Speech Impediment

Just as I thought the teeth weren't moving -- and if anything were moving inwards, not forwards -- I realize they are starting to move forward (ie. I'm a buck-toothed gal now) just as the ortho's assistant said they would.

I know because I'm having a hard time speaking clearly. Lots of spit and unclear pronunciation mostly. I didn't really think about it much, but several people at work today have pointed out that I'm speaking "differently." Oh, well. I was told it would get worse before it got better.

I did go back to the ortho yesterday. I wanted to get the wire clipped on the left side because it was poking my cheek -- not comfortable at all! I mentioned I was having a difficult time flossing around the bands (the metal just shreads the floss) and turns out there was some bonding cement stuck between the teeth. The assistant cleaned the excess cement from around the bands and it worked! Last night I was able to floss around the bands without a major headache. She also told me the water pick and humming bird interdental pick are good if I can't get the floss inbetween the teeth. Said it's most important to get something between my teeth up at the top of the gum.

I also discovered this weekend that if I sleep on my stomach -- which involves face pressing on pillow -- I get a nice deep indentation of the braces inside my cheeks and on the lower lip. And unfortunately, this area then can rip open pretty easily causing more mouth pain. I'm now trying really hard to sleep on my back only, but it's hard. I really like to sleep on my back when I first fall asleep, but usually end up on my stomach at some point during the night. Who knew I'd have to adjust my sleeping habits??