Dental care discussions and local services.
retro403
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RE: EATING SOUP FOR WEEKS: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO CHEW NORMAL FOOD AGAIN?
Soft fruit totally threw me too. I thought bananas and ripe pears would be a safe bet, but biting into them actually made my teeth ache way more than I expected. Apples were just a no-go - couldn’t deal with the crunch o...
RE: Struggling to pronounce certain words with new dentures - anyone else?
I totally get the S’s and T’s struggle - mine kept turning into mushy “shh” sounds for weeks. My dentist tried to reassure me it’d sort itself out, but honestly, I started reading Harry Potter out loud to my dog just to ...
RE: When your favorite water bottle starts to smell funky
That “licking a battery” thing is spot on - I thought I was just imagining it. With braces, I’m super picky about water bottle taste now. If there’s even a hint of metal or funk, it just seems to linger in my mouth forev...
RE: ADJUSTING TO A MOUTH FULL OF NEW HARDWARE: A DAILY TALE
Yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing with the tablets - they left this weird aftertaste that I couldn’t get rid of, and my trays actually looked foggier somehow? I switched to just brushing with a soft toothbrush and some p...
RE: GETTING THROUGH THE DENTIST CHAIR WITHOUT PANIC - ANYONE TRIED SEDATION?
It’s honestly reassuring to hear I’m not the only one who gets wound up about this stuff. My son was a total chatterbox on oral sedation too - he kept telling the hygienist about his favorite Pokémon, which was actually ...
RE: Braces in your 30s: did you know teeth can move for life?
Yeah, the jaw tension thing caught me off guard too. I never realized how much I clenched until my orthodontist pointed it out - kind of embarrassing honestly. My teeth have shifted more in the last year than they did in...
RE: How I pack and care for my retainer when traveling - step by step
I tried the soap case thing too, and it literally exploded in my bag once. Never again. The Altoids tin is clever, but I had this weird moment where my retainer picked up that minty-metallic taste... not the worst, but k...
RE: braces vs clear aligners: which made you feel less self-conscious?
I get what you mean about the “tin grin.” When I first got braces as a teenager, I felt like everyone was staring at my mouth. But after a few months, it just became part of my face - plus, half my friends had them too, ...
RE: Swollen Gums With Braces: Ice Packs or Salt Water Rinses?
That’s interesting, because I actually had the opposite experience - salt water rinses did more for my swollen gums than any of the mouthwashes. The medicated ones always left my mouth feeling kind of dry and weird. I gu...
RE: Moving my jaw around after tightening: does it even help?
Honestly, I feel you on that. After my last tightening, even just chewing scrambled eggs felt like too much. I’m always torn between wanting to follow the “gentle movement” advice and just wanting to stay completely stil...
RE: Does switching to vaping actually help your teeth and gums?
Yeah, that’s exactly how it feels. I started vaping after getting braces, thinking it’d be gentler on my teeth than smoking. My ortho was happy about the switch, but the dry mouth thing is real - my lips are always chapp...
RE: Chewing Gum That Actually Works For Gross Breath?
That’s actually super relatable - my mouth is crazy sensitive to minty stuff too, and I swear some of those whitening gums feel like they’re burning a hole in my tongue. I’ve got braces right now, so gum is mostly off-li...
RE: Finding the right dentist for dental implants: my step-by-step approach
My ortho actually warned me about the swelling before my jaw surgery, and I remember thinking, “How bad can it be?” Turns out, pretty bad... I looked like a marshmallow for two days. Frozen peas were my go-to too - hones...
RE: Chewing Gum That Actually Works For Gross Breath?
I totally get the jaw pain thing - when I first got braces, chewing gum was a nightmare. I switched to xylitol mints for a while, but honestly, I still feel paranoid about breath when I’m talking to people up close. Wate...
RE: Surprised by how much gum health affects diabetes and heart issues
That’s wild, I had a similar thing happen after getting braces. My gums started swelling up and I figured it was just the brackets irritating them, or maybe I was slacking on flossing around the wires. But my orthodontis...