Overzealous

So, I got a little overzealous.

Since the braces were tightened on Friday, I was actually able to CHEW with confidence for the first time in 5 weeks. I went out to lunch with my friend Cory. I ate a rather conservative fried rice, and even chomped a bit on salad. No issues! I took the spring rolls that came with our order in a takeout container, presumably to eat for dinner tonight.

Except that I got a little peckish at around 3pm and I tore the spring rolls into pieces and ate them. Apparently they were just too much for the braces, and I popped a bracket off. Even within just a few minutes I could feel the difference in pressure and I knew I had to get it fixed. I called the orthodontist's office, and the receptionist said I could come on down, but that my usual doctor was not there. That was fine with me. I figured it needed to be attended to right away.

I get to the office, the doctor on duty asks what the problem is and I tell him. He removes the bracket and simply bends the wire back where the bracket once was and tells me to go on my merry way. He said that it's "not their policy" to replace brackets when they break off, but that they will do it when I have other brackets that need to be put on.

I was appalled.

Are you kidding me? I'm paying this office thousands of dollars, and they won't fix what's broken? I stood my ground. I told him that this didn't make sense when I was here in his office right now when I could have it fixed now. It didn't make sense that I should go with lopsided brackets when proper tension is so important. And then I played my trump card: that as AN ADULT with teeth that move slower than children (and a mind that isn't easily trifled with) fixing a broken bracket has the potential to make it move even faster, and that was reason alone to get it attended to now.

Seeing that he was not going to win this battle, he fixed the bracket. It's tighter than it was before, but you know what, I'm happier. I like it tight. It lets me know that it's working and if I just shaved off a month more of braces time, then score one for the Bionic Grin.

I had been worried that I wouldn't know when to advocate for myself since so much of this process is beyond my control, and I have to let myself trust that I am in good hands. But this was just proof that I'll know when things aren't right, and my mouth works just fine when I need to set things straight! (No braces necessary for the words!)