<p>So what if I have to get stainless steel ones because ceramics don't provide enough torque. I'd probably have to wear them all through my freshman year. My teeth aren't horrible, but I have an overbite which is annoying. I don't know. I feel really self conscious sometimes so yeah. Maybe I should post a picture =/ I just don't know if I can take having my first year of college spent looking hideous and unnatractive with massive stainless steel braces.</p>
<p>I remember having braces. After a week of first having them on for no reason at all i ripped them out of mouth, the wires, the bands. they had to redo the whole procedure and my orthandonist was ****ed.</p>
<p>Jimmy, what happens after you lose the, as in get them taken off? You definately aren't screwed, you're free! Just wear you're retainer. You think it's bad having braces once, it would suck even more to get them on again because your teeth moved from not wearing the retainer. You only wear it all the time for the 1st year or so (it sounds like a long time, but it goes by quick since you only go to the orthodontist 2-3 times during that year), and then they reduce it to only at night, and then just a few nights a week. Braces and retainers were not a fun aspect of my life, but it was so worth it.</p>
<p>yayarea510, yes they'll charge you to wear them again. The only reasonthey POSSIBLY wouldn't charge you would be if it's their fault that causes you to need braces again. It's not the same, but when I switched orthodontists halfway through my treatment, the new guy signed a contract for $1200/1 year, probably thinking I would be done in a year. He was wrong; I wore them another year and 5 months after that one year was up and didn't pay one penny for the extra time. And when my clear plastic retainer cracked from normal wear-and-tear, we didn't have to pay for the new one.</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant what if you lose the RETAINERS. i've only had retainers for 5 months and now I've lost them. Do i have to go back to my orthodontist at home? or can i find one near my college.</p>
<p>Go get your retainers! whatever it takes.</p>
<p>I'm wearing braces now (senior in hs) and I wore the elastics to close the gaps at the back of my mouth for like 3 months. And they all closed up. And I was all ready to take my braces off in 3 weeks. But I stopped wearing my elastics for like 2.5 weeks and I could see the gaps again. And then I became lazy and fully stopped wearing them for like a month. And now I'm facing the consequences. I could've taken them off 2 months ago but now I have to wear them for 3 more months :/
They move fast.</p>
<p>just curious. how fast does your teeth move if you havent worn it for a month?</p>
<p>My son is a freshman in college and alot of his friends have braces. The hardest thing for us is getting him to his monthly appointments. Luckly he only lives about 45 minutes away. But it still is a whole day off work for me driving. He gets his off next month.</p>
<p>My front two teeth are a bit crooked. Do you think its a good idea to go through all that pain and expense?? My ortho said today that getting braces doesn't hurt...I think that's the biggest lie I've heard.</p>
<p>This sucks..i'm gonna be a sophomore in college when I get them. :(</p>
<p>They move fast. My sis had worn her retainers regularly for the first year or so, and started slowly skipping a couple of days here and there, and soon the retainers didn't fit. It takes 2 seconds to slip it on your mouth and the more diligent your are with wearing them, the fast they will reduce the amount of time per day that you'll wear them. Just do it.</p>
<p>Seriously, who cares if you have braces. The people in college who make fun of you when you have braces are immature losers anyways, so don't pay any attention to them :)</p>
<p>What kind of foods should you avoid when you're wearing braces? Also, I've heard food gets stuck a lot and its hard to clean your teeth. 0_0</p>
<p>meh, food doesn't get stuck a lot. not significantly more than without braces, and you're gonna be brushing your teeth anyways.
if you aren't a gum chewer, don't like raisins, and can live without (or be very careful with) candies containing caramel (don't eat straight caramel. just. don't xD ) then you'll be fine.</p>
<p>my screwed-up mouth story: had a crossbite, overbite, and REALLY bad bucktooth (as in, i could put my bottom lip in front of one front tooth and behind the other)
had braces/headgear/rubber bands/the whole kit and caboodle 4th-7th grade. ohhh were those fun years.
got a retainer 8th grade, wore it faithfully.
wore it at night for 6 months when i was allowed to do that.
by frosh/soph year i was like... screw this i've been through so much already... i HATE my retainer... (he'd recently added a wire that extended to a back molar which was growing in crooked, and ever since that wire was in place, my retainer became very uncomfortable... but there was nothing he could do). he wouldn't take it off either. i totally did not care about that tooth -.-
so... stopped wearing the retainer. it's been 3 or 4 years now.
result (for all you curious people out there)
YES my teeth have moved noticeably! (if i try to wear my retainer now, it's like fitting into a pair of shoes from the 3rd grade) my front two teeth are starting to jut out again... but personally, while my teeth are no longer close to perfect, i think they're a hell of a lot better than they were.
