October 16, 2017

what it's like wearing braces || tips & tricks



I got my braces put on November 2016. I've almost been wearing them a year and my orthodontist said I'd be wearing them anywhere from 18-24 months.
My teeth were kind of bad. My bottom teeth were VERY crooked and I had a SEVERE overbite.

The first thing I had to do (even before I got my braces put on) was get spacers. Spacers are harmless looking blue rubber band looking things that fit between your back teeth. They don't look like much, but OH MAN DO THEY HURT! I think I feasted on applesauce the whole time I wore them which was one week. Just thinking about eating potato chips made me cringe. I tried eating soft noodles, but even they hurt.
Maybe it was just me because my brother (who had his spacers on the same time as I did) said that they hurt for a few days, but then weren't too terrible. So I guess everybody's different.




Getting braces put on wasn't really that bad. They took the spacers out and then cleaned my teeth to get them ready for my braces. I WAS VERY NERVOUS! But like I said earlier, it really wasn't that bad. They had the braces put on in an hour and I was soon going home.
It took quite a while to get used to them. And yes, my teeth were sore for a few days (definitely nothing like the pain I felt with the spacers) but I was eating regular food before I knew it.
Braces feel like candy stuck to your teeth. When I first got them put on I just kept rubbing my tongue across them.
Cleaning your teeth with braces is TOUGH!!!! I think it took me literally an hour to proxy, brush, floss, and rinse the first night. But don't worry, you get faster with practice. I am now cleaning all of my teeth in less than ten minutes! GO ME!!!



I go to my orthodontist approximately every other month. And I am pretty sure I have the BEST orthodontist EVER!! Everybody is so nice and sweet. And they have this cool thing where you get a card (kind of like a rewards card) and every time you go to your appointment you get points for things like clean teeth, healthy gums, wearing rubber bands, etc. You also get points for doing contests on their webpage! You can exchange your points for bags, t-shirts, hoodies, and gift cards. I've made over $150 doing the rewards thing! IT'S PRETTY AWESOME!!!

I started wearing rubber bands in August. They made my teeth a little sore at first, but now I'm used to them. You wear them day AND night and only take them off for eating. I change mine out 2-3 times a day, depending on the day.



I've heard lots of people say different things about what foods to eat, but I'm going with the majority.

 DON'T EAT/DRINK:

caramel (or any other kind of sticky candy)
popcorn
gum (bubble gum or just plain old chewing gum)
REALLY crunchy foods (some potato chips, etc.)
lots of carbonated drinks (it's alright every once and a while, but DEFINITELY not every day)

So, I guess you've had a small peak into my braces life. And since A LOT of you girls out there are wearing braces or will be getting them in the future, I thought I could share a few tips and tricks I've learned since I got them (almost) a year ago.


1. Brush (at least) 2x a day, Floss 1x, proxy after EVERY. SINGLE. MEAL., rinse with mouth wash 1x a day, and DO NOT FORGET TO WEAR THOSE RUBBER BANDS (it WILL prolong your treatment)!



2. Use a waterpik. Using a waterpik has REALLY helped me out. It gets those hard to get to places that your tooth brush can't reach. I HIGHLY recommend that you purchase one if you have braces.

3. Get a bag that fits in your purse and fill it with a toothbrush, proxy, wax, and Tylenol. IT WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!
(Also, make sure to keep your wax close after you get your braces put on or have them tightened. If you don't, you'll wish you had xD)

4. DON'T TAKE WHITENING TREATMENT WHILE YOU ARE WEARING BRACES. Your teeth will get white, all except that part of the tooth that is under your bracket, so it will look quite silly when you get your braces removed. So wait to have your whitening treatment until AFTER you get your braces off.

5. Take Tylenol or Ibuprofen about an hour before your orthodontist appointments. It helps A LOT!

6.  Just take care of them. I know that is a broad category, but it's the best one I have. The better you take care of your braces, the faster you can get them off!!!

 

Hopefully these tips have helped you out (I know they've sure helped me out). And remember time goes by fast. I feel like I just had my braces put on, but it's going on a year. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
I am so excited to get my braces off. NEXT YEAR, GUYS!!! YAY!!!


 



Do/did you have braces? When do/did you get yours? When do/did you get them taken off? Do you use any of these tips? Do you have any other tips I didn't mention? 



