thnikkaman - Brace Blog

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#1 Post by **thnikkaman** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 10:47 pm

Here we go. Here's the real deal. What I'm thinking and feeling without any kind of filter. Some of this may be embarassing to me, but I don't care. I want the result to be real when I look back on this in 15 months. So laugh if you will.

Oct. 31st 2006
First day. Not much to note. One day down, 449 aprox. to go.

Nobody really seemed to notice. I tried to hide my braces for about an hour and decided I didn't want to do that for the next 15 months so I have been showing everyone.

I just tried to floss before going to bed and it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. It took literally 40-45 minutes. Probably 20 of which were spent on a single tooth. I broke a piece of "super floss" of which I was only given 10.

I've encountered a website full of people who also have braces. A lot of them are older than I am, and most seem to be nice. This makes me feel more at ease.

The assistant to my orthodontist is very cute. Her name is Leah. She mentioned that she got her braces done at 21. Major mistake for her. That means she's probably 24 or more. If she hadn't said anyting I would have figured her to be 20 or 21, and possibly asked her out. But 24 is pushing it. I'm only 18 after all. Still, I look forward to going back and flirting with her some more. I imagine that when I'm not thinking about it the monthly visits will help the time go faster. Going "Wow, it's already been a month?" Sort of thing. You will likely hear about Leah again in the next 15 months.

Via X-ray they saw that one of my wisdom teeth is coming on horizontally and both will have to come out. This makes me nervous. I have never had surgery before. After researching it, apparently the surgery itself is painless and you seem to wake up right after you've gone to sleep. But the next few weeks after wisdom teeth are out are very painful. Still I am afraid of the surgery part.

Minor aching in one of my molars but for the most part there isn't much pain.

I tried to do a video blog but my digital camera is dead at the moment. Then I tried to do an audio one but the program I have stops recording after 60 seconds. Oh well. I will write it instead.

I was also told to take some pictures of my teeth, but my digital cam is dead. And even if it weren't I've never been able to take a good picture that close. Either the flash totally overwhelms the subject and nothing can be seen except a blur of brightness with all the detail lost. Or without the flash there is just a grainy darkness where no detail can be seen. The doctors have taken pictures, I'll get them when I'm done I guess.

I am worrying about how this will affect my standing with women. I don't care what the people say about me but I am wondering how much this would hinder my chances of getting a date. I wonder what percentage of girls care and what percentage don't.

It's going to be an interesting 15 months. That's for sure.

#2 Post by **thnikkaman** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:06 pm

Nov. 1st. 2006

First day at high school with my braces. Pretty uneventful actually. I tried to show everyone but pretty much everyone seemed really unconcerned. Nobody said anything negative. Which was really a surprise. All in all nobody really seems to care. I guess that is the best outcome.

I woke up with a minor ache in my molars, but I took some advil for that. The advil acted quickly since I am not accustomed to it. (I have never had a headache so I have only taken advil or tylenol maybe 5 times in my life).

Came home and tried eating for the first time with my braces on. It was very painful. The aching had gone from my molars but were now in my front teeth. Then my teeth hurt while chewing because the top and bottom teeth didn't seem to fit together very well. Luckilly though, I didn't get anything caught in my braces.

I am getting less reactions from people than I expected. I think this could be a pretty uneventful blog.

Approx 448 days to go.

#3 Post by **GemGal** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:43 pm

CONGRATULATIONS on your new braces!

I tried to show everyone but pretty much everyone seemed really unconcerned. Nobody said anything negative. Which was really a surprise.

That's how I felt when I got mine. For five minutes everyone was interested and then that was it. Occasionally I'll get someone looking at my mouth but then they realize I have braces and stop caring.

#4 Post by **thnikkaman** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:14 pm

Nov. 2nd 2006

Pain worse than before. Aching seems to have left molars and moved to front teeth. Not so bad when eating, but very bad later on in evening. How many days is this supposed to go on for? Tempted to tear my own teeth out with pliers.

Flossing has gotten much easier. The tooth that took me 40 minutes to get the first night I did on the first try tonight. Oh yeah.

I seem to be very good at not getting stuff caught in the braces. Three days so far and nothing came out when brushing or flossing. I still floss just because I'm sticking to the doc's orders.

Other than that, nothing to really report. Nobody is noticing them and nobody cares about them.

#5 Post by **wavetech** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 11:41 pm

I notice people have a thing with the assistants. All of the assistants (even the ortho) at my orthodontics center are women.

I had my braces two weeks ago. My guys friends didn't notice I had braces at all. But one day while I was biking home, I met my high school friend (a girl). We were talking to each other, and then a moment later she was like "You got braces, let me see your teeth" "smile." It was a funny reaction though.

Maybe because she has braces too (but her treatment is almost done.)

Also the pain that you currently have will go away shortly. I no longer feel any pain on my teeth. And yeah flossing is one heck of an annoyance!!

#6 Post by **thnikkaman** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:58 pm

Nov. 3rd
Most of the junkfood I would usually eat are not allowed on my list. I'm feeling a lot more healthy after only 3 days. I think this could be a good experience for me.

