The Brace Faced Kiwi

I was so damn worried about that lig-less bracket that I decided I absolutely had to do something to it! After sitting there for a minute asking myself (as I always do in these situations) "what would Macgyver do?" I remembered I had some clear elastic somewhere around which I bought to make a costume part... Perfect to tie around the bracket until I can get to the ortho!

I did a quick hunt and found the elastic, which is now tied nicely around my bracket! It's absolutely perfect - unless you get really close (and I mean REALLY REALLY close and at just the right angle too) you'd never notice the tiny knot at the bottom. Apart from this one small defect it looks exactly like the other ligs - same colour, size and everything. Brilliant!

I'm flying down to Wellington for a few days this afternoon, so I've packed some spare elastic just in case. My 'tooth care' kit is just about the biggest thing in my suitcase!

I am so happy with the results so far! It's only been three weeks (I had the adjustment 1 week early because his office is shutting down for Christmas) and already I see so much improvement and even a tiny little bit of widening in my arch, which I didn't expect to see at all! I haven't really experienced any discomfort other than a little bit of rubbing on my lower lip, easily fixed with some wax for a day and the only part I've still not been entirely comfortable with is brushing my teeth at work - but only when other people are in the room who seem to think it's OK to stop and stare!!!

Again I've gone for the clear ligs on top. I only had the others for two weeks, but I was still pretty happy with them after that time; they certainly had yellowed a little bit, but it really was only a slight change so I'm not yet too concerned about it. This will be the first time I have them for 4 weeks, so I'll see how they go then! The dental nurse was still a little huffy with me for not choosing white like she suggested, but as I tried to explain to her, I'll never know if I'm happy with clear ligs if I don't try and the white stained more in three days than these have in two weeks. At this stage I never plan on having coloured ligs anywhere but on the bottom as I don't see the point of having clear braces with

One thing I did notice when I was brushing my teeth last night, is that he didn't put a ligature on my top right second incisor. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but of course it was about two hours after his office shut that I noticed it, and he won't be open for 3 weeks, so I'll have no way of knowing for quite some time. Luckily it is on one of my two previously straight (and now even straighter) teeth so I don't think it will greatly impact on the movement - and I guess I won't have to worry about it staining!

Normal Smile:
Upper Arch:
Lower Arch: Day One Comparison:

Full Face:

After nearly missing my appt. thanks to a 30 minute meeting that turned into an hour, I got my ligs changed this morning to clear ones - this was despite the dental nurse spending a good 5 minutes trying to talk me out of it, fortunately the ortho was completely sympathetic... Wow, I can't believe how much better they look! The ligs have been the only things bothering me (at the wrong angle they looked like little piranha teeth)- I spent all afternoon smiling my head off and finally not worrying about how they look. Yes, I know they'll stain, but I've got a battle plan already to keep them as un-stained as possible, and as long as they don't end up looking like piranha teeth I'll be happy.

New Ligs:

So, of course, now I read that white and clear are the two colours that stain the most - duh! I knew about the clear but how I missed the white, I don't know.

Anyway, today was my first day back at work after the tonsillitis, and needless to say I sat at there all morning keeping my mough clamped shut until two really unexpected things happened...

1) One of the people I had told about the braces came up to see how I was this morning. It wasn't until she was talking to me in the afternoon when she said - 'hang on, have you got them on the top as well? Seriously, I didn't notice!'

This cheered me up no end because she actually knew to be looking...

2) One of my work mates came up to say good morning and after a few minutes he said 'have you got your braces on finally? Wow, they look really good!' Which made me feel a little special (although I think he was also buttering me up as I'm judging a contest he's in soon ;P) .

My big plan had been to get a new hairstyle and wear my contacts to detract from the braces, however having been unwell this just wasn't going to happen, so I was well pleased to get some compliments. By the end of the day I realised how silly it was to hide them and just started smiling and talking like normal! I did cave in though and called the ortho to arrange an appointment to change the ligs... And I know I'm letting myself in for it again, but I think I'll try the clear and stay well away from the lemsip which is what stained these ones! I've already de-coloured my pantry and fridge (apart from veges) and I don't drink fizzy drink or coloured drinks of any kind other than tea anyway. I've also stocked up on straws and am going to replace the manual toothbrush in my work 'kit' with an electric one. It's worth a try anyway!

