Even if this “uniqueness” made me a bit proud, I kinda knew what to expect: a lot of discomfort, a lot of hardware in my mouth, some good and some very bad days. But I was up to this, as I am now, after 1 year with 15 months of treatment still ahead of me.

With all the work done so far and all the huge changes in my life, I was ready for it all and had a very positive attitude that REALLY helped me. A lot of other patients were shocked to see how much this changes their life and how many days are not that good, but I knew from the beginning this is not an easy ride and went ahead with all my strength.

The weird thing is that this attitude made my treatment more than bearable, I went through 7 months of Damon braces and almost 3 months of Invisalign now, countless powerchains tied on my teeth, now a mini-implant (a small screw “stuck” in my jaw bone, under the teeth) and all the jazz without too much suffering. My doctor was pleased to see my attitude and told me this also helped a lot.

They have a lot of patients who don’t take it well. They are shocked to see how many things they have to change in their lives, that sometimes it does hurt a bit, there are plasting things, ceramics or metal in their mouth, they look weird, they feel weird and those teeth seem to take forever to move.

Here are some of the things/ideas that helped me “fly” through 1 year of treatment and be ready for 16 more months.

1. I CHOSE this, it’s not enforced on me.

I think this was the thing that really helped me. In case you get sick, you have to go to the hospital and undergo treatment because you are “forced” by the illness and the doctors who are there to save your life.

In this case the orthodontics treatment was MY choice. I didn’t get sick, I didn’t have a terminal disease (God forbid). I chose to go through all this because I wanted a better healthier bite or (to be honest) to have some good looking teeth. I was the one to go to the doctor and ask for a fix. I asked for it and now I got it

2. What you know can’t hurt you

When I was a teenager I used to read Shogun. Had a thing for Japanese culture, so it was just logical to “eat” up the book. Some of the ideas stuck in my head for years and one was “Ignorance is death”. Sure, not knowing what the orthodontics treatment is about won’t mean you’re gonna get killed, but it helps A LOT knowing what to expect there.

When I was certain I’d go through all this, I was already well informed. Read all I could about this and shocked my doctors with the knowledge I had. It’s something that will affect my life, it’s normal to care about this as much as to read some articles. This blog was “born” from my need to also share some of my information.

Read all you can and ask your orthodontist ALL kinds of questions. Don’t be shy, it’s your right to be as informed as possible. The moment you have all the facts you won’t be scared anymore, you’ll know what’s happening to you and why.

3. In the end there’s nothing a painkiller can’t fix.

We are scared by the pain. This is one of the things ANYONE fears when entering such a treatment. There will be pain, don’t expect your teeth to rotate and move without any discomfort, because you’ll be in for a big surprise.

Still this pain is not like giving birth or having a dislocated shoulder (I tried the latter option and it wasn’t pleasant at all). Don’t expect huge pains, don’t expect Morphine. Still there will be some pain when they place spacers (some patients require these), when you’re getting your brackets placed on your teeth (first days), when putting a new Invisalign aligner.

I recall using a light painkiller twice in my entire treatment. Once after having the 3rd extraction in 8 days time (1 pill) and one after the second adjustment (when wearing Damon). In 13 months of treatment I required 2 pills. The pain was most of the time light and wound’t require medication. You can take painkillers with no problems if you feel like it.

For some people the discomfort is bigger, for others it’s almost nothing. You can take medication to ease it when you just want to be relaxed.

4. I have a good doctor and trust him completely.

The advantage of chosing a TOP orthodontist is clear. My doctor had hundreds of cases so far, is one of the best in Romania and also Germany. He’s got a lot of experience and knows what to do. I trust him completely and wasn’t wrong to do so. 13 months in the treatment and all looks excellent, the teeth are aligning little by little and I am very positive about this all.

These would be the things you should also have in mind. Don’t be scared, or at least don’t let these feelings make you dread the treatment. Just think about the outcome and be ready for the result. The road to this goal is a tad scary, unpleasant sometimes, but the result makes it worth it. THINK ABOUT THAT!

If we were to think about the causes we can mention the plaque built up on the trays (as it builds up on the teeth), eating/drinking with the trays on, improper teeth brushing and tray cleaning.

