A Mouth Full of Metal
Or, young boy becomes a partial Transformer. That's what has happened to my sweet Derek. He just got a full mouth of braces a couple of days ago, after a week of torture with rubber band spacers between his teeth. The spacers, they say, are the worst part. And they hurt right away. The pain of spacers is supposed to subside within two to three days. Ibuprofen is the drug of choice. Oh yeah, and the spacers pop out and break alot too. If they break and remain between the teeth, no big deal, they are still doing their job. If they come completely out you have to replace them yourself. Or rather, MOM is supposed to. Well mom couldn't.
Derek's teeth were so tight together that the orthodontist's assistant could barely get them in. And with so much chance of slippage, (mind you, replacing them requires that you thread a couple of pieces of dental floss through them and pulling tight, then cramming the fat little rubber band between the teeth), I could not tolerate the thought of cutting my already hurting son's mouth/lips up. So after a few tries, I pussed out. Derek, however, brave soul that he is, was determined to do it on his own. AND HE SUCCEEDED. Several times because the damn thing kept popping out. PROBLEM SOLVED. Sort of.
We were told very little about the braces process as far as pain goes. I think that's because they don't want to scare the victim patient. So Derek and I turned to our knowledgeable friends. The consensus was this:
Derek's friends: You can really eat whatever you want. Oh yeah, and it hurts like hell.
My friends: You have to change your whole diet. What do you mean they can eat what they want? Ask them this, are YOU an orthodontist? So what makes you smarter than one? Oh and sure, it's two years of torture. Lot's of blood and pain. But SO worth it.
In the end, it was not so much about choosing what he WANTED to eat as it was choosing what it was POSSIBLE to eat. So far that is soup, tapioca pudding, jello, and little sandwiches picked into mouse size pieces. And mashed potatoes. Now excuse me while I go cook something soft and mushy for the boy.