The worst part so far is brushing my teeth at work, as there's no where private to go and everyone stares! I've also had to change my entire daily routine and started eating my breakfast before going into work - I didn't have a great time with that this morning as I usually eat at about 9.30am, not 6am! Other than that, there's simply no pain or major discomfort and I'm still happy!

It's been a few days and unfortunately I've had tonsillitis since Friday morning (started about 6 hours before I got banded) and I can officially report that the white ligs do stain like heck, and are now a lovely lemon yellow thanks to the lemsip I had to get some relief from my sore throat.

Oh well, at least it's only 3 weeks until the next adjustment so I can get them changed! I think I'll go with the clear ones next time... While I know they stain, in general I don't have a lot of heavily coloured food (I'll save my spag bol for the day before adjustments) and I think I'll just start using a straw for my cups of tea! At least there'll be a little more invisibility and I know now that the white will stain anyway.

One thing I was not prepared for was the face washing experience! The first day I washed my face I was thinking that it couldn't get stranger than feeling these giant lumps in your mouth, but it does... Wiggly teeth that move when you run the flannel over them *shudders*! That's an extremely odd sensation.

I've had no pain in my teeth whatsoever, though I'm not sure if it's because I've been so very sick and so my mind hasn't been on the braces (I had to be taken to the A & E I was so sick) or if there's just been no pain. I'm also feeling really self conscious about the braces, but again I think it's just because I'm feeling so low from being sick. My family was worried it was my braces making me ill, but I really felt bad on Friday morning a good 6 hours before so it's not them, but rather bad timing. Or good if it's masking the teeth pain :)

They're on! And not just the bottom set either, but both! So far so good - except that I was in a mad rush this morning putting my little kit together (spent about $50) and of course they gave me a pack when I left including everything I bought... Oh well, at least I have plenty of stuff now.

Between last night and this afternoon the gap where the spacer had fallen out had closed by about half, but they managed to get a molar band on any way, after much pushing and shoving. I have to say, the molar bands were by far the worst bit, and in a few months time I get another two. Yay.

I got a bit of a case of the giggles once they'd been put on - a combination of excitement and relief I guess - especially as I really think they're kind of cute - not at all ugly like I thought they would be! My only regret was letting the dental nurse talk me into white ligs instead of clear - because if it wasn't for the white ligs - I don't think you'd be able to notice them at all. I have an adjustment in 3 weeks so I'll ask for them to change the ligs then, if they don't anyway. For some reason they really seem to like the shape and colour of my teeth and are already planning on using me as a model case (!) and even went as far to show me where my blown up tooth shot is going to go! Actually, other than my chipped front tooth - the only thing I've ever liked is the shape and colour of my individual teeth - so I'm a little chuffed about their comments.

Already I can feel my bottom teeth are a bit wiggly / clicky, which is great! And maybe I'm being ultra hopeful, but part of the wire is already poking out a bit on my molar, when it was well inside the tube when he put the archwire on.

I'm not yet able to close my mouth properly, I feel like I've got a mouthgard in and have to stretch my lips around them - it's not uncomfortable, just totally different to what I'm used to. There's certainly pressure on my teeth, but no pain at all. In general, I'm just super excited!

For your enjoyment, here's a description of the whole process:

During the banding, they put a lip spreader in my mouth to keep my lips out of the way and a tongue protector to stop the glue getting on my tongue. I knew this so I put tonnes of lip gloss on to keep my lips moist!

Next, because I needed molar bands, they sized the bands by trying them on my teeth one by one till they found the right fit. This part is very uncomfortable and hurt but didn't not last long. Once they had the right size (this took many tries), they cemented the bands on, and while I expected the pain of putting the bands on again, this didn't hurt at all.

Once the molar bands were sorted, they lightly polished my teeth and put an etching solution on them to roughen up the surface a little. This took just a couple of minutes and they rinsed it off.

Next they cemented the brackets on with dental glue, one by one. After about 4 had been put on, they set the glue with a strong light (I think it was UV). They continued to do this until all the teeth were braced.

Finally, they inserted the archwire through the slots in the brackets and put tiny bands around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.

