Friday, April 28, 2017

Week 3

Well gang, we've made it to another week. It's snowed last weekend, I got a speeding ticket, and I probably pissed off a patient or two at work, but over at the braces department, it's not as exciting. The elastics are still a big pain the butt, brushing and flossing are still inconvenient, and I've gotten better at eating. The elastics feels a bit tighter in the past few days...I'd like to think that means that it's working and doing its job. I have discovered that I don't necessarily need a threader to thread the floss through the wire of the braces for flossing purposes...although it's probably faster if I do use the threader tool. And as far as eating...I ate an item on the "forbidden" list this week! It was a hard candy that my coworker offered me, and although I've gotten quite good at not grazing at the snacks at work...it's really hard to resist a candy that's placed in your hand. And...nothing really happened. I just let the candy sit on my tongue until it was all melted. The temptation to bite down on the candy was there, but I ignored it...because I wasn't about to break a bracket over a candy...especially when the said candy was an item on the "forbidden" list!

I'm definitely getting more and more used to having braces...but that's not to say that I don't miss having no braces. I know that the journey is worth the straight teeth that awaits me at the end of all this...but I do miss the days where I don't need to wrestle with elastics, where I can eat whatever and whenever I want to without regards to what's in my mouth, and where brushing and flossing were much, much simpler. I look forward to be able to do that all again...at the end of my braces journey. Heck, I'm looking forward to when I don't need to wear elastics. Braces would be so much easier without elastics (watch me complain about something else once I get to be without elastics).

As usual, the pictures:

This is where we started...
...3 weeks and counting!

Friday, April 21, 2017

Week 2

So, another week with braces have gone by, and in the two weeks that I've had braces, I more or less have gotten used to them being in my mouth, and living my life with them. They're still not the most convenient thing to have in one's mouth (but then again, I don't think anything but the tongue and natural teeth would be convenient or comfortable to have in one's mouth), and I don't anticipate them to ever be something that I can conveniently forget that I have them, but I've definitely stopped noticing them as much. The constant pressure exerted by the elastics is something that I'm definitely used to now (in fact, it feels a little weird when I don't have them on), and the soreness haven't bothered me since the third day of having braces. I've even gotten used to the bite blocks, and the way I can't completely close my teeth, or properly chew anything. Eating have become easier (and yes, I did learn how to "chew" with the bite blocks in, and with braces in the way. I still can't eat with my front teeth because they hurt whenever I bite into food with them, and I foresee that to not change in a long time), and so have oral hygiene. Heck, I've even gotten used to the way my lips are perpetually dry (lip balms for the win), and the way the inside of my lips gets suctioned to the brackets when I sleep or when I have my mouth closed for a long period of time.

It's definitely been a learning curve these past two weeks, but I'd like to think that braces fall under the category of "Temporary pain for long term gain". Sure, having braces suck at times, but it's the price I pay for straightening my teeth and correcting my bite. A price that I'm more than willing to pay. Having the proper bite and straight teeth is for life, which braces is only for two years (I'm hoping so, anyway). That and I've paid for this, so I'm determined to see this through in the best way possible. By the end of all this, I hope to have a smile that's reflective of the money I spent on it, and it involves me doing everything as the orthodontist have instructed me to do.

So far, there's been no major changes, at least, not readily visible in the picture. But I have noticed that my front two teeth on the top have shifted out a little (my left more so than my right) so that they would cover my bottom teeth slightly if I were to close my mouth completely. This is exciting seeing as my top two teeth used to rest just on my bottom teeth, which, according to my orthodontist, is very traumatic for my teeth....I even have a dent on one of my lower teeth from where my front left tooth used to "sit". So things are a changing, and teeth are moving, and elastics are working!



The beginning
Week 2

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Things I Leaned (So Far)

Think I'm going to start another "segment" on this blog (as of now, my other "segment" is going to be the week by week progress) aptly titled Things I Learned (So far). I've had braces for...a little over a week now, and there has been quite a few things that I've learned since getting the braces on. And because I like to overshare on the internet, I'll impart my wisdom to whoever stumbles upon my blog (and hopefully be entertained/educated from my musings). And so, these are the things that I've learned so far, arranged in no particular order whatsoever.

