If you're into scrapbooking, your time with braces may be one of those moments you may wish to preserve. Key points you might want to include in a scrapbook: getting your braces on; visits to the orthodontist; getting your braces removed; before and after.
Here are some links to FREE scrapbook stuff (some of them are for digital scrapbooking, but can still be printed for use in your traditional scrapbooks) :
For me, flossing with braces has been a real pain in the butt... and I'm almost certain most of my fellow bracefaces feel the same way. In my quest to find the easiest way to floss, I've tried several products... Here's my reviews on what I've tried:
Waterpik Waterflosser Cordless
When I first got my braces on, the Waterpik came highly recommended by my orthodontist. With a hose that blasts plaque and food debris from between the teeth, this product seems to be a no brainer for people with braces. But, instead of buying the traditional countertop version of the Waterpik, I decided to go with the portable, Waterpix Waterflosser Cordless model--it was cheaper, and seemed more convenient... boy, I can almost hear my mother--"You get what you pay for!"
Review: I did not like this product. My main problem with it is that the reservoir that holds the water is too small (of course I think that's what they were going for... being that it is the portable version of their bestseller), so as soon as I started to spray the water, it was empty... I mean, I hadn't even cleaned between like 3 of my teeth before it was out of water! Another problem I remember having with this product, is that the head of it swivels all around making it impossible to control where you want the water to go. Lastly, the water reservoir is harder to keep clean because it's so small. With the other Waterpik, you have a large tank that you could easily get into and clean if you needed to... not this one. If it gets dirty, you will not be able to scrub inside of it. I had accidentally left a little water in the reservoir for a few days... it got real nasty up in there! When I tried using it again, I could taste something foul in the water... yuck!
If you're going to go with a Waterpik, get one of their bigger models like the Waterpik Ultra Flosser. I can't say that I've tried one (probably should have), but based on the 3 teeth I was able to get to with their smaller model, I'd say it cleans well. The issues I had with the cordless Waterpik don't exist with their bigger model. Plus, I've known quite a few people who own one and are very satisfied with it.
Threaders
After giving up on my little portable Waterpik, I decided to go back to flossing the old fashioned way. In my "welcome to braces bag" the orthodontist gave me, there were a bunch of threaders. If you haven't used threaders before, here's a video (I figured it would be easier to show you instead of trying to describe it):
Tip: The directions that come with the threaders say to thread the floss, and once you pull it under the wire, pull it out of the threader (as shown in the video)... they basically want you to re-thread for each tooth! I say this is a waste of time--do it that way, if you feel like threading it like 30 more times! Instead, tie the floss in a knot around the threader ... that way you don't have to keep threading it.
Review: If you have braces, threaders are probably the cheapest and one of the most effective ways to floss your teeth. But there's just one thing... It's time consuming! Threaders are the reason I am constantly looking for "a better way" to floss my teeth. What can I say... they do the job, but require more effort than most people are willing to put up with (especially on a daily basis). I don't care to floss regularly with them, but they are good to have around to get to those hard to reach places.
Oral B Glide Threader Floss
Floss with a stiffened end (which takes the place of needing to thread your floss).
Review:I bought into this because I thought it was so much easier than just using floss with threaders. Wrong! As I explained earlier, threaders can be left attached to the floss the whole time you are flossing. So, yes this product is effective, but it is a little on the expensive side (as far as floss goes)... I don't need to pay extra for the pointy end it comes with when I can buy better quality floss and just thread it myself. In the end, using Oral B Glide Threader Floss takes the same amount of time to floss teeth as the floss with threaders do. No bueno!
Plackers Orthopick
I wanted to buy some orthodontic flossers, but they are normally hard to find in stores. Without even looking (was shopping for toothpaste), I stumbled across these wonderful flossers.
Review: Out of everything I have tried to floss my teeth with, I liked the Plackers Orthopick the best. This flossers arm is narrow, unlike regular flossers, so it fits easily under most archwires. They are also well made, with strong floss that resists shredding. So you would think my search for the best way to floss would stop here, right? Nope... I had one problem with this product and it was a major one... I was only able to floss my top row of teeth :-( This was because my orthodontist put a special twisted wire on my bottom row (I guess that's where the good old floss and threader comes in handy). I don't think for most people with braces this will be an issue, but it might be. If you have braces, I still think these flossers are worth a try.
Dentek Braces Clean Floss Picks
A few days later I was shopping at Target, and to my surprise, I found these flossers. The arms on them seemed to look narrower than it's competitor, Plackers Orthopick, so I thought, what the heck.
