Confess your orthodontic sins.

[billysil]

I eat popcorn and chips and everything a lot.
I kind of chew with my wires? My main chewing teeth were pulled out for braces and every time I have chewy food in my mouth it goes straight to the wires.
I don't brush my teeth after every meal because I just can't be bothered. Twice in the morning (if I have time for the second one) and once in the evening.

[Ruby77]

This post is hilarious and cheering me up on day 1 of braces!! (so, much needed!)

[HikaRiku2]

My ortho sins:

-I whitened my teeth with a bleach tray before braces. I'm really scared when I take off my braces, there will be white squares and I'll regret my decision.
-I've broken a bracket off a crown before. The assistant told me this is normal because the brackets usually will stay on much better on natural teeth. So I don't feel too terribly bad.
-I eat popcorn at the movies, so it's not often. I love popcorn but the kernels do get stuck!
-I used to floss every night, and have been doing it more so 3-4x week. Lately I've gotten even lazier and started flossing with floss on a stick, made for ortho.
-On lazy weekends, I may skip out on brushing in the morning accidently. Sometimes I'll brush later in the afternoon to compensate.
-I used to use whitening toothpaste a couple times a week cause I felt selfconscious for the yellowing of my teeth. I realized it may not look good in the future, so I stopped so frequently, but I still do it when I eat something that may discolor my teeth.

[sneed1o1]

My orthodontist told me not to chew gum...I haven't stopped chewing gum (sugar free even).

I've had gaps in between my teeth pop up towards the end of my treatment that my orthodontist hasn't put chains on...I put my own chain on and will switch back to O-rings before my next appointment

I'm supposed to floss everyday...I barely use a waterpik once a month

I'm not supposed to eat nachos, hard candy, etc...Well, you know the rest.

[22at26]

Such an entertaining read! I am three days in and am in too much pain, but I can't wait for pizza!

[assertives]

Let's see.. I am 3.5 months into my treatment and I have already committed quite a number of sins:

- I still use whitening toothpaste regularly.
- I ate corn on the cob.
- I ate meat off the bone.
- I eat ALOT of potato chips! (What's life without chips!)
- I drink tea and starbucks' green tea latte DAILY.
- I ate a couple of pieces of popcorn once, and that was it. (Never really been a fan of popcorn though)
- I stare at people's teeth at mentally "diagnose" what kind of malocclusion they have and the state of their oral hygiene.
- I have taken out my own ligature ties to clean the tiny space in the brackets more than a few times. I know I shouldn't be doing it, but I'm OCD and that space under the rubberbands give me some anxiety. (I'm sure my ortho will flip if he finds out.)

I don't eat sticky stuff though, mainly because they are such a hassle to clean afterwards.

I don't have a problem with flossing or brushing my teeth as I am rather OCD. In fact, I clean my teeth more now with braces than before braces.

[sim3jam]

I eat chips from time to time (more often recently)
I eat burgers and fried chicken - i don't know if this is a sin but its a real pain to eat haha
I drink breakfast tea EVERY DAY

[farai]

i am in so much pain and discomfort . is this going to end ?

[assertives]

i am in so much pain and discomfort . is this going to end ?

How long along are you in your treatment? Hang in there, it does get better. Your body is getting used to something foreign now. Try warm salt water rinses, and if the pain gets unbearable, you may wish to take some over the counter painkillers.

[EmilyTravels]

Let's see.. I am 3.5 months into my treatment and I have already committed quite a number of sins:
- I still use whitening toothpaste regularly.

I didn't use any whitening toothpaste for the first month in braces, and I'd been using it 2x a day before. Within the first month in braces, I could already tell my teeth were yellowing, so I started using "gentle whitening" Sensodyne once a day (and other brushings with non-whitening paste). I think if I just let my teeth get yellow, the area behind the brackets is going to be whiter than the rest of the tooth, just the opposite of the problem I could get if I used too much whitening treatment while in braces. Right?

[Scandalicious]

I don’t brush after lunch, I don’t floss, I use my teeth to open water bottles, I eat the forbidden foods, I chew pen lids. I’m definitely going to braces hell.

[farai]

[quote="assertives"][quote="farai"]i am in so much pain and discomfort . is this going to end ?[/quote]

How long along are you in your treatment? Hang in there, it does get better. Your body is getting used to something foreign now. Try warm salt water rinses, and if the pain gets unbearable, you may wish to take some over the counter painkillers.[/quote]

about a week now . thanks, i just tried the warm salt water

[assertives]

Let's see.. I am 3.5 months into my treatment and I have already committed quite a number of sins:
- I still use whitening toothpaste regularly.

I think if I just let my teeth get yellow, the area behind the brackets is going to be whiter than the rest of the tooth, just the opposite of the problem I could get if I used too much whitening treatment while in braces. Right?

Haha! That was my thought process as well! I had actually whitened my teeth with the crest whitening strips before getting braces, so I was more afraid of getting general yellowing around the brackets. My whitening toothpaste is also like the gentle whitening from sensodyne type. It has extra beads for polishing stains as opposed to the ones that have peroxide, so I'm not as worried.

[turtle]

When I was in braces, I ate just about everything on the Do Not Eat list. I loosened up a molar band from eating a stale now and later. I also rarely wore my elastics, until the few days leading up to my ortho appointment, then I would double up at night. One time I even tripled but it hurt so damn much I didn't do it again. I've also worn my elastics in the wrong configuration. I never flossed while wearing braces. I didn't wear my retainers as I was supposed to. I have new retainers since the old ones didn't fit anymore but I still don't wear them as often as I should. I have a bonded retainer and barely floss those teeth.

[assertives]

I also started changing my own ligature ties because I was tired of the color. I think I'm bound for ortho hell.