Forget my complaining a couple days ago. Today I was reminded what real pain is. Ow! I changed into set 18. And immediately I knew it was going to be painful. They fit very tightly and the backs didn't seem to be quite fitting yet. Less than an hour later the backs snapped into the proper place, but as soon as I put them in they hurt. That was 6:30 this morning. It's now 11:30 pm and they still hurt. A lot. I took some ibuprofen before I left the house. And after 4 1/2 long hours of wearing them, I took them out for lunch. Chips wasn't the best lunch plan with sore teeth. But the break from them out of my mouth was lovely. Take short breaks. I'm telling you it helps. You definitely don't feel like taking them out because it hurts to take them in and put them back when they're still new. It's painful. But it's much more painful if you don't give your teeth a break. Trust me!
I got to thinking it's weird that teeth can hurt. Because they're aren't like skin or muscle. But I'm quite sure they do hurt. I have a HORRIBLE habit of biting down hard when I'm thinking or concentrating too hard. Which further hurts my teeth when they're already in pain. And I'm totally the type of person who notices something is not right or painful and then constantly pokes at it. So all day I have been biting my teeth together at various angles observing what parts of my teeth hurt and from what direction makes it worse/better.
I tried taking them out several times for breaks, forcing myself to eat here and there. (I've learned not to take my antibiotics on an empty stomach or I get queasy. At least my ear infection pain is gone. One pain at a time, please) At work they passed out popcorn cups to everyone on the floor (which is hundreds of people) and it was super awkward to take my painful retainers out to eat, but I took my time eating and it was a nice unplanned break to give my teeth. I took some more ibuprofen about dinner time, but it really didn't do much for the pain. I think I'm becoming immune to it I use it so much. Is that possible? Please say no.
So currently I am in quite a bit of pain. But I know it won't last. The first few days should hurt. That makes sense. I guess I've just gotten spoiled because I haven't been in pain every time I change trays. It's nearing the end so teeth are getting back into place. I'm sure braces would be far more painful. I just do not like any kind of pain. I know it will be worth it in the end. 10 months of treatment. I'd guess I probably had under 20 days of pretty bad pain. So it's not horrible. I just would prefer no pain. Yeah, not realistic.
One more observation I've noticed: when you first change sets and the first time you take the new set out to eat, drink, etc. it instantly feels very weird. Because the retainers have already kind of gotten your teeth used to where they will be moving. And it feels unnatural because that's not how you have been biting down for the last week or so. So it's a weird feeling. My suggestion is to go with what your mouth is doing. Don't try to correct it back to what it was. You want progress so in this case that means change. It will feel more natural by the end of the day. And you'll like the way it feels better. During this process there have been times where my bite really bothered me because it made teeth rub against each other that never did and it was uncomfortable. Now they're moving back to a more normal position. And it's weird to get used to. But it's also a lot better of a feeling once I get used to it. They fit a lot better.
It honestly amazes me that plastic on my teeth can make them straight and perfect (to me). I'm so excited about the way my mouth is looking. Just a few minor improvements and they will be excellent. So yeah, it hurts. But name one treatment that doesn't. My smile, my confidence, my bite... all will be changed for the better. So really, I can't complain. (not that that will stop me :P)
No comments:
Post a Comment