I got braces mainly to correct a crossbite... I also had some other issues... I had a baby tooth (at the age of 29) that had been loose for years, and my 2 top front teeth were slightly bucked. But I'll talk about that other stuff later. Back to crossbites! I was actually told by my orthodontist that crossbites are uncommon. A crossbite can be just one tooth or a group of teeth on your top row that fall behind your bottom row of teeth... the opposite of an overbite. Here's what mine sort of looked like:
From what I've read, crossbites are usually hereditary, but can also be caused by thumb/finger sucking (me), or enlarged tonsils, or delayed loss of a baby tooth (also me), or a tooth that grows in abnormally, or mouth breathing, or doing handstands... ok, sorry... that last one was a little joke.
I noticed as I got older, my crossbite seemed to worsen. My dentist referred me to an orthodontist. I wondered how braces would be able to correct my bite problem. I mean, all I knew was that braces push teeth in (of course I now know they can do so much more than that). Well, in my ignorance, the orthodontist proceeded to tell me that to correct my crossbite, I would need to have SURGERY... ahhhhhhhh!!!! At that point, I just wanted to forget the whole thing. The orthodontist explained to me that crossbites are better corrected during childhood-- because your palatal bones (in the roof of your mouth) have not yet fused together. When you have a crossbite, the orthodontist will usually place an expander in your mouth so your arch can easily be pushed wider... this will allow your upper row of teeth to sit the way they are supposed to. Problem is, for us adults, it ain't always that easy--once those palatal bones have closed, it makes it harder to correct the crossbite... and that's where the SUURRRGERY (in my horror movie voice) comes in. First, I would need to see an oral surgeon who would cut my fused palatal bone to make it 2 again (ouch!)... then, I would need to wear the expander, and eventually braces--YIKES!
Just because I am an adult with a crossbite doesn't necessarily mean surgery is my fate?
I had to get a second opinion, and a then a third-- heck, braces aren't cheap... and the talk of surgery didn't necessarily have me jumping for joy. Both the 2nd and 3rd orthodontist claimed that my crossbite could be fixed without surgery (because my crossbite was slight), and for a lot less money. So I ended up going with the 3rd orthodontist's treatment plan, because she was the cheapest, and had the cleanest office, and the experience, and you guessed it... she said, "NO SURGERY."
Here I am today... I am quite happy with the decision I made. I am still wearing my braces, but my orthodontist has successfully corrected my crossbite. How? Ok, here's where that baby tooth comes in... I had a baby tooth in my bottom row of teeth... after it was removed, the space it left behind was closed... which allowed for my top row of teeth to better overlap my bottom row. I wore elastics that hooked from the backs of my uppers to the front hooks on my lowers. Even though the elastics are a pain in the butt, they have been instrumental in correcting my bite.
I was surfing the web today and I accidentally stumbled across something really quite funny to me...
This colorful jewelry isn't for your mouth... they're called Braced-lets--they are actual bracelets made from orthodontic materials! I don't know if I would wear this interesting piece of jewelry, but I think it's kind of cleaver and cute. Kids might enjoy them :-#
Seeing pictures of celebs with braces is not something you come across often. That's why I was really surprised to see these pictures. I guess what amazes me about it, is that with all the resources these celebs have... I would've thought they would choose something more discreet to fix their teeth, but they decided to do it the old fashioned way. It's like seeing a billionaire shopping at the 99cent store (not that there's anything wrong with the 99cent store, or braces for that matter). I actually love the 99cent store... and I prefer braces over veneers, or some of the other methods that are popular in Hollywood for fixing a smile. I know that for a lot celebs braces are not an option--between their busy schedules, and the fact that they are in a profession that stresses the importance of image... but for me, seeing these celebs with braces shows their real side... with flaws, and not just perfect out of the box people-- and the fact that they have chosen braces, says they're not afraid to show that. :-#
It's a miracle... That gap my orthodontist created just a few weeks ago has disappeared! Ok... so maybe it's not so much of a miracle... more so the work of the Mighty Morphin Powerchain! :-#
As you may have read previously, my orthodontist put me back into elastics. I hate to use the word hate, but... I just really don't like them very much.
When I first began my orthodontic treatment, I was wearing elastics all the time. They are so annoying-they pop me in my lips when I open my mouth too wide; I always have to remember to put them back on; eating with them in sucks; they hurt like hell for a good week after my braces have been adjusted; they just look plain crazy...
Hmmmm... now that I think of it... I guess I really shouldn't express too much dislike for those stretchy, rubber misfits... I mean without them, correcting my crossbite would've been difficult... so I guess they're not all that terrible. When you think about it... better to deal with the elastics temporarily, than to wear the braces, well... longer. :-#
