Day 7

One week with Damon Braces!

It’s now exactly a week since I got my braces on and eating is much better. In fact most of the pain I have eating now comes from my mouth ulcer, which is also starting to heal.

Sadly I can’t notice much movement apart from the four bottom front teeth moving apart slightly after the first day, but I suppose I can’t expect miracles. I have my next checkup two weeks from today, and I hope I’ll see some change by that time, even if it’s only tiny.

Biting into stuff with my front teeth is a little difficult still, but I can do it with soft food. However, as much of the food gets broken down by the back teeth anyway, I tend to just put the food straight to the back of my mouth.

One thing I forgot to mention, for anyone else with receding gums in some areas: whilst having the braces fitted, it was quite painful on the tooth where the gum is receded because of being hit with a powerful blast of air and cold water. I did ask the doctor beforehand, and the dental assistant afterwards if there was a possibility that it could get better or worse with the braces, since my gums around the teeth are going to be moving as well. I was worried there was a possibility that the nerve to my tooth could get even more exposed. But the doctor and the dental nurse both assured me that this would not be the case – otherwise I guess they wouldn’t have gone ahead with the treatment.

Also this week my mirror checking time is slightly less than it was last week. I couldn’t stop looking at them last week.

Oh, and I’ve also lost a bit of weight in this week, because of soups, protein shakes and yogurt, so that’s another thing I’m pleased about!

Day 4 - Progress Picture

Day 4 with Damon Braces

Damon Clear Braces - the initial process

Getting the braces on!

I got my Damon Braces on yesterday and although there are lots of Vlogs and Blogs out there about Damon Braces, I thought I may also be able to add something to the discussion and provide info for people.

The whole process of getting the braces on took about two hours altogether, with the time spent in the chair for the teeth cleaning and brackets about an hour. Before putting them on, the dentist makes an impression of both the top and bottom teeth, meaning you have to bite into this plasticine-like stuff for a few minutes. An X-Ray is also made of your teeth. Before they put the brackets on your teeth, they have to thoroughly clean them with a powerful electric toothbrush. Before putting the glue onto your teeth they need to make sure all the toothpaste has been rinsed off and the teeth are completely dry. This was the only part that really hurt. On the left side of my mouth a lot of gum is missing from one top tooth and the nerve is sometimes exposed. During the brushing they must have got a bit too close to this bit, and when they used the water jet to rinse everything away, I really jumped.

So after the teeth are very clean and everything is rinsed away, they then put an apparatus into your mouth which holds the sides of the mouth open, and also a drain which sucks away any saliva (they told me I wouldn’t need to swallow, but I did feel the need to a few times).

Glue is applied to the teeth and the dentist applies the brackets to the teeth, and a bit of pressure is applied to make them stay in place. Then all the remaining glue is washed away and the wire is put into the brackets.

Right now the wire only stretches over the front teeth on my upper and lower jaw, it doesn’t stretch all the way to the back teeth.

Cost

My Damon Clear braces cost in all 5000€. I didn't shop around because I was happy with the first dentist I visited, and to be honest, I just wanted to get on with starting the treatment, once I had set my mind upon it. But I would advise others to shop around, especially if you're not totally satisfied with the people who are going to be undertaking your treatment.

Treatment Time

After my initial consultation I was told that my braces would need to be on for about 9 months. Of course, like most people, I'm hoping that it will be shorter than that.