Stupid Braces...
 

So I have to get this off my chest. Warning, it's a bit long...

Two months ago I got braces.

Yes... Dreaded metal brackets and pain galore, little torture devices meant to turn self-conscious smirks into dazzling smiles. (I damn very well will complain about how much they suck because I purchased them with my own money). So while I'm excited for a nice smile, I'm also wishing that these things didn't hurt like ****.

Yesterday I got my bottom brackets on. I had to get 5 teeth removed the month before (Baby teeth that had no adult teeth under them, all located in the same spot in each quadrant of my mouth and one extra tooth next to my canine. I know, I win so hard at the dental lottery). The top brackets left my teeth a bit sore but I figured I could live with it, and if the bottom brackets were this painful it wouldn't so bad having the arch wire changed over the course of treatment.

DEAD EFFING WRONG. The bottom hurts so so so bad and the wire created ulcers in my mouth. At about 12:30am I couldn't take it anymore. I got up looking for my dental wax and COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE CASE. I must have bought at least five and not one was in plain sight. So I grabbed my keys, stormed out of the house, and drove my *** to the nearest 24 hour grocery store to pick of an analgesic and wax. I walked to the checkout and realized... I LEFT MY BANK CARD AT HOME!!! Now I was livid, shaking in pure rage and pain. I drove back to the house, reached into my jeans, grabbed my card and sped back to the store to repurchase my items except this time I grabbed a pint hagan daz 5 lemon.

I've never been an emotional eater. I rarely even have ice-cream, but last night I could have killed something for a taste of something decadent and cold. As soon as I got home I popped that pint open, scooped out a 3rd of a cup, and sat down and nearly cried at how AWESOME the cold felt on my inflamed gums. I rubbed ambesol on my teeth, put on the wax, and passed out.

This morning I started logging in my calories from dinner and that blissful ice-cream retreat thinking that I had completely blown my diet but I surprisingly barely made it to 1200 calories. Not good but eating is so painful and I would rather be a bit under than over. Plus measuring out a portion of ice-cream kept it pretty reasonable.

So... There it is... Am I crazy? Has anyone else tried losing weight with braces before?

I didn't *try* but I was a total wuss and pretty much only had a liquid diet for weeks so I lost weight by default. The same happened with my wisdom teeth which was a bit more useful as the worst of it happened in the month or so before my wedding, and losing weight before that was of course a plus. Anyway, I didn't try to choose healthy options exactly, but the limited diet definitely contributed to some weight loss.

It's almost like you're guaranteed to lose weight, eating sucks. I whimped out eat a banana this morning... A BANANA!

I have had braces twice and each time I thought I would manage to lose a bit...nope lol I think because I was in pain made me more prone to eating. Oh well, my teeth look nice at least lol

Oh man that sucks so bad! I had braces for a long time, I feel you on the ulcers. You can try gargling and washing your mouth out with salt water, apparently that helps toughen it up and keep those ulcers clean :) Sounds like even though you were in pain and totally hacked off you still had the sense to measure out your ice cream, that kind of cool headedness will get you through! And the pain does get better :) If it doesnt, totally talk to your orthodontist, maybe they tightened them a little too enthusiastically

I'm going to get braces next year ... (in March). I had one when I was 15 but it was too painful for me at that time so hopefully 10 years later it won't be that bad .... (pray)