A few q's about braces?

Question

I've never had braces, so I'm curious about a few things...

1. Does it hurt when you get them on? If so, what exactly hurts and what did the orthodontist do to make it hurt?

2. How come some people can't really talk well for the first few days or so? When my friend got braces in 10th grade, for the first couple days after getting them, she talked funny lol. What makes it hard for people to talk right?

3. How exactly do braces work? How can they make a crooked smile and turn it into a perfect one? Like, what causes that?

4. What's with the tiny rubber bands on them? What is their purpose?

5. So a friend of mine has braces. She lives in a different state, so it's not like I can hang out with her in person. On her myspace, some of her new pictures show her without braces... and then, in other new pictures, she has them on... Why do they keep appearing and disappearing? Is it possible that she has removeable braces.? o_O If those even exist lol.

6. Does it hurt when you get them taken off? How bad does it hurt? Does your mouth feel weird for a while?

7. Do some people have to wear head-gear because their jaw isn't aligned right or something?

8. If you have braces and you open-mouth kiss a person who also has braces, is it really possible to be stuck, like so many movies and shows have portrayed?

9. You've heard of "Invisalign", right? Do you think that it's more beneficial to use invisalign, because every few weeks or so, you'll get a new mold for your teeth that will help shape your smile into what it should be? Or do you think braces are easier (however, they can't be removed whenever you want, and they're just wires, with no mold to shape your teeth with)?

10. I've heard people say that they can't eat ice cream when they have their braces on; they have to wait till they're off before they can have ice cream. Is it true that you shouldn't eat ice cream? Why is it bad, I'm assuming it has something to do with the coldness of the ice cream?

11. Do you know of any adults who have (or had) braces, even though they're like 30 + years old? Typically, teenagers are the ones that get braces. So it's a bit startling to see an adult have them...do you know what I mean? What do you think about adults having braces? My best friends dad, when we were in like 2nd grade, maybe, her dad had braces. I remember thinking that it was kind of weird that he had them. haha.

OK, last question :p

12. Regarding porcelain veneers, how much does it cost to get them? All they are is just fake teeth, put in front of your old teeth, right? What happens if someone has a really crooked tooth? Will they still put the veneers on, or will they just leave the crooked tooth alone?

Answer 1

1. It does hurt a little to get them on - and every time they adjust them. The reason it hurts is because they are moving your teeth from their natural position. If you take a panadol, that should help with the pain - it is not that bad, it is just like a headache.

2. I don't think that I talked funny but if people are talking funny, it is because you have a foreign object in your mouth and you just have to get used to it.

3. The orthodontist adjust the wires and uses things like springs, chains etc to move the teeth into the appropriate position.

4. I think the rubber bands around each bracket hold the wire onto the bracket - they get changed at every appointment. Some people also have bands between the top and bottom teeth. I think this is to adjust the bite (to correct over or under bite)

5. No - you can't get removable braces. However some people with braces are quite shy with them and won't smile in pictures with an open mouth OR maybe they just post old pictures on their myspace page.

6. No it doesn't hurt after you get them taken off but it is so weird becuase you are so used to them. Your teeth feel really smooth becuase they professional clean them once they take them off.

7. I don't think people have the headgear these days. I think they just have the rubber bands as mentioned above (please correct me if I'm wrong)

8. I have heard that it is possible for people to get stuck - I wouldn't try it

9. I'm not sure what Invisalign is.

10. You are told not to have certain food and drinks and I am assuming this is why you have heard that you can't have ice cream. The reason I was told not to drink soft drink is that because the bracket covers half the tooth, you can't have really sugary things that will cause the tooth the become yellow on the outside as the tooth will be whiter under the bracket and look funny.

11. Yeah, it is typically teenagers who get braces but older people can get them too. It is a bit weird but I think it is good if they want to do it. Perhaps they didn't have the opportunity to get braces when they are young.

12. Not sure about that.

I had braces for 3 years and even though it was a bit of a pain, it was worth it.

Answer 2

1. no [[thank god]]

2. it makes it hard for them to talk because there lips aren't use to going over the bracket's so its a little hard to form the word [[i had the same problem]]

3. well that's a good question well since all the brackets are glued to your teeth and the wires connect them together it gives force to the wires that are crooked and pull  them to the ones that are strait and that's how they move.

4. the tiny rubber bands on them are to hold the wire in so it doesn't fall out [[that's my favorite part of them because you get to change colors :p]]

5. no silly goose there are no removable ones but she might have got different colors so its just harder for you to see them or she has those clear braces [[don't get the clear ones]] and just puts color on them. [[you should think about calling her or writing a message on myspace]]

6. no they do not hurt when they take them off because they just pop off with the force of the things they use to grab it. well your teeth might feel slimy idk why...

7. yes some people wear head gear but its only at night [[if i had to i wouldn't be able to stand it.

8. no you can kiss people that have braces [[ its not like there are hooks on the bracket ]]

9. well i don't really get how invisalign works, i would just stick with the regular wires and the molding stuff taste nasty and it makes you want to gag...eww...lol

10. no thats not true i eat ice cream all the time and nothing happend yet and where did you hear that.

11. yes my aunty that was 53 years young had it. i dont think its weird for adults to have them because mabey they couldnt affored them in there younger years and now they can.

12. they cost from about $700 - $2500 [[ my other aunty got them ]]