Thursday, January 23, 2014

Keep Smiling

So… this happened on Tuesday.

braces_600

It didn’t hurt until I tried to eat.  Then it hurt a lot.  I sort of remember this from the first time I had braces.  I’ve been drinking protein shakes and eating yogurt, ice cream, soups, and Frostys from Wendy’s.  The brackets keep rubbing the side of my cheeks, so I’ve got lots of wax in there during non-eating times and during sleeping.  Today I successfully ate my soup at lunch without crying out in pain from the cheek rubbing, so I’ll call that good. 

I marvel at the advancement in braces technology too.  When I got the brackets put on this time, they had already placed the brackets into a clear tray.  The placements were based on the mold they made of my teeth.  Then they just put glue on my teeth, put the tray onto each arch, cured the glue with UV light, and removed the tray.  Viola, the brackets were on my teeth, all at once.  Last time I had braces the brackets were put on one at a time.  Advancements, I tell ya!

When I was leaving the orthodontist’s office, the office manager reminded me to “smile big”.  I intend to do so for the next few months while I’m trapped in the braces.  If only my gray hairs would disappear on their own, then I could almost look like a teenager again.  Almost.

5 comments:

  1. I've never had braces though I need them. You look great! Good luck with the adjustment period

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  2. Ah yes, I do remember those days of enduring random wires poking into the sides of my mouth and the wads of wax. Glad they have improved it some! I take my daughter in for consultation (a pre-check for braces) for the past few years and that place is almost more fun than being at home... ice cream, iPads to play. They really know how to make the experience pleasant. I hope you get free ice cream with your visits! :)

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  3. They look great Christine. I had my braces as an adult and I think I could use them again for some small improvements. Interesting developments in putting them on. I bet the way they did it gives them more precise control over the placement and the intended movement of your teeth. It will be fun to see your progress.

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  4. Oh yeah, such a pain. I remember having to use the wax. Yuck. If we could afford it, I'd like to do invisalign. My teeth have shifted. I still wear a retainer on the top at night.

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