It’s been almost 4 months since I got braces. So far, it takes longer than almost 4 months for me to adjust to braces. I wish that weren’t the case. It’s not the case for most folks. But like all the other ways I’m a super special, unique little snowflake — this way is really dumb.
It’s not that my teeth hurt. That only happens the first few days after adjustments, and honestly the pain from that is mild at the worst. It’s not even braces cutting into my lips. I don’t have a problem with sharp wires poking my cheeks. Heck the few times a wire did get squirrelly, I went back to the orthodontist and they were able to clip/bend it immediately.
Nope, for me, the issue is my tongue. It just can’t seem to leave the sharp brackets alone. I can either consciously think about not fiddling with my braces all day long, or I can do things like “my job”, or “living life.” Ironically, the reason I GOT braces in the first place is because at night my tongue would play with my incorrectly healed tooth and flay itself open while I slept. Cutting itself and rubbing itself raw on the sharp braces during the day seems like a lateral move at best.
Thankfully, wax seems to help. Most folks put a bit of wax here or there to cover up sharp wires or to cover the brackets where they’ve cut into their lip or cheek. But not me. I use 2 full “bars” of wax and line the entirety of my bracketed mouth with a layer of smooth, wonderful wax. The only problem is that it’s not really possible to eat anything with wax covering all of your braces. It falls off, and you get a very waxy meal. So every time I need to eat, I peel off the wax. And then after I eat, I brush my teeth to clean the unbelievable amount of food out of my braces, and then “rewax” myself.
The orthodontist assured me applying wax doesn’t hurt anything. I don’t think he realizes just how much and how often I apply wax, but hey, it’s either that or pry the brackets off in a fit of rage some afternoon. Also, while the office does offer free wax to their clients, I can’t bring myself to fill my pockets with orthodontic wax every time I drive by. It would be like the naughty kids at the saddest halloween candy bowl ever.
Wax, wonderfully, is cheap. You can buy it at the local store, but it’s not super cheap there. Online however, it’s possible to get huge quantities for reasonable prices. And so I have more wax than any sane person should ever need. And I’ll likely have to buy more soon.
I just wish I had something clever to do with all those empty plastic containers that the wax comes in…
Those plastic containers are oddly adorbs, right?