Hi everyone! i'm new to tis though i've been reading tis for some time. i'm getting my braces tis weekend at how's. seems like he's the only ortho i can trust.

i'm in dilemma on the type of braces i shld go for. i'm in late twenties, so i wish smtg subtle (vry shy la..) hence innovation c. but dr told me it produces slower result than damon 3, mostly becos it get loose & break easily therefore prolonges treatment time. becos of my age oso, i do wish to speed it up.

somemore dr highly recommends me lotus system. i dun think i've read any lotus user in here. can the lotus supporters share wit me their experiences pls?

there u see....i've no idea wat i shld take.... DAMON 3?? INNOVATION C?? LOTUS???

btw, those who paid 6k for damon is using damon 3 or damon 3MX?

reali, reali appreciate ur sharing and replies

Many many thanks to you all for replying me so fast! god only knows how much i need support n encouragement at tis moment... *sigh*

anespian : dun woli, u're definitely not alone. i'm touching 30 next bday, but coz i still havent so i considered myself as in "late 20s"

tomatonz : i have the same concerns as urs..stain, breakage & faster result. the fixing of the breakages/ loose bracket is especially headache to me..cos if reali happen, ive to rush to bangsar from hartamas after work..the jam is so gonna kill me
ohya..about the wedding part, i've asked dr about it. he said if metal braces, taking off is not a problem. but if ceramic, then the process might damage (some of) it and i've to pay for new brackets when reinstall back. btw, he'll charge 300 for taking off n reinstall.

kentcp : hi, kenny. tks for the infor. i've read it before n it's exactly wat dr told me oso. but i haven seen any testimonial from ppl who actually use it. n when i research online, i couldnt find much about it except its own official website. so i'm wondering has anyone tried out tis system yet?

karynkhoo : u're using 3MX for 6k package? i called the clinic tis morning n the nurse told me tat 6k is for damon 3 and not damon 3MX. is damon 3 and 3MX suppose to be same price?

i've made my appointment tis coming sat to install my braces. i had my xray n mould taken last week but i told them i couldnt decide which type i opt for, so i'll call back n confirm. they're ok wit it. after i came home and read more on braces, i realized i din ask enuf questions. so i'll bombard dr with tons of questions before he start "operating" on me. i just hope he won look like tis later

cool! i like it alot coz it's not attracting attention. my job requires me to deal wit lots of ppl and meet new ppl vry frequently. it would be so disturbing if they keep staring at my teeth or pay more attention to my braces than wat i'm saying to them!

btw, nikidateddy & anespian.. did u had problem of bracket loose/break? how often tat happen?

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Added on June 23, 2010, 9:13 ambtw, anyone quit coffee after put on braces? i need a cup every morning to perk myself up, 'wise i'll become a zombie for the rest of the day. i'm so worried i might have to drink cold coffee with straw later since coffee stains isnt it?

This post has been edited by hlee09: Jun 23 2010, 09:13 AM

Tks niki n anespian for ur feedback.

Ken, did ur bracket ever loosen?

Tomatonz, I believe I've read somewhere before tat Damon doesn't necessarily mean extraction can be avoided. Depend on individual's case. If one's teeth r too crowded n his jaw is too small, extraction is a must otherwise the teeth cannot move to d correct position.

Dr told me he has to pull out my 2 upper teeth to correct my overbite. But he wan me to wear my braces for some time b4 he extract. I asked him y n he said he wan the teeth to loosen up abit 1st. Then when he pull out later, I will feel less pain. I've seen my fren who had her teeth pulled out b4 put on braces n she was in pain for days. So pity her.

Luckily my lower teeth r not crowded so can save 2 teeth

I hav 2 more days to enjoy my apple, pear n potato chips..The only consolation I hav is tat I'll manage to get rid of my spare tyre after tis...

Nikki is right. I did ask d nurse about wearing upper braces 1st. She explained tat dr wan me to get used to wearing braces 1st. Somemore my lower not as serious as upper so plenty of time to catch up.

I guess different dentist has different style.

Nikki, I think I'll try my hardest to avoid any hard food for fear of loosening my brackets I oso hav tis phobia of getting food stuck in my braces. But let's see how long I can maintain my soft diet.. I'm usually not vry disciplined when it comes to food haha

hi everyone! i'm officially a lotus bracesian now! yup, i've chosen to trust dr how n go for lotus. attached is my pic.

btw, notice the white color thing glued to my archwire between the 2 front teeth? anyone noe wat is tat? i din ask dr/nurse cos i din look at myself until i left the clinic. i was scared to look at myself

the bonding process was fast n painless (except for one moment when dr pried open one corner of my upper lip). i started to feel a little discomfort after 8 hrs later. is it going to get worse?

ohya, i guess my initial plan of sticking to only soft and "non-messy" food can be dumped into the trash now. right after i stepped out from the clinic, i headed to bangsar village for my lunch n had a yummy plate of pesto spaghettini. after meal i dare not open my mouth at all until i reach the washroom safely. gosh, the amount of pasta and greenish stuff (the pesto sauce la) tat i rinsed out of my mouth is so shocking!


Attached image(s)

karynkhoo : i just bought a compact mirror with 2x magnifying mirror and LED light. super useful to check my teeth

tomatonz & minchinini :

yeah, he did explained to me the difference. according to him, if i ask him last year which bracket system he recommend, his answer will be damon 3MX (btw, the damon 3 we talked about b4 is actually damon 3MX. dr said damon 3 has been phased out long ago, even its production has been stopped. damon 3 is half metal, half ceramic while damon 3MX is fully metal).

but as time progress, he found alot of problem with damon 3MX. as for lotus, he has tested many times on his patients and found it more efficient than damon 3MX. infact, he said lotus technology is similar to damon Q (the latest version of damon). but becos damon Q is newly released in the usa and the price is sky-high, he does not bring in damon Q yet. he said when we use lotus, we're like using damon Q but in another brand name. one more thing, becos lotus's company is not as well-known as damon's, they manage to keep the price low unlike damon which has been well commercialised & marketed.

so, minchinini...the price for damon 3MX and lotus is actually same...6000 for whole set.

he oso explained to me some technical details but i dun reali understand so i dun wan to repeat here in case i gav the wrong info. something to do with the locking system i think?

anyway, i'm happy with my braces and i dun think i look ugly with it

U're rite! i remember dr told me tat oso. n u reminded me of another thing. dr said lotus is easier to fine-tune towards the end of treatment, thus lotus produce nicer finishing than damon 3MX.

minchinini : 4.8k is super dirt cheap! go get it!

luckily i'm not the only 1 who had the "white glue". i tot it was caused by my pesto spaghettini

btw, i have some questions about dental wax. i seem to use it up pretty fast, so i dun think tat free box given by nurse can last me until next appointment. is it available from pharmacy ie guardian, watson?

n how often u all change the wax? i throw it away once i take it out for meals or brushing teeth. nurse told me i can re-use until it's non-sticky but i cant coz i find it too gross.

u mean we dun have to take out the wax when we eat?

i have the same problem with the wire at the back.. it's starting to poke me too

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Added on June 28, 2010, 9:06 pmbtw, is it tat we're not supposed to eat food tat requires chewing in the first week after braced? it's my 3rd day today n my teeth are feeling quite weak especially when i chew. i had only porridge and mushroom soup until now (after the pesto spaghettini ) but now i'm reali reali craving for my indomie... *sigh*

This post has been edited by hlee09: Jun 28 2010, 09:06 PM

wow...i'd been absent for few days only n tis thread has progressed so much!

i must tell u all smth i've worn my braces to work for a week and NOBODY noticed at all! on my 1st day, i kept quiet cos i was anxious of how ppl would react and no one..seriously nobody at all..noticed the change in me! 2nd day onwards, i couldnt contain myself and had to bare my teeth to show some of them (the close ones) n they got the big shock

tis is getting fun hehe...

Help! My wire broke just now. My appt is supposed to be tomolo nite but was rescheduled tis morning to next tues coz doc not around. Originally was supposed to be comin sat but doc not around. (hai...tired of all tis rescheduling la)
Anyway I haven extract any teeth or put on bottom braces, so I dun feel my teeth moving much. Is it ok to wait till next tues or shld I go tomolo morning? But I need to get MC if I go tomolo coz I'm supposed to be in office. Headache la!

Depends whether doc wan to giv or not. Normally for mthly appt I supposed doc won giv mc. But my case is emergency so duno can beg for 1 or not.
But mc or not, I dun reali wan to take time off my work. Better if I can go next tues evening after work. U guys think I shld wait? I'm freaking out coz tis is my 1st time n I duno wat to do.

Tks folks. I guess I panicked abit. After I asked d nurse again, she told me it's not a big prob coz it's only my 1st wire n I haven't extract any teeth yet. So I guess my braces is only meant to loosen up my teeth in preparation for extraction. Only after my teeth r pulled out, d alignment will start to take place. Therefore I opt to fix it at my next appt which is next tues evening.
Now tat I think of it calmly, could my wire broke becos I ate a burger last nite? It's my 1st attempt at burger since I wore my brace. But my braces was alrite until tis afternoon when it suddenly snapped. I wasn't doing anything at tat time.. not eating, brushing teeth or rinsing. Not even talking. I was sitting in front of my pc quietly doing my work n it snapped just like tat. So scary!
Tis teach me a lesson. Never ever eat a burger again until I'm brace-free!

Oh 10Q 10Q nikki! Tks for putting my mind to ease. I felt so guilty coz I kept thinking it must be the mcD spicy chicken mcdeluxe!

Is it? It was ok for me coz I din feel any pain at all. It's ezy to chew oso. But I flatten d burger abit b4 bite coz I din wan d impact to loosen d brackets at my front teeth later. End up ate slower than usual but still enjoyed it vry much