All in all once the molar bands were sorted, the process took about half an hour to an hour from start to finish and was super quick and painless (again, apart from the molar bands)!

Normal Smile:


Upper Arch:

Lower Arch:

Tomorrow's the big day and it appears one of my spacers was so excited about it, it jumped clean out of my mouth! Well, actually I swallowed it with dinner. Strangely, it's more uncomfortable without it than it was with it and aches a little bit. I was so proud I'm managed to keep them in too.

Remember how yesterday I said there was no pain? Well, within an hour of writing that I was in agony - even talking made my teeth hurt! In fact, despite taking two of my migraine tablets, I was still in so much pain it intruded into my sleep and I had nightmares all night involving excutiating pain and copious amounts of blood. I only woke up a couple of times, but when I did the pain was absolutely there, worse than it had been in the dream (no blood thankfully).

Still, it's nearly 24 hours down, which means only 6 days of these left! I'm still in pain, but a couple of neurofen this morning and a bit of a nap has made it bearable, and I can see that the spacers have already expanded, meaning those teeth are on the move! I've no regrets or doubt at all, just a little shock from the pain.

Well, the spacers are finally in, which took all of 2 minutes total! There were a few seconds there where I felt like my teeth were about to pop out of their sockets, but other than that it was completely uneventful. Afterwards while we were talking I was finding them extremely uncomfortable, but the orthodontist and the dental nurse both complimented me on the health of my teeth (which considering I hadn't been to a dentist for 17 years prior to February, meant a lot to me) and said how nice they think my teeth will look once they're done because they're already white and a nice shape (!?!) which took my mind off it. My Orthodontist also told me that he thinks my teeth will move very quickly. He said however that the downside to this is that I'll see incredible changes in the first few months, then not a lot at all while the teeth settle and tweaks are made. He warned me that during that time I'll probably be cursing his name quite a bit, and wonder what the hell I was thinking in getting braces! Heheh!

As I went to pay, the receptionist told me not to worry about it until next week, which was fine by me, as I get to keep a nice healthy bank balance for a few more days, but then the nurse surprised me by saying that I'm only getting the bottom braces on next week. I asked why and she thinks it's because my ortho doesn't think my top teeth will take as long as the bottom to straighten up (touch wood!) and the bottom teeth need more time.

She thinks it'll be a few month yet before he tackles the top arch... While I'm a little disappointed, I'm pleased I'll get the chance to get used to them bit by bit, and that the really visible part won't be on for the whole two years! It does mean that there's no chance I'll have my straight braces smile for my holdays in February and May next year - which is where the disappointment comes in, as I was really hoping for this.

Of course, once I walked out of the office I had to give the spacers a test run. I was walking around the supermarket afterwards chomping down on them, trying to figure out what hurt and what didn't and more than once I got some funny looks after giving out a little yelp as I found one of the things that hurt! But after a couple of hours (sans any form of painkiller) I don't even know they're there and I have to keep checking to make sure they haven't accidentally popped out! I'm keeping my neurofen handy just in case, but I really hope I don't need to use them.

So - here are some pictures of the culprits, complete with giant holes from the extractions:

Upper Arch:

Lower Arch:

Looking at these pictures I'm surprised that more work needs to be done on the lower arch than the upper - but as my teeth have already shifted a little on top since the extractions, I do think that they'll probably move pretty quickly (where the lowers haven't budged).

Well, at 9pm last night the phone rings, and it's my dentist calling to tell me she got the letter from my ortho that day, and wondered whether I wanted to come in half an hour early the next day and get the extractions done instead of just the dental fitness exam.

Heck yes I did, so I sit here having just had my 4 second premolars removed, desperately kicking myself for not going to buy some soft food last night as everything in the house has a corner or chewiness of some kind (thanks heavens for having the most wonderful parents on earth who are bringing some food around for me).

The extractions themselves were nothing compared to the injections, but I experienced more than one set of palpitations as my dentist did her work, especially on the first one, where I had no idea at all what to expect. Again, thank goodness for my dad, who offered to drive me there and back just in case I had a panic attack. I didn't but I'm still glad he was there because I was numb from my nose down.