1) Let's just get it out there, elastics and bite blocks suck. But, you do get used to them. I'm not saying they'll feel natural to you...because come on, braces, elastics and bite blocks are as natural as a snail without its shell, but overtime, your mouth and teeth stops registering them as "foreign objects" to you. I don't even feel my bite blocks most of the time, and the pressure from the elastics aren't as terrible as it was when I first got them.

2) Putting on elastics can be a pain in the ass. I have no idea how people can hook them on using just their fingers. I have enough troubles as it is using the tool that came with the elastics. But after a lot of trail and error, I think I've found a way that consistently works.

3) Brushing is definitely different and weird with braces on. Toothbrush definitely gets ruined a lot faster, due to the bristles being snagged by the brackets. And there's the fact that not only are you cleaning your teeth, you're also cleaning your brackets and wires. Flossing went from a 5 minute thing to a 15 minute thing, turning it from a mild inconvenience to a massive bitch. Threading the floss underneath the wire for flossing is definitely something I'm looking forward to not doing once the braces are off.

4) Eating becomes a thing you have plan around. Snacking goes right out the window, unless it's with a meal. You really start to think and plan your oral intake on a daily basis when you have braces on...especially if it means fiddling around with elastics each and every time you eat. So what if shrimps from a shrimp ring, chicken noodle soup and tomatoes don't exactly go together? You eat what you can when you have the elastics off.

5) I never realized just how much food debris gets trapped inside my mouth after eating. I never used to brush after I eat, but now, if I don't, it doesn't feel clean.The mouth is a truly disgusting place after eating.

6) I'd like to think that my oral hygiene have drastically improved since getting braces, what with me actually flossing once a day, and brushing twice a day and after every meal.

7) Dry lips are a reality that comes with braces. I don't know why my lips are so dry ever since getting braces, but they are. Regular chapstick isn't cutting it either. Vaseline seems to do the trick, but I bought Carmex, and I'm going to give that a try. Dry mouth seem to be a thing too, that comes with braces.

8) The lisp that I got after getting braces is thankfully, only temporarily. There are still the occasional words I struggle with, but the lisp, for the most part, is gone.

9) I never knew how much I used to use my front teeth to tear into food....I seem to use my front teeth to eat just about everything it seems like. But now that I can't (and I've tried. Sinking my front teeth into food hurts, so it's a no go), I've definitely developed new ways to eat. Chewing with my back molar, crushing food against the roof my mouth, and just plain swallowing things are my go to methods now. I never realized just how much food you can swallow without biting or chewing on them.

10) Braces is one of those things where it gets worse before it gets better, and it tests my patience. I know it will be worth it but...sometimes, I just want to take them out and be done with them.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Week 1

Week 1 of braces is officially over...only like 103 more weeks to go! Hopefully.

 I felt like I've been through a crash course this past week, learning how to live with braces. Anything and everything that remotely involves my mouth and/or teeth, I've had to re-learn. Examples being brushing and flossing (although, I'm still not great with brushing or flossing, at least I've got the basics figured out), eating (more like, how to mash things with my tongue and swallowing food without much of chewing), and talking (I've got bite blocks on. Which means I can't fully close my mouth. Which translates to me having a slight lisp). Basically, anything that has anything to do with my mouth, I've had to work around my braces somehow. Even putting on lip balm is a completely different now.

Still worth it? I think so. This is just the beginning, so it's far too early to tell. But damn, does it feel good to knock this off my new year's resolution and bucket list.



Starting point
Week 1


As you can see, not much difference. But like I said, lots of more weeks to come!

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Dental Hygiene

Today I want to talk about dental hygiene with braces on. And I'm going to preface the whole thing with the fact that doing anything that involves a mouth full of braces is a pain in the ass (literal and figurative), and dental hygiene is no exception. I've only had my braces on for two full days now, and while I'm starting to develop a rudimentary routine for brushing and flossing, it's been an uphill learning curve.

Before braces, I wasn't exactly a perfect patient in terms of brushing and flossing...more so flossing than brushing. I'd skip brushing my teeth here and there, and I'd floss when I remember to. But now with braces...there's no fucking around with either of those two things. Brushing and flossing are important, if I wanted healthy, clean teeth as well as straight teeth. And while brushing and flossing fairly straight forward and simple without braces, the same can not be said for braces.

