Surviving braces

Remember Donkey from Shrek? Yes, the talking donkey who turns out to be an annoying yet faithful companion and family friend to Shrek, his princess and their little kids. Remember his smile? No? Let me help you there then. This is what Donkey's smile was like:

My smile was 97.65% similar to that. Big teeth that was angled outwards (a lot more outward that Donkey's) was too much for a person who has self esteem that's the size of a golf ball to take. Okay I wasn't exactly bawling till my eye balls fell out or refusing to appear in public, but I did get conscious. With time, my teeth angled outwards even more! I could not smile with my mouth closed and taking passport photographs became a nightmare.

The solution was always there - get orthodontic braces. The problem was that these were too expensive (around 15 - 20 thousand Dirhams). Another problem was: I was shy. Yes, my constantly exposed teeth were making me conscious but the thought of how I would look in braces didn't help my self esteem too much. At the age of 21 I got a full time job and was able to afford my own orthodontic treatment, but I was 21! People normally got their braces in middle school and a lot of them were done by high school. Here I was finished with university and in a full time job working with adults. None of these hesitations make sense to me now as I type this, but at the time, it was the end of the world (and being a Sri Lankan didn't help either - we add higher levels of drama to spice up every normal act of life)!

I started reading blogs and forums about people's own experiences with braces and found out that there were a lot of people out there who started their orthodontic treatment after the age of 40! Suddenly, my age didn't seem to matter. Of course, with lots of encouragement came lots of horror stories too. Think along the lines of crying all day and all night, not being able to get any sleep, bullying, losing weight, spilling tears of blood, unable to chew or eat, regret and financial problems. I started to get scared. Again.

But I still went for it. My orthodontist said I needed 4 teeth to be extracted and the treatment would last 2 years (not including time with retainers) but I was comfortable with the doctor and he seemed to really know what he was doing. Plus, he had a great reputation and the price was extremely reasonable (still burning a hole in my wallet - but a small hole). Thankfully I found out that those horror stories didn't really apply to me. There was discomfort and embarrassment, but I didn't have to dig a hole and bury myself like I thought I would. Here are a few tips I discovered to be useful:

1. Iced tea or ice cream: or anything cold for that matter. It helps sooth the gums and makes the pain go away for a little while. Iced tea will become your new best friend (and they come in different flavors too!)
2. Soft food: On my 2nd day I was ambitious enough to bring rice for lunch. I mean, rice is soft enough, right? Wrong! It's soft, but not soft enough. If you're still going to go with rice make sure it's mushy and well, over-cooked really. Imagine you're cooking for a baby - mostly mashed food and liquids. You can add flavors you wouldn't normally add for babies of course. Try and stay away from hard biscuits, nuts, fizzy drinks or too much candy. Cut fruits into smaller, bite size pieces.
3. Orajel: or any other pain killer. I don't use any tablets because I have an extremely sensitive tummy (an embarrassment to extra spicy food eating Sri lankans. Did I tell you I almost got my citizenship revoked for it?) but Orajel is applied externally on the gums to numb it temporarily. It is used for children as well, so should be safe but I wouldn't recommend anything without first consulting with your doctor. I used it mainly before going to sleep so that I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night in discomfort. 
4. Sleep: Get as much sleep/rest as you can. It actually helps to deal with the whole pain/discomfort scene.
5. Brush: Make sure you carry a travel size tooth brush and toothpaste with you. Brush your teeth regularly, even if you are at the office, a restaurant or a friend's house. It is a bit awkward in the beginning, but you'll get used to it and honestly, no body cares about us spitting out toothpaste into the sink as much as we think they do. Make an alcohol-free mouthwash your new best friend. You do not want to have food stuck in between those braces!
6. Colours: I stuck to plain silver because I thought it would be unprofessional to have brackets filled with different colours on my teeth as I spoke to clients or management. Turns out, it wasn't! I was actually encouraged by one of my senior co-workers to "live a little" and at least get coloured braces. I went all wild and opted for green (my favorite colour) and turns out everyone at work loved it! They help me pick out a new colour every month now! Do try and feel what the norm is like at your work place though before you opt for flashy pink this month. 
7. Experiences: Getting used to having metal stuck on your teeth can take some getting used to. Being seen in public with metal stuck on your teeth can take even more getting used to. You will be surprised at the number of people who have either had or know people who have the procedure done though. They will have their own stories, experiences and tips to share. A lot of them will even sympathize with your pain and wince at your complains. It's all rather comforting actually.
8. Do it with someone: This is not possible for everyone, but one of the factors that really encouraged me and made it all much more bearable (not like I was going to fall to the ground in anguish and torment anyway) was that my two brothers and I embarked on this orthodontics treatment journey together. We all couldn't eat solid food for a while, all complained of discomfort, all rejoiced when we could eat and felt no discomfort, all went for our monthly check-up together. In a way, it sort of became a bonding session.
   
9. Smile: As self conscious as you feel about your teeth and the metal brackets, colourful plastic and wire on them, smile wholeheartedly. It only makes you look more beautiful. Really. People would appreciate a genuine smile a lot more than a covered one. Flash everyone a gorgeous, loving smile!

The whole pain/discomfort and eating cold or soft food thing doesn't last for more than the first 2 or 3 days after the monthly dentist visit so it's really not too bad (in comparison to the thought of staying up all night crying for 2 years!!!). I'm still on my journey with braces (8 months this October - another 16 months to go!) and will come back to add more tips and tricks I pick up along the way. If you have any of your own, please do share.

Have a smiley day!