All in all the experience just felt a lot of tugging back and forward. Initially this freaked me out as I was thinking... My Buddha! If this is just her loosening them, what the heck will the pulling out be like!!! In fact, I felt nothing when they came out at all so after that first one, I felt a lot better. When she moved onto the second one, I convinced myself she had the wrong tooth as I could feel a lot of pressure on my canine, but of course it was fine. The whole extraction experience took about 5 minutes, and the check up was the normal 30 mins. The total cost of the check up (including xrays) and extractions was $805.

I called the ortho as soon as I was able to speak coherently, and I've got my dates! I go in on Friday 21st Nov to get my spacers, and then I go back on the 28th to be banded!

Well, I finally got my treatment plan... To cut a long story short, there's nothing major that needs to be corrected other than the crowding!

At this stage the ortho is sticking with 2 years (but I live in hope!) and is trying to talk me into a full metal mouth. I'm weighing up the possibilities still, but I think I'd rather have them on a little longer and have them be slightly less visible. $200NZD difference in price isn't enough to sway me one way or the other, and I think I'll be giving in to my vanity on this one.

No date set yet, as I do need to have all four 2nd premolars removed, but I have a 'fitness' check at the dentist next week anyway so I'll be arranging for the extractions then. Once I've got that appointment set, I can give the ortho a call and set my b-day for 2 weeks later. Woohoo!!! So now I just have to hope I can get in for the extractions in the next 3-4 weeks, and I'll have braces before Christmas :)

Now for the most important part - the cost! If I choose to have all metal, then the cost will be $6400 NZD. The cost of ceramic braces will be $6600 NZD, so as you can see there's very little difference in price. I have two payment options: 1) Pay up front and get a 10% discount or 2) 12 months interest free Time Payment, which works out to $550 a month.

I'm in a tug of war at the moment over the cost! It's coming up Christmas, and I'm also taking my parents to the Gold Coast for 3 weeks in May next year which is going to cost around $6k. I've been saving $500 a month towards this, so if I choose time payment, I have to stop my holiday savings. Essentially I'll have to look into some form of finance, as no way in heck am I breaking into my special savings pot (must... buy...house... must... not... touch... savings...)!

Anyway. I had a chat to my bank today, and I'm just waiting to hear back. Fingers crossed for me! I'm on a roll now, and I really don't want to be held back by cost :(

The first step towards your new smile is getting your dental records done as these records are what the Orthodontist will use to figure out your treatment plan.

Below is a step by step of my visit to the ortho get my records done:

Step 1: X-rays
As soon I walked in I was taken to get x-rays and first up was the panoramic x-ray. If you've already had one done at your dentist, you can just have that record sent over but in my case, I'd had my wisdom teeth removed and my teeth had already moved a bit so I needed a new one.

If you've never had a panoramic x-ray, it can be a bit weird feeling. Basically, you stand under a giant x-ray machine, stick your neck out a bit and bite onto the bite pad, grinning like an idiot! The machine will rotate around your head and once it's complete - that's it.

Next was a full head x-ray. Same principle, but this time you stand under a different machine which lines up with your ears (it can feel a little weird having the things sticking in your ears). A quick flash and it's done.

Step 2: Photos
Next I had photos taken of my face smiling, normal and then side on. The best was yet to come however! Once this was done (thank heavens I wore makeup BTW), they took close ups of my arches. To do this, they put in a couple of plastic expanders which you have to hold apart so they can get a good look at your teeth. I'm sure you've already seen these - those things that pull your lips apart and give you a hideous toothy and gummy grin? Mildly uncomfortable, but the worst part was the disinfectant taste afterwards.

Next, they took a large, hour shaped mirror and placed this in my mouth. Again, I held this while they took photos of my upper and lower arch. Other than being a little annoying, there was no discomfort at all.

Step 3: Moulds
This is the part I was dreading as I'd been told all sorts of horror stories about not being able to breath, gagging and what not. This was absolutely not the case! Basically all they do is fill a dental tray with flavoured gum, stick it over your teeth until they set, then repeat it on the other arch. It takes about 30 seconds for the gum to set, and that's all there is to it! Just remember to breathe out your nose :)

And there you have it, dental records complete! The whole process took about 20 minutes and then I was out the door.

The records take about a week to come back, and I'm getting my results tomorrow. I'll be back with another update once I've got that.

Hello and welcome! My name's Angela, I'm 31 years old and I'm about to start my journey to fix my smile!

