Living with braces - dispelling some myths and my top tips

Braces - those magical things that move your teeth and can sometimes be a complete pain in the butt.  But what is it really like to live with braces?

Before I got my braces I heard all sorts of advice from different people.  Some who had braces themselves many years ago when the technology was not as advanced and others who have braces or know someone who has braces now.  After living with braces for more than a year, I have come to realise that there is a lot of mis-information about them.  So in my own experience, here are the biggest myths about living with braces:

"It's really difficult to eat and you will lose weight"
Oh how I wish this one was true.  Eating can certainly be annoying because of the food constantly getting stuck all around your mouth and there are certain foods to avoid, but I would not say it is difficult.  And unfortunately the weight loss part did not happen for me.

"You cannot eat anything crunchy or chewy"
With braces you do need to be aware of what you eat.  However as long as you are not chewing down on lead pipes, imitating jaws from the James Bond movies or eating raw steaks - you will be fine.  Cut any large or crunchy items such as apples and carrots into small bite size pieces, take your time to chew your food carefully and you will soon figure out what you shouldn't eat and what is just a pain in the ass.

"Wait until you get them tightened - that's really painful"
When I heard this I dreaded my first adjustment appointment.  I imagined that the wires would be wrapped around the brackets tighter and tighter causing me immense pain.  In reality, braces are not actually 'tightened'.  At each appointment (usually every 4-6 weeks depending on your treatment plan) the o-rings are removed allowing your brackets to open, the wire is then removed and usually replaced by a thicker/stronger wire.  While this can be a little uncomfortable, I personally never experienced any pain.

"Don't consume curries, coffee or red wine - you will stain your braces"
As if!  But seriously - this is a complete myth because your braces can not and will not stain.  When you consume these types of food its the o-rings and power chains which discolour, but these are replaced at every adjustment appointment.  Some people find that by using grey coloured o-rings instead of white, they stain less easily.  Personally I like the nice clean look of white/clear o-rings when they are replaced.  And if like me you drink a lot of coffee - use a straw!

My top tips for living with braces

So, there are some myths dispelled.  Now for my top tips on living with braces and how to make the journey as comfortable as possible.

• Follow the advice of your orthodontist and dentist.  This may sound self explanatory but I have constantly read on online forums - 'Well they told me to do this, but I don't think I need to'.  Seriously, they are professionals and know what they are talking about.


• Have a top-notch dental hygiene regime.  I cannot stress how important this is.  When you have braces it is even more difficult to clean and floss, so regular visits to the dentist for cleans are imperative.  I go for a clean every 2-3 months and use my Waterpik at home every day (see below).


• Buy a Waterpik.  This is a device which is also known as a water flosser.  It uses high powered air and water and helps clean between your teeth, between your braces and everywhere in between.  I use this religiously twice a day and it has been one of my greatest investments.


• Get lots of orthodontic wax - and I mean lots.  Braces rub against the inside of your mouth and can cause ulcers and soreness.  Orthodontic wax is a pliable wax which you can use to coat brackets and wires which rub - reducing discomfort greatly.


• Invest in pixsters.  These are mini flossing tools which you can conveniently carry around with you.  Make sure you take them everywhere - especially when dining out as food will collect around your braces very easily.  I usually make a discreet bathroom visit as soon as I have finished eating.


• Be positive!  While braces can sometimes make you dislike your appearance, just remember why you have them and think of the end results.  Positive thinking can go a long way in terms of healing and how you deal with the reactions of others.

That's all for this update and for all you horror movie fans out there, enjoy the related YouTube video below!

It's been too long - here's an update to my journey

A blog is a big commitment and sometimes it can be really easy to think 'I'll update it next week'.  I've been super busy with work, travelling quite a lot for both work and pleasure and I also moved to a new apartment.  Then I realised that almost a year has passed by since my last post.  I am still very much on my journey and the biggest step is yet to come, so I thought I would finally give an update and will commit to keeping this blog up to date.

So what has happened in the last year?  

To start with the expansion device had to stay in my mouth for a good 3-4 months after the braces were on so my jaw could stabilise.  It was a bit awkward having both in my mouth so you can imagine my joy when it was finally removed - I could touch the top of my mouth with my tongue again!

Since then it has been braces all the way - and my face has changed a lot.  I knew that it would take a while to close the huge gap that was between my front teeth - I just didn't realise it would take so long, but now I am really happy to say that the gap has almost closed.  In fact, there is only a 0.25mm gap right now thanks to orthodontic power chains.  You can see the result for yourself in the photo below - needless to say I am extremely happy with the result.  When I used to smile wide, there used to be huge gaps at each side of my upper jaw due to how extremely narrow it was.  Now my teeth are as wide as my smile.

