Let's Talk Pain

Braces Hurt Like Hell

This is a simple fact that I wish someone would have just told me outright at some point.  The second day of braces was just plain torture.  The closest parallel I can draw is the feeling of having all of my teeth slowly pulled out of my mouth with pliers... all day long.  I popped some aspirin, which did nothing at all.  I upgraded to Ibuprofen and felt a little better, but still very uncomfortable.

For a week I could eat NO solid food at all.  When I say solid, I mean literally anything that required my teeth to close down--no rice, no noodles, no soft bread... NOTHING.  If I could not eat it by mushing it with my tongue, I could not eat it.  You quickly start to realize which foods dissolve in your mouth (thank you cupcakes) and which ones definitely do not (curse you Ramen noodles).

Adult Braces Hurt More
It's hard to get clear answers about whether adult braces hurt more than they do on children, but I am going to go with yes they do.  Simply put, a child's jaw is still growing and their teeth often just grew in.  Adult jaws are firmly in place and our teeth have been in much long.  Braces basicaly re

My week 1 diet included:
- yogurt (no fruit or other mix-ins of any kind)
- pudding
- smoothies
- milkshakes
- mashed potatoes
- mashed sweet potatoes (thank you Boston Market)
- baby food (don't judge me)
- muffins/cake (they crumble and dissolve in your mouth), but bread does NOT
- potato soup
- ice cream (no chunks/nuts)

Ice cream is my favorite dessert, but by the end of the first week I was pretty darn sick of it... and pretty hungry overall.  Somehow not chewing just made me feel hungry all the time.  Probably psychological.  

My week 2 diet included:
- overcooked noodles
- softer breads
- some tuna and other chopped meats (still not perfect, but manageable)
- tamales
- fish sandwich
- most foods considered "soft"

By the end of the second week I can eat most foods with the exception of:
- crunchy foods
- french bread
- chicken/steak/thick meats
- chewy foods or foods that require you to bite in (i.e. a hoagie sandwich)

Update:

I would say that within a month I was chomping down on just about anything... including everything listed above.  The only thing I never do, even 12 months later, is bite directly into dense foods (apple) with my front teeth.  I just always have the feeling that I will pop a bracket doing that (which I've never done).  

Getting Braces

The Process
It seemed to take forever between my first visit to the orthodontist and actually getting the braces on my teeth.  Here was the process (which, naturally, may vary for you).

1. Initial consultation and x-rays.  This was pretty straight forward.  The ortho. basically just discusses why you want to get braces and outlines options.  If you have already researched the different types of methods and know which you would like, you can discuss this with your ortho. so that he can see if it is an option for you.  They will take preliminary x-rays.

2.  More imaging and impressions.  Basically, they just take several more x-rays of your teeth.    They will check your bite, do some measuring, basically look at your overall mouth.  The impressions are taken using a product that feels like sticking your teeth into play-do.  Not terrible.

3.  Three weeks later (time needed to have molds completed) meet with the orthodontist to view a mold of your teeth and discuss your treatment.

4. Time for braces!

So, I was looking at about 8 weeks from the first visit until the braces went on.  Part of this had to do with appointment availability. 

Braces Day!
It took about half an hour for my orthodontist to place my braces, as compared to the two hours that others experience.

My dentist did not talk to me about damon braces or lingual braces, which I thought he should have done.  Nonetheless, the process was fine and I would have probably gone with traditional braces anyhow.  That's because I am getting them done at a school and want to do the "easiest" procedure for the student if that makes sense.

The second day was simply torture.  I feel as though other people downplay the pain, but it hurt like hell for a solid week.  In fact, I will dedicate another blog post just to the pain.

Feeling Awkward
I felt incredibly awkward the first day I had my braces.  My mouth felt absolutely chock full of metal, and aesthetically I was not pleased.  Furthermore, my bite felt off, which I told my orthodontist and he did his best to fix, but it still didn't feel as though I could close my teeth properly.  I'm 70% better now, so I guess it was just a matter of time.

I also have to harp a bit on how uncomfortable your mouth feels initially.  Not pain (that's not until day 2), but some pressure and just a general feeling of having a bunch of stuff in your mouth.  I tried to eat right away and was totally grossed out by the amount of food that was sticking between my teeth and my braces while I tried to chew.  This was awful, but two weeks later I barely notice this at all. 

Your lips will get very dry during the application as your mouth is propped open, so lip balm definitely would have helped.  My orthodontist suggested that I take a pain killer right away when I got home, but since I didn't feel any pain (just a good deal of pressure), I ignored him.  BAD IDEA.  Alright, go ahead and read about the pain... [Click Here] 

Up close and personal with my braces.

In the Beginning

My Back Story
So, my teeth have never been all that crooked. However, there are minor cosmetic changes I would like to see and as I have gotten older I have experienced some crowding in my bottom teeth.  I am finally responsible enough with my dental care to be at a point where I can actually get braces.

If you don't know, before you get braces the orthodontist will want to ensure that you do not have any cavities, gingivitis, etc. Embarrassingly, before last year I had not been getting regular dental care in years. (My mother would be ashamed). This was due in part to my difficulty in finding a decent dentist in Philadelphia, and in part to my being a lazy bum.

In any event, since September of last year (10 months ago) I have had:

- Two cleanings
- Four wisdom teeth removed
- Eight fillings
- One regular extraction (was originally going to be a root canal)
- Braces applied

It feels as though I have practically lived in the dentist chair.

Anywho, I hope that once my journey is over this little blog will help someone else thinking about getting braces with their decision making process.

Topics I will address right away include:
The Cost
First Days with Braces
Let's Talk About PAIN!
My Dentist

Here goes nothing!