I will not be starting this post with the process of choosing an orthodontic clinic, I will try to make a separate post for that instead. Day 1 is the day the braces was put on.
My head was not really focused on braces, to be honest. I had too many things to submit and way too many things to chide myself about that braces took up, maybe 5% of my mind space. I knew the appointment was today at 3:00pm but did I know what I was getting myself into? I have literally forgotten everything that came with wearing braces; the extra mouth hygiene care, the limited food choices, the insecurity of looking different, and most importantly, the pain that came with it, oh did I forget. I think the main reason for this is because wearing braces has always been in my plan ever since I was a teen, I think. It was just the matter of when. During this course of time, I have listed down the pros and cons so many times that these concerns should be well known to me already, hence the word "forgotten".
The first thing I was asked to do was sign some papers to verify that I have been told the risks and that if I did not take good care of my teeth and braces, it was on me. There was also an agreement for them to use my photos for marketing, I suppose. I signed the papers and now came the time to pick a colour. One of the tips I got was to choose a dark colour so that my teeth would not look yellow or in other words, to make my teeth seems whiter. So I chose a beautiful dark purple that almost border on black.
Then I was asked to step into this small area where my photos would be taken. The photos were from different angles and has both a smiling version and a non smiling version. There is a very, very slight chance that they turned out good. But I am glad they took the pictures since I forgot to do so beforehand. So now at least there will be Before and After pictures even though I will probably look like my face was pressed up against something in them.
Some more pictures were taken when I was in the dentist chair. My mouth was spread open using this dental opener I am not sure the name of, throughout the whole procedure. The ends that graced the inside of my upper lip kind of hurt but I kept quiet and prayed for everything to end quickly. The dentist did some scaling which was a first time experience for me. In short, I hated it. It was an experience that borders on painful and was really uncomfortable but I would do it again if it means I get to keep my teeth clean and white. When they were attaching the bracket, I only felt some pressure on my teeth and it was overall very painless.
Only when they were done and informed that I can now gargle did I realised that my teeth cannot be properly closed. The dentist put like these raised platform on both side of my teeth and near the back. The dentist said that it's to protect the brackets? I was then briefed on bracket care like how to brush my teeth - only horizontal brushing movements and no circling movements, to use only extra soft brush if not a braces toothbrush and so on. I got free wax from there. It's purpose is to protect our mouth from any sharp metal bits n bobs. There was no pain at all after the braces was attached. I felt a bit giddy to be honest - me and y started laughing for no reason looking at the braces. It was just weird I guess.
Overall look was OK, nice even. It didn't look bulky as my problem was gapped teeth. Y said that the braces made the gaps in my teeth more obvious and apparent than before. A fews hours in, I could feel the wires pricking my cheek lining, just a bit but it was painful. So I applied some wax but I couldn't get the wax to stick. Lol. Maybe too much saliva. TMI? sorry guys. After a few tries, I did manage to do it and let me tell you, the wax was so helpful in keeping my mouth lining protected from the sharp metal bits.
For dinner that night, I ate 3 small containers of KFC mashed potatoes. Tried eating the chicken because it smelled so good but I really couldn't chew at all. The raised platform prevented me to do any real chewing as it allows like only 2 parts of my teeth to touch and my teeth hurt man. The pain was real.
That night, I was invited as a guest speaker for a very lay back talk. There was less than 10 audiences and really, it was just all for fun. It was my first appearance in public albeit online, after wearing braces and it was quite awkward. I haven't figured out the best way to close my mouth. Lol. The camera quality wasn't really the best so I doubt anyone noticed the braces.
So that night, I ried to brush my teeth as instructed but I have no idea if I'm doing it right or not. I use a mouthwash as instructed as well and went to sleep.
