Okay, imagine this—you're stuck on a deserted island, braces freshly tightened, and your only supplies are ice cream, wax strips, and a volleyball named Wilson. How do you survive the discomfort? Someone pick this up...
Haha, your deserted island scenario hits a little too close to home for me. I just got my braces on last week, and honestly, the first few days felt exactly like being stranded somewhere uncomfortable with limited resources. Ice cream was definitely my Wilson—my only friend in those dark times.
I remember waking up the day after getting them tightened and thinking, "Did someone secretly punch me in the mouth while I slept?" It was rough. And wax strips... man, those little things are lifesavers. At first, I didn't think they'd do much good—I mean, how could a tiny piece of wax help with all this metal chaos? But trust me, once you figure out exactly where to put them (trial and error is key here), they really do make a difference.
Your volleyball buddy Wilson might not offer much practical help, but hey, emotional support counts for something. When I was feeling particularly miserable, I found myself talking to my cat about my braces woes—so no judgment here if you're chatting up a volleyball.
Honestly though, it does get better pretty quickly. After about four or five days, things started feeling more normal for me. Eating soft foods helped a ton—ice cream obviously being the MVP—but also smoothies and mashed potatoes were my go-to comfort foods. And weirdly enough, staying distracted helped too. Binge-watching shows or diving into a good book made me forget about the discomfort for a while.
Hang in there; you're definitely not alone in feeling this way. Soon enough you'll be laughing about these early days... probably while eating something crunchy again (fingers crossed).
Your deserted island analogy made me smile—my daughter just went through the braces ordeal a couple months ago, and your description sounds exactly like her first week. She basically lived on yogurt and mac 'n cheese for days... we jokingly called it her "soft-food vacation." And yeah, wax strips were scattered everywhere; I found them in the weirdest places around the house.
Funny thing is, she also started talking to our dog more during that period. Guess pets (and volleyballs?) really do offer some comfort when humans can't fully relate.
One trick that helped her was sipping cold smoothies slowly through a straw—it seemed to numb things a bit and distract from the soreness. Did you find any other unexpected remedies or distractions aside from ice cream and binge-watching? Always curious what creative solutions people come up with during these rough patches.
