I'm 13 years old and i was told today that i need to get braces! I'm not to happy becuase i will have them till i am a junior in hs. Can someone tell me if it is painful to have braces put on and all! I'm kind worried about this whole process. Can someone give me some input on all this so i am not as worried?? Thank You

Hi!
I had braces put on when I was about your age (12). I'm going to be really honest with you...because I know that I appreciate honesty and like to be prepared!

It doesnt actually hurt at all to have the braces put on. I really dont remember much of it...but its definitely not painful to get them on! So dont worry about that part. But they will make your teeth very sore afterwards. Well...at least they did for me. I remember trying to go to lunch afterwards and all I could eat was soup...and even that was hard.

So be prepared for them to be sore that day. I dont think them being very sore lasted very long though.

Braces really arent that bad. I'm terrified of dentists and dental work, but braces were a breeze for me! You'll usually have to come in for appts every so often. They will check your progress and then fix your braces so that they move your teeth in a certain way. This itself once again is not painful. But any time you have adjustments to your braces, your teeth will be sore for a little bit afterwards.

Trust me...I'm a big baby when it comes to dental work and mouth pain...and while they were sore at times...it wasnt bad!

Trust me, you'll be ok! Lots of people get braces!

My best piece of advice to you is always do what your orthodontist tells you to! I had to wear headgear (only in the evenings...thank goodness!) before I had the braces put completely on. And I had to use rubber bands on my braces. But my orthodontist was always impressed with me because I would wear the things he told me to and would wear them for as long as I was supposed to...which sped up the process of fixing my teeth!!! I was supposed to have my braces on for longer than I ended up wearing them. I had them for about 2 years. So just listen to your dr and do what he tells you to...maybe that could speed up your process too...and you might not have to wear them as long!

Good luck!

Yeh, I wont get my braces on till December but i am still worried about the whole process! I'm afraid the wires will brake or somthing like that and that they will fall off! But i dont know, thaks for the input!!

When you get your braes off you have to wear retangers.

My cousin says that they cut up your mouth and tounge!! Is that true or is he just trying to freak me out? thankz