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The Stupendous Braces Blog

Things I've Learned Since Having Braces

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by
AK710
, 03-11-2011 at 01:43 AM (1313 Views)
Ok, this post is going to be a mishmash of off-topic things as well as on-topic statements.
I've learned a few things since having braces.
  1. Tiger blood is now a recognized blood type.
  2. Gadhafi's face seems to be melting. Methinks someone has found the Ark of the Covenant!!
  3. Having an 'advancement' archwire places to alleviate crowding kinda sucks, especially when you are only expecting to have a loose molar band replaced.
  4. If you own a waterpik, you don't need to floss. Ruh-roh, that can't be right.
1st day in braces.jpg1wk 11 days.jpgIMG00095-20110310-1008.jpgnew triangle.jpg

I was eating a few days ago and noticed that I was having a bit of pain. Turns out that I had a tooth, that decided to move down and hit the spring below it. I was dreading eating and started to eat with my elastics in because it kept the tooth from hitting the spring. I had enough when I basically spent all of one day hungry as hell because I couldn't eat (let's be honest, meal replacements just seem to do the bare minimum). I was making so much progress with my eating and I no longer looked like the Red Cross should be diverting shipments to my house and then this pops up. (Sidebar: I'm quite thin and have always been insecure about my weight and in a "you've got to be kidding" moment, I lose it easily. Also, Victoria's Secret discriminates against the baby boobie committee because all of their beautiful, new push-ups start in b cups. Hello I'm your demographic, I need PUSH-UPS!!)

I set up an appt. with my ortho ASAP. Then, the day before my appt. a molar band comes loose. Today I get in the chair and after a looksee, it turned out that I have two molar bands loose which needed to be replaced. Instead, they decide to use molar brackets since those teeth were sensitive. The ortho then comes to check everything and decides to change my elastics from the heavy ones to light and change the configuration (check the picture to see the new config). Then he instructs his asst. to remove the spring for now and that he wanted to see me in four weeks.

So, here I am thinking everything is ok. I chatted with the assistant since she had braces too (this is her third time in braces) and she told me that eating with them never gets normal and that I can use a waterpik instead of flossing. I'm skeptical, but the way my teeth feel right now makes me think I should purchase one as a sub for when my teeth are uber sensitive. Then I hopped on out of there and rode off into the sunset right? NO.

My original appt. was scheduled for the 22nd, so I figured that everything would be checked out then. Wrong. Ortho decides that he wants to put a new wire in. He called it an advancement wire so the crowded teeth can be pushed forward and straightened out. The asst. said that placing the wire was going to hurt and she didn't lie. My teeth moved back and I had to brace myself in the chair. Imagine a sensitive tooth being pushed on with a metal instrument, then having a wire placed that essentially pulls it out. SUCKED. I wonder if it would have been more comfy if my braces weren't self-ligating. I cursed an unintelligible s##t, apologized and repeated it a few more times (no kids were harmed in the placing of the archwire) until finally the contraption was in and the doors were closed. It isn't comfortable, I even had to pop a Motrin.

Last, but not least, I cursed myself because I only planned on having the molar bands replaced and the spring taken care of, so I didn't eat before my appt. Naturally I go to Publix and decide to purchase some smoked salmon and then ogle the sushi. I miss sushi. I feel like I'm in culinary mourning at times. I miss eating whatever and eating at restaurants suck because I eat so slowly now that I prefer to get takeout and eat in peace. Enchilidas have been a lifesaver though. A restaurant here makes theirs quite soft; I can rip apart the shredded chicken with my tongue and it doesn't even get caught.

Ok this has become long enough, here are the pics to show you my progress!

Oh, if someone can find a great explanation of how advancement archwires work, I'd be grateful. I tried googling them, but the search yielded advancements in ortho technology and not advancement archwires specifically.
Categories
Adjustments , Need Advice , Pictures , Off Topic

Comments

  1. AK710's Avatar
    Ok apparently the pics posted up top. Sigh, can't edit it sooooo......yeah.
  2. Sunny's Avatar
    Love your post!

    Fantastic that you're making such great progress and you don't need the spring anymore. Plus I loved the coloured elastics ... they look great with 'boring' metal brackets!

    You're right to be skeptical as about the waterpik ... it does help clean around brackets, but it doesn't actually 'clean' anything, as it has to be used at a low pressure and should never be aimed at your gums. Flossing does a different job and that is to remove the gunk that gets just below the gum line and this needs to be done with a fine tape or thread that won't damage the delicate gum tissue.

    I'm not familiar with the archwire being called 'advancement' but the ortho's I work with, said it's most like the shape of the archwire that's being referred to. Meaning it's possibly shaped to 'bring out' or 'reshape' the teeth at the front of your mouth.

    Good luck with your progress and if your mouth is achy remember to rinse often through the day with warm salt water.
  3. lightskinnnn38's Avatar
    Great post!

    So are the elastics in the triangle form on the side of your mouth supposed to move your teeth up/down?
  4. Denise's Avatar
    AMEN SISTER on everything you said about eating. I HATE eating most of the time. I bite my lips and tongue. I cut my cheeks. I have a very very sharp hook on a lower bracket that slices open a little bit more every time I try to take more than two bites without drinking water because it dries out my cheeks. UGH I hate braces so much. Luckily by this time next month these suckers will probably be gone!
  5. AK710's Avatar
    Thanks Everyone!
    @Sunny, I'm making a ton of progress, but the spring will have to go back in. It was more of a Goldilocks situation, the spring was too small or too big and since it was causing me pain my ortho decided to just have it taken out until the tooth above it settles a bit more. Your archwire explanation sounds spot on. My wire is in the shape of a square (think bulldog) and even though it hurt yesterday, I haven't had any pain today. I could feel some movement though and my upper teeth started to ache a bit which I thought was strange. I'm loving the colored elastics, especially hot pink!

    @light, my ortho said since the new archwire was going to push my lower teeth out so they would have room to straighten and the triangle elastics were going to pull them back in. There are several types of triangle configurations though, that do a few different things. I'm forgetting to put them in immediately because I went from heavy to light, so it feels like nothing is there and my mouth feels like I don't have them in anyway, so I've become a little forgetful after I brush my teeth.

    @Denise, IT IS HARD!!! I've relegated myself to eating whatever is the softest thing on the menu and now everything is food porn. I get so excited when I find a soft food, that is enjoyable and filling. I would DIE if I had your bracket problem. I literally starved the day that I called my ortho because I ended up ordering pizza that I couldn't eat and couldn't even eat the popcorn at the movies. Then the day after that I ordered some food that I couldn't eat (enchiladas from another restaurant) and honest to God almost broke out in tears. Other than the bracket, can you chew well? I can't put pressure on certain molars now so it really sucks.
  6. Ellebraced's Avatar
    Hey Ak710

    OMG why can't you eat sushi??? I don't think I could give it up. Mu husband and I have a weekly sushi date and I finally have an AMAZING sushi place right in my town, less than 5 minute walk. YUMMY!!!!! Only thing I can't eat is chewy granola bars and sticky stuff like that. I MIGHT try popcorn next week before my next appointment.