That wax really is a game changer, isn’t it? I remember thinking I’d never stop fiddling with the brackets, but after a couple weeks, it just became part of life. The soreness surprised me too—it faded way faster than I’d braced myself for (pun intended). Hang in there; it gets easier.
Honestly, I felt the same way at first—couldn’t stop poking at the brackets, and wow, the wax was a lifesaver. For me, it helped to stick to soft foods for a bit and just take it one day at a time. The discomfort really does fade before you know it. Hang in there; you’ll adjust faster than you think.
“couldn’t stop poking at the brackets, and wow, the wax was a lifesaver.”
That’s exactly where I’m at right now—constantly running my tongue over the brackets, even though I know I shouldn’t. Wax is my new best friend too. I was super nervous about eating at first, but here’s what’s helped me so far:
Step one, stick to soups, mashed potatoes, yogurt—basically anything that doesn’t require chewing. I tried biting into a sandwich on day two and instantly regretted it. Step two, I keep a tiny kit in my bag with wax, a little toothbrush, and mouthwash. That way if something feels off or food gets stuck, I can deal with it right away and not stress.
Honestly, I’m still anxious about every adjustment appointment, but each time it hurts less than I expect. The first week was rough, but now it’s more of an annoying pressure than actual pain. Not gonna lie, there are moments where I wonder if it’s worth it, but then I remember why I started. Seeing even small changes in my bite is pretty motivating.
Hang in there—if I can get through the weirdness, anyone can.
It’s wild how universal the “tongue constantly on brackets” thing is. I still catch myself doing it and I’ve had these for months. Wax is clutch, but sometimes I get lazy and don’t reapply it, then instantly regret it when a bracket digs in. The food situation was a shock for me too—first week, I thought I could just power through pizza if I cut it small enough. Nope. Ended up with cheese stuck everywhere and a sore mouth.
I started off feeling like every adjustment was some kind of medieval torture device, but after the third visit, my brain just accepted that this is life for now. The annoying pressure is real, but honestly, I’ll take that over the random wire pokes any day. And yeah, seeing even tiny changes makes all the hassle less pointless.
I get what you mean about wondering if it’s worth it—some days I look at old pics and think my teeth weren’t *that* bad. But then biting into food actually lines up better now, so there’s that. My only gripe: flossing with braces is straight-up tedious. Water flosser helps a bit, but it’s not magic.
Curious if anyone else has noticed changes in their speech? My S’s were super weird at first and I felt self-conscious talking at work... seemed to settle down after a couple weeks though. Did you deal with that too or am I just overthinking?
The speech thing is totally normal, at least from what I’ve seen with my kid. S’s and sometimes even T’s sounded off for a bit, but after a couple weeks it faded and nobody really noticed except us. The tongue-on-brackets habit is real too—my kid still does it when zoning out. Wax is a game changer but yeah, getting them to reapply was always a battle here too... And flossing? Ugh, I feel you. Water flossers help some, but there’s no shortcut for patience with these things.
