It's been a year and a half since I started my adventure with braces. And yes, that picture above is me...smiling unabashedly at my younger daughter who is getting ready to show the pony. I finally did break down and get those bonded retainers put in. The first few days I had those in, I was regretting my choice. I felt like I was back in braces...stuff was getting caught in the wires, things felt a little tight, and I was terribly aware of their presence. (My tongue would not leave those little brackets alone!) But, then, around the week mark, I began to forget they were there.
Here's a bit of Q&A on the retainers:
* Just for the record, the retainer brackets are MUCH smaller, and they certainly aren't as scratchy or pointy as the brackets you have with the Six Month Smile braces.
*They are also placed behind your teeth, so no one will know you have them.
* You can eat nearly anything with them. Strangely, I haven't broken the wire holding the retainer together...and trust me, I've eaten just about everything crunchy! While wearing the braces, I did break more than one bracket off eating thin crust pizza!
* They are attached to your teeth with the same type of "glue" that is used to adhere the Six Month Smile brackets. (Try not to get your tongue in the way when they apply the bonding material..it is bitter with a capital B.)
I want to thank all of you for writing such encouraging comments to me! I don't always have the time to reply, but I do appreciate hearing from you. I hope those of you who are considering the Six Month Smile braces will go for it. It really is life changing. I don't think twice about smiling for the camera anymore. (Or do the ever popular "tight-lipped" smile.)
