[Flipside]

I wore braces for 6 years and had surgery on my jaw (basically it was broken in 5 places and moved to where it should be.
From a surgical point of view it was brilliant, nothing wrong with the work at all, but what dentists don't tell you is that braces damage the veneer on your teeth, so regardless of the fact the bones in my jaw are nice and fixed, my teeth need constant work because they do not have the protection of an enamel layer, and it's quite likely that I will have to have all my teeth replaced my crowns within the year, at 33 years old. So be careful and make sure your dentist keeps you up to date with what he/she is doing.

[Wild Fragaria]

Thanks guys, for all your feedbacks.  I still have about 18 hours to decide if I will keep my appointment or postpone it.

I have an outgrown canine but for most of the time, people don't notice it when I talk.  My family doesn't even remember I have that issue except my younger brother who occasionally teases me about it.  I have seen a couple of dentists in the past few years and both recommended that I should consider getting it fixed.  Well, I have taken the first step to get things started though I am still pondering about the treatment.

I know I should probably get it fixed (despite the pain I am worried about) to prevent my other teeth from further moving into the gap, where the outgrown canine was supposed to be.  And of course the sooner, the better.

FireCrack, my orthodontist did mean that I will have to have 4 teeth removed.

Kosh, I will stick to my little 'no extraction' rule because I really do not want to trade four good teeth for a canine to go back to its spot

[Kamikaze]

Originally posted by Wild Fragaria
4 teeth will have to be extracted for the treatment in the original treatment plan.  

I had to get 4 teeth pulled to get my braces in, but it wasn't as big a deal as I'd thought. My orthodontist did the extraction the day before school started and I was worried about being dead the next day, but about 4 hours after the operation I was feeling pretty normal and the bleeding had stopped.

In my (admittedly short) experience with braces, most of the pain is in getting the wire added or adjusted.

[Nix]

First application is going to be hell, I'll tell you that much.  After that it gets much easier.  I mean, with the initial install, every tooth has moved slightly, and just that slight move is going to be pretty nasty for the first week or so.  Once they've moved to the place they're supposed to go, it's a lot easier.  After a month, you'll hardly notice them untill you go in for another adjustment.  Though, with time, like most things, it gets more and more bearable.  

Here's one thing too that's important.  Bands, on your molars, will trap all sorts of nasty stuff.  Be sure to brush every day, if your orthodontist is smart, he'll give you a flouride gel to brush with after normal brushing.  Rinse often.  Dont chew sugared gum or anything with lots of sugar in it cause it'll get inbetween the band and the tooth.  When I got my bands off, I had a little decalcification on my molars, which eventually led to having them drilled and filled later on.  

*obligitory horror story*
I had to have braces because I was missing a few permanent teeth.  A molar, and my two front lower teeth.  (goofy lookin eh?) After 6 months, a wire slipped out of the bracket right after I got an adjustment.  I went my 30 days till my next scheduled adjustment with the wire out cause they're damn hard to put back in yourself.  When I got back in, all the teeth had moved cept for the one that wasnt reinforced by the wire.  The orthodontist took the pliers and started *wrenching* the damn tooth/bracket back onto the wire.  People outside said he looked like he was working on a car or something with a ratchet.  my GOD that was painful, but after he got the bracket reattached to the wire, everything was okay.

So, be nice to your teeth with braces..

[Wild Fragaria]

Thanks for your input, Kamikaze, and Nix for your good advice.

[Fragrag]

Originally posted by Ford Prefect

All I can contribute is that my experience with braces wasn't too bad. They only hurt for an extended period of time after I first got them on. When I had them adjusted, I was never sore for more than a day. But I didn't have to get any teeth extracted for that, and I'm not at all familiar with that method of inserting pins in the gums, so I don't know what that's like.

Here to, got them around six months ago, just some pain after every adjustment. And a third or so kids in my grade (Eighth) have braces, so it's not that noticable.