Here is my list.  Are your experiences similar? 

Spacers -  The beginning of orthodontic treatment for people that will get bands.  Slightly uncomfortable having some of them installed but not too bad.  Some of my teeth were tender for a couple of days.  My teeth always felt like there was food stuck between them and I couldn't do anything about it. Even this time with only two spacers it's hard to forget they are there.   Score: 8

The week before getting braces the first time - I don't remember much about the week before I got my full bands in the early 60's but I do remember not wanting braces.  I remember the ride to the orthodontist in our '57 Ford station wagon and being totally freaked out and mad.  I had no part in deciding that I was going to get braces.  Score: 10 

The week before getting braces the second time  - After agreeing to have orthodontic treatment for the second time I don't recall a bigger emotional roller coaster in my adult life.  I worried about how I would look, what others would think, my age, the money, the inconvenience, memories of braces as a kid, the discomfort, looking silly, and lots of other things.  I totally freaked out up until the time I sat in the chair to have the spacers removed and the braces installed.  Score: 10

The week before getting braces the third time  - No big deal this time.  Score: 1

My appearance with braces:

First time My teeth could hardly be seen behind all the metal.  Every tooth was banded and I thought I looked awful.  There were only a hand full of students at my school with braces and I was one of "them" now.  I was embarrassed for a few weeks then I didn't care much any more. 

Second time: I thought I would hate how I looked with braces.  As it turned out, I didn't mind my appearance at all.  Brackets don't cover nearly as much of the teeth as bands.   I sometimes liked to joke that they make me look 40 years younger.  I don't mind smiling and showing my braces because I look like I am improving myself.   Score: 1

Third time:  No big deal this time.  I even kind of like having my "grill" back.

First day with braces:

First time: The installation was stressful and uncomfortable.  I was embarrassed, mad, very sore and miserable if I remember correctly. Score: 10

Second time: The installation was exciting and new.  It was pain free except for a little discomfort when a couple of bands were being stubborn during installation.  After they were installed there was no pain at all for the first five hours.  After five hours my teeth were beginning to become sore.  They weren't used to having any kind of pressure placed on them.  An hour later my cheeks, lips, and tongue were beginning to get a little sensitive to all the new stuff in my mouth.  Advil made me comfortable for the rest of the day.  Score:  3

Third time:  Installation went smoothly and uneventful.  That night I was a little sore but Advil took care of it. Score: 1

First week in braces -

First time: Embarrassed, mad, very sore and miserable if I remember correctly. Score: 10

Second time: Lots of mild to moderate discomfort.  My front teeth were too sore to bite any kind of food and my back teeth no longer met the way they used to.  My tongue, cheeks and lips felt like the were in shreds.  Advil, wax, oragel, and ice cream got me through the first week.  Eating was a real challenge and I never forgot they were there.  Score:  7

Third time:  Mild to moderate discomfort.  Cheeks and tongue sore off and on and in various locations.  Advil and wax made it go away. Score: 2

Second week in braces:

First time:  I guess I felt better, I don't remember.

Second time: The braces must have been the most important thing in my life because I never was able to forget that I had them.  My teeth weren't as sore and my lips, cheeks, and tongue were beginning to toughen up and weren't as sore. Advil and wax were still my best friends.  Life was getting better.  Score: 6

Third time:  Don't know yet.  I just finished the first week. 

Headgear as a kid -  What can I say...  The worse thing an ortho can put on a kid.  When I got headgear the first time having braces was very un-cool.  Having headgear was about as bad as it got.  I felt like the ultimate nerd / outcast.  I don't think I ever got used to it.  Score: 10

Headgear as an adult - The idea of getting headgear as an adult was just a bad as when I was a kid but the reality of having it hasn't been too bad.  The hardest part was learning to sleep with it.  Sleeping on your back takes some getting used to but it can be done.  I slowly worked up to wearing it the required 12 hours a day with little trouble. 

The old stigma was hard to get past though.  Being seen in public wearing it was pure hell the first few times. Eventually I got more comfortable being seen wearing it.  Other problems include eating, drinking, drooling, and adjusting to the discomfort in the beginning.  Score:  6

Coil springs - I've had both types.  One type slides over the archwire and pushes outward.  The other type hooks on to the elastic hooks or is wired on to the bracket and pulls inward.   The discomfort is mild at first then there is no discomfort.  When wearing the headgear the tension is increased and the discomfort increases slightly for a little while until I get used to the additional tension.  Score: 2

Elastics - I've had triangles, boxes, class 2 (lower first molar to upper canine), cross anterior, and a few other combinations.  Excluding the cross anterior, they have been okay to live with.   Each configuration took a few days to get used to.  Some were easier to attach than others and some I could eat with and some I couldn't.  Some would break more often than others and some affected my speech while others didn't.  When in multiple elastics I have the classic "mouth full of braces" lispy sound when I speak.  Elastics are just a part of having braces.  They are a pain but most of us have to deal with them.  Score: 5 

Cross anterior elastic - The worst elastic you can get.  It goes from the upper left canine to the lower right canine and is used to fix a midline problem.  My tongue had no place to go so it was very sore for the first two weeks.  When talking my tongue would get tangled in it with no warning and my speech would become completely non understandable.  After a month I was used to it but still messed with my speech occasionally.  Eating with it in was impossible.  The first two weeks; Score: 9.  After a month; Score: 3.

Retainers-  I don't remember wearing my retainers more than about a week when I was a kid.   I also don't remember anything ever being said about me not wearing them.  I wish I would have been made to wear them.  The second round of retainers as an adult weren't bad.  They were Hawleys, just like when I was a kid.  Score: 7

I can't comment on expanders or bite plates because I've been lucky enough to avoid those. 

Any comments or questions on my list?  Let's hear your experiences.

Jack