One thing that really made the months go by faster for me was taking progress pics every few weeks. Sounds cheesy, but when you feel like nothing’s changing, you can actually SEE the difference. Also, wax is your best friend—don’t tough it out if something pokes. Anyone else have little tricks that made the wait less annoying?
Taking progress pics is such a smart idea—I wish we’d thought of that earlier. My kid gets discouraged when the changes aren’t obvious, and honestly, I get anxious too. We’ve been using wax a lot, but sometimes it feels like it just falls off after a meal. I try to remind her to rinse with salt water if things get sore, but I’m never sure if we’re doing it enough.
Did anyone else’s kid get really frustrated with the slow progress? How did you keep them motivated between appointments?“when you feel like nothing’s changing, you can actually SEE the difference.”
My daughter went through the same thing—she’d get so upset when her teeth looked the same for weeks. I started taking pics every month, but honestly, even then it was hard to see changes sometimes and I’d start doubting if it was all working. The wax drove us both nuts, too. It never stayed on long, especially after eating. I worried about overdoing the salt water rinses, but our ortho said as long as it’s not stinging, it’s fine. The only thing that helped was reminding her (and myself) that slow is normal, even if it feels endless. I wish there was a magic trick to make it go faster, but I guess patience is part of the deal.
That slow progress thing really messes with your head, doesn’t it? My son would get so discouraged when his teeth looked exactly the same month after month. We ended up making a little chart with dates and “milestones”—like, “first time wire changed” or “finally ate popcorn again”—just to mark something besides looks. Wax was a pain for us, too. He’d try to eat with it on and it’d be gone in seconds. I worried about the salt water at first, but our ortho said pretty much the same—if it’s not burning, you’re good. It’s just such a waiting game... patience is definitely the hardest part.
That chart idea is actually brilliant—I wish I’d thought of that. I kept a little note on my phone every time something changed, like “finally bit into a sandwich without pain.” Tiny victories make it less miserable. Wax and salt water definitely saved me too, even if I kept losing the wax in my food.
