Did your ortho ever talk about those rubber bands? I swear those little things made the biggest difference for us, but they were such a pain to remember.
Totally agree—those rubber bands are tiny but mighty. My daughter had to wear them for her underbite, and it was honestly the trickiest part of the whole process. She’d forget them constantly, and I’d find little bags of them everywhere... car, backpack, couch cushions. But when she actually stuck with it, you could see the change week by week. The “almost there” updates drove us a bit nuts too—felt like every visit was just another wait. It does get better, though, even if it takes longer than you hope.
Those rubber bands really do have a way of taking over your life for a while. I remember my son’s ortho saying, “They only work when you wear them,” and that stuck with us... but actually getting him to remember was another story. We found them in the washing machine, under the bed, even in the dog’s mouth once (don’t ask). It’s wild how something so tiny can make such a difference—his bite shifted so much faster when he finally got consistent about it.
The “almost there” updates are rough, though. It feels like you’re running a marathon and every checkup they move the finish line back just a little. But honestly, once you start seeing real changes, it does pay off. And down the road, all those little annoyances fade compared to the confidence boost from a healthy bite and smile. Hang in there—slow progress is still progress, even if it doesn’t feel like it some days.
Rubber bands are honestly the bane of my existence right now. I keep thinking I’ve got a system down—little baggies everywhere, reminders on my phone, the works—but somehow I’ll still find one stuck to my sock or hiding in my backpack days later. My ortho keeps saying, “Consistency is key,” which makes sense, but it’s so much easier said than done, especially when half the time I’m worried I’ll snap one right in front of someone at work.
Those “almost there” appointments mess with my head too. Last time I thought I was finally in the home stretch, and then—nope—another adjustment, more rubber bands. Sometimes I wonder if they’re just making it up as they go, you know? But I will say, even with all my second-guessing, my underbite is actually improving. It’s slow and kind of frustrating, but I can see the difference in photos now, which helps a bit with the anxiety. Still counting down the days till I can eat popcorn again without worrying about brackets…
I totally relate to the “rubber bands everywhere” struggle. I swear I’ve found them in the weirdest places—once even in my lunch bag, no clue how it got there. And yeah, the “almost done” appointments are brutal. My ortho kept tweaking things too, and I started wondering if it was all just guesswork. But, like you, I did notice my bite shifting when I looked back at old photos, which was kind of reassuring. Still, popcorn feels like a distant dream at this point...
My ortho kept tweaking things too, and I started wondering if it was all just guesswork.
Finding rubber bands in random places is way too real. I once found one stuck in my coat pocket months after I finished—guess they just multiply somehow. The endless “almost done” feeling really wears you down, doesn’t it? I always worried my ortho was moving things back and forth for no reason, but looking at old photos did help me see the changes. That popcorn craving just never goes away...