however, that said... if you don't have a situation like mine, and you don't want to wear a retainer just cuz you're too lazy? WEAR IT!!!!
right now, if i want perfect teeth again, i either need a new retainer, or maybe even braces as an adult. but i don't see the need to do it again for cosmetic reasons when i already went through it for functional ones.
so just... grin and bear it? </p>
<p>but for people like mightynick... you probably won't have braces a long time if you only have slightly crooked teeth. you won't need headgear, rubber bands, etc. so if you're willing to wear braces for a little while, and you know you will FAITHFULLY wear a retainer for a long time after that (hell, i know some ADULTS who still wear their retainers at night) to preserve your new perfect teeth?
then, if having straight teeth is something you want, and are gonna try to keep, go for it. maybe you can even get invisalign, in your case. :)</p>
<p>Wow that seems like a painful experience for you.</p>
<p>I think the front two teeth matter the most, and unfortunatley for me they are slightly crooked. Only one or two people have noticed the crookedness and not many have said anything about it. Maybe that's because they dont' want to offend me or something. Anyways, I've started to become more self-conscious about it, especially in college. I visited to my orthodontist yesterday and he did say I can get invisalign, but its not worth it because its so expensive and not as effective as the usual braces. He also said I'll need braces for 1-1.5 years the most and retainers after that. </p>
<p>While I want perfect teeth, I'm not so sure if I want to spend most of my college years with braces. What makes this decision even harder is that my front teeth aren't terribly crooked...they're only noticeable from a closeer distance (one comes over the other a little). Also, my insurance doesn't cover the cost and I wont be able to come home from college every 1-1.5 months either. </p>
<p>Should I still get them and get it over with or forget about it? Meh I'm so confused.</p>
<p>it depends on if you're willing to put up with the hassle or not.
i never thought of how braces in college can be inconvenient because of all the necessary ortho appts, but several people have raised that point.
so it's a trade off either way: frequent ortho appts that may be inconvenient, the look of braces, and straight teeth; or mildly crooked teeth and no cost/inconvenience.
have you thought about getting braces as an adult? i know you might need to wear them longer, but it would be easier to visit your orthodontist and you wouldn't have to worry about being a college student with braces. also, if you wait until you've started working, maybe your insurance WOULD cover them? or at least chip in more?
since your problem seems cosmetic, not functional (if that's... even a word, i'm drawing a blank) then maybe you could wait, unlike me. you'd still end up with straight teeth for your post-college life, but the process might be easier in a couple of years.
overall i think you're the best judge of the situation. you'll know best when/if you want straight teeth, and what you're willing to go through to get them! :D</p>
<p>I guess in the long run its worth the hassle.</p>
<p>Actually, there's something I'm worrying about. Will recruiters take you seriously when you're going for an on campus job interview? Most likely I will have my braces off by mid junior year, but I keep thinking that they will hinder my chances of making a good first impression.</p>
<p>i don't think they'll have any effect on your first impression.
if potential employers view you negatively because of an appearance-related issue, then (unless you're applying for a fashion magazine xD ) would you want to work for them?
if anything, i would think that it would show gutsiness and a willingness to do the right/responsible thing, at the expense of looking "cool" or "typical" or whatever. :)</p>
<p>Wearing braces in college isn't that bad... I had them up until right after winter break. You'll look younger, which makes you look like a prodigy :p. Hehe so it can be a little awkward... but when I first got to college I had just had jaw surgery a month before and my face would still look kinda squirrellish for three months. I can barely remember what that felt like.</p>
<p>why don't you ask your orthodontist if you can be transferred to an orthodontist in the same city as your school? Like if you can use two orthodontists, one for when you're at school and then the one you currently have for when you're on break. Hopefully they'd be gald to do this for you.... Give it a try anyway.</p>
<p>I had braces for 2 years 8.5 months. My teeth were not that bad-- one tooth was rotated slightly and there was one tooth stuck in my gum, but they took way too much unecessary time doing everything. I've heard of something called "speed braces"-- my friend had them, so it's something to check out b/c they worked quickly and very well.</p>
<p>Originally, I wore my retainer all of the time, but then cut down to 5 times a week, only skipping on days when I was up really late doing hw. Big mistake. My teeth soon didn't fit the retainer, and it was painful to fit the thing in, though it could be done, it was so painful I woke up in the middle of an excruciating night and threw it out. I actually began to like my teeth more after the shift-- they looked more natural and my smile was better as a result. So, I asked my orthodontist for a new retainer to fit the new teeth (b/c my wisdom teeth can only come in if everything stays exactly as is). He thought I was a nut job, and his silly pride led him to insult me and treat me as though I were a moron (yeah, going to a new ivy-- don't think that's an issue). Anyway, I have a new retainer now, wear it every night, teeth look great-- best decision ever. And I can keep my wisdom teeth :)</p>