When you look at yourself in the mirror every day you do not always notice the changes.  Looking at my upper jaw here though - it's amazing to see the changes.  And yes, it's another stupid pose!

I mentioned power chains - but what are they?

Well they are definitely not as scary as they sound.  At first when I heard about power chains I expected metal chains to be placed in my mouth and across the braces.  In reality, a power chain is just a plastic set of links similar to the o-rings that hold the brackets closed on your braces.  They go over the top of your regular o-rings and are quite tight, and that tension pulls the teeth together which in turn closes any gaps you may have.  There are different types of power chains and as the gaps get smaller, so do the links between each o-ring on the power chain.  In the image below, you would start with the power chains at the bottom of the image and slowly move to the ones at the top. 

Other results of the braces

Aside from the closing of the gap, the braces have also greatly reduced the over-jet of my front teeth. I didn't expect the result to be so dramatic because reducing the over-jet has in turn reduced the appearance of the overbite.  I still need double jaw surgery to fully correct everything, but I am well on my way to having a functional jaw.

This side profile shows the reduction of the over-jet

Of course the main function of braces is to straighten teeth and while my upper teeth were always nice and straight, my lower teeth were a mess.  I had a fang on each side of my lower jaw and these were not in line with the other teeth - but the braces soon worked their magic and straightened these teeth out.  In fact this only took a couple of months before there was a big change.

And that's it for now!  I will be posting a couple more updates soon on how to live with braces and the next steps in my treatment leading up to surgery.  Until then, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment - your support means a lot and your questions are always welcome. 

The braces are on!

Hello again bloggerland!

A major event occurred a few weeks ago - I finally got my braces fitted.  Of course I wanted to update my blog straight away, but life has been super busy since then. With a work trip to Melbourne, then my own trip to Melbourne and a busy schedule, I've hardly had enough time to think.  Forgive my tardiness, I will make up for it I promise :)  Long blog post - beware!

So on Monday 27th May I had an appointment with my orthodontist to first remove my palatal/maxillary expander (my torture device) and then have upper and lower ceramic braces fitted (my new torture devices).  Having the expansion device removed was quite an ordeal because the metal bands of the device are glued to the teeth, so there was lots of pulling and quite strenuous physical labour (on the orthodontists part) to remove it from the jaw.  I usually have quite a high threshold for pain, but I must admit I winced a couple of times during the removal.  Now as you know I'm not going to shy away from the gory details in this blog - the smell was awful!  I couldn't believe that something that smelled so bad could be in my mouth.  My orthodontist explained that food gets stuck around the expander and some of it is almost impossible to floss/clean, so the devices are usually smelly once they have been removed.  Lovely.

Now for the braces - and for all the fuss made by many people that I know who have had them, I have to say that getting them fitted was not uncomfortable or painful and I actually almost fell asleep at one point.  Hats off to the amazing orthodontic team at Sydney Smile Specialists.  While I'm here, I may as well give them a plug - if you are looking for an orthodontist in Sydney, I really don't think you could find a more professional, friendly and caring team of people.  You can view their Facebook page by clicking their name above.

The ceramic brackets that will be adhered to my teeth, made by 3M.

The first step in getting the braces on is for the teeth to be prepared.  This involves popping a plastic device into the mouth to stop the lips touching the teeth, giving the teeth a thorough clean and then gluing each bracket to the surface of each tooth.  The majority of the brackets are clear ceramic, while a couple towards the back of my mouth are metal.  Having the lips away from the teeth ensures they are completely dry otherwise the glue will not adhere.

Ready to get the braces on

Once the brackets are on the wires are threaded (kind of) through the brackets.  One wire for the upper jaw and one for the lower jaw.  O-rings are then placed around each bracket (a little uncomfortable) which close the opening of the bracket and hold the wire in place!  Phew!  The wires are very flexible, but also have a tendency to want to retain their shape.  It is these characterises that apply tension to the brackets and so the teeth, and eventually move them into the original shape of the wire.  My orthodontist advised that I have a 'super-cable' on the lower teeth which is a stronger type of wire to move misaligned teeth a little faster.  That's a nice way of saying my lower teeth need a lot of work!

The whole process including the removing of the expansion device and the fitting of the braces took around 1 hour and 30 mins, with the braces taking up about an hour.  Not bad at all really.  And once my braces were fitted I couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror - I'm so happy to finally have them on.  I was given cleaning and care tips and was on my merry way.