#7 Post by **Sylver Ice** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:01 pm

thnikkaman wrote:Nov. 2nd 2006

How many days is this supposed to go on for? Tempted to tear my own teeth out with pliers.

I got my lower braces on just a few weeks ago and went through that 'tear-my-teeth-out-with-pliers' kinda pain too! My pain lasted for 3 days (and that's without taking any painkiller!) For some reason, I found it hurt more with the lower braces than the top ones.

My adjustment is coming up soon, and I'm not looking forward to that pain again arggh!

Best of luck on your journey! You'll be fine!

#8 Post by **cowlypso** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:49 pm

I can't comment on the braces because I'm not there yet. But I wanted to talk a little about the wisdom teeth. Try not to worry too much about getting them out.

You will definitely get shot up with novocaine around the tooth so you don't feel any pain (just like they do for a filling). Depending on what you choose, you can just stick with that, you can go for a little bit of sedation (a pill to relax you or use the nitrous oxide gas), or you can go for IV sedation and get completely knocked out.

I went with IV sedation because I'm a wimp and my lower two were growing completely sideways. I really didn't want to hear or feel anything that they were doing! They even gave me the gas before they put in the IV, so I didn't mind that much. I'm less afraid of needles now, but it was the first IV I'd ever had and I was very nervous. I didn't feel a thing when they put me out. IV sedation for teeth is different from when you get surgery. It's much lighter. They give you stuff to make you sleepy and also stuff to make you not remember anything. So during the extraction you may be able to follow commands (like if they tell you to open your mouth more), but you won't remember a thing.

Next thing I knew, I was walking in the hallway from the room where they did the surgery to the recovery room. Sat there for a few minutes with ice packs while my dad checked me out, and then we went home. Had to stop for a milkshake on the way (to be eaten with a spoon, of course).

You will get a prescription for painkillers. My doctor ended up giving me something that I apparently don't respond to, so I was in a lot of pain when the novocaine wore off, but usually the painkillers do their job. It was after hours so I went to the er and got some different meds that took care of the pain.

Once I got the right meds, I took them, slept, and ate mush for the next 4 days. The fifth day, I felt pretty good and just took OTC pain pills. Got the stitches out in a week and felt great after that.

So it is not weeks of recovery time. A few days of pain, feeling pretty good in a week or so.

#9 Post by **thnikkaman** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:57 pm

Nov. 29th 2006

Wisdom teeth causing pain. But I don't want to die.

First month of fifteen is over. Two more weeks and I am %10 done.

Braces have been causing no pain recently. Weird sensation. Almost like my top and bottom teeth don't fit together properly anymore.

I have been growing my hair long on a dare. It seems that it has counter-balanced my braces. I'm somehow doing better with girls than ever before. Weird. I want to find a girlfriend with braces. That would be funny.

I am also writing a novel. This has nothing to do with my braces. However, I have no other blog. Therefore I am ranting here. Never write a book. It is hard. After 4 months of writing I decided to start all over again. In four days I've been writing so much I'm almost caught up to where I left off. Perhaps I will give one of the characters braces. It is about a bunch of high school kids...Hmmm...

#10 Post by **thnikkaman** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:50 pm

Nobody likes me. I am sad and lonely. Hold me.

#11 Post by **thnikkaman** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 3:46 pm

I'm already %10 finished. Went in for my first adjustment today. The one girl I liked didn't notice me, but another one did. Oh yeah. Braces have been boring. I almost wish someone would make fun of them. Then I would have something to write about in this stupid blog. Ugh.

#12 Post by **BlahBlah** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:58 pm

Ok... U got braces ner ner, traintracks metal mouth dork... etc etc,.....

So am i...

Good luck with the rest of ur progress.... and with the girlies...

#13 Post by **thnikkaman** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:14 am

2:13 AM Cannot sleep. Teeth annoying me. Thought only the first adjustment was supposed to ache. Again contemplating tearing teeth out with pliers. Just when the braces were finally bearable.

#14 Post by **thnikkaman** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:29 am

Already nearly %20 complete.

Bottom braces on. Pain.

Girl at ortho office is married and has kids. Too bad. Another girl my age keeps asking me to hangout though. Mentioned braces to her, first thing she said was "I've never kissed a guy with braces before." I think she likes me. Hooray.

Nothing ever got caught in my top braces. Stuff gets stuck like crazy in my bottom braces. Since nothing got caught in top braces I never flossed since I didn't think I'd need to. Leah noticed and I got in trouble.

Nice. Top braces look and feel like they should be off already. Not even any rotating to be done.

Bottom braces look horrible. Only minor crowding is visible but the wire goes up and down making a 0.5 mm difference look like a huge zigzag. Pretty bad.

Still, I get the girl. I win.

3:27 AM

When tired, speak in sentence fragments.

Till next time.

#15 Post by **thnikkaman** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:35 am

Does every adjustment hurt like hell? Thought it was only the first few.