Braces I

Yes, I've gotten braces. As of right now, I'm 1month and a few days into it and I'm glad everything's going pretty ok for me. :)

Let me share with you guys the reason why I wanted to get braces.

Any guesses? Well, let me admit that I'm pretty vain (aesthetic). I've never been confident of my smile ever since I started to be conscious of how I look whenever I open my mouth. For this very simple reason, I've decided to not drag any longer and took the first step. Of course, having a set of straight teeth definitely makes cleaning and brushing and other maintaining (health) work SO MUCH EASIER. Some of you may ask, why only do it when you're 21? Speaking of which, I've ALWAYS wanted to have braces back in my secondary and college days but it was like an ALL-TALK-BUT-NO-ACTION kinda thing. Life went on and fast forward years later, I thought it's time I really do something about my teeth. Also back then, factoring in the cost of putting on braces given the economy, I did not want to be an extra burden to the family.

A few things to take into consideration before getting your braces done:

1. Get your parents' consent
I'm not gonna lie when I say that I had quite a hard time bringing this topic up with my parents. While my Dad was cool about my it, my Mum had a little more to say... and that's reasonable. I remembered how she told me that I had to wear my retainers fo lyfe and etc. But me being me, I assured her that everything's gonna be ok and as I'm writing this post, I feel like I was kinda bugging them. =p
More importantly, the reason why you would want to discuss this with them is that they are most likely the ones who are paying for your braces and taking care of you when you're whining about how sore your mouth is and how you can't eat this and that!!! And once they've given you the green light, it's time to do some homework.

2.  Homework
Yes, you hear me, homework. Do some search on the Internet about the things you need to know about braces! It may be a lot to do but trust me, it's all worth it. Ring up the orthodontists to check and compare prices. If possible, take a look at different forums about others' reviews and whatnot. All these go a long way in helping you search for your most desired orthodontist whom you're gonna stick to for quite some time!! Another tip is to preferably pick one that is nearer to home so as to save travelling time. For me, I chose a general dentist because an additional S$2-3K would totally be out of the question. Had circumstances allow, I would choose a specialist over a general dentist anytime. But, I've faith in my dentist! :)

In my next post, I'll be writing about the the most exciting part - bonding of braces. So stay tuned for pictures and my progress thus far!