Metal Mouth Message Board

Proud of:

1) Extremely proud of finally getting my teeth sorted out, even though I have a dreaded fear of dentists!
2) Proud of cleaning 5 times a day after everything I eat

Not Proud of:

1) Taking almost 30yrs to be brave enough to make the decision to get braced.
2) Not flossing regularly enough.

Julie

I'm proud I finally bucked up and decided to get the braces despite the cost. The sooner to make the decision the better. I also had plenty of people speak against me doing it, and I did what was important to me.

I'm also proud I'm taking such better care of my teeth. Brushing, etc. As a child, I was notorious for lack of care and as an adult, I used to just brush in the mornings so my teeth looked "not grimy" to be at work. Now I actually care about the future of my teeth.

I'm not proud that I didn't get more information beforehand. I jumped for the clear brackets with a theory of them being different than they actually are. Now I'm having issues dealing with them, getting used to them, etc. They also look pretty stained on my already semi-stained teeth, so they are not nearly as flattering as they would be with the contrast of metal brackets.

I'm not proud that I'm lazy. I'm always so tired at night that I sometimes skip the flossing to get down earlier. I know better, but I always have an excuse about it and need to work on some self discipline

Re flossing bracketed ... it's time consuming I agree ... but think of it this way ... not only does it help keep your breath fresh, it's the main way to look after your gums and prevent gum disease. Gums hold your teeth ... do you really want to go through ortho treatment, to develop gum disease and loose your teeth. Ok ... I guess this means you'd have no probs with retention ... but is it worth that price for a bit extra time once a day

You convinced me to floss every day, KK.
If last night was anything of an example, I actually flossed every single tooth!

Thanks!

Proud:
1. To be actually doing this after I looked in the mirror for way too many years watching my teeth get wonkier and wonkier.
2. To have found this board and learned about what I am doing to myself.

Not so proud:
1. That this is the second time around because I didn't wear my retainers the first time. (Can you say "permanent retainer" this time!
2. That my cleaning routine has slipped in the last few weeks.

I'm proud of
1.) Getting these suckers on even though I knew they were going to be a pain in the butt.
2.) I always do a variation of the following water pik, floss, brush, rise with mouthwash/periomed after every meal, snack, or drink that is not water, which really wares me out.

Not proud of
1.) I'm always saying I CAN’T WAIT TO GET THESE SUCKERS OFF, sometimes there is colorful language involved.
2.) I wish I would have done this whole thing a lonnnnnng time ago.