I’m about a month in now and
I’m pretty much used to the braces. I've got all 4 molar bands on now. I
don’t use the wax any longer. I think my
lips and cheeks have toughened up. I’m
eating a lot better with them but still sticking to soft foods. I do have to say that getting braces is a
great diet plan. I’ve lost 10 pounds
since February 7th (install day).
A lot of the weight was lost in the beginning due to not being able to
eat but now I find myself passing on the office sweets and not snacking between
meals because I don’t want to have to get up and spend 15 minutes in the bathroom
brushing and flossing my teeth.
I haven’t seen a significant
change in my teeth yet but I have noticed that my top teeth have space between
them now. I can tell a big difference
when I’m flossing. It used to be a
struggle to get the floss between all of my teeth but now my teeth don’t even
touch. Progress! The bottom teeth still feel and look the same
to me. My next appointment isn’t until
mid April and I still have the original wire and purple rubber bands
(ligatures) on. All in all it took a
month to get everything full installed and now I will go in every 4-6 weeks for
adjustments.
I did want to share some
items that my boyfriend and I have purchased that make our brushing routine a
little easier. The first is a water
flosser. This devise is great at
removing food from the braces and in between the teeth. I’ve been having a green smoothie for
breakfast lately and even though I’ll brush at work after drinking it when I
water floss after I get home I can still see little pieces spinach and kale getting
rinsed away.
We went with the Waterpik
Ulta Plus. Costso has a special right
now where you get the Waterpik Ulta Plus and a Nano (travel size) one for
free. Plus they are an extra $20 off
making the price $59.99. Water flossing
takes a few times to get the hang of but now I can’t imagine not doing it.
The next item we like are floss
threaders. Even though we use the water
flosser we still use regular floss too. The
floss threaders make it easier to get the floss between the wire and the
tooth. I got these DenTek ones on
Amazon. I like to tie the end of the
floss to the threader.
For floss I started using Cocofloss
before I got my braces. This stuff is
amazing! Seriously, you have to try
it! It’s somewhat textured so it scrubs
between the teeth so well. Use this link
and get $5.00 off your first order!
As far as tooth brushes go
we continued to use the Arm & Hammer electric toothbrushes we have always
used. They are inexpensive and work
well. I usually get them at
Walmart or Amazon.
Last but not least:
mouthwash. We use Act Braces Care. Again, found at WalMart but you can also get it on Amazon.
From start to finish; water
flossing, brushing, regular flossing then mouth wash, our nighttime dental
routine can take up to 15 minutes now but it’s worth it! I certainly don’t want any cavities or white
spots!