The phenomenon can be kept under control with a STRICT hygiene routine. Invisalign requires a lot of discipline (here, I said it again) so do expect to have a proper cleaning schedule. Here are some of my tricks to minimize the Invisalign aligners small to almost zero smell. My trays, after I clean them and brush my teeth are sparkling clean and my mouth keeps a fresh “taste” for a lot of time:

• I NEVER EAT ANYTHING with the trays on. If I want to snack, I remove the Invisalign, eat at ease and then BRUSH teeth, CLEAN trays and I am set again.
• I don’t drink ANYTHING but mineral water with the trays on. If I want soda or coke, I remove them and maybe also snack a bit, since I made the “move” with them again
• I never wear the trays on dirty teeth. I have the toothpaste/toothbrush set with me all the time. I have more sets (at home, at my BF’s, in the bag, the laptop case). If I want to eat and don’t have the “set”, I purchase it and then eat/brush. If I don’t feel like brushing I don’t eat. Just drink some water and wait till I get somewhere I can eat and clean my teeth afterwards
• my Invisalign cleaning is pretty simple: I brush the trays with my toothbrush and rinse with clear water. Some use a lot of solutions, I found out that plain water is just OK as long as I clean them after each removal or better, before putting the trays on again.

With a good brushing schedule my trays are clean, they stay on clean teeth and there is no smell. In the first weeks I used mouth wash as a cleaning solution. The minty smell remained on the trays and made them smell pretty “funky”. For the second set I started using ONLY water with great care when it comes to brushing the aligners. It seemed to work perfectly. They are always clean and the smell is not there anymore.

How do you handle this?

Does this sound familiar? I am sure it does for any patient who’s into orthodontic treatment. For 1 year already I am the “freak” and to be honest I don’t care since I know what I am doing and love the changes I see in my teeth alignment.

After we go through all these the only thing that makes it bearable is the thought we’d once smile like the most successful star in Hollywood, we’ll no longer have bite problems, we’ll have perfect teeth. And still there are people who don’t have that wonderful result. They are few indeed, but still this happens. Let’s see how we can be successful. How can we make the treatment WORK!

1. CHOOSE THE BEST ORTHODONTIST YOU CAN

Don’t be cheap, don’t go for less money. Less money might mean crooked teeth forever, even after the treatment. Do your best to find out about the best orthodontist in your area and go there. Don’t let money decide your treatment. An excellent orthodontist doesn’t work for pennies and at the same time you can’t afford letting a beginner test his skills on you. My doctor has over 1000 cases in treatment or finished. He’s the best I could get in my city and I got him. He’s got the experience needed to really make it worth it.

2. DON’T MESS AROUND.

If you have to wear elastics or headgear or aligners or anything. Don’t take it easy. Don’t “fool” the treatment, don’t do anything but obey your doctor. If he/she is certain you need to wear that thing, then he/she might know better. In the end these guys treat you and have some more schooling into orthodontics than us. Don’t sabotage your treatment.

3. GO TO ANY APPOINTMENTS AND LET THEM KNOW IF SOMETHING BREAKS.

Yeah, brackets can fall, arch-wires poke your cheeks, aligners might get lost (do take care though) retainers might break too. Don’t just sit there telling yourself it doesn’t matter. ANYTHING matters. From such a “small” incident you’ll just make your treatment longer or even put it on hold. These guys are there to help you. Don’t go nuts if such incident happens (let’s not get mental), but do solve the issues as soon as possible. Or discuss with your doctor to have the best solution available. Don’t miss appointments and try to do your part of the job the best you can.

4. YOUR TEETH ARE SENSITIVE. DON’T MAKE IT EVEN HARDER FOR THEM.

You have to understand that your teeth are under a lot of “stress”. It’s not easy being a tooth, having those metal things on you, being pushed and pulled around. Your denture needs care and protection. Even if you can eat hard foods, don’t do it. I love nuts too, but this doesn’t mean I’d eat them with the braces on, or now when I have Invisalign. Even if my teeth don’t hurt me now and they seem to be pretty strong, I do realize they are moving to their decided position and can’t chew hard things. I don’t eat soft food only, but I don’t push my teeth too much. In the end I’d love having them still after the treatment is ending.