First time I brushed my teeth after braces was basically a slobber fest. I had opted to not use my electric toothbrush for the duration of my treatment because I did not want to ruin my brush heads due to the brackets, and I did not want to spend more money buying specialized  brush head for braces. So it was back to manual toothbrush. I tried to do what the staff at the orthodontist clinic had shown me--brushing against gum line, while pointing the brush 45 degree towards the brackets, brushing the bottom of the teeth while point the brush 45 degree towards the brackets, brushing the chewing surface of the teeth, and the back of the teeth. I ended up drooling all over the sink and myself, snagging my toothbrush a few times, and being frustrated with the process. It also did not help that my top right teeth are a bit sensitive right now, and I have to be extra careful when going over that area. But after a few tries, I think I've got the brushing down pat. It's an ordeal when compared to brushing teeth without braces, but boy, flossing with braces takes the crown in being a nuisance.

I'm not good at flossing normally, and flossing with braces is a challenge. My orthodontist gave me Super Floss (pictured below), and they're basically a long piece of floss with a stiff wax end. You thread the wax end under the wire and use the floss to floss. I'm not a fan of Super Floss, because I find that the floss is a bit too thick for my liking. But I can see how it can be useful, and there is some in my travel cleaning kit.
Super Floss

So what I've been using is a mixture of dental floss, and soft picks. I use a threader to thread the floss through the wire, and I floss every tooth except the molars using this method. It does take some getting used to, flossing with a wire in the way, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. The molars I use soft picks to clean them, mostly because I always had so much difficulty flossing the molars, even when I didn't have braces. It takes time, effort and a bit of patience to floss with braces, but I think it's time I develop a good habit with flossing. After all, it's something that not only benefits me when I have braces, it'll benefit me for the long run. A hassle with braces, but like braces themselves, nothing easy is worth doing. 





















Saturday, April 8, 2017

The beginning...

My teeth aren't terribly crooked, but they're also not wonderful either. Growing up, I've always wanted to fix my teeth so that they'd be straight. I don't have such a terrible bite that it interferes with eating or talking. I'll be honest here, straightening my teeth for aesthetic reasons was always my main motivator for getting braces...improving my bite was, and remains, a secondary reason (Not that I'm downplaying the importance of having a correct bite. I know it's important. It's just not my main reason for getting braces). And now that I have the means to do so at 29, I made it a resolution that I'd actually get around to doing something about my teeth this year. And I got around to getting my ass in gear in early March.

Initially, I wanted to go with Invisalign, for the convenience that it provides, and the fact that it is unobtrusive. Went to my dentist, found out I wasn't a candidate for Invisalign due to my crossbite, and got referred to an orthodontist for traditional braces. The dentist told me that it would be best to treat my crossbite with braces instead of Invisalign. I really was hoping that the orthodontist, with more experience and expertise, would be able to treat me with Invisalign. Lo and behold, during the consult, the orthodontist basically told me what the dentist had said was true--I'd be needing braces if I wanted to get my teeth straight. Invisalign would just not work well for me, he said, that and the treatment time would take far too long to straighten my teeth with Invisalign.

At this point, I had a bit of a back and forth going on inside my head. On one hand, I do want straight teeth, and if getting traditional braces is the way to do it, then so be it. The fact that my health insurance would cover $3000 out of the quoted $6995 was pretty sweet. On the other hand, my teeth really weren't that bad. I could live with them for the rest of my life. I mean, they were functional, and I've had them for the past oh, 18 years or so, and they've never given much of trouble, bite wise. Sure, my teeth wouldn't be straight, but they worked just fine for me. Did I really want to put myself through 2 years of braces for something that really was just an aesthetic thing?

The answer was yes.

So, after paying $3715.35 to one of the local orthodontist office last week, I went and got my braces put on today (well, technically yesterday since I am posting this after midnight). So far, things are alright, I guess? As well as I can expect with getting braces. Though I am learning that everything about braces are pretty much a big pain in the ass. But at the end of the two year, it would be worth it. Plus, I really did want to do this...so I must endure it all.

And to end my first entry, some pictures...

My "before" teeth. Guess I won't be seeing them ever again.
Me with braces.





Life after braces