Braces

Oh my goodness! I have been falling so very far behind in my posts. I seriously have a whole list of things waiting to be talked about -.-
       A few months ago, I went to the dentist for a routine check up, and my dentist started asking me questions, like if I'd ever had my jaw lock up, or if my jaw ever slipped out of place, or if I ever had any jaw pain or any other pain like that. I answered yes to all of these questions, and he told me that on my upper jaw the teeth  had come in too narrow, so it was forcing my lower jaw back; and that was what was causing my jaw problems. He also told me that my meridian was way off- because with how my teeth were, my jaw couldn't close straight on- so it was instead twisting really bad so that my mouth could close. He told me that I needed braces, and that without them, my jaw might get worse.
         I know that braces are extremely common- but I was still nervous. I've heard tons of horror stories, and I've been told how much they hurt. I had a lot of doubts, second guessing and cold feet, but ultimately I decided that getting the braces was probably the best thing to do. I had really been struggling with my jaw, and sometimes it was hard to eat/chew- so it was nice to not only have an answer, but a solution as well. There was also some cosmetic benefits. I was never the type of girl who was willing to spend a few thousand dollars to correct my cosmetic problems- an overbite and a slight tooth overlap of my upper front teeth. To me, these things were livable, even though the overbite was starting to cause me pain. Now though, I get to fix my jaw problems, the overbite and the overlap, and it's only gonna cost me $2,900. Yay!
     First came the consultation. I went in and talked to the in-house Orthodontist, who confirmed what my dentist had said, and took some molds for my appliance. There was a slight fiasco over the molds, because someone *cough cough* forgot to read my profile, so they didn't know I was allergic to mint/menthol before they started pouring it into my mouth. So I had to inform her, then she made a big deal of getting my profile with this "No you aren't" attitude. When it was confirmed I have a menthol/mint allergy she kept being like "It doesn't say menthol on the jug,. Are you sure you can't just have this. I don't know if we have any other types. I'd have to ask...Are you sure you can't just use this?" this continued for at least 20 minutes, instead of her doing the responsible thing and washing my mouth out, then going over and asking a superior if their were any other flavors beside mint. So by this point, I was already having a reaction and getting cranky, and my mom was frustrated because she needed to get to work and the lady had wasted all of our time- so we left without doing the molds.
      Next came the spacers on May 23. They hurt! I hated the spacers so much! The assistant that put them in slipped, and they cut my gums, which hurt- then the dentist reset them, and they felt a lot better. I have to have the spacers in for a week, and then I get my braces. As I was leaving the appointment, I told the dentist that they hadn't taken the molds for my appliance. And he told me it was all taken care of, and if they needed anything, they could do it next visit. The spacers made eating absolutely horrible because I couldn't chew- So I've been living off mashed potatoes and ice cream...yay health food!
      About a month ago, on the 30th of May, I went in to get my braces. When I got there, no one was there, and I had to wait about fifteen minutes outside because they were on their lunch. The whole office. At once. This was particularly bothersome to me because I have to go out of my way to fit their schedule. They are only open like three days a week, and only offer appointments that are in the middle of my work day. In order to get in to see them, I either have to sacrifice my lunch hour, or take time off of work- so it annoys me that they weren't ready for me.
     Once the staff got back, there was this huge flurry of action and the Orthodontist came out and was all frantic and was like "We must have lost your appliance or we lost your molds and the appliance never came because I can't find your appliance!" and I had to re-explain that no one took my molds. So instead they decided to take my molds, then lay my tracks and attach the appliance when it came.
      First, the assistant removed my spacers (yay!), even though by this point I was pretty much used to them and could eat again. Next, they took my molds. This time they had managed to find a bubblegum flavored goo, so everything went smoothly.
     After that, they began to lay my tracks& wires.  It took forever because the in-house orthodontist actually isn't going to be working there anymore. Instead, my dentist will be doing the orthodontist-ry, since he just barely got his licence. Both my dentist/orthodontist and his assistants were learning/practicing and apparently I was the first patient (aka guinea pig).
     I decided to go for teal and pink ties, because if I have to have them, they might as well be fun. Then I found out that the assistant wasn't supposed to have taken the spacers out because the spacers were for my appliance, and I wouldn't get that put in for at least two- four more weeks. So I had to have spacers put back in. The gave me the option to put them in right then, come in a week before my appliance went in, or a couple days before- So I decided to go back. I want them for the shortest time possible.
     The braces were kind of uncomfortable at first, but not as bad as everyone had been telling me. I was able to chew fine, but I couldn't bite down. It was hard to get used to having to lift my lips up OVER the braces, because they stick out so much further then my teeth- far enough that I can do the duck face now! (I've never been able to because I can't stick my lips out far enough) I often close my cheeks in between my teeth, and bite my mouth without realizing it now. My cheeks, tongue, lip and roof of my mouth are very sore and raw. I also hate eating because everything gets stuck in them.       
     On June 24 I went in for a new set of spacers.This set hurt WAY more than the first set. At first they were ok, and I was still able to eat ok, but then while I was at work, I bumped one of my brackets with my finger and it fell off, leaving an exposed wire. I called my dentist, and the didn't answer (Surprise, they never do), so I left a message. They never called me back, so I decided just to wait. The next day my mouth hurt SO bad that I was waking up in the middle of the night and dreaming about the pain. I took a bunch of pain killers, but they didn't really help.
       Finally on June 27, I went in to get my appliance. My spacers were removed, my track was replaced, and the appliance was put it.  The appliance is what I like to call a pain in the butt. From the moment I stood to leave, I was panicking because I couldn't figure out how to swallow since I couldn't raise my tongue, and that gave me the sensation of drowning. Then I realized I couldn't talk.
         I'm in my twenties, but I look like I'm a 16 year old sophomore in high school. The braces dropped that age to closer to 13 year old junior high student. The addition of the appliance though really takes the cake. I now have a horrible lisp and sound stupid. I've always been intelligent, but the lisp makes that hard to believe since it sounds like I can't talk, and I've lost a lot of my vocal range.   
      When I got home, I practiced talking to myself, because I really want to kick this lisp (also because I met a guy on Facebook, through a friend, and we've set up a date for next weekend (more on that later), and the braces/lisp combo doesn't make a great first impression). Unfortunately, my tongue is getting sores from rubbing against the appliance, which is making it even harder to talk. My right cheek is also totally trashed and swollen.
             And then I tried to eat -.- It was terrible! The appliance doesn't go all the way to the roof of my mouth, so anything I eat becomes stuck between the spokes of the appliance, the hub of the appliance, and in any other gaps. On the plus side, I'm now required to drink fluids more, and have something to drink with every meal so I can flush the food out of my appliance. I also have to remember to tighten it twice a week with a little key. I tried that today- but it's hard to tell if you're doing it right.

So there's my little soap box :) Anyone else had braces/ appliances? any tips? does the lisp go away? any ways to help it go away faster/better?