I've searched all over the web for information about adult braces, and have come across some great websites with stories from a lot of inspiring people, but none of them are adult New Zealanders. I've decided to keep a track of my own progress not only for my own benefit, but to give other kiwis an idea of how things work in NZ. I don't discount those other peoples stories though, so please check them out! If you're thinking about getting braces, these stories really are inspirational and may give you the push you need.

About me:

To give you some background, my teeth have been slightly wonky my whole life. My parents were referred to an orthodontist when I was in my early teens and they suggested I get braces, however at that point it would have been too much of a financial struggle for them, and while they would have found the money if I wanted them, they never really bothered me so I decided against them. I got through the next few years very happily, making sure I tilted my head just right in photos so that the wonky tooth wouldn't show, and this served me well for years.

Unfortunately for me, my wisdom teeth started coming through about 8 years ago and because I didn't get them out, my wonky tooth turned into wonky teeth and the next thing I knew, my smile turned into the tangled mess it is today. About 6 years ago a friend of mine got braces. While his teeth looked great when they came off, he was in so much agony from the rubbing and movement, I was absolutely put off.

I've suffered from a terrible fear of dentists since I was around 11, the result of a school dental nurse who gave me fillings and pulled teeth without anesthetic (!?!?!) so while I've often thought of getting braces over the last 5 years, it really didn't take much to make me too terrified to even pick up the phone, and his experience was enough to do it!

Earlier this year I realised that if I didn't do something about my teeth now, I'd end up losing them down the line, as while I'm quite obsessive about dental hygiene (so that I don't need to go the dentist so much!) my upper and lower canines are now so turned in I find them really hard to brush properly. Also in the last couple of years my front teeth have started to cross, making it harder for me to hide the problem!

About 2 years ago, I was reading Fashion Q and saw an ad for a new product called Invisalign and became intrigued. In fact I went on about it so much that I inspired someone at work to go get them! Naturally however I became scared again, and for the third time in as many years, decided to put it off.

So the journey essentially started in February when I decided that I had to get over my phobia and do something about these darned teeth! First, I found a new dentist who specialises in anxious patients like myself and explained to her what my end goal was. The day after my dental check up, I had an appointment at an orthodontist to discuss the possibility of Invisalign. After meeting with the ortho, I started to get over my fears a little bit. He quoted me $8000 NZD for 2 years treatment, which would include a palate expander, then Invisalign, and finally up to 3 months braces to perfect the smile. This seemed all too good to be true, and I became extremely excited, so back to the dentist I went to get my current smile tidied up before I started treatment.

I had my amalgam fillings removed and replaced with composite (go me!), and then *gulp* finally had my wisdom teeth out! Naturally I happened to have a pretty bad set of wisdoms, with two of them right on nerves and one touching my sinus - but I got through it (go me again!!). While I was talking to my oral surgeon, I happened to mention to him that I was having this done so that I could eventually get braces. I repeated the orthodontists proposed treatment plan, which he listened to with great interest. After I finished, the OS asked me whether the ortho had advised me that I would need surgery in order to have a palate expander. Unfortunately he had not. The OS also advised me that $8000NZD seemed ridiculously expensive and he suggested I speak to another ortho for a second opinion. He gave me a stack of business cards he had and sent me out the door.

Three weeks ago I finally had my first appointment at second the ortho where he gave me a general idea of what to expect. The very first thing he said to me was.. "Well, unfortunately I don't feel you're a candidate for Invisalign. While you fit the description of someone who could be treated with it, I've done it too many times now, I can just tell straight away that they would not work well enough and you would not be happy with the results". His straightforward comments really gave me a lot of trust in him, especially as the Invisalign is the most expensive option. Instead, I'm going to be fitted with a combination of ceramic and metal braces.

Last Tuesday I had my records done and tomorrow I go back again to get my treatment plan! There's just one catch (and I knew this would happen) - it's looking pretty likely that I'll need to have all four second bicuspids out... I've worked through a lot of my dentist issues, so I guess this will be a good test of how far I've come.

So that's my story so far! Tomorrow I'll check back in with the treatment plan I'm given.

Check out my current smile below:

Normal Smile:
Huge Grin:


Top Arch:

Bottom Arch: