Adult Braces Update 2 | How I Keep My Teeth Super White With Braces
Welcome to my second official adult braces update! It’s been 13 weeks since I got my upper braces and ten weeks since I got the bottom. Time is certainly going by fast, which is amazing because obviously no one really dreams of getting braces at 30 years old. In this month’s update, we’re going to take a look at how my progress is going through photos, as well as, disassemble my ‘toolkit’ of products I use to keep my teeth white and clean both at home and in my purse.
What’s happened since my last update
Last month, I noted that I had two adjustments done by nine weeks – a wire adjustment on both top and bottom and the top wire had been upgraded. This month, we upgraded my top to an even stronger wire again (third wire on top now; yay) and upgraded my bottom wire (second wire on bottom).
Last month’s new top wire and bottom adjustments did not hurt whatsoever. I was prepared for the worst considering it was a new, stronger wire on top but I had absolutely no soreness at all. The bottom had no pain, either, but I also didn’t notice any changes at all on the bottom. There’s one tooth on the bottom corner (you can see in my photos) that really needs some major turning and it’s holding up all the others from moving to their desired place. I went to the ortho this past Friday and he warned me that with this new bottom wire and adjustment, I should be prepared for some major soreness because that tooth is going to do some considerable movement these next two months. It’s about time, because it’s definitely been the most annoying tooth so far! MOVEEEE, B, GET OUT THE WAYYY…
Since Friday’s adjustment, I have had some soreness on the bottom. Nothing worse than the first two months though, and no inflammation/puffiness. I can pop two Tylenol and I’m fine to eat any soft foods with no issues. My top teeth haven’t had any pain at all. I’m starting to think I have quite a high tolerance to pain, which I never thought I had.
There was one time over the last month where my top and bottom teeth on the left side were rubbing against my cheek pretty badly, but just like I said last update, nothing a nice dose of wax didn’t heal overnight.
Have I noticed any changes?
Now that the top teeth are a lot more straight, they’re starting to make visible gaps especially between the front two. I feel sort of like a hillbilly, but I’m also being considerably dramatic, lol. These gaps should continue to happen until everyone is in their proper spot and then they’ll pull them all back together.
The two teeth next to my main top/front ones were the biggest offenders – they were totally turned to the side before the braces and now they’re about 95%Â aligned with the others.
The bottom – as I mentioned above – haven’t really done anything due to that side corner tooth. I am expecting these next two months will show some major progress with the bottom and overall alignment of the top/bottom together.
What I use at home to keep my braces clean
I brush about three times a day with Colgate Optic White Enamel White toothpaste. I loved this toothpaste before braces and especially with them because I find it truly brightens my teeth in just a few days. With metal/ceramic braces, your teeth tend to stain pretty easily because unseen food can get stuck in the brackets and over time, even with brushing, it just seems to slightly stain the teeth. If you’re OCD about keeping your teeth clean like me, you’ll do whatever you can to keep them as white as they were before braces.
SIDE NOTE: The week I got my braces put on, I professionally whitened my teeth with custom bleach trays that I had from my wedding. I figured if they were super white when I got the brackets on and I kept them super white during treatment, they would look pretty good when the braces came off. I could totally be wrong but I’ll cross that bridge when I get them off…
I always use Listerine Total Care Stain Remover mouthwash after I brush. Again, it has a whitening component (hydrogen peroxide) which definitely makes me feel like a rabid animal foaming at the mouth when I use it, but it works to keep my teeth as white as possible. It also has fluoride as an anti-cavity – which not all mouthwashes do, so be sure to check.
I floss about two to three times a week with Glide floss or Colgate Total dental floss (it’s the thinnest/smoothest) just because it’s literally a 20-minute process to get the floss around and through the wires. I cannot floss without these Bridgeaid floss threaders. It helps get between the back teeth by threading the floss through. As my teeth are shifting and making more room for each other, I’m using the threaders less and less because there’s more space now (joy!).
If I have a snack mid-day and just get something stuck in my teeth and don’t feel like brushing again (my gums were a bit raw the first few weeks of all this brushing), I keep these interdental brushes (those mini little brush picks) handy to get between the teeth/under wires. They’re amazing.
