My experience with braces and what to expect

in #en-us7 years ago

My teeth used to be pretty messed up. When I was about five I loved playing hockey. I came from a poor background, so at first I couldnt afford a helmet. At one of my first training sessions I was standing behind my opponent. We were acquainted but no friends. He was built like a small barrel, whereas I on the other hand was like a twig. He would muscle me out of the way, hence why I stood behind him. He swung back to take a shot at the hockey puck and his hockey stick hit me right in the teeth. I didn't lose any but it knock 1 or 2 of them out of alignment.

When I turned seven I got bullied about my teeth. I tied not to let this get to me. I would get called Donkey teeth and bugs bunny. The convincing moment in my life when I knew I wanted change was when I was about 11. My friend Todd and I were just after finish a cross country race when the teacher of the class below us said "the two of you look like rabbits" she then chuckled and walked away. I felt a sick feeling in my stomach. I thought to myself, did she really just say that. Just to fill you in, her appearance was definitely not perfect. Her teeth were skewed and she wasn't the slimmest. I try not to judge by appearance but after what she said to me, she was an exception. Let's just say he personality matched her appearance. About a year later the time had come to go for my consultation.

I walked down the steps to the Orthodontist office. I was greeted by an old frail man with jet black hair. It look like an artificial job, but somehow suited him perfectly. He wore a gold watch on his wrist which would tick monotonously as he worked in my mouth. He took several pictures of my mouth and a week later I went back to him.

He fitted me with my new appliance. It cut my cheeks at first and I couldn't eat or sleep for the first few days. I knew it would be an ordeal but I got used to it about a month later I had to got to the hospital. I was confused as to why, my parents pretended to know as little as I did. I went in for what I thought was a check up on my teeth but in fact I had to get two extractions. As I sat in the chair my palms formed a river beneath them. I struggled to grip the arm rests because my palms seemed to be making their own oily lubricant. The dentist was female. My parents tried to come in but she ushered them out and did almost chopped my father's nose off as she closed the door. She began praising and pulling at my lower left premarital. When it was eradicated she ripped out the other one. I was in agony for the next week. I woke up to blood on my pillow and lived on a diet of chicken broth.

Fast forward 1 year and I was getting on well with my top and bottom braces. Somehow I managed to rip 3 brace brackets of while chewing a burnt pizza Crust which was more like a rock than a piece of bread. The orthotics fixed then and I was careful what I are from then on.

After a month of getting them on it felt like an extention of my body and I didn't even notice them. In total I had my braces on for 2 and a half years. Getting them off was easy. No pain at all. The retainer was a whole other story. The Dr gave me two types of retainer. A Hawley retainer and an essix retainer. The essix is like a clear gumshield and I have no lisp or anything with it. At first I had but after literally 20 minutes it went away completely. The hawley retainer has metal wires which hold the teeth in place. I have to wear this one at night. The hawley retainer is a lot more uncomfortable than the other one. When I remove it it tickles the roof of my mouth. For the first week I could not sleep, at all. I can't close my mouth with it either, which is agony. It is easy to clean though. I clean it once a day in the morning because I only wear it at night. In the morning it smells like shit. Literally I brush my teeth 4 times a day and every morning it collects spit and smell like shit. I have to wear it every night for one and a half years then one night a week.
Hawley: image

Essix: image
The essix retainer is hard to see when worn. I take it out when I'm eating and it is painless. I don't even notice it in my mouth. The the retainer gets dirty quickly though. I brush my teeth after every meal either it. I also brush the retainer with soap and water. It is important to use soap and not toothpaste as toothpaste is abrasive and it will scratch the clear plastic and make it foggy. I only have to wear this for 2 months. I can't chew gum with it in and it smells like shit too. I guess that's the price you have to pay for a glorious smile.

Thanks for reading this took me 45 minutes to write. Pleeeeeeeaaaasssseee upvote.

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