I'm 23 years of age and just had my braces and 8 spacers put in this past Friday. I know I'm an adult, but it hurts.
This brief bio/introduction/rant will hopefully be a way for me to "cope." Oh, might I also add that I'm a hypocondriac and constant whiner.
![Wink ;-)](./images/smilies/icon_wink.gif)
First, I'm surprised and glad to see the other adults here. Let's all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya."
I guess I'm your classic story: My family couldn't afford braces.
I graduated from university in '05 and then received my teaching degree in '06. With my now somewhat stable income as a teacher (you know, Oprah-type money), I can finally afford braces. Hooray for me and you all, too.
The down side is that I now look like my students a bit more.
Nevertheless, I haven't experienced too much pain - only during flossing and brushing and when I foolishly attempt to eat solids. Fortunately, I supposedly only have to have them on for 9-12 months.
But, the biggest thing I have to whine about is the fact that I can't fully bite down anymore. From an earlier post (I used the "search" function and aren't you glad that I did), this apparently goes away after a while. I sure hope so because it'd be nice to be able to fully chew food again.
I guess that's all the whining I have for now. I'll probably post some more whining in the middle of November because that's when I'm slated to get my wisdom teeth pulled out.
Lastly, nice to meet you all and hopefully my sarcasm isn't misinterpreted.