do you have braces on your teeth? had? considering?

[drnaphtali]

hi all

so I decided to get braces on my top teeth again to straighten them out for the wedding. I had them when I was in high school and they were fine, but then I didnt wear my retainer thingy and the top ones went skew again :erm:

Apparently technology has changed, and they have put these on my teeth, instead of the traditional metal ones.

http://damonbraces.com/choose/index.php

Anyone who might be considering braces that is put off by the pain and/or look, well its mostly a thing of the past now.

When I had braces in high school they were damn sore. Some of the things worth mentioning

• metal rings slid over molars to ground the whole system
• sharp wires which led to open wounds, which usually led to ulcers in the mouth
• tightening/winding of wires (winding effect, you will know what I mean if you have had braces)
• elastics over each tooth that gather plaque/food

with these things I have now, I have none of the above

Im really impressed with these Damon Braces and from what I can see, a lot of people online are happy as well.

Hi techead,

For how long do you need to wear them and how frequently do you need to revisit the doctor?

Cheers

 

[KalMaverick]

I was actually considering getting braces.

I have a bit of a vampire tooth which irritates me and the dentist recommended Damon and said I would have to wear it for 18 months more or less with a visit each month.

The cost though is the main factor, I don't think my medical aid will cover it.

 

[drnaphtali]

I was actually considering getting braces.

I have a bit of a vampire tooth which irritates me and the dentist recommended Damon and said I would have to wear it for 18 months more or less with a visit each month.

The cost though is the main factor, I don't think my medical aid will cover it.

I made an appointment with Dr Piet Botha in Pretoria for next week. They provide these Damon braces, but we'll see if I do take them. Thanks for the info on this thread!

Cost is definately an issue, and I know my medical aid does not cover it (Discovery Classic Core), but as far as I understand you can pay in installments? IF that is the case, I reckon it is definately worth it.

 

[Sensorei]

hi all

so I decided to get braces on my top teeth again to straighten them out for the wedding.

Could also have gotten a photo retoucher to 'straighten' and fix your teeth in the wedding photos you wanted to use for prints. We used to do this at a studio I was at a few years ago.

 

[techead]

Hi techead,

For how long do you need to wear them and how frequently do you need to revisit the doctor?

Cheers

hi mate

sorry for the delayed reply, ben working for a change

I had braces when I was in high school, so most of the hard work was done back then. Now its just a case of fixing my two outer incisors which have been pushed behind my front insicors. The front ones are already biggish, so it was giving a rabbit effect So I only have the top row on, bottom there is nothing coz that is straight.

So in my case, I will have then on for about 5 months. I have had the first wire for 3 weeks (this Friday) so the Friday after that I have an appointment. He will change the soft wire for a harder one to "really get things moving". time is of the essence in my case as Im getting married mid Jan 2013.

the appointment itself is NOTHING like the old bracers. You lie down, they "open" all the braces stuck on your teeth (they open like little windows) and they take out the wire. They put the new pre-measured and pre-cut (for your mouth/jaw) in and clip all the braces closed again. DONE!!!

 

[AniV]

I refused to get braces as a kid because of the negative stigma associated with them - and I had more than enough problems already (thick glasses, big ears etc). Later on I regretted it - when I got to varsity my jaw was under such pressure due to lack of space that even just eating was painful. I had to have my wisdoms & an extra pair of teeth removed to make adequate space.

Then I got braces. It was not nearly as horrible as people made it out to be. Yes it is a little sore now and then, especially after the adjustments for a day or two. A new wire or a new set of elastics left a bit of an ache but you get over it quickly. I didn't stress too much about it - just went with the flow. I didn't mind my braces at all. You eat a bit slower and a bit less because of the restrictions (depends on the braces) so I actually lost some weight during my 2-years. Also, as an adult, other adults are a lot more nonplussed about you wearing braces. Nobody ever tried to tease me about being an adult with braces. Probably the only advantage to not doing it as a kid!

I initially had the clear front teeth blocks because I was very self-conscious but soon noticed that nobody cared. I got married in the middle of my 2-year treatment and had my braces removed for 3 weeks for the wedding. After a year my teeth already looked pretty amazing. I then just got ordinary braces the second time around and wore those for another year.

I have a retainer plate - I keep an eye on my teeth and as soon as a gap starts to show I will wear my retainer for a few days and it will just nudge them back into their spots. Doesn't even hurt. I try to wear my retainer for at least one weekend a month to make sure nothing has shifted. It has been 3 years since I had my braces removed.

I also have a perma-wire glued to the inside of my lower front teeth that keeps them perfectly aligned forever. Don't even notice that it is there anymore. I love my teeth - they look good and I can laugh and smile and feel good about them.

Braces are NOT as bad as people think and they can make a huge difference. I believe it's worth it. Doesn't matter what kind - whichever gets the job done. You won't regret it once they're off.

 

[BLIXEMPIE]

I wear braces now for about 10 months and my teeth are all basically straight. I will definitely get braces on the back of my teeth to keep them in place instead of wearing a retainer.