When my brackets are rubbing against my cheek/lip/inside of mouth, I am not shy about loading up on the unflavored wax and sticking that crap on my brackets. If you hate wearing it during the day, I find that putting it on at night and sleeping really helps my mouth heal quickly. I just get this from my ortho’s office and I’m currently on my fourth little container. I’ve talked to people who hate the wax and it’s always because they’re using a mint or cinnamon flavored variety. WHO DOES THIS! If you are an orthodontist or patient who has to deal with this… please get the unflavored wax!? So gross to have mint or cinnamon wax in your mouth if you’re drinking coffee or orange juice…
What I keep in my purse to keep my braces clean
I keep a mini toothbrush, an interdental brush, toothpaste and wax in my purse at all times. It’s 100% necessary to at least have the interdental brush and wax with you (if you’re a guy or don’t carry a purse). I’ve used these on numerous occasions when out to dinner and would never ever be without them. I’ve even brought a mini Listerine mouthwash with me if I knew we were going out somewhere I wouldn’t have running water (park, beach, daytime festival, etc).
That wraps it up for this month’s adult braces update. Again, I don’t LOVE wearing these at my age, but if I am lucky and get them off within the shorter-end of my initial one year-18 month estimate, I only have 38 weeks left haha!
Next month, we’ll be talking about foods I tend to avoid either because it’s too hard to chew, or it’s just too annoying to eat. Check back for that and more progress photos on Mar. 28.
Happy braces cleaning,
-Steffanie
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Hey Steffani,
We use Listerine too but I’ve never tried this one. I’m going to pick it up the next time I head out to the store. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hope you’re having a great day!
Cori
Yes! My husband is a dentist and he is obsessed with Listerine (or Biotene if you have a dry mouth). But he was even impressed with how the purple bottle was keeping my teeth white. I caught him sneaking some swigs of my purple one instead of his regular green formula, lol. Just beware, you DO kind of foam at the mouth because of the peroxide in it LOL.
I just sent you an email, Thank you for these blogs and updates! It’s made me feel 1000x better about my braces at an adult age!
So glad you found my blog and these posts 🙂 I hope it continues to help! XO!
High five girl! I’m 29 and 5 months into my braces… I was terrified to get them because like you said, there’s not a lot of info on women going through it at our age. I’m totally with you on the flavored wax… I accidentally bought some mint was once and it was too gross to keep in while eating! I’ve been meaning to write up a blog post about braces too, so happy to have found your blog through this post on pinterest 🙂
xx Jesica
http://www.classicingray.com
YAY! Another braces lady! I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve received because of my braces posts, lol. I was so hesitant to blog about it because I obvi don’t think they’re the prettiest thing ever, but the feedback I’ve gotten has made it worth it and realizing there’s so many of us is even better. Keep me posted if you decide to blog about your treatment, too. I’d love to keep tabs on it since we’re almost at the same point in time. How long do you have to have yours on for?
I’m so happy that you are tracking your experience. I’ve found a few blogs about adult braces but you are definitely the closest to my situation, and it’s somehow comforting to know that you are experiencing this right now. I’m 25 and will be getting braces within the month. I’m so nervous, but your updates will surely help.
Yay! It makes me so happy when I get a comment or email from so many other women going through this, so although I was hesitant to write about it, I’m so glad it’s helping 🙂 The first month has been the hardest so far.. so don’t worry, it will get better haha.
I went on Pinterest and found this article. I just got my lowers put on today (the uppers are gonna be done in 6 months time). I am actually very excited to learn that others are getting adult braces as well. I went back and forth with it for a long time but seeing that braces are such an investment I definitely wanted to get this done before bigger milestones so I can enjoy perfect teeth in my photos. Anyway, I am just glad to have come across your blog so I can read on tips to keep teeth clean and white!
