New wire

Yesterday I had my first replacement wire put in, and oh the pain! I know it will pass in a day or two, but in the meantime it's back to macaroni (which I can swallow whole) and chocolate cake (which requires no chewing!)

The painkillers aren't doing much good either.

On the other hand, I'm so happy to see how much movement there has been in only seven weeks. I'll load up new photos soon, but the top ones are re-aligning really smoothly which surprises me because I've hardly felt a thing.

Meanwhile, the bottom two front teeth are moving at an incredible pace (I've felt them too), leaving the two teeth that aren't linked up yet way behind. I now look like I have snake fangs lingering in my mouth! It's a little embarrassing.

I've had two spring coils put in to push some of the teeth apart to make room for the two fangs I now have. Photos will come shortly to make this easier to understand!

They're moving!

It's been about six weeks now and I'm quite amazed at how much the bottom two front teeth have moved forward, but they're leaving the other two behind because they're still not linked up with the wire. That was meant to be sorted the other day, but my dentist had to postpone. The new wire is happening next week now and I'm very excited that I'm seeing the results.

Talking is pretty much completely normal now, I'm getting used to the cement, although I'd prefer not to have it of course. The mammoth cleaning is becoming an easy part of my daily routine and I've not had to use the dental wax - probably because these are ceramic and don't irritate the gums as much as metal.

When the new wires are on I'll get some photos done to show the movement.

Week three - getting used to them now

Coming up to three weeks, I can pretty much talk normally (when I don't think about it) and the senstivity has calmed down. I'm even getting used to eating with the cement, but look forward to being able to chew normally.

Because cake is easy to eat, I have discovered a fabulous cake recipe from Green and Blacks chocolate recipe book. What a shame, I'm having to make chocolate cake... I guess that means no weight loss from having braces then. ha!

Days One and Two

After years and years of uhmming and ahhing about my wonky teeth, I have finally got braces. I never thought at aged 30 I would be wearing braces, but I'm very excited at the prospect of having straight teeth after all these years.

Two reasons this came about: 1) I'm sick of seeing my wonky teeth and feeling that as I get older, they're getting worse (or I'm noticing them more than I did when I was a care-free teenager!) 2) One of my top front teeth is taking all the brunt of my biting and talking, and I have noticed how much more sensitive it has become. It's time for the other teeth to take their share of the burden.

So, on Feb 3 I finally had the braces put in . They're In-Ovation C, which is a frictionless brace (like the Damon System) but clear / ceramic. Which is nice. At my age I am not interested in prancing around with a mouth full of metal train tracks or bright coloured ones, which have bizarrely become so popular! Because they are frictionless the time it takes for me to have straight teeth should be quicker (1 year to 18 months) and I probably won't need any extractions (I might need the enamal shaving down a tiny bit though - we'll see how it goes). They're also meant to be less painful, which after two days certainly seems to be the case. I can obviously feel they're there, but so far nothing is really hurting.

So the main pros at the moment: they're clear, after 48 hours they're still not hurting, they'll hopefully be quicker than traditional braces and I should have fewer dental appointments.

The cons: one of my upper teeth was catching a lower brace so they've put cement on some of the back teeth (see photo) to prevent any damage when my teeth come together, but it means I can't chew anything! And I can't bite anything for the next year. So, lunch has been macaroni which I can swallow whole, and breakfast has been porridge. I'll be stocking up on soup and mashed potato too. The other problem is the extended cleaning that is required - tee pees are a pain when I use them on the wonky teeth, they keep bending and I can't get them through. I'll persevere. Oh, and talking is difficult too - I can't get my S's and T's right!

So, I started this blog to let people know what these braces are like and what experiences I have. So far my only advice is to make sure you know when they're going to put the braces on (I didn't!) and eat all your favourite foods the day before! I will add photos so it's easy to see how my teeth are moving.