Hi, I started a post on another forum but I'm going to keep my ongoing story here.
I am 40-something and at this point have had damons - upper and lower - for 3.5 days. My 'sentence' is 18-24 months for impacted canines, overbite, overlap, class I bite on one side and some crowding.
I can't believe how much has changed in just three days - floss doesn't go in spaces where I used to be able to and vice versa. That surprised me for some reason.
Another surprise? Somewhere on AW I read that a hydrogen peroxide mouth rinse would help get the bacteria out of the brackets, so I tried it last night because I couldn't stand how fuzzy everything felt. Fizzy in the mouth I can deal with -- fizzy up the sinus cavities? Not so much. Or the fact that I continued to excessively salivate for about 20 minutes afterwards. Ptewey!!
I rinsed at least 5 times & waited 20 minutes before brushing with arm & hammer toothpaste, but ... baking soda + hydrogen peroxide = a volcano in my mouth.
{But now I know how to make foaming toothpaste. What fun!}
How in the world do you get a fresh mouth feeling with all the hardware in place?
Lynley's story
Moderator: bbsadmin
2 weeks 1 day
So far this isn't so bad. I wasn't really able to chew much of anything until the past three days but 'uncomfortable' is different than 'painful'. I haven't popped off a bracket yet even though I was expecting to for some reason. However, already I'm looking forward to the day I get them off and my beautiful smile then!
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cheyeaitsxchelsea
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:24 pm
Hi Lynley, try diluting the peroxide with water (half & half) & then you shouldn't have that fuzzy problem. Lots of people on the site also recommend waterpiks to help you get your braces/mouth clean especially if you're having a hard time flossing (doesn't replace flossing though). Good luck to you on your journey to an even better smile! 
Live free or die
I actually did dilute the hydrogen peroxide 50/50. Once I got the nerve up to try it again I did 3 parts water and 1 part hydrogen peroxide which seemed to work better.
I've actually started "chewing" food again the past few days, but mostly I'm still swallowing food whole and trying not to think about the old folk wisdom about chewing food thoroughly. I will be SO glad to get these bite ramps off.
I'm also amazed how quickly things seemed to start moving around, which at least makes the discomfort seem worth it. However, I didn't expect my gums to be quite so tender but at least it's a tip that things are starting to happen (or so I tell myself)
One of these days I'll get pictures up and the list of issues that the ortho identified that need to be corrected.
I've actually started "chewing" food again the past few days, but mostly I'm still swallowing food whole and trying not to think about the old folk wisdom about chewing food thoroughly. I will be SO glad to get these bite ramps off.
I'm also amazed how quickly things seemed to start moving around, which at least makes the discomfort seem worth it. However, I didn't expect my gums to be quite so tender but at least it's a tip that things are starting to happen (or so I tell myself)
One of these days I'll get pictures up and the list of issues that the ortho identified that need to be corrected.
update - adjustment #1
8 weeks in and what an 8 weeks!
It turns out I'm allergic to the nickel in the wires (this has yet to be confirmed but I'm 99% sure). So I've had two months with a swollen mouth, and a cycle of of super-big fat lips -- like the big red wax lips that we got as kids - with burning, itching and peeling. No fun!
But...the ortho changed the wires yesterday and I'm already feeling a lot better. The problem is that it meant he had to go with lighter wires than anticipated and it's going to extend my treatment. The hope was to go in for extractions during April and now it's going to be at least June. boo hoo.
Other than that problem, life with braces has been fairly easy - except with the molar build-ups I can't chew. (braces are a breeze, build-ups are the bane of my existence)
I find myself eating yogurt (frozen or not) or frozen custard 4-5 meals a week just because it means no chewing and no unwrapping gunk from my braces. I've also discovered the trick to eating pizza, sandwiches and hamburgers is to cut them up into <1" squares so I can virtually swallow them whole. Me and my 2 year old nephew have a pretty similar diet!
As far as pain and discomfort go it's been pretty easy. In fact the adjustment hasn't caused any pain whatsoever so far, other than getting the installed on my crooked teeth, which took a lot of extra effort!
Not much else to report. No amazing changes in my teeth though they've definitely moved ... and seem to move more every day. Some for the better and some not.
Cheers, Lynley
It turns out I'm allergic to the nickel in the wires (this has yet to be confirmed but I'm 99% sure). So I've had two months with a swollen mouth, and a cycle of of super-big fat lips -- like the big red wax lips that we got as kids - with burning, itching and peeling. No fun!
But...the ortho changed the wires yesterday and I'm already feeling a lot better. The problem is that it meant he had to go with lighter wires than anticipated and it's going to extend my treatment. The hope was to go in for extractions during April and now it's going to be at least June. boo hoo.
Other than that problem, life with braces has been fairly easy - except with the molar build-ups I can't chew. (braces are a breeze, build-ups are the bane of my existence)
I find myself eating yogurt (frozen or not) or frozen custard 4-5 meals a week just because it means no chewing and no unwrapping gunk from my braces. I've also discovered the trick to eating pizza, sandwiches and hamburgers is to cut them up into <1" squares so I can virtually swallow them whole. Me and my 2 year old nephew have a pretty similar diet!
As far as pain and discomfort go it's been pretty easy. In fact the adjustment hasn't caused any pain whatsoever so far, other than getting the installed on my crooked teeth, which took a lot of extra effort!
Not much else to report. No amazing changes in my teeth though they've definitely moved ... and seem to move more every day. Some for the better and some not.
Cheers, Lynley