1 - You may be a little horrified the first 5-7 times you look in the mirror. Panic may set in: "What did I do?! Can I change my mind?!" You'll get over it. Eventually, you will laugh at your image b/c you look 14 years old and may even think it's sorta cute. (P.S. I'm very happy I went with metal brackets).
2 - Dental Wax is gross. Although, it's quite necessary the first few days to apply wax to some 'hot spots' in the mouth, it's gross. You may not think so until the first time you brush your teeth and pieces of wax fall off and land on your tongue or lip. It reminds me of that scene in Austin Powers when Goldmember eats skin out of a little box. Sorry, but it's that gross! There's a solution to this problem! Gishy Goo (thanks Nicole)! It dries into a hard plastic that will stay in your mouth all day and can easily be peeled out.
3 - Oral hygiene takes a looooooooong time. I have a Sonic Care tooth brush and instead of using the 2 minute cycle once, I do it twice. 2 mins on the bottom, 2 mins on the top. Flossing is the pits, although it's gotten MUCH easier and faster after ordering some Glide Single Use Thread Floss. They are great, each piece of floss already has a threader built in on the end.
4 - Don't go anywhere without a touthbrush! You're crazy if you think you've swished all the food out of your brackets with water and your tongue. Because you DEFINITELY have a gigantic black bean and a piece of spinach sitting on your front teeth.
5 - Lipbalm is your best friend.
6 - I really haven't had a ton of pain, but I have a baby wire on now. I suspect it will be worse when my OD steps up my wire thickness.
7 - PATIENCE!!!! I apparently have NONE, since I keep taking pictures of my bite to compare to Day 1. Maybe if I squint hard enough I'll see some movement...
Anyway, hope this helps.
xo,
Amanda
Great post, Amanda! I tell you, I could not live without that Crest Glide floss with the threader at one end. That is the best stuff to use!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ellie! That floss will save my gums, because I definitely don't have the patience to use the separate plastic threader my ortho's office sent me home with.
ReplyDeleteKnowing how much time I spend at my bathroom sink now to get sparkling clean in comparison with when I had braces in 5th grade (none) is a little horrifying. I'm grateful my teeth didn't fall out.
P.S. One thing I forgot!
ReplyDeleteDon't poke around your back teeth with your finger (especially to dislodge stuck food) because you WILL stab yourself with your exposed arch wire:(
Amanda, I love you! This makes me a lot less scared for Wednesday, I especially like the first and last tips. I'm dreading when I'm all done and my OD hands me the mirror...
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to your frustrations, but it does get better, and soon it will be second nature to have braces in.
Keep the faith!
Cheers,
Brent
@Beth - So happy this post helped:) Good luck on Wednesday! You WILL get over the shock of looking in the mirror!
ReplyDelete@Brent - Thanks:) I'm actually quite used to them now and won't get over my family and friends telling me how young I look. It's funny, the braces now cover up my crooked bite and yellowed front tooth, so it's actuallu freed me up to smile! (I HIGHLY recommend the baby blue ligatures to anyone with teeth color issues - it counter acts and gives you the 'bright smile' you always wished for.) That all being said, I'm recently single after 12 years so I'm sure I'll have an entire post in the future dedicated to the pitfalls of dating w/braces!