I was a little surprised at my visit to my orthodontist because I expected to get the spacers, then the braces. As it turns out he placed the brackets and archwires first, then I go back for the spacers in 2 weeks followed by 2 appliances (pallate expanders) a week later. The braces were a breeze, and I'm happy to be eased into the process. I've paid attention to the things others have experienced or suggested, and went to the office premedicated with Alieve and ready for the worst. After a quick hour and a half it was done. The only discomfort I had was with that cold air and sometimes cold water on my teeth, otherwise it was sooo easy. I watched the video of kids teaching kids how to brush, floss, and what to avoid and went out the door happy. Did anyone else feel silly watching one of those Barneyesque films?
There was no pain, but the pressure against my teeth was definitely there. It was a good reminder not to get crazy and order hamburgers or steak for lunch, although I was hungry because I didn't eat that morning and it was nearly 3pm. One of the girls called me later to see if I wanted to grab dinner with her. The braces were still not hurting, and I figured this would be my last opportunity to eat something solid before the real pain set in. Besides, my orthodontist did not bracket my last 2 sets of molars, so I thought I could just push stuff to the back to chew. We decided to meet for seafood and drinks.
Perhaps they should make a Barney tape with adults depicting all the things you think you can get away with but can't. My friend asked if Calamari would be okay for an appetizer and I said...."Sure"
. What the... was I thinking!!!! I guess I figured it was small and could just go to the back to be chewed or be easily swallowed (bear in mind, I can't even swallow a pill without gagging). With the first 1/2 bite I could feel the hardware in my mouth protesting. I didn't want to be the only adult (or child) to go back with broken brackets in the first day, so I threw my hands up and said, "I'm done!!" That's when my friend noticed the braces, and was smart enough to tell me that I shouldn't be eating that. After a quick exit to the ladies room, I ordered a crabcake instead. Talk about the slowest meal ever. Trying to chew still felt strange, but 2 margaritas helped cure the awkwardness. I spent 30 minutes learning to brush and floss all that stuff out, including the spinach that was caught in the front bracket, then decided that liquids would be my friend for the next several days. Here we are 2 days later, still not pain, but a couple of teeth are not happy. I've learned to chew SOFT, small bites, and which meal is most important so I won't have to floss and scrub bits of food out of the hardware all day. My other meals are liquid since it's easy to just brush the stuff away. Still not looking forward to the spacers, but there's plenty of support here and a friend or two to get me through the trauma. We'll see how the drama unfolds.