Here I am with my braces on

And you know how I love these beautiful close up shots

Over the next 4-5 days a couple of my lower teeth did get very sore, but I was told this was to be expected.  I took painkillers, ate lots of yoghurt and other soft foods and after a few more days the pain was gone.  Happy days.

One week later I had to visit the orthodontist again because even though I had my expansion device removed, I had to get a new metal arch fitted in the roof of my mouth.  This one is called a Trans-Palatal Arch (TPA) and it is designed to keep the expansion of the jaw stable and to stop the molars moving back inwards.  Yes, it's another metal device in my mouth but much smaller than the expansion device - in fact I hardly notice it's there.

Now to the downside.  Eating.  It's not painful or sore - just very inconvenient.  My upper and lower front teeth have never met, but before the jaw expansion the majority of my side teeth did.  Due to the massive expansion I have now undergone, only a couple of my teeth meet on each side.  This along with the gap in the front teeth (yes I know it will eventually close) and food getting stuck all around my braces make eating rather tiresome.  It's not due to the braces - they are just another obstacle in the way of me doing some serious chow down.  Eventually the braces will rotate my lower teeth outwards to meet my upper teeth, and of course there will be the main surgery next year, so until then it's a waiting game.  And the result will be worth it.

And that's all for now!  Hopefully you are still reading and enjoyed this post.  Feel free to leave me a comment or ask away if you have any questions.

It's almost time for braces!

Today I am excited.  Apart from the fact that it is Friday (which calls for some dinner and red wine this evening), in just 17 days (May 27th) I will be getting my braces fitted.  There are many different types of braces to choose from, but i have opted for ceramic lingual braces.  These are braces which sit on the outside of the teeth but where the brackets are made from a clear ceramic rather than metal.

Originally I was only due to get my lower braces on and I presumed this was because my upper jaw needed to recover further from my SARME surgery. I have since found out that there was some confusion and my orthodontist thought I was having incognito braces on my upper jaw.  Incognito braces sit on the inside of the mouth behind the teeth and have to be custom made, and from what I gather it is mostly an aesthetic choice.  As I am not worried about the aesthetics of ceramic braces, I have opted for the ceramics on the upper jaw too.  So to cut a long story short (if you know me, no story is short) I will be getting both jaws fitted!  This is why I am so excited.


For all the other children of the 80's out there, the picture in this post will make sense.

How much will it all cost?

When I started enquiring about 'fixing' my jaw I first did a lot of research on pricing.  While the costs have worked out to a little more than I originally expected (well OK around 40% more), I still had a fair idea of what I was letting myself in for.

So for those of you out there who are looking into SARME/SARPE, orthodontics and bi-max surgery - here is the cost for each stage along with a breakdown of what fees make up the total.  All prices are in Australian dollars before any rebates from my private health fund or Medicare.

Stage 1 SARME = $6,250

Surgical fee = $3,000

Teeth removed x 5 = $550 (total)

Day surgery fees = $1,800

Anaesthetist fees = $900

Stage 2 Orthodontics = $10,800

Braces, adjustments and all appointment fees = $10,800 ($3750 initial deposit then $470 per month for 15 months).

While the orthodontics sound expensive this also includes consultations for two years after orthodontic work is completed.

Stage 3 Bi-maxillary (double jaw) surgery = $23,000 (approx.)

Pre-op surgical appointment = $1,500 (approx)
Surgical fees = $17,000

Hospital and anaesthetist fees including 1 night high dependency unit and five night stay total = $4,000 (approx.)

Other fees for x-rays, consults, veneers, cleaning and general dental = $3,000 (approx.)

Grand total for entire treatment = $40,000 (before any rebates)

Expensive?  Well yes it is - but remember these fees are before any health fund or Medicare rebates.  I can expect to receive about $8,000 in total from these rebates.  Then there are the tax refunds on top of that - the Australian government will give 20% back on all medical expenses over $2,200 in any tax year (after rebates from health funds and Medicare).  The cost of these procedures will be spread over two years, but I can still expect to receive another $5,000 or so back, which brings the grand total out of pocket to around $27,000 which is much more manageable.

If you are still reading but unsure of the prices I think its a matter of putting things into perspective.  Some people would not think twice about spending this much money on a brand new car.  Some people will easily spend $10K on an overseas holiday.  This is something that will last me for the rest of my life, so I definitely think it is a wise investment.

Well that's all for now - it's late here in Sydney and time for bed.  If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment.