I've never had them, but one thing I don't know is what is this annoying thing about everyone having to have perfect teeth? I mean, if the damned things are gonna like literally cause problems with one another, fine, but why does everyone need braces to align their teeth so perfectly? It's just bleh, makes everyone the same, what's wrong with fucked up looking teeth? I'm not saying don't take care of them, there's a difference in letting your teeth rot out by the time you're 40 and just not getting them straightened if you can help it.

Hello!
I've had braces twice. Once when I was nine and got them removed when I was eleven. Then I hada them when I was thirteen and got them removed at age fifteen. At that time, I only had braces on my upper teeth and a Herbst on my lower teeth, which was used to push the jaw forward to correct an overbite I believe; a malocclusion if you will.
A week before getting the braces, I got some elastic spacers placed in between the teeth. They were so small that you won't even know where to feel them, which is probably a good thing.
Although this article does a pretty good job at describing the process, there's a lot it hasn't covered.
Orthodontists often use alginate, which sort of tastes like gluten (flour and water). These will be made to keep an impression of your teeth. Additionally, they may require you to get some tooth extractions to be performed by your primary dentist.
When you actually get your braces, the first thing that is usually done is prepare the teeth, but I remember having to bite down on a special stick to get the ring-like bands pushed snuggly into the second molar, which is the very back teeth. This may or may not feel pleasant, but it's usually quick. Once it has been adjusted, some props may be inserted to hold your lips apart as an adhesive is applied. Then the brackets are placed one by one. After that, archwires are inserted and pressed into the brackets. I never heard of self-ligating braces, but if the idea is to pull the teeth one way and push them on the other side, some of them may be spring-loaded. The ligaments pulling the brackets are replaced using a special tool. They'll spin the rubber band until there is enough tension, and then it'll be clipped into the replaced archwire.
As noted in post 2, some dental wax can help provide relief, but still call your orthodontist, even if it is outside business hours, and they'll come and trim the piece of wire.
You'll probably have trouble talking the first few weeks, and you will also experience soreness that you'll be looking for relief. I didn't have access to things like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen, so I didn't take anything and just ate bland foods.
If you're getting braces on both your upper and lower teeth, some additional rubber bands may be prescribed. These you can put on and off yourself, but they essentially hold the lower and upper premolars together so that they are pulled forward.
Tissue tedns to calcify with age, so it helps to b aware of that.
Also, when you get your retainer, it is worth noting that sadly, you have to wear them pretty much forever, that is until there is a new means of permanently shifting teeth, or keeping them from getting crooked in the first place.
At Post 3, sometimes there are medical necessities. My mother told me that I had trouble chewing or masticating food properly. Another thing I wondered was if you had several tooth extractions like I had, then you'd wind up with twenty-four teeth instead of thirty-two?
I did find this interesting article, though. http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/06/wh … teeth.html

I will say strait off you will feel irritation for a week or more when you have them fitted. that is normal and you just have to grin and bare it if you will excuse the pun.

I had braces from the age of 12 until I was about 17 and weirdly when I finally had them removed I had got so used to them, I missed them.

@3 braces aren't always cosmetic. mine weren't. for example, my top jaw needed to be widened and so I had bands on my upper back teeth with brackets on all the others and a kind of spring thing that went across the top of my mouth to push outwards.

what ever they do though, you will be annoyed, I'm pretty sure but it'll be fine in a week or 2.