Yuck

[allanimalswelcome]

I don't do it on purpose. When I crunch on ice I don't say "I hope my bracket breaks"

I usually have to wait till my monthly visit to get it fixed anyway so it doesn't usually mean extra visits anyway.

Again it doesn't matter to me whether I have them on longer or not. They never hurt anymore and I'm used to them.

~Rachel

[RockyRoad]

Gee, now I feel retarded for writing that I break brackets all the time. I feel the need to correct myself before I get misunderstood.

I don't break brackets every day or something, and it is mostly b/c of accidents, like I forget I can't eat popcorn or something. I was never given a list of what not to eat.

My mom does not have to pay for the broken brackets. She pays one price at the beginning, and that's it. If I break a bracket, it just extends the time. ( I like my ortho, they have fun contests. I won one once and got a free ticket to see Harry Potter. ) I have definetly learned my lesson from breaking them, b/c it HURTS to get them back in. I can't eat anything hard now. I want them off, and now I might not have them off for my graduation this year. (A lesson well learned)

AllAnimals~ Braces suck and I suggest you be more careful like I will be. It will be well worth it, even if you don't care about having them.

Yeah none of these posts were directed at me (I hope...) but I needed to catch my mistake.

[Logan]

Originally posted by allanimalswelcome
Um...nice to know it?

I'm not your daughter so I don't know why you are getting mad.

~Rachel

I assume that comment was directed towards me. I'm not mad, and thankfully, my daughter hasn't given me any reason to get mad at her about her braces. The orthodontist was emphatic in explaining that excessive problems with her brackets due to abusing them (the food she eats) would cost us money. We paid upfront too. But Helen's main thing in following his advice is so she can get them off earlier! She hates the rubber bands (which she has to have), and she hates getting her picture made. Her only consolation is that if she does what he says, she can decrease the amount of time she has to wear the braces. I don't blame her! I wore braces too, and I couldn't get them off fast enough.

[apcrs5122]

Hehe....I know what all you guys are saying because this is my second phase in braces!!! Yeah, the big #2 The first time, I only needed to have top braces, which is what I have right now. In a coulple of months, I'll get my bottom bracketts. One time, when I had braces before, I got gum stuck on a bracket, but I was doing exactly what the ortho said, 1/2 a stick of sugarless gum (which is just too small). I also chewed gum with my retainer in, at least I could take that one out!!!! I know what you're saying, Logan, this is really expensive. My mom was saying that it's like a good used car in my mouth when we're all done But since my mom and dad are divorced, dad has to pay 1/2, so it's a little eaiser on us (I live with my mom). She and I have been dissagreeing latley, and I was just using this as an excuse to take it out on her, which I shouldn't have Anyway......When she said that I couldn't eat ice, I was so dissapointed. I LOVE to crunch on ice at those hot horse shows! I also was looking for something to eat earlier, and was about to get out some fruit snacks (gummy snacks kinda like gummie bears), and then I remembered They don't really hurt, they just rub a little, but not enough for wax I know I'll get used to them.....at least I only have them for a little over a year A friend I know has had them for 5 And she follows the rules pretty well

[Logan]

Oh my goodness, I can now, in my old age, tell ice chewing horror stories too!!! I am sporting 3 crowns as a result of chewing ice as a teenager! My teeth were fractured and the they started being painful as well!!! Crowns are not cheap and dental insurance is almost worthless, paying 50% or less of the cost!! If you have to have a root canal, then it is even more expensive!!!

What an old fogey I have become!!! But it is only because I am now writing the checks!! BTW, Helen's dad and I split the cost of her braces in half too, but still that's a lot of money!!!!!

[apcrs5122]

Maybe that will help to break me of my ice-chewing habits! I don't do it alot, just when I go get something to drink from the cooler I'll get one or two pieces to eat. Plus, the cubes are the store-bought kind (we just grab a bag from McDonald's when we get food, so it's 89cents for 10lbs), so the ice isn't really big cubes (I don't like to eat those).

Yeah, I know, it is alot of money

[ChloeLove]

When I was about 8-9-10 (around that age) I used to WANT braces, and every time I went to the dentist, I would ask if I needed them. And I never did, and at the time I was like pissed that my teeth were good, lol. And now that all of my friends are getting braces and can hardly eat anything they like and can't talk for like a long time after they get them, and they DROOL like crazy, my desire to have braces has totally DIMINISHED. lol

[Karen]

It's irresponsible of an orthodontist NOT to give you a list of things not to eat!

Popcorn is banned not because the kernals are too hard, but because the little brown part can get stuck between your braces and your gum and cause real problems, like an abcessed tooth. Ever had one of those? I have (before I had braces) and it's NOT fun.

I followed all the rules, but I didn't have a lot of choice - my sister had braces for 4 years, beginning when she was 9, so by the time I got them, my whole family knew all the rules!

Do follow the orthodontists' instructions, the sooner you can get the braces off, the better!

I had elastics several times, I liked having little elastics for little braids in my hair, but the elastics made my jaw ache every time. Finally one day when my orthodontist said "Open wide" "Now bite down" he looked at me and said

"Does it bother YOU that you have a crossbite on the left side? No one can see it when you smile ..."

I said "No, it doesn't bother me ...." And he said
"Good. Because if it did, you'd be wearing elastics for the rest of your life at this rate!"

Apparently that's what 4 or 5 different sessions of elastics were supposed to correct, but as soon as I stopped wearing them (on his orders), they'd drift right back!

I'm just NOT orthagonal!

[apcrs5122]

I do follow the rules. I really try hard Just now that I can't have stuff, I want it even more! I just want these things off!lol

[Van10]

Ouch!!!

I know what you're going through Dayna, I wore braces for 2 1/2 years. Hang in there!

Van10 - Meowmy to a Tuxedo kitty

[Twisterdog]

When I was about 8-9-10 (around that age) I used to WANT braces, and every time I went to the dentist, I would ask if I needed them. And I never did, and at the time I was like pissed that my teeth were good, lol.

Me, too! I thought braces looked so cool, and all my friends had them. Of course, older (much) and wiser (some), I'm glad I have naturally straight teeth.

My son has had braces for several years now. The beginning is the worst, and it gets easier. He was supposed to get them off this year, sixth grade, before going into junior high next year. However, because he refuses to wear the elastics on a regular basis, he still has the braces on. I have talked and talked and talked about why he will want them off next year ... he doesn't listen. He's certainly going to regret not wearing those elastics in a year or so.

[apcrs5122]

bump

[Logan]

Originally posted by Twisterdog
Me, too! I thought braces looked so cool, and all my friends had them. Of course, older (much) and wiser (some), I'm glad I have naturally straight teeth.

My son has had braces for several years now. The beginning is the worst, and it gets easier. He was supposed to get them off this year, sixth grade, before going into junior high next year. However, because he refuses to wear the elastics on a regular basis, he still has the braces on. I have talked and talked and talked about why he will want them off next year ... he doesn't listen. He's certainly going to regret not wearing those elastics in a year or so.

I'm hoping for just the opposite reaction, Twisterdog. So far, I'm winning, but we have at least 18 more months. I hope that Helen will stick with the elastic bands so she can get those braces off sooner! I know that better dental care will happen when she doesn't have all that metal and rubber in her mouth!

Logan