"Brace Face"

So, I have had my braces for just over a week now and this week has certainly been quite the adjustment.

I got them Thursday afternoon and the pressure I felt on my teeth for the first couple of days was just... odd. There really wasn't a lot of pain, just throbbing every so often as my teeth were moving in to position in the trays.
The other main thing I had to get used to for the first few days was the extreme amount of extra saliva that was being produced in my mouth! It was crazy! Whenever I talked I felt like I was spitting all over everyone and everything that was in my path. I actually felt the need to talk with my hand in front of my mouth so I wouldn't spray :) That actually seems to be subsiding now as my mouth gets used to having that foreign object in it 24/7.

My orthodontist impressed me greatly when I got a phone call Friday evening from the doctor himself asking me how I made out my first full day of having them and to answer any questions I might have come up with. It made me feel better to know everything that was happening was normal and I wasn't just a freak of nature LOL.
One problem I did have to ask him about was that the edge of my bottom tray was rather rough and it felt like it was scratching or cutting the inside of my lip. He had an easy solution for that for me: just take a normal, every day emery board and file the edges smooth! I did that and they felt much more comfortable. And now I know how to check and fix that problem with any of my new trays before my lip becomes endangered.

Aside from still having a slight lisp and slur to my speech I think I have been adjusting to them quite well over this past week. I feel like a dork when I drink my coffee through a straw at work but it works. I tried to make it cool at least by getting neon bendy straws :)
I have quickly fallen in to the routine of taking my trays out when I eat and then brushing my teeth before putting them back in. I now even carry a little travel toothbrush and toothpaste in my purse for those times I am not at home. I was given 2 cases to put them in when I take them out so I have one in my purse and one by my bathroom sink. One thing's for sure - by the time this is all done my teeth will be the cleanest they've ever been considering the number of times I end up brushing my teeth in a day!

This coming Thursday I go back to the orthodontist to have "buttons" or "attachments" bonded to a few of my teeth to help with the moving process. They are tooth colored so supposedly they will not be visible very easily either. I will then wear my current tray for another week after that before switching to the next. My orthodontist will give me the next few sets of trays - which are all in their own numbered package so I know which one is next - and I will switch those every 2 weeks.

So far this has been quite the experience and I am interested in seeing how it all plays out over the next 12-18 months... And you get to ride it with me :)