20 comments

  1. Thanks for posting this! This will be helpful because I get braces in a month or so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so welcome, Beth!! <3 Hope it helps :)

      Delete
    2. That's cool Beth! ~Alice~

      Delete
  2. Braces were actually the most miserable experience ever, oh my gosh. The flashbacks were so real reading this post. XD That's really funny that you hated the spacers but didn't mind the braces- The spacers didn't bother me a bit, but the braces basically had me in tears. So bad. So, so bad. Thank the Lord that phase is over. xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no, really? Well, I bet that you're happy that you don't have them anymore xD
      Yeah, I don't quite understand myself. THE SPACERS WERE A NIGHTMARE, but I honestly don't mind braces, although I am counting the months until I can get them off!!! xD

      Delete
  3. You're posts are so fun to read, even if they are just about braces. XD I never had them and don't need them (thank you God for good teeth) but I know a couple people who did. It was fun to read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH MY THANK YOU!!! That's great, Libby May!! All of my siblings needed braces except one of my sisters. *shakes head* WHY?!?! xD
      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  4. First off, your blog is so cute! :D

    And secondly, I love this post so much. I got braces a couple of months ago, and I wish I had read something like this before hand.

    I actually can eat all of those foods that I'm not suppose to, because I have a water pick, it's pretty amazing, because I adore popcorn and eat it once a week for dinner (it's a family tradition), so I can't imagine not eating it! :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. awwww thank you so much, Gray Marie!! <333
      That's great! I LOVE popcorn (especially kettle corn xD) and I cannot wait until I can eat it again!!!
      Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  5. Hi Maddy
    Cute blog!
    I got my braces off almost 2 years ago!
    I have a tip you didn't mention! youshould ALWAYS have a lip-balm on hand, When I had braces my lips would get SUPER dry(But Mabey that was only me!) :)
    Love your blog!
    ~ALICE~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anita
      Thank you!
      Great tip!! My lips are ALWAYS dry and I'm CONSTANTLY putting lip balm on.
      awwwww thanks! <3

      Delete
  6. Oh cool! I also got braces in November 2016. I should have them for 13 more months. Funny, the spacers didn't bother me at all! But braces definitely do haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WOW THAT IS SO NEAT!!! So you're almost half way done with you braces? That is SO EXCITING!!
      I'm starting to notice that lots of people have more problems with the braces than with the spacers. It's so funny how everybody is different!! :D

      Delete
  7. Rosalyn Rooney10/19/2017

    Those are some great tips! Since my sister had braces, I saw her do all that! I guess if I ever get them, I have loads to "look forward to!" :D:D
    How long have you had braces on? I've probably asked this sometime, but I can't remember! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!!! Yep you have LOTS to look forward to! haha!! xD
      I've had my braces almost a year. I got them put on November of 2016 and I'm hoping to get them off before I graduate high school next year, but we'll see what happens!!

      Delete
  8. I'm probably getting braces sometime this year, and this cleared up quite a few questions I had! Thanks so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad it helped, Ella Marie!! <3333

      Delete
    2. Hello! You have a really nice blog! Maddy sent me over here... my little sister Abby (she's 12) just got braces a month ago and was looking for tips. So Maddy sent me over here for tips! She read this and said it was a huge help! I am the second oldest of 17 kids soon to be the second oldest of 23 kids!!! In June mom is having 6 more babies (5 girls and 1 boy)!!! I can't wait! most of us older kids had braces. We were able to give her some tips but we wondered if there were some we missed so we've been asking for tips. This Post helped a ton! Love, Julia

      Delete
    3. Hello Julia!!!
      I'm so happy that y'all found the post helpful!! :)
      WOW THAT'S A LOT OF KIDS!! That's exciting about the new siblings :D

      Delete
    4. I'm happy it was a help too! It is a lot of kids but it's always fun as you always have someone to play with or hang out with. Do you have any siblings? The babies names are going to be, Brooklynn, Brailee, David, Bayleigh (Bailey Just spelled differently since we like this spelling better��) Brianna, and Bristol. Have a great day!!!

      Delete

kind words are worth much and cost little. so leave me a comment and make my day!

© little bit of sunshine. Design by FCD.