Brittany's Braces Story

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#16 Post by **kibblesnbrit** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:13 pm

another question for all you braces out there..

how do you floss these things?? and i've heard a lot about these waterpiks..can you get them from your regular drugstore?just general how to keep my braces not looking gross tips would be great!

#17 Post by **kibblesnbrit** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:14 pm

ahah and thats the same for me with the engagement! he kept telling me..well you know what braces means..that sometime in that year i'll have to propose!! i just hope at that point in time my teeth will at least be straight in the braces so i can have an almost perfect smile!

#18 Post by **OhNicole** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:25 pm

Well you know what this means girls? I better be hearing some engagement announcements in the next two years!

#19 Post by ***melissa*** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:11 pm

kibblesnbrit wrote:another question for all you braces out there..

how do you floss these things?? and i've heard a lot about these waterpiks..can you get them from your regular drugstore?just general how to keep my braces not looking gross tips would be great!

flossing w/ braces is easy, you just need a little patience at first because it does take some practice to get the hang of it. you will also need a "floss threader", which is like a needle but plastic, and you just thread the floss right through, and ta-da...getting the floss thru your teeth and wires is much easier. check out this website i found http://www.dentakit.com. it sells a braces survival kit...which comes with everything you need to take care of your braces. i keep one with me at work!

OhNicole wrote:I better be hearing some engagement announcements in the next two years!

I sure hope so!!!

#20 Post by **OhNicole** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:09 am

LMAO

#21 Post by ***melissa*** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:56 am

lol lol lol

#22 Post by **OhNicole** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:28 am

Awwww Ken I love this picture! How sweet! And what adorable curls you have

I guess guys are a lot more brave and less self-concious about being braced for the Big Day!

#23 Post by ***melissa*** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:35 am

How cute, Ken!! Love it!!

#24 Post by **kibblesnbrit** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:26 pm

ahah ken thats great! that picture did make me feel better yes! I dont know how many days its been now..i'm trying not to keep count.

Today was the first day that I felt a little bit less self concious about them. So many people keep telling me they thought I had perfect teeth and didn't need braces...I honestly don't know how they thought that but I guess I was good at hiding them. Its weird..I'm glad I have them yet they do make me more shy..I definately talk less, because I'm not used to them and the more I talk the more they rub...since I'm a really outgoing person I'll have to admit the adjustment has been kind of hard.

Its so strange to look in the mirror and have something different on your face. I thought I would take it worse than I have though so thats pretty good! I just hope I feel more like myself and notice some changes...I feel like right now the only one I"m noticing is one of my middle front teeth that isn't supposted to be moving because its in the right spot and now it looks like its creeping forward...eeeeeeeeeep. I wish I loved these braces more right now!!!!

#25 Post by **kibblesnbrit** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:27 pm

thanks for the advice on the flossing..i got those loopy things and they really help. not that i'm eating much chunky stuff yet...its going to be interesting to eat in public...i guess washroom after every meal??

#26 Post by **kibblesnbrit** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 8:34 pm

does anyone else struggle with getting braces as much as me? i never notice them on other people but once you have them its sometimes all i can think about...if they'd just move then maybe i'd see some rewards!

i just can not even start to imagine how they could look in the end so its hard to keep positive sometimes!

#27 Post by **OhNicole** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:28 am

Hi Brittany, I'm glad Ken replied first because being the braces pro that he is I'm sure he has better answers to your questions

However I was going to say that I'm sure all of your questions/concerns are valid and that everyone goes through them at some point trying to get used to having all this new stuff in their mouth. So cheer up, it'll be over before you know it!

#28 Post by ***melissa*** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:35 am

kibblesnbrit wrote:thanks for the advice on the flossing..i got those loopy things and they really help. not that i'm eating much chunky stuff yet...its going to be interesting to eat in public...i guess washroom after every meal??

I bought a waterpik and it is seriously the best thing ever. My teeth are really close together, so flossing is a pain! But the waterpik gets everything and leaves my mouth feeling soo clean. I use it every day.
Yes it's good to brush after every meal...but if you're out to dinner or something, just swish water around a couple times and that will help until you can brush.
It's completely normal to struggling with your braces at first...I know I did. I obsessed about them the first 2 weeks. Then you get use to them and kinda forget they're there. So just hang in there... braces really are a piece of cake once you get use to them!

#29 Post by **insinu8** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:57 am

Hey, Brittany

Welcome to the happiest place on earth (for the braced)!

I have a full complement of molars with bands. They were quite painful until my gums got used to them being in there. I had a fair bit of inflammation, but after about 2 weeks that went away. Hopefully yours will follow suit.

melissa is absolutely correct about the waterpik being fantastic. it's SO much better than flossing! (not that I'm advocating NOT flossing!)

Don't listen to those people who say "I thought your teeth were perfect", etc. They just don't know what to say. I've noticed that it seems to be a way for them to ignore the possibility that THEY need braces. They're just jealous that you went ahead and DID it

When I look in the mirror and see my braces I'm SO happy! I've noticed that I smile a lot more now than I used to. I want everyone to know I've got braces because I'm doing it for ME. We are all doing something very nice for ourselves (who else is going to benefit?) and it's a very GOOD feeling

I hope you catch yourself smiling more when you think of how nice a thing you're doing for yourself too

The changes will be hard to see day to day, but keep taking pictures every so often and your progress will be obvious. It's a real treat so see it

Your teeth may move around a lot and not be what you are expecting...it's normal. Don't panic!

#30 Post by **kibblesnbrit** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 9:58 pm

haaha thanks christopher...
and i'm pretty sure i have to get a waterpik..just because that is what EVERYONE on here is saying! its all about the waterpik
yeay i'm finally sort of used to them...i don't think i'll post more pictures untill my adjustment though. I want to see some real changes. after a week and a half..I don't think anything has happened
and I can't see how it will! its much more obvious to see how things will move when people get teeth extracted..but since my ortho is just shaving down in between my teeth to make room i can hardly see any gaps..so its hard to imagine how things will move at all.
it makes me nervous!
but i'll try to be patient. I'll post more pics in three weeks I guess!
and i'm not using wax anymore...I"m pretty much pain free!