5. BRUSH, BRUSH AND THEN BRUSH SOME MORE.

People think we are weirdos carrying tooth paste and brushes all day long with us and brushing a lot. Since I started the treatment, I also started caring more for my oral hygiene. I wore braces and they’d catch anything possible. It was normal to brush and floss. I don’t like having all kinds of “stuff” on my teeth. Now I wear Invisalign and brush after each meal. I don’t eat anything with the aligners on, I take them out, eat and then brush again. Yes, 5-6 times a day. So that I don’t have tarter on my teeth and not develop cavities. This would be bad since it would might put your treatment on hold for few days till you have the cavities filled. Not to mention your teeth are again VULNERABLE and it would get complicated. Why make it harder?

6. READ ABOUT THIS AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND ASK AROUND.

I can’t understand how some people can be so careless. I read hundreds of articles before getting braces, most people confuse me with the doctor since I can give them so many answers. It’s something that changed my life, it’s something I have to adjust to, so many things are happening to me. How not know about them? I asked my orthodontist all kinds of questions and he was more than happy to clue me in.

7. IMAGINE YOUR SMILE AFTERWARDS.

The easiest way for me to go through 2-3 years of treatment (as I have been predicted) was to see my smile after the treatment. I watch TV commercials with those perfect smiles and tell my folks “this is how my teeth will look like”. I never see myself as I am now, still with crooked teeth (better than before, but still not perfect), I see myself as I WILL BE. This gave me strength to go through the metal braces months and now I am prepared for 13/18 months in Invisalign. And I’ll make it, because I decided I need to succeed.

8. WEAR THAT RETAINER

Many people who had their teeth get crooked again didn’t wear the retainer properly. It’s unpleasant to have to care for this too after so many months being braced. But this retainer is the secret to KEEP your smile. Some wear it for few months, some for some years or even a lifetime.

Well, I am ready. I want to wear it the time I have to and even some weeks more. So that I know my pain wasn’t in vain. So that I know I made it. After months of treatment, after tens of meetings with my orthodontist, after having arch-wires in my mouth, power chains, brackets, mini-molds, trays, retainer, way too many cleanings, pain sometimes, a lot of brushing, lots of money paid and gasoline for my car on my way to the doctor and back. After all these I will have a perfect smile. And I will keep it.

My treatment will succeed because I KNOW how to make it succeed. I have a good doctor and the determination to make all this work!

The “nerd” or “geek” who has eyeglasses and those braces that make talking and smiling so difficult. What most movies fail to show us is how that “geek” will look in just months after the treatment is over. Metal braces and any kind of orthodontic devices in the end do look funny and might be uncomfortable, but the results are always stunning. In 1-2 years (maybe a little more for some very complex orthodontic cases) that metal mouth will sport an amazing smile, just great to use to advertise a new brand of toot-paste or any other product that requires a lot of smiling.

Even if most orthodontic patients fear braces, we do advise you to use them and do the treatment. After some months you won’t recognize your teeth, you’ll have a perfect smile and a new face to show.

We used that “time machine” analogy since today things are different in orthodontics. Now we have more than just metal braces. We can use ceramics, lingual braces, even invisible plastic ones that really don’t show. Did you think that you don’t have what to chose from? Think again.

And now, to the goal of our article: HOW DO I CHOSE THE ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT?

• the severity of your orthodontic case. If your teeth are too crooked you might not qualify for the Invisible braces (Invisalign). In this case your orthodontist can advise you to use another system: Damon or Lingual (Incognito)
• the need for extractions (or not). Some braces types (Damon comes to mind) might not require extractions, others might do
• what your orthodontist can provide. Not can provide you with Incognito, Invisalign or Damon. Most of them have just “regular” metal braces (with ligatures), while others are licensed to use all systems.
• price. Some orthodotic treatments are more expensive while others cost less. Not to mention some are not covered by your health insurance.
• the need to wear other devices: headgear for example.
• treatment time: some systems work faster, some slower
• diction: in some cases the lisp the patient faces (at least in the first days) is more noticeable. For a radio DJ for instance or a public speaker, this can become a problem
• looks. Some might not love the “metal mouth” look (for a 30-40 year old this might be harder), while others don’t care about aspect too much and can settle for anything.
• allergies. Some people might develop allergic reactions to Nickel.

So, here you have some things to consider when chosing an orthodontic treatment. It’s not that simple anymore and thank God we have some excellent systems to chose from. There are good solutions or even combinations so that we can straighten our teeth the way we want.