I got in and the assistant told me that I was going to get the top braces first, and the bottom ones in about 3 months. I was okay with it so she got started. I sat in the chair and they lowered it in a matter that I was completely horizontal. The assistant brushed my teeth really well and really carefully (even though I had already brushed them at home). When she was done, she told me to go over to the sink and rinse really well. When I got back, the assistant was waiting for the orthodontist to come with me. I saw in the little table that she had a little paper with the brackets arranged in a organized manner, and the assistant was making some sort of glue mixture.
When the orthodontist was done with the other patient, she came over with me. She placed some sort of cotton thingies between my gums and the inside of my cheeks. Then she told me to "Open big!!", and she blew some cold air on my teeth to dry any saliva. Then she started taking the brackets from the table, putting some glue on it and placing it on my teeth. She would then remove any excess glue from my teeth using some special tool. She did that until she was done with all my top teeth (except my back molars). Then the orthodontist got up and went with another patient.
I layed there with my mouth open, thinking: "Wow, that was it?" Because it was not painful at all! I think I was more worried about the fact that I didn't put chapstick before I got there, and my lips were starting to chap.
About ten minutes later, the assistant got back with me. She took a wire in the shape of a U, and started placing it in my brackets. She actually just popped it in. I felt a very slight pressure, but it was definitely not painful.
She told me I was done and to wait by the door. I went to the mirror at the sinks to see myself, and thought: "Oh crap!". It was so weird!! And I expected to have the brackets placed straight and the wire being completely horizontal. But no! It was all zig-zaggy.
I waited for the assistant by the door, in a little hallway between the waiting room and the room where all the patients were. The assistant told me to call my mom, so I waved at her, trying to keep my lips tight, but I kinda wanted to laugh. She came over, and the assistant explained to my mom that they just put my top braces on, and that I will get the bottom ones in three months, and that I was going to have them on for two and a half years (which kinda shocked me; I didn't realize my teeth were that bad!!). Then the assistant gave me a sheet of paper, and quickly went over it. It pretty much said what not to eat, how to brush, the names of the appliances, and what to do if I was uncomfortable or in pain. And then she handed me a baggie with some stuff:
-A pink toothbrush
-Wax in a red case
-Small dental floss pack
-Small toothpaste tube
And she also gave me a prescription for fluoride paste, which is supposed to protect teeth against cavities.
All this took around 45 minutes.
And then we left. In the car, I was telling my mom how weird I felt. I was also telling her how they put them on, and in every red light she would ask me to smile so she could look at them. When we got home, I showed my new braces to my dad, and he said they looked cool. Haha, yeah...
I didn't take any close up pics, but I did take this one:
I'm actually really excited about my braces. I cannot wait until I get them off and see how pretty my smile will be :]Originally Posted 08/22/09
