It's the little things

It has already struck me as amazing how fast things can change. I am no where near those who have gone before regarding experiences and goals attained in the mouth department, but everyday there's some little thing of note.

For the first weeks in braces, I was too busy trying to get used to the very concept of what it actually feels like to have a mouth full of foreign substance. Did anyone else wake themselves up in the night with the outside of their lips ripped up? I found myself trying to push the braces off my teeth with my upper lip, mid-slumber and in a complete panic. There were a few conscious moments I had to tell myself to just relax and get used to it already. My mouth felt claustrophobic. Weird.

Then my front teeth, if I tried really hard, I could make them tap, tap, tap against each other. This wasn't altogether comfortable but it's like a scab you can't stop picking and I had learned a new trick! Two days later, I couldn't tap them for the life of me. In fact, I imagine myself half snake now with the new found skill of swallowing my 'prey' whole; it is impossible to make ANY of my teeth touch. Due to the cross bite on the side, my bottom teeth merely encounter the presence of the metal attached to the uppers. NOT a fun feeling when it happens unawares! The same is also true for my front teeth: Bottoms clashing on the top brackets - OUCH! My entire mouth is now an open bite. Hence the reptilian approach to nourishment.

(D'uh moment of the week: I was craving a nice garden salad and added one to the family table at supper. No sooner had I put the fork in my mouth when I cursed my stupidity. Salad really is impossible to chew if...well...you can't chew! Swallowing whole spelled instant gag, so I jumped up, threw the thing in my juicer, added a couple of carrots and ~voila! I had my salad. Not quite the same. Live and learn.)

It really are these very subtle shifts that take the mind off the nuisance of the whole process, and focusing on these changes day-by-day just might help the time pass more quickly. Baby steps.