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