10 Things You Learn While Wearing Braces...**^^**

[bunnyfluff]

My turn!

1. Getting your teeth flossed at the dentist while wearing braces is a painful and gag-inducing experience (for me at least, I have small mouth and it DOES. NOT. OPEN. THAT. WIDE.)
2. Food gets stuck. No matter what it is. Actually, everything from shirt cuffs to toothbrush bristles have been stuck in my brackets.
3. A lot of celebrities AND regular folks who you once thought to have perfect teeth, really don't. And it makes you smile a little on the inside knowing that your teeth will be better.
4. You dream about whitening strips and mouthwash and scrapy pick things.
5. You also have dreams about taking your braces off yourself with pliars OR getting them off. You will wake up disappointed
6. You have sudden cravings for caramel apples. Even if you didn't eat them very much in the past.
7. Sometimes you're afraid to get them off.
8. The whole `2 minutes to brush teeth properly!` is merely the beginning of your teeth cleaning routine.
9. You annihilate toothbrushes in 2 weeks instead of 4-6.
10. A boy/girl that will date you right when you get them on and stay with you and hold your hand during the hard times....is totally worth every minute of your time

[PrincessMelody]

I've been reading these for a while, but have decided to add my own.

1. Keep your mouth closed when putting a sweater on because that sweater may just get tangled in your braces.
2. Also make sure to keep your mouth closed when you have long, curly hair that is being blown about in the wind cause that also may just get caught in your braces.
3. I thought my being festive with every holiday (Halloween, St. Patty's, etc) was just limited to my t-shirts and socks. It has now found its way to my teeth as well.
4. I never realized just how annoying that molar on the roof of my mouth is.
5. I had no idea how much I took eating anything I wanted, whenever I wanted for granted.
6. The Sonicare toothbrush is the best invention ever.
7. Avoid Oreos if you don't have immediate access to a bathroom where you can brush your teeth.
8. Shred resistant floss is just that shred RESISTANT. Braces not only shred the inside of your mouth but floss as well.
9. If floss gets tangled, nail clippers work GREAT for clipping the floss so you can get it out in pieces. If it gets stuck don't worry too much... it will eventually come out.
10. Four words: CREST GLIDE THREADER FLOSS!

[Tin Indian]

One thing I learned as well is I can't use my mouth as an opener for candy bars and pototo chip bags. I used to do stuff like that all the time.Now I use either a knife or a scissors- what a bore.

[Lillers]

Okay, I'll give this a whirl – please forgive the redundancies.

• 1. I should never have believed the original estimate of my *sentence*.
  2. Although I actually have a life, I've become ludicrously obsessed with this whole process.
  3. This board and its participants are a godsend.
  4. Would love to know if there's such a beast as a Turbo WaterPik.
  5. There's a plethora of brand-new nooks and crannies in my mouth that can and do trap food – and keep it there even after thorough brushing and flossing.
  6. It's really frustrating to not have the option of whitening my teeth.
  7. I'm extremely vulnerable to false hopes – even now, at 21/2 weeks post-jaw surgery, I must constantly remind myself that I've probably still got lots of months to go with the grills.
  8. I never thought I could despise flossing more than I already did in my pre-brace days. I was so, so wrong.
  9. The words "There's still lots of action in that archwire; we won't do anything today" are not music to my ears.
  10. Prior to the jaw surgery, I could (and did) eat just about anything, and with any luck, next month will see me chowing down on my favourite pizza once again.

[Raspberry]

My Turn!

1. People will only tell you that you didn't have crooked teeth AFTER you get your braces on. (Even though you know they were crooked)

2. Sandwiches taste sooooo much better with a little bite of all the ingredients at once, instead of separate.

3. I really didn't take care of my teeth before braces.

4. If you tell me not to eat something... I will eat it, and often.

5. Paying of my bill was a lot less painful than I thought it would be.

6. Brackets are applied with an adhesive ( I was under the impression that they were drilled in) Definately a plus... lol

7. Can't stop staring at teeth... mine, other peoples..

8. I can name all the different teeth in my mouth, and the ones that were extracted.

9. I feel an instant connection with other brace-wearers

10. Most people don't notice the braces after the first while, and having them ask you if you've had your braces removed while they are still on feels GREAT!

