Week 8 - Elastic Rubber Bands, Part 2. Rabbit and Chipmunk

So then, I did not in fact 'power through' as I said I was going to do. On Tuesday morning I rang my dentist to ask if I could wear them during the day instead, and the nurse told me to try again and if it really wasn't working, come in again and they would see what they could do about it.

Tuesday night I wore them a few hours before going to bed, and then also took a sedative and two painkillers (NOT to be recommended, although it really didn't do anything to me). Two hours after turning off the light, I buckled and took them out. The next day I went back and said it was just impossible for me to sleep with them in, so they gave me some more which are slightly bigger and told me I could wear them during the day as well. Ominously, she also said something about the idea of wearing them at night was to 'get used to them'. I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have to wear them longer than six weeks.

I wore them today at work. As I sleep about 8 hours, I can just as well do the same in the day, so it's not that I have to wear them the entire time. The newer, larger ones are much more comfortable, although around the hour 7 mark, my cheeks were starting to ache.

I found this useful article all about elastic bands with braces, and why they're so important. In the article it says that movement only occurs after 6-8 hours and if you take the bands off for more than 30 minutes your teeth won't move. I don't think I wearing them to move my teeth, but in any case I made sure not to spend too long eating.

Types of Elastic Bands

Elastic Bands: The Chipmunk and the Rabbit. The actual bands are above each packet.

Before I got the braces on, I watched a few Youtube Vlogs (and still do, in fact). One of them, TheMatlachChannel is really informative, and in this one, he talks about the elastic bands there are - Quail, Parrot and Ram. I don't know if it's different here in Europe, but the ones I've been given are 'Chipmunk' and 'Rabbit'. The 'Quail' and 'Chipmunk' look quite similar, but in the video the 'Parrot' band looks much larger in comparison to the 'Quail' and as you can see, the 'Rabbit' is not that much larger than the 'Chipmunk'. So I really don't know if there are a whole other bunch of bands out there that I've not seen, or whether elastics companies decided to market them differently in Europe.

Week 8 - Second wire change and new top wires

Update: Today I had my second check up since getting on the braces and they replaced the wires again. Now on the top teeth, the wire runs through all of the brackets. I'm not sure if it's actually thicker, but the wire seems to look stronger and thicker every time it's changed!

Week 8 with the new top wires (white, a bit difficult to see)

Also on the front six teeth I have another wire that is threaded around the brackets. It looks like a power chain, but whenever I’ve read about power chains, they all say that they’re used for closing gaps between teeth. When I asked what this would be for, I was told that this wire will prevent gaps from forming between the teeth while they’re being straightened. I was initially a bit surprised to see them on when they gave me the mirror, but they’re practically invisible from a short distance away (it's not such a great picture this time, but you can just about make them out).

My teeth weren't hurting when I left the dentist but during the day they've started to ache and chewing hard things is again becoming painful, so I will eat softer food for the next day or two.

Another thing now is that I have to wear elastic bands at night while I sleep. I was kind of bummed out by this news. I really thought that my bite seemed fine and that I’d be able to get away without wearing the bands, but just at night is ok I guess. I have to wear quite a lot (six in all) for the next six weeks until my next appointment. 

Oh god, just got the elastics on now, and jesus christ are they strong, another six weeks of this!! But hopefully if I follow all my advice correctly then I could be looking at a shorter treatment time, who knows.

I got a comment to my last post, but I've been trying to reply and can't, I don't know what I'm doing wrong (it also happened with the last post, sorry to Kiki, who by the way if you're reading this, I really appreciate you reading my blog!). So to the person who asked: I've been told they really look very subtle, not so noticeable at all. There is this loose feeling that comes with the braces, but that is totally normal, and not so painful that you have to take an aspirin or anything. As far as dating goes, I've been asked out and have been on dates since getting my braces on, so really don't worry about that aspect of your life. Good luck with your treatment, I'm sure you'll never regret it :-)

Day 19 - Aches and Pains

Day 19 with Damon Braces

Day 19 with the braces, everything seems to be going ok. Yesterday the front four teeth were aching quite badly, it really felt like teething pains as a child, when you had a new tooth coming through. The out of line tooth next to my front teeth was also aching a bit this morning, but I suppose as it's the tooth that's going to move the most, it will hurt more.
Luckily for the aching feeling, the gingivitis gel I bought is handy as it numbs everything so well.
I eat pretty much like normal now, except I avoid nuts or very hard or chewy things, but then I never eat a lot of those things to begin with.
I also drink coffee and tea as normal, but I avoid red wine. I probably don't drink as much coffee and tea as I do normally, to avoid possible staining. I have only two more days until my next consultation, I'm really looking forward to what my dentist will say.

