Having a routine for cleaning helped me too, honestly. Eventually, I stopped caring so much if someone noticed, but it did take time.
Totally relate to this. I thought I’d be the “confident adult with braces” but yeah... not so much at first. Cleaning routine is a game changer—did you ever get obsessed with those little interdental brushes? I swear I kept them in every bag and jacket pocket. Did anyone else get random jaw aches from the adjustments? That threw me off more than the self-consciousness, honestly. Worth it in the end, but man, the weird moments are real.
My kiddo’s got braces right now, and I swear those little brushes are everywhere in our house. I find them in the laundry, under the couch cushions, even in the car cup holders. She’s way more diligent about cleaning than I ever was at her age—I guess it’s a mix of the orthodontist scaring her straight and just wanting to be done with them as soon as possible.
The jaw aches are a whole thing, though. She’ll come home after an adjustment and just want an ice pack and some soft food. It’s not something I really expected, since I never had braces myself, but she says it’s like a weird pressure that comes and goes. Sometimes she gets headaches too, which caught me off guard. Did you find anything that helped with that, or was it just “wait it out” every time?
Funny thing, she was super self-conscious at first—always covering her mouth when she laughed, barely wanting to smile for photos. But after a few months, it just became part of life. Now she’s more annoyed by the hassle of cleaning than by how they look. I wonder if adults go through that same shift in mindset, or if it sticks with you longer because, well, grown-ups tend to overthink everything.
Curious if anyone else’s pain or discomfort ever got in the way of work or social stuff? My daughter missed a couple school days after big wire changes, but I imagine it could be rougher if you’re trying to do meetings or presentations.
Honestly, the headaches and jaw aches were the worst part for me too. I tried Tylenol and ice packs, but mostly just had to ride it out. The self-consciousness faded faster than I expected, though—now it’s just a “meh, whatever” thing. Meetings were rough after adjustments... talking felt like a workout.
Totally get the “talking felt like a workout” part—my jaw had its own gym membership for weeks. I swear, after each adjustment, chewing a piece of bread felt like a triathlon. It’s weird how you just stop caring what people think after a while, though. Hang in there... it does get easier (or at least, you get used to it).
I’m only about three weeks in, and honestly, the whole “talking is a workout” thing is so real. The first couple days I barely wanted to open my mouth at all—everything felt awkward and kinda sore. Eating was a whole process... I had to cut everything into tiny pieces and still felt like I was doing something wrong. I’m still really self-conscious, especially at work meetings, but maybe that fades? It’s reassuring to hear it gets easier, but right now it just feels like every little thing takes extra effort.
