Day 1-3

It is now Day 3 and I can't believe I have survived yet again! Let me take you back to the very beginning of Day 1...

I went to my appointment with the Ortho half an hour early. One of the assistants came to talk with me about how to care for my braces and teeth e.g. cleaning after every meal, how to keep them clean and what products to use etc. But no-one even mentioned the expander or what to expect with that. It was then time to start the one hour long process of having the braces fitted.

They began by cleaning my teeth and polishing them (my teeth are very sensitive, so they didn't enjoy cold air or water on them... luckily it didn't last long). I knew that my mouth was going to be stretched wide open, I was fine with that, but there was a piece of equipment that sat in my mouth (kinda under my tongue) and acted as a suction hose (it also held my tongue in place). I have a very sensitive 'gag reflex' and as soon as this thing was in my mouth, I began gagging and felt like I was going to choke! He told me to relax my tongue and after a little while I was ok... it pinched my tongue too but I didn't want him taking it out and have to go through the whole 'gag' thing again so I didn't let him know. That was the worst part for me.

After that they put the glue on my teeth and attached the brackets. This was ok, I just had my mouth open for a long time. Then he let me relax my mouth for a few minutes (wonderful), the expander was attached to my teeth and the wire put in. DONE!!

...I soon found out that having the expander in my mouth was going to mean I had a lot less space for my tongue....

I felt fine for the first couple of hours after that. My kids and my mother thought I looked good with my new mouth bling and I wasn't too worried about my appearance either. So we took a couple of pics :-)

Not too bad, right? I was surprised at how zig-zaggy they are though! Wont be long and that will look different I guess :-D

Anyway, the first night I had plans to go out (BIG no-no), I thought i would be tired because of the travelling but I'd be ok. I chose all soft food and only served a little bit for myself to see how it was eating with braces... I didn't plan on chewing because i knew from my experience with spacers  that my teeth would be tender for a while. So I sat down to eat, and found that i couldn't even swallow properly!!! i felt like i was going to choke because there was food (mashed potato) stuck in the roof of my mouth and I couldn't get it out! If i can't eat mashed spud, what can i eat?!?! I felt devastated that I was destined to spend the next six months eating/drinking only soup :-(

The whole swallowing process is hindered because of the expander being in the way. I haven't quiet worked out how to get past that yet, but I don't feel so disheartened anymore... I will get through this, i just have to be patient and wait while trying to retrain my mouth. And in the mean-while I will continue to eat soft/soup type food with very few lumps! 

Day 2 was hard too. I had to work and I felt like crap. I had been taking panadol since three hours after the braces were fitted, and this day i got something stronger. But all medications had to be soluble!! I'm pretty sure my teeth started moving straight away because they have been feeling fuzzy (like pins & needles in your leg) and kinda loose like if I pressed on them too hard they might break or come out of my gums! I guess cause I'm older the experience is going to be more exaggerated than if I were a teenager.

But now, Day 3, I have only had drugs this morning and feel like I might be adjusting little by little. 

xx