The first week: Anna

Well, all I can say is ouch!! This is the end of my 3 rd day in braces-the last 2 of which I have spent at work! So yesterday it still all felt very alien in my mouth-I was a bit self conscious going to work, but everyone was really nice and it helped that Dee was the first person I saw! About 5 people told me they wanted braces during the course of the day!!
 So...eating! Yesterday I ate weetabix, soup and yogurt as my teeth were quite tender and a bit numb! But during the afternoon the insides of my cheeks were feeling pretty raw and I'd forgotten to take the dental wax with me!! It comes in little strips which you break off and press over the offending sharp/pointing/irritating part off the brace, so that's its soft and round.  Luckily I was able to go home and grab it-what a relief! Have just ordered 2 more boxes of it! I was given a little box with 5 strips in-I've used 1 strip already, but its definitely a necessity. The reason I didn't initially put it on, was because I thought my cheeks would just have to toughen up! But by the afternoon, talking was very sore-so wax it was!! I put them on the metal brackets on the back teeth and on all but the front 4 teeth as the the tabs sticking out the bottom were causing most of the problems!! I managed to sort of eat lasagne, by basically sucking it!! And the wine and Codeine (probably not safe to consume together!!) helped too!!
This morning I woke, felt OK, then realised my mouth felt swollen! when I looked in the mirror-I think it looked like i had those dental rolls high up under my top lip-or collagen fillers gone a little wrong (think Leslie Ash)! Talk about pout!! So today has been a routine of pain killers (codeine little and often REALLY helps, plus diclofenac and paracetamol), removing dental wax (ouch) to eat, consuming weetabix/soup, brushing, flossing and then replacing the wax, followed by bonjela!! When I actually inspected the inside of my cheeks-I have 2 huge ulcers!! Luckily a colleague gave me Igloo-which is some kind of sticky barrier-great stuff!Will definitely be buying that tomorrow!!
So, to sum up today, ulcers and swelling inside my cheeks, causing a pout!! But less problems with my upper lip getting stuck up over the braces when I smile and then having to do some weird tongue sweep to free it!! I can also feel a little ulcer brewing on my tongue!!! But I felt much less self conscious about it today!! However, 6 months is sounding like a VERY long time at the moment and I honestly don't know how people go out and eat! Anything more solid than soup ends up everywhere-including weetabix!! Oh well, onwards!! Only 25 days until my next appointment for wire changing!! I really hope the first week is the worst and that the ulcers and swellings will be gone by the end of the week!! The tooth tenderness and numbness I can cope with-which is all that a change to a tighter wire should bring-I HOPE!!
Anna