[Lillers]

Hey, thought of a couple more:

• It is actually possible to miss raw carrots.
  I've had people tell me the grills make me look cute – and younger.

[dragonfly065]

You can't take the ability to eat for granted anymore and the plus side is weight loss whether you want it or not.

[iBorg]

PrincessMelody

Yours made me laugh! So true but so easy to ignore until you realize that you just did something you should have known better than to do.

Mike

[ghostmyimag3]

Alright My turn!
In two months i have learned:

1. It has been said before, but i'll say it again. Drooling is just something that happens. Especially when i floss.
2. Dont let anyone tickle you, if you do you might head butt them and they will have an imprint of your bracket in their forehead ha ha.
3. Chips are not that hard to eat with braces. You just have to break them down a little.
4. Biting into soft things and seeing a half moon shape forming is something to appreciate depending on where you started. In my case it was more like a triangle or something.
5. A toothbrush is your best friend!
6. Having braces extends your lunch time due to cleaning (not complaining!!)
7. When wearing braces, instead of how are you, you get the "how are your teeth" instead.
8. Say no to fig newtons, bread, rice, and other little smashy, small food because they are your worst nightmare when cleaning your teeth. I always have more come out than went in.
9. I notice people with braces within seconds of seeing them.
10. Lastly....Knowing how screwed up my teeth were in my own eyes, there is always someone with more messed up teeth than you had or have. So whatever nightmare your dealing with, their's might be worse.

[fitchick]

1) That I now notice everybody else's teeth!
2) And Yes! Why do people look and not say anything? One client did squint and say 'What are those stuck on your teeth?' I smiled back and said 'Just diamonds'!
3) I've learnt to be patient about wanting to eat nuts and raisins too.

[Sumendoza]

WOW!! These top 10s are great guys!! Jan. 10 is my B-day and I can't wait to have my own top 10!!!

[Gennel]

Sometimes I worry a tiny bit when I walk up to a cashier or customer service counter because the person looks too serious. Then I end up giving the biggest smiles when we both notice that we have braces ! lol

Sometimes I even think that I've been helped a lot more by another person wearing braces. I guess it's because they understand what a pain these things can be sometimes!

[shell1426]

I have to say this is an AWESOME post!

I have only had my braces for about 2 1/2 weeks and it's only the bottom but I will give this a try!

*Drooling when flossing in a definite!
*I seem to be able to whistle just fine but I whistle with my teeth a majority of the time!
*Eating is a challenge but that can be a good thing since I have to fit in a wedding dress in a year and a half!
*Looking in mirrors all the time to make sure there's nothing stuck in there is a must!
*I can move my teeth with my tongue LOL.
*Ya'll think your waterpiks are fun...I HAVE TWO!
*Keeping a nail file is necessary because hangnails suck when you can't fix it with a quick bite.
*I have accumulated 3x more dental hygeine items since braces and always have to stop in that area of a store to see if I can find more LOL.

[denny33]

1) I am more concerned when my teeth don't hurt then when they do. Pain must mean progress.
2) It is possible to check your teeth in a rearview mirror approximately 417 times during a six hour trip.
3) I had my wires off today for a few minutes, and flossing normally is a beautiful feeling, and certainly not a chore.
4) Ladies with metal-mouths, you've all become smoking hot. (I hope this doesn't break the rules, all in good fun.)
5) I need bigger lips to keep all the drool in.
6) Mouth pain causes more drool. I did not know this.
7) You might hear whistling when you talk, but no one else will. Don't bring it up. They'll think you're nuts.
I'm way past the age of fistfights, but if anyone ever hits me in the teeth again, they will have several thousand dollars of pain bestowed on them courtesy of the blunt end of whatever I can get my hands on.
9) I wish I had done this sooner, but I'm even happier that I'm not doing it any later.
10) Beer kills pain.

[turrrtlelove22]

These are absolutley HI-larious!!!...I'm glad yall are having fun with it...HAHAHAHA...