BeyondBasicBlog.com
Congrats on taking the step to straight and pretty teeth for the rest of our lives (hopefully)! I’m so glad I’m doing this before babies. Strangely, my teeth started moving a lot more after I got married, so I guess it worked out for the best that way haha. Keep me posted on you braces experience 🙂
Found your article via Pinterest! I am also an adult with braces. I turn 29 in a couple weeks, and had my ceramic braces “installed” yesterday! Holy heck, day 2 hurts. I have had kids, and so I would say I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but this is knocking me on my booty. Such a lifestyle change. I dream of the day where I can eat whatever I want again! I am subscribed to your blog now 🙂 Nice to see someone else around my age going through this as well!
Hi!! Thanks for stopping by – glad you found me from Pinterest. So many ladies are going through this in their 20s-30s and even 40s, so you’re certainly not alone 🙂 I have heard from friends the ceramic brackets are slightly larger than metal, so that may contribute to the awkwardness even more than normal. Definitely take Tylenol X-strength 3-4 hrs for those first 3-5 days post-tightening appointments, too, because each adjustment will have a similar ‘pain’ period… some worse/better than others. And don’t be shy using the wax haha. The first couple of months are the best and worst because you’re awkwardly adjusting but also going to see big changes fairly quickly. Keep in touch 🙂 XO!
I enjoy a horse related sport with many women over 50 and its not unusual to see women in their 60’s choosing to straighten their teeth. Its not just for looks because effective chewing and simplified dental care are big factors for health. Its a smart move by all of you getting them as early as you can. If you can look like Steff doing it, that’s an additional benefit. I have a middle age wife who in my opinion needs no make-up, but I am sure pleased she chose to invest in an awesome smile!
Thank you, Pinterest for sending me this way! I feel like the planets have aligned. I’ve been thinking about getting braces for the longest time ever and have made the decision to finally get them this year at 26. I have missing teeth – the genetics card I was dealt with, oh well – and thus huge gaps. Despite this, I think I grew up fine with no major self-esteem issues but braces have always been on my mind. Sorry for the slice of life story, anyway, I just have to schedule an appointment this week and hopefully by end of June get the installation done for upper braces. I’ve been bracing myself (couldn’t resist!) for the event by binge-reading/researching about braces but most stuff online are about kids or teens. Your blog articles are a godsend, Steff! Thank you for deciding to put your experiences up online. 🙂
Ahhh… your comment made my day 🙂 I am so touched every time I get an email or comment from a reader who has found my braces posts. It definitely wasn’t a topic I was super excited to blog about, but my best friend encouraged me to do so because it’s definitely more common than it was a few years ago to have braces in your 20s, 30s, 40s+ nowadays. My personal recommendation is to tough out that first month or so (they’re the hardest), but once you start seeing the progress (which happens fast), you’ll be inspired and more excited. Good luck and keep in touch! It’s definitely worth it – even on the days you may feel a little sad about them. 🙂
Mignonne and Steffanie, my wife got her braces on at 40 when we started dating. After taking two sons for all the orthodontist visits, along with my encouragement, she chose to get them for herself. We are both the same age, so when I introduced my new girlfriend with her already youthful looks, and now teenager-like silver smile, my friends were asking me questions. 🙂 She too had rather small lateral incisors (her sister didn’t even get them). The orthodontist referred her to a Prosthodontist who completely designed her final smile and gave the orthodontist guidance on where to set her teeth during her frequent visits to both specialists. Then, when the braces came off (with lots of spaces up front) she got her new front-six top veneers, and now 16 years later, my wife continues to sport a spectacular smile. It took the two of us to pitch in for the cosmetic optional dentistry – let’s call it an investment – but it was worth every step and every penny. If this option interests you, look into a product called Lumineers and start saving up. Steffanie looks cute and no where near 30 with her braces and I like the progression shown in her pictures. May you both enjoy the journey.
Thanks for stopping by and adding some helpful information!
Did you ever have problems with the burning of the Listerine mouthwash? That particular one has some bad reviews about burning really bad and affecting taste buds….did you ever experience that??
It’s got a strong peroxide base, so it does foam a little and have a slightly peroxide taste because that’s what whitens your teeth, but as far as burning… it doesn’t burn any more than a regular Listerine mouthwash.