Re: Digest Number 3126

[Guest guest]

Hey Diane,

We seem to be at the exact same place, timing wise! I had my braces put on

my bottom teeth last Thursday, along with the spacers. I was doing great

until later in the evening...I pre-medicated with Alleve, and once that wore

off, I got very sore. I continued to take Alleve, and was pretty miserable

and had trouble eating and had a bit of pain. I finally figured out (3 days

later) that Advil worked better than Alleve for my mouth pain. Monday, I

finally started to feel somewhat human again...Thursday, I'll have the

braces put on my back teeth. eeep! I'm not looking forward to that, my back

teeth are the only semi- usable ones right now. All of my teeth are pretty

tender-feeling right now.

The good news though, is that I have no trouble playing hockey w/ my braces.

I just wax the heck out of them, and I'm good to go. yay! The worst part

about contemplating these surgeries is the interruption in my hockey

schedules....must plan around the season! :-)

Philadelphia

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Subject: Re: Braces (to )

Hey, - Seems I'm answering alot of your posts today! There is a

great website for adults with braces called

www.archwired.com<http://www.archwired.com/>. It

can answer alot of your questions and there are message boards too.

As na has stated, your teeth will hurt alot in the beginning. If

your OD puts continuous force wires on, you will feel constant

pressure on your teeth. Your teeth will hurt only because they are

being loosened within your jawbone. These special archwires move your

teeth faster than regular wires. My OD uses these on all his

patients. You will see changes in the first few weeks, which will

help your morale. My OD has changed my archwires at every adjustment

appointment, and that is how I know that I'm progressing right along.

na is correct: stay away from hard and chewy foods like nuts,

popcorn, raw vegetables (cut these in small pieces and chew in back

only), french bread, pizza crusts, hard candy, ice, caramels (and

other similar candy), bagels, corn on the cob, etc. Also, minimize

sugar intake: eat less of cake, cookies, candy, and drink less pop

and drinks with sugar. One thing to mention about popcorn: my OD has

okayed popcorn for me but only a type I purchase on

qvc.com<http://qvc.com/>that has

virtually few hulls and " old-maids " , and he told me to be very

careful. The most uncomfortable part for me was the spacers; they

didn't hurt but just the sensation of having something stuck in

between my teeth drove me crazy. Luckily they are only in for a week;

any longer and I would be removing them! Remember that you are not

alone; we are all going thru some phase of this " fun " ! Take care and

try not to worry about the braces, okay?~~~ Diane (Idaho)--- In