There is relief!

So its been a little over a week since I had the braces put on and I cannot believe they still are so sensitive. The best thing that has helped me has been Ibuprofen every 6 hours and wax. I think the worst part truly is all the scratching!  I feel like my cheeks are battling against all the wires/brackets and inevitably the wires/brackets always wins. (Sigh!)
It still is very had to bite down and especially now that my teeth are beginning to shift. Its amazing how quickly the teeth are shifting. I can already feel my bite changing whenever I bite down, its a crazy feeling when you've been biting down for so many years and now to have things change...its pretty cool.

Just remember its so early on, so use the wax. Its not worth losing the battle and trying to push through it.
The best is yet to come...maybe the pain will get better...tis all in due time!

Found another great brace friendly recipe:

Soy simmer chicken wraps

Ingredients

• 3 boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 large onions, chunked
• Small flour tortillas (pkg. of ten) wheat or white
• (optional: 10-16 oz. of cooked chopped broccoli)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 2 Tablespoons peach or apricot jam
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

In a slow cooker, or a large pan on the stove, layer the onions and the chicken breast. Allow at least three hours in the slow cooker on medium, or at least one hour on the stove---the longer the better, but you don’t have to do anything to it while it cooks. Spoon out the chicken onto a cutting board, and with a knife and fork, shred the chicken as finely as you’d like. In a small saucepan, stir all sauce ingredients together over medium heat until the mixture starts bubbling, then let it simmer for five minutes on low heat to thicken. In a serving bowl, stir sauce and onion into chicken; if you’d like, add cooked chopped broccoli. Makes about six to eight servings.

It's got to get worse before it gets better~

The pain started today but it wasn't as bad as I expected. It was a few aches, pains and sensitivity and I recommend ensuring to take mortin every 4 hours. Keeping the pain under control is very important for the first few week.
Wax has saved my life! On each point in the back of my mouth where the last bracket is it has caused scratching/sores but as soon as I applied wax it instantly cured the scratching.

Another important thing to remember is what you eat. Making sure to eat something that doesn't cause you to chew too much is key. I included a wonderful recipe that is delicious .
Let me know what you think of the recipe and I will try to post as many "Brace Friendly" recipes as I can!

Happy Eating with Braces!!

Best Baked Spaghetti

[printer friendly]

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped or 1 Tablespoon dried onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
• ½ cup Burgundy or merlot wine (Burgundy gives a deeper flavor)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup grated American cheese, about 4 slices, or ½ cup grated mild cheddar cheese
• ½ lb. dry spaghetti, broken in half

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large no-stick frying pan or Dutch over, sauté meat, onion and garlic. Add tomato sauce, wine, oregano, sugar and salt. Simmer, cover, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (It really makes a difference if you can take this amount of time! Otherwise 20 minutes will serve to heat everything.) Cook spaghetti and drain. Put half the spaghetti in a greased 3-quart casserole, and then add half the sauce and ¼ cup of the grated cheese. Add the remaining spaghetti and sauce, and stir everything with a large spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Best if baked for 45 minutes at 350°. Makes about six to eight servings.

It Starts!!

 I stepped into the comfortable, clean office sat in a relaxed reclined position and was nicely covered with a cotton throw and realize I'm about to take 12 years off of my life.
All in all it was pretty painless and easy, I almost fell asleep a time or two. It was a bit uncomfortable but not painful and the worst part were the cheek re-tractors, nothing like having your cheeks stretched for an hour. But the braces went on and I couldn't be more excited to start the process, I even made sure they took pictures right before the braces went on so I could log the last time with my crooked smile! 


                                                                       It Starts!

                                                              Etching/Cleaning Teeth

                                                      Dr. Jill Bruno and Gisblet hard at work

                                                                                                       BRACES!!!

Jill J Bruno, DMD, MSEd, LLC

www.brunosmiles.com

The beginning of a Journey!

Remember the famous question..."If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?" Well my answer hasn't changed much since I was a teen, its my teeth. Its one of those things that diet and exercise cannot change or else I would of attempted that New Years Resolution years ago. But the older I get the more I realize how important it is to take the plunge and do things for yourself. I have been getting the push from my general dentist since I was 20, as my jaw and bite are misaligned so I realize the issue. The crowding has made it so difficult to keep my teeth clean let alone but the bite has caused so many other issues including two root canals. The wisdom teeth are gone and I'm ready for "My Tin Grin!" :)

So here I go- start on my two year journey tomorrow! Crazy to think about, and I'm sure it will seem like an eternity - but when it's all done, it will be worth it. Two years vs. the rest of my life with the smile I've always desired. I'll try to update this each time I have an appt. with photos. I'll be glad when this is all over. :)

In preparation I feel like gummy bears and starburst are in order for dinner tonight!

Jill J Bruno, DMD, MSEd, LLC

www.brunosmiles.com