Blog Everyday in May, Day 2--Do's and Don'ts of Dental Braces in a Nutshell

Hello ladies and gents~

Today's Blog Everyday in May Challenge is to educate everyone on something I know a lot about or something that I'm good at.

I had to really rack my brain on this one because I simply did not know what to blog about!  I could easily do something beauty related but I thought it would be a lot more fun to write about something completely different.  My boyfriend and I threw ideas back and forth before this popped into my head: braces.

I had braces for a little over two years in attempt to correct my overbite.  It never did get corrected and it has gotten a little worse since I stopped wearing retainers (more about that later).  Rather than be your wikipedia on braces, I decided to list some tips/facts about braces.

1.  You need to brush your teeth.  All the time.  Gunk gets stuck up in those brackets very very easily.
2.  Learn to breathe out of your nose instead of your mouth.  This will make appointments seem a lot less like torture.
3. If you have kids and are thinking about putting them in braces, try to do it while they're in middle school or at the beginning of high school.  I think this is when we tend to be less self conscious and it's a lot easier to ship them to their regular appointments when they still live at home.
4. Try not to get hit in the face.  Just try.  Or the brackets will cut up the inside of your lip.  I did have a volleyball smack right in the mouth and it gave me a nice cut right on top of this huge canker sore I had in my mouth.  Glorious, no?
5. While you're trying not to get hit in the face, it also may not be a good idea to kiss anyone else with braces.
6. Try not to overdose yourself on pain meds.  Your tolerance for pain may be stronger than you think.  Just think of it as training for when you give birth.
7. Do NOT chew gum.  It's not worth it.  Especially the super sticky kind that will get stuck IN your brackets.  If that happens, I have no idea how you get it off.  Good luck.
8. Do not bite the person tightening up your brackets.  He/she may get angry at you and inflict more pain than necessary.
9. Do try to eat more soft foods.  You don't need to make the experience any more painful than you need to.
10. Carry a toothbrush and toothpaste around.  Maybe some floss too.  Food gets lodged into those brackets very easily.

Well there you have it, folks--dental braces in a nutshell!  I hope you all find this mildly amusing, but helpful.  Have a great day!