LiaMaria

Adult Braces - Damon Clear - Niles, MI

I hope I'm not posting twice here, I lost my reply so I'll try to recap a much shorter version. I'm now almost 1 month 2 weeks and am noticing more sensitivity in my front teeth. Although I can't close my teeth because of the pads, I definitely feel that it would not feel very good to bite down anyway. I'm also noticing a little more root pain in my front teeth - not bad, just annoying..its not often and lasts about 5 minutes. I have noticed one of my teeth wiggles a little bit. The research I did prior to getting braces does mention it is normal for all these things to happen: sensitivity, chewing difficulty, and wiggling. I figure since our teeth our in "jail" there is little opportunity for them to fall out anyway :P I understand this all is just confirmation that our teeth are moving!! I hope this helps. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

Good Grief, I can't seem to put my postings in the correct spot today. You'll find my response to you above, starting with, "Hi! Congratulations!" :)

Hi! Congratulations!! Our smiles will be awesome about the same time :D Funny how I'll see others with braces and I feel like we're in a secret club - lol. You are correct, the pads/ledges/shelves (whatever theyre called) prevent my teeth from closing - and causes the open bite. The photo I provided above is as "closed" as it got; however, my teeth are moving down now and the 'gap' is much less than it was. You are correct, I cannot chew either. However, I have learned a lot of ways to make me 'feel' like I'm getting something of substance. Firstly, I was "horrified" when I realized I couldn't close my teeth; I quickly accepted it and just thought..its only for 2-3 months. The bright side is I LOST about 15 lbs!!! Everyone has noticed, and I feel great!! Ya know...if someone told me I'd be a size 2 the rest of my life but you'll talk with a lisp...I'LL TAKE THE LISP!! LOL. Well I don't have to make that choice thank goodness. But I did have to get creative with food and found it difficult to ensure I got my 1200 calories and nutrients every day; so keep track. I started out with lots of protein drinks, pudding and yogurt, but sweet all the time gets old fast. I graduated to (fluffy) scrambled eggs and college staple foods like spaghettios, noodle O's, ramen noodles and such. I learned you can do a lot with very tiny pasta, beef/chicken broth, sour cream, jarred sauces, etc. I found tubetini which are like the tiny O's in spaghettios and super thin egg noodles (which look like very short spaghetti). I then realized, I could also still have meat like hamburger, tacos (seasoned burger, beans, rice); basically you can have anything you can mush through a fork. It takes patience, but it works. Make sure any noodles you have are crushed up well; you do not want to get a long noodle stuck in your throat lol! So long story .. well, long .. you do not have to be on a liquid only diet, just a mushy diet. I hope this helps and in a couple days just remember....it gets better very quickly :)

I wanted to update that I noticed movement on my 15th day! I took pictures every day and kept comparing until something noticeable happened. I'm 1 month and 5 days into this and it 'does' get so much easier. Every once in awhile I'll feel what I call a root ping; I'll feel tooth pain in the root of 1 tooth for a mini-second. Its no big deal, but you will jump because it comes on so sudden and leaves so fast. I'm definitely seeing my teeth move, and different teeth become sore at different times. I think the soreness and the pings are a validation that some transformations are taking shape. This truly is a slow and steady process. I've also discovered GishyGoo. This is used like wax, only is much firmer and smoother. It comes in a 2-chamber syringe, you squeeze some out and work it together so it sets up. You have to time it perfectly because if you take too long it becomes too hard and won't adhere to your teeth. I find it is great for front teeth, but not worth it for the back because it is so difficult to get it to the right spot before it dries. So def wax on those. I find Gishy Goo is pretty expensive and I had to order it on the internet, so I think once I'm out, I'll just stick with good old wax. I also bought about every fancy dental floss products out there - I ended up going back to the floss that came from the orthodontist: the floss strips with a hardened end to thread through the braces easily. As a side note, it is AMAZING the impromptu support I get. Sooo many people have come up to me and said, "I totally understand, I had braces too - and its SOOO worth it!" Or "I've been thinking about getting braces but thought I couldn't!"

Thank so much, Megan, for the encouraging comments :)