Congratulations, Rae! I was so excited both times when I got my braces off (yes, twice.) And I assure you, you will eventually stop running your tongue over the wire and won't even notice it after a while. I have the same permanent retainer - not having one placed the first time around was the reason I ended up needing braces a second time. Never again! Also, I recommend Oral-B Super Floss for flossing - one end of it has a built-in threader so you can feed it easily underneath the wire and still floss around the bases of those lower front teeth. Now go have some corn on the cob! :-)

All that talk of cold air and cold water remind me that I still need to get the last two root canal teeth crowned. And one more root canal.

Yuck.

Why can't our teeth be made of Tungsten?

Ouch! I went to this psychotic old Dentist a couple of years ago who told me I had eight cavaties. He said they had to be filled...and I told him fine and madea n appointment even though I couldn't find a single little black dot on any of the teeth mentioned and he couldn't show me any. But my insurance was running out as my divorce was about to be final, so I reluctantly agreed to have it all done.

After nearly killing me with gas (a story for another time), and an inability to get my mouth numbed, he proceeded with the fillings. It was very painful and took three hours.

A year later I went to a different dentist who informed me that all those fillings needed to be redone because the crazy old dentist didn't seal the teeth correctly and that had allowed cavaties to form. Of course, I no longer have dental insurance and can't afford to have all of them done. So that sucking air and cold thing really hurts!

Alisha- I have recently met more women who have had a second round of braces, full sets, but mostly just on the bottom. (P.S. I can't remember my password for commenting on your site through WP :( )

GB- I don't know, but it would be easier, wouldn't it?

Joan, I had a similar experience. My former dentist was well-known in the community, but he frequently pushed for treatments and excessive procedures. R has a great story about being freshly discharged from the Marine Corps and getting his wisdom teeth removed by some dentist passing time at a VA hospital (death traps there are). Local anethesia and the doc with his foot on R's shoulder tugging....

Oops, Alisha. That should be Typekey

Rae-It was his knee on my shoulder. Still bad and rough but a little less extreme. I was drenched with sweat and white as a sheet. One comment to the assistant was "Did you see that root piece?" No she said. it must have been sucked up into the vacuum spout.

Rae, my sympathies... ;) I positively *hate* having to go to the dentist (even though I dated one who was 6 years my senior way back then).

Are you acquainted with the Dustin Hoffman's movie of the seventies, Marathon Man (or the book might do as well) ? If you don't, and plan to see/read it, well... don't do it when you have a dentist appointment one week or less away.

Blessings,

Eduardo