there. Nothing like traditional brace pain, it's more like a constant dull pressure.

I'm half-way through and see a big difference on top and only a small change on the bottom. With the dentist's computer model I already know what the final results should look like. So far so good. It's not fun. They are a pain to take in and out to eat or drink hot tea. Like anything else worth doing, it takes commitment and patience.