Wax, it's what's for dinner

Well I'm finally adjusting to my braces. It took from Friday to Monday for the braces to start hurting. Then until this past weekend for me to really be able to eat. Some teeth are still a bit tender at times, but they feel relatively normal. The brackets are still annoying me a lot. They make eating a little annoying, food catches on them and my teeth just don't feel right. I have a couple spots that are irratating the inside of my mouth, it seems the more my teeth move the more they irratate my mouth. I'm making good use of my wax which sometimes gets knocked off when I'm eating or brushing my teeth. I've been assured it's not dangerous to eat, which is good because sometimes it serves as an addition to my dinner. If anyone has any tips on how to keep the wax on, I'll be happy to hear it.

My rubber band went down the drain

Less then 24 hours after getting braces I was innocently brushing my teeth and brushed off my rubber band and then watched it get washed down the drain. opps. I called Dr. F and he was actually in today, so in between my 2 other appts this morning I was back at Dr. F's office. He as able to open the door on my brace and get the wire on so that I don't need the rubber band.

I did get the distinct impression from one of the girls in the office that it's very strange to have all your brackets to have the little doors on them, as these are the ones that don't seem to need rubber bands. See, I'm special

My first meal last night went ok, had an omelet which was fine. Bread however was a little more difficult to chew. Today I've stuck with eggs and soup as my teeth hurt a lot.

Here are some pictures of my mouth:

You have glue in your hair.

I started out my morning with a trip to the dentist to get my cap put back on, it took about 15 minutes with no drama.

In the afternoon I went to Dr. F for my braces. I started with a bit of good news... My bill was readjusted, the price didn't change but my payment options did and I didn't have to leave as much of a down payment. I could have paid the whole thing off and saved 5%, but then I wouldn't have much savings and that was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

Dr. F came and looked at my teeth and played with some brackets. Then a sweet girl came and prepped my teeth. They clamped my mouth open with some strange contraption, it made me wonder? Is this how Hannibal Lecter feels? Then she did the prep work, all I really know is that she sandblasted my teeth. Then Dr. F placed all the little brackets. The brackets didn't feel so comfortable, not that I thought they would. Once Dr. F was done the girl who was prepping my teeth picked the glue out of my hair. After having my mouth clamped open I must admit I had already lost some of my dignity, what's a little glue in the hair? I rinsed out and had the wire put in and things started feeling less comfortable. I wasn't in pain but there was definitely pressure on my teeth. I ended up only having one rubber band. My nephew had wondered what color rubber bands I would get, but Dr. F took away that concern. He used the "clear" braces in the front and the one rubber band was metal colored to match the brace it was on. Based on what the girl said, I either didn't get rubber bands because I spent a lot of money and am getting 5 star treatment (knowing the price tag that might be right), or it's because I'll actually brush my teeth and floss and generally take care of my teeth.

One dental observation. One of the teeth on my bottom right (I think a molar) had grown in sideways, it was never a problem, but I think, based on the placement of the brace, that Dr. F is going to rotate the tooth.

In the next few days I'll post some pictures of my teeth, as requested by my friend Kelley. I just don't have time tonight.

I almost swallowed my tooth

This morning I was eating my breakfast, a mini doughnut, when I felt something hard. For a second I was going to swallow it as just a hard crusty spot in the doughnut. I thought better of that plan thinking one of my spacers had fallen out. It was the temporary cap on the tooth with the root canal. I've called the dentist on call, who did not answer the phone and am waiting for him to call back. In the meantime the spacer between that tooth and the next one is probably loose and I'll probably swallow it and then my teeth will close in together over night and I wont be able to get my braces tomorrow. Sorry, my imagination got the best of me. Owell, guess I'll be late for work!

Spacers are annoying

Well, I think the subject says it all. I've had the spacers just over a week and I don't like them. First, they hurt making it hard to eat and just making me uncomfortable. The pain has subsided but the spacers are still annoying. It seems that now that the teeth are spaced out the spacers have just enough room to wiggle around when I eat, leaving me paranoid that they're going to get dislodged and screw up my teeth. Friday I get my braces so hopefully that will resolve the spacer problem while bringing new problems.

I'm spacing out

Yesterday I got the spacer for my braces, they kinda suck. I'm already on a pain killer right now so they don't hurt too much, but they are uncomfortable and it feels funny to eat. Dr. F asked if I had started to process through insurance yet for Dr. S, which I have not done since I have to change insurance. He accepted that as an answer. But conversations like that make me a bit nervous, what happens in 6 months if I have trouble with insurance?