Two Weeks in Braces

Tomorrow will be two weeks since I got the braces put on.  I will say, days 2 & 3 were pretty rough.  I had to take some Motrin, couldn't eat much without being in pain, etc.  Days 4 & 5 had some improvement.  I was able to eat soft foods without too much trouble, but still had a little pain.  I definitely couldn't bite into anything.  By day 6 & 7, I was about 80% back to normal feeling.  And by day 10 (and since then), I've been at about 95%.  I can bite into things like a piece of toast now.  I really don't think I'll feel 100% normal eating again until I get these things off.

Besides the pain, the other annoying thing is that I'm a full grown adult (supposedly), wife, mother, etc.  I think before this experience, I probably laughed a little inside every time I saw an adult with braces.  I remember when we were planning our wedding, the coordinator at our venue had braces.  She was probably in her 40s.  I remember sort of thinking, "That must suck to have braces at her age." I assume that's what people probably think when they talk to me now.  The good thing is that I don't really have that much face-to-face interaction with new people.  I see my family and friends a lot, but they all know the deal.  When I went back to the gym this week, I sort of felt the need to explain to everyone why I had braces.  I felt better to just kind of get it all out on the table instead of having them wonder what was going on but not feeling comfortable enough to ask me. I think I would be more annoyed if I worked a sales job or some kind of job where I was constantly meeting new people (and having to impress them).

Before I got the braces, I was a little scared that I was going to be sad about it, or cry when I looked in the mirror, or feel self-conscious.  I'm so glad that is not the case.  I look at them in the mirror all the time, and I don't feel upset at all.  I still smile in pictures, I still smile in real life.  I guess I just feel pretty comfortable in my own skin and I don't really care what anyone thinks about me.  I told my husband, if someone legitimately didn't want to be my friend because I had braces, they would be a terrible person and I wouldn't want to be friends with them anyway!  So I'm not missing out on much, the way I see it.  I actually kind of feel excited when I see my braces because I'm glad the ball is rolling and I'm on my way to having a normal jaw.

Also, my husband and I have kissed plenty (since the pain went away) and done plenty of husband and wife things.  I'm happy to report that he says it doesn't feel any different.  It's not like you kiss with your teeth anyway!