Did you ever wear braces as a child? Was your mouth ever full of metal?
I was fortunately spared of this metal jungle in my mouth. My teeth aren’t perfect, but I didn’t have major gaps or crooked teeth either. So, when my son’s dentist told him that he needed braces 3 years ago, I was learning about braces for the first time.
The experience was all new to me, and the process is still ongoing. But, now when I look at braces, I can actually associate to them the stress and pain. When the braces were first installed, my son’s gums were irritated and he had a sore mouth for almost two weeks. Seeing him suffer through that was tough, so I could only imagine that his gums reacting was his mouth’s way of saying, “I don’t like them!”
Whenever he ate something sticky, long or tough, those food items would get stuck in his braces. Sometimes they were lodged in pretty deep. We always stressed about flossing because the electric toothbrush really doesn’t clean everything out and flossing was like sewing for your teeth. Who needs to spend a whole half-an-hour brushing their teeth! Seriously!?!
Although my son’s teeth look much straighter now, I always wondered when I think back to my friends if the whole process was worth it. I guess within a few years, I’ll find out that answer.