 

[Zenbaas]

RAS

 

[chrisc]

No, I had some implants done and they improved my appearance no end. Implants are much cheaper here than in England

 

[bwana]

RAS

You snipped the wrong part. The idea is not to quote the spam.

 

[Zenbaas]

You snipped the wrong part. The idea is not to quote the spam.

At least I broke the link when I quoted it

 

[techead]

update :

right so after 4 weeks with the "intro" wire, I had my second appointment on Friday. As we were walking to the chair we were chatting and she said right away that she could see movement. I was like, huh? where? She showed me, even though it was minimal... it was there. She explained that the point of the intro wire was to "loosen" things up and "let the mouth know" that something is happening. So the fact that there was small movement, even with the intro wire, was a sure good thing!

They un-clipped all the actual braces and took out the into wire. They had the next wire ready, but it looked the same to me. Even though they were the same thickness, she assured me that it was a lot stiffer that the intro wire. She gave me the one she just took out my mouth, and the new one which she had just prepared. You could feel right away that the new one was a lot stiffer.

They clipped it in, shut all the braces and right away I was like whoa. Could feel that it was a LOT tighter on my teeth, and that this wire is really gonna get things moving. Im supposed to have this wire in for 6 weeks now, and then they will put in the same stiffness wire, except a square wire... so it will continue straightening the one axis, but it will also begin tweaking the other axis.

all quite painless today. no need to take any pain killers this past weekend, and ate braai yesterday with little hassle. Just need to cut the food into smaller pieces and cant really bite with my from teeth.

so far, so good

 

[modern10]

Hi there Bud

Any updates, I'm making an appointment soon.

update :

right so after 4 weeks with the "intro" wire, I had my second appointment on Friday. As we were walking to the chair we were chatting and she said right away that she could see movement. I was like, huh? where? She showed me, even though it was minimal... it was there. She explained that the point of the intro wire was to "loosen" things up and "let the mouth know" that something is happening. So the fact that there was small movement, even with the intro wire, was a sure good thing!

They un-clipped all the actual braces and took out the into wire. They had the next wire ready, but it looked the same to me. Even though they were the same thickness, she assured me that it was a lot stiffer that the intro wire. She gave me the one she just took out my mouth, and the new one which she had just prepared. You could feel right away that the new one was a lot stiffer.

They clipped it in, shut all the braces and right away I was like whoa. Could feel that it was a LOT tighter on my teeth, and that this wire is really gonna get things moving. Im supposed to have this wire in for 6 weeks now, and then they will put in the same stiffness wire, except a square wire... so it will continue straightening the one axis, but it will also begin tweaking the other axis.

all quite painless today. no need to take any pain killers this past weekend, and ate braai yesterday with little hassle. Just need to cut the food into smaller pieces and cant really bite with my from teeth.

so far, so good

 

[Freaksta]

I had braces in high school(grade 9 & 10ish) didnt really care. Glad i had them, dont wear my retainers as i should but i can still fit them in and they make my teeth *** saw if i do

 

[jarryd]

I have been considering braces for many years, but the cost involved has held me back.

Out of curiosity, do you have to wear a retainer once the braces are off? Duration?

Can anyone refer a decent orthodontist, that makes use of these Damon Braces in either the north or east of Johannesburg?

Thanks

 

[techead]

right, so the wedding is around the corner (next week friday) and the braces are coming off on Monday. On average I've had an appointment every 6 weeks or so. Each one they change the wire to a thicker one, to speed up the movement. They even took the one brace off at my last appointment and moved it up a bit, so when the wire clipped back in it would have additional force pushing it down, in line with the other teeth.

Its hard to believe that I have only had these on for 3 months, and they are pretty darn straight already. Very happy and very impressed. When I get back from honeymoon, they will put them back on for the final "tweaking" stretch. Then I will have to wear a retainer for 6 months or so.

Its worked out well, and well worth the month spend on the slightly more expensive damon system.

 

[Saltex]

How much would you say you have spent all in all for the braces? And honestly, how bad were your teeth? just slightly skew or very bad.

 

[techead]

How much would you say you have spent all in all for the braces? And honestly, how bad were your teeth? just slightly skew or very bad.

I think about R4k so far. I have to pay the rest still. They were slightly skew. My two outer incisors had been pushed in behind my front incisors, giving the whole rabbit look. quite annoying. its basically gone now though

 

[Sly21C]

I'm definitely considering having bracing on my teeth. My teeth look scew if you view them from the side of my face. I'm just worried that my employer, colleagues and clients will not take me serious.

 

[techead]

I'm definitely considering having bracing on my teeth. My teeth look scew if you view them from the side of my face. I'm just worried that my employer, colleagues and clients will not take me serious.

who cares? After a while you forget they even on, and honestly they are hardly noticable. they are clear, and now apparently you also get the clear wire. so no silver in your mouth at all. its a win.