In The Orthodontist Waiting Room

When you have your first checkup, you might get a little nervous in the waiting room of the orthodontist office. You might be thinking about whether you are actually making and progress and things similar to this.

Here are some things tips for dealing with this phenomenon:

1. Just picture your beautiful straight teeth or a perfectly aligned jaw so that you have a symmetrical jaw that fits nicely! Remember that the reason you are doing this whole process is so you will have a straight smile.
2. Trust in your orthodontist! Know that he/she is trying to get the result with the least amount of effort on your part, so trust that the things they give to you wear etc. are going to help.
3. Also think about how you will be glad that you went through all the effort when you finished!

The first time I (Amanda) went to the orthodontist for a checkup, I was so scared because all of my friends were saying how painful all of the orthodontia they had was. At the time I had a rather large overbite and I just kept telling myself that they would fix it for me and my smile would be normal and it made me less nervous. And once I talked with my orthodontist I felt better because he was very relaxed and told me it would be a gradual process and he planned out how the next few years would be. So if you are nervous in the waiting room, just relax. Its going to turn out awesome!

-Erik and Amanda

Getting Your Braces On

So you are going to get braces. Here is how your procedure will probably go:

1. First you sit in the orthodontist’s special chair and your orthodontist will polish your teeth with a sand-like substance. They do this so that they have a smooth surface to work with when gluing on the brackets.

2. Next is gluing on the brackets. First he/she will put a dab of their fancy glue on your first
tooth and place the bracket on.

3. After your orthodontist has positioned the bracket so that it is straight and in the middle of your tooth, this is the procedure our orthodontist followed, he/she will then shine ultraviolet light on your tooth (before they do this step, you will be outfitted with a pair of glasses). The glue is special in that it dries under ultraviolet light.

Steps two and three will be done for all of the teeth you are getting braces on.

4. Next is attaching the wire. Your orthodontist will get out a wire of specific stiffness, usually relatively soft at the beginning. Then he/she will cut the wire to the right length for your mouth. Then, after heating up the ends of the wire, your orthodontist will bend the ends so that they will hook around your back brackets after being pushed through the hole.

5. Once you have the wire ready, your orthodontist will push it into each of your brackets and then pull the wire through your back brackets.

6. Next you will pick a color of band and they will fit those around the bracket to keep the wire in place (see Rainbow of Rubber).

7. Now your orthodontist will cut the wire in the back so it doesn’t poke your cheek (see post Wretched Wires).

8. You now have braces!

This whole procedure usually takes somewhere between 30 minutes to 45 minutes per jaw. Congratulations on your new braces!

-Erik and Amanda

Wretched Wires

Ow! What is that stabbing me in the cheek? Sound familiar? That "thing" is your wire sticking into your cheek.

We do not recommend trying to fix this yourself, instead set up an appointment with your orthodontist because he/she will have a special tool that is used to cut the bit that is sticking out.

Now say this happens in a critical time when it hurts a lot and you want to relieve the pain right away. Here are a couple things that you can do:

1. Get some of that wax we talked about in the post “Predicting the Pain” and put a generous amount over the wire that is sticking out. This is a temporary fix as the wax will come out within the day. As a side note don’t eat with it because if the wax comes off you might accidentally swallow it!
2. If the part sticking out is long enough you might be able to reach in the back of your mouth with your finger and push it down so that it curves away from your cheek.

The best way to avoid this problem is when you first get your braces on or go and have them tightened, feel around your teeth with your tongue and you should be able to feel any bit poking out. If so, be sure to let your orthodontist know so he/she can fix it on the spot and you will have a pain free six weeks!

-Erik and Amanda

Bracket Bands

When you get your braces on, depending on what is wrong with your teeth, you will get different types of bands to fit over your wire.

Type A: For this type of band, there is an individual band per tooth. This band’s sole purpose is to hold your wire in place over your teeth. You can customize the colors of these.

Type B: These are called chain bands. They can span anywhere from over two teeth to your whole upper or lower set of teeth. The chain band is tighter and more evenly spaced than the first type. These are used to correct spaces in between your teeth. The chain-type is also more painful the first few days since your wire is already pulling your teeth straight and this band adds even
more pressure. Another difference is that your
orthodontist may put in a chain band anywhere after you get your braces, your band type can change throughout your time with braces. You can customize the colors of these, but they come in one color per whole chain so choose wisely!

For both of these bands, although type B is harder, it is difficult to floss with them in. But if you use our previously mentioned tips for cleaning (post Cleaning Techniques), it is possible!

-Amanda and Erik