Braces update

[sky_hye]

Last Wednesday, one week after getting those evil screws in my jaws, I went in for more gear at the orthodontist. The lower screws were still causing far too much pain, so they left those alone and installed the upper lingual arch; then connected elastics between the screw heads that protrude from my hard palate and the arch-attached molars. I was looking forward to Wednesday, because I was suffering badly from those scratching horns digging into my tongue. I wasn't sleeping, and speech and eating was unbearable. I was in major hide-under-a-rock mode and couldn't work. My hope was that the new attachments would smooth surfaces and provide some relief. Once the new gear was in place, my tongue felt around and discovered a bird cage in my mouth! OMG! I was kidding when I told people I hoped they wouldn't stick a bird cage in there, but in fact, that is the closest comparison I can make to this! The zigzaging wire is set off from the roof of my mouth keeping my tongue from rolling out a swallow. Pill taking is impossible. When I eat, food gets all hung up between the gear and the roof of my mouth. I can't swallow things like, for example, a squashed blueberry. It just gets stopped along the way. I end up having to spit something like that out. If it isn't fundamentally mush, I can't eat it. I haven't been able to chew at all for some time, so this change is not as dramatic as it would be if I actually could chew before. Before at least, I ate like I was swallowing pills. Now that isn't even possible. My speech is bizarre. Try talking with a bit in your mouth. That is sort of what this is like. The horns are now covered and smoother, but one has a minute structure that still cuts at my tongue. It is more painful to speak and eat than it was before. I just tried jamming bee's wax into the crevices to smooth it and this may provide some relief. I'm not sure yet.

I am promised that I will adjust to this. Okay. I believe that. In the meantime, I am losing sleep and unable to focus on work. I can't converse without hurting my tongue, and meals take five times longer than normal. We have an invitation to go to our friend's son's bar mitzvah next week, and I definitely can't do that. For important short duration things, like this upcoming interview, I know I can fill the space above the wire with a smooth dough, so I can sound normal for an hour or two. Perhaps in three weeks, I will have adjusted and won't even need that.

Time to get back under my rock.
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Comments

[submarine-bells.livejournal.com]

Ugh! My sympathies. *fingers crossed* hoping it gets better soon for you.

[sky-hye.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and now a day later, I think the bee's wax is making a difference, thank goodness!