Braces Week 1: Spacers

I decided to commit to braces in February 2018. I realized that my crooked teeth where going to get worse as I become older. And, I would have jaw problems as an elderly woman if I didn’t take preventative action to correct my cross-bite. 

The orthodontist who I found through my insurance had my home phone number – back from 1997 in their records! My parents must have taken me to Dr. Scott Newhart twenty years ago. Of course, I don’t remember, but it touched me to reflect on my parents. Braces had been one of the things they’d wanted to do, but private school was more important at that time. Like many other aspects of my life, I am taking responsibility for the pursuits that I was unable to undertake as a child, now that I’m a financially independent adult. I want braces to help me to be more disciplined and thoughtful. 

On my first visit, the orthodontist’s assistant put in the spacers at the back of my mouth. The spacers are small nodes that create “space” in between my teeth so that the brackets slip in. In this way, they won’t have to force the equipment onto my teeth, it will just slide on. 

At first, I was just like, oh, whatever. It wasn’t until that first night with the spacers, while I was having dinner, eating tacos, that I found it so hard to eat. I forgot that I was wearing the spacers. For the first time, I felt my teeth shifting and it hurt!