Day 17 - gingivitis scare and loose teeth

Day 17 with Damon Clear Braces

Day 17 with the braces. Of course I'll be glad to have them off once they're finished but I have to say that wearing them has not been so bad so far. I'm even quite starting to like how they look, I think they look quite cute. It's really something I never thought I'd think before getting them on!

After a few days of using the gel for gingivitis, the gum is now looking ok, and no more trouble with ulcers. Yesterday my front tooth (the one next the one that is not straight) was quite sore and felt a little loose. I had that same feeling with the front four teeth today, but it passed quite quickly.
As far as movement goes, the photos from the front don't show much movement, but three of the front four bottom teeth look as though they're being turned to the side. I'm guessing that as time goes on they'll keep being pulled from left to right until they eventually all fit in one straight line together.

Day 9

Day 9 with Damon Braces

Day 9 with Damon braces and everything going ok, they're slowly everyday becoming more normal.
The only worry I have is the ulcer, I'm worrying it will really take a long time to heal because even with the way over the braces, it still rubs a little. Sometimes it's so swollen, my cheek evens sticks out a little. So I've been rinsing my mouth out with salt water to try to make it heal faster, but I don't know if it's really working.
With my teeth, I can definitely feel today that some teeth are loose and they even feel a tiny little bit wiggly if I touch them with my tongue or fingers. This is really exciting because it means they are starting to finally shift, and I hope that in two weeks time for my appointment I'll see some real progress.

Day 7

One week with Damon Braces!

It’s now exactly a week since I got my braces on and eating is much better. In fact most of the pain I have eating now comes from my mouth ulcer, which is also starting to heal.

Sadly I can’t notice much movement apart from the four bottom front teeth moving apart slightly after the first day, but I suppose I can’t expect miracles. I have my next checkup two weeks from today, and I hope I’ll see some change by that time, even if it’s only tiny.

Biting into stuff with my front teeth is a little difficult still, but I can do it with soft food. However, as much of the food gets broken down by the back teeth anyway, I tend to just put the food straight to the back of my mouth.

One thing I forgot to mention, for anyone else with receding gums in some areas: whilst having the braces fitted, it was quite painful on the tooth where the gum is receded because of being hit with a powerful blast of air and cold water. I did ask the doctor beforehand, and the dental assistant afterwards if there was a possibility that it could get better or worse with the braces, since my gums around the teeth are going to be moving as well. I was worried there was a possibility that the nerve to my tooth could get even more exposed. But the doctor and the dental nurse both assured me that this would not be the case – otherwise I guess they wouldn’t have gone ahead with the treatment.

Also this week my mirror checking time is slightly less than it was last week. I couldn’t stop looking at them last week.

Oh, and I’ve also lost a bit of weight in this week, because of soups, protein shakes and yogurt, so that’s another thing I’m pleased about!

Day 5

Day 5 with Damon Clear Braces

So the end of the working week, hurrah! Well it hasn't been too bad the first week. Just feeling a little self-conscious and a bit of trouble with the brackets rubbing my cheek, but it'll all be worth it in the end! When I touch the teeth now they feel a little less sensitive, and it can be kind of fun poking at my teeth, seeing which ones are sensitive because then I know that the braces are at that time actually working on these particular teeth.
I'll leave the next update until Monday, and do them weekly from then on, that way the changes will be more noticeable for you to see.

Day 4 - Wax, hooks and snacks!

Use your wax!

I now have a huge mouth ulcer inside near my bottom lip, so if anything. I can recommend you put wax onto your brackets as soon as you feel it's rubbing against some part of your cheek.

Today and yesterday I've been feeling a little more self-conscious about my decision and really thinking "Am I better off with these?". I knew I would have this feeling sooner or later, but to deal with it is sometimes difficult. I try to distract myself from thinking about them and how they look, and remember they'll look good in short time.

Hooks on the brackets

In case braces are absolutely new to you (as they were to me before I started researching them), I realise that those people reading might not realise what the little hooks on the braces are for. Sometimes it's required to wear these elastic bands to make sure that your teeth will align up properly. After I had them put on I was expecting to be given them. But they told me that they're not necessary yet, and it's possible I may not have to wear them at all. Sometimes the braces hooks can tear into your cheeks. In this case, see above paragraph.

Snacks to try the first few days with Damon Braces

Eating is becoming more and more comfortable, although I can't yet just pick up anything I want. 

Eating just yogurt and soups is not much sustenance, and whilst experimenting I've discovered a delicious new snack - ground almonds and blueberry yogurt.