Haha, I totally relate to the paranoia about swallowing silicone in my sleep. I've had that thought cross my mind more times than I'd like to admit. Pretty sure it's impossible, but still... our brains love to mess with us, don't they?
About the plateau thing, yeah, that's pretty normal from what I've experienced. I've had my braces for just over two and a half years now (supposedly was going to be 18 months—ha!), and there were definitely months where nothing seemed to move at all. My orthodontist kept reassuring me that even if we can't see visible changes, things are still happening behind the scenes. I guess teeth are stubborn little things that like to take their sweet time.
As for the elastics snapping, oh man, been there. Mine snapped during a quiet movie scene once, and I swear the entire theater heard it. Probably not, but it felt like it at the time. After that, I started carrying extras everywhere—car, purse, desk drawer—you name it. It helps with the anxiety knowing I can quickly replace them if needed.
And yeah, silicone beats wax any day. Sure, picking lint off silicone isn't exactly glamorous, but it's way better than dealing with waxy goo disasters. Plus, silicone seems to hold up better in heat overall, so that's another win.
Hang in there—you're definitely not alone in this journey. Eventually we'll all be looking back at these awkward moments and laughing... hopefully without braces on our teeth by then.
Glad I'm not the only one who's had the elastics snap at awkward moments. Mine broke during a work meeting once... talk about embarrassing. I agree silicone is generally better, but I've found wax can sometimes mold into smaller spaces more easily, especially around tricky brackets. Has anyone else noticed their bite shifting slightly back and forth before finally settling? My orthodontist says it's normal, but it still feels a bit unsettling.
I've definitely seen that shifting happen with patients—it's actually pretty common. Teeth don't always move in a perfectly linear fashion, and sometimes they 'test' new positions before settling into the right spot. I once had a patient whose bite shifted slightly back and forth for months before finally stabilizing. It's nerve-wracking, I get it, but your orthodontist is right; it's a normal part of the process. Hang in there, you're closer than you think.
I totally get the frustration with the shifting back and forth. When I had braces for my underbite, it felt like my teeth were playing musical chairs—every appointment was a surprise. One month things looked great, next month it was like they'd decided to take a detour. I remember one time specifically, my orthodontist said we were "almost there," and then at the next visit, he frowned and said something about needing to tweak things again. Felt like I'd been tricked by my own teeth, lol.
Honestly though, after obsessively tracking every tiny shift (I even took weekly photos to compare), I realized that progress isn't always straightforward. Teeth seem to have their own agenda sometimes. My ortho explained it as the teeth needing time to adjust to new positions—like they're testing out different spots before finally settling down. It made sense logically, but emotionally...yeah, still frustrating.
Also, being budget-conscious made me extra anxious about delays—I kept calculating how much each extra month was costing me in terms of visits and adjustments. But looking back now, I realize that patience really is key. Eventually things did stabilize, and now my bite feels great. It's easy to say "hang in there" when you're on the other side of it, but seriously...hang in there. You're probably closer than you think (even if your teeth are currently doing their own little dance routine).
Totally relate to this. My braces journey felt like one step forward, two steps sideways sometimes. I remember being so excited when my ortho said we were "almost done," only to hear at the next visit that my teeth had shifted again. Felt like my teeth were trolling me, honestly.
I also obsessed over every tiny movement—checking mirrors constantly, comparing old selfies...it drove me nuts. Eventually, I just had to accept that teeth move at their own weird pace. My ortho joked once that teeth are stubborn little things, and I swear he wasn't kidding.
Budget-wise, I feel you too. Every extra month felt like money down the drain. But trust me, once it's finally over, you'll barely remember the frustration. Hang tight, you're definitely not alone in this teeth tango.
