Hey there!
It's official! I'm going to be a braces girl on 24th March!
To be honest I don't know whether I should look forward to it or not, after hearing all the braces account from my friends such as never-ending ulcers and wire breakage etc. Oh well, be brave, Iris!
Back in 2010, my aunt suddenly suggested that I should get braces because I was showing some signs of an overbite. It isn't obvious when I smile, but very obvious when I speak. I was in consideration but was not ready to go through all that pain. So I decided that I will be contented with how I look and not list my teeth as one of my complexes.
However, last year I realized that my overbite has gotten more severe and the teeth on the lower row were starting to shift outwards as I grind my teeth when I sleep. (Can't help it, especially when I'm stressed!) I managed to convince my Mom that I needed to fix my teeth, and she convinced my Dad who gave me the thumbs up. By the age of 19, I have many friends who have already gone through this painful (or not) process and have beautiful set of teeth. Many of them said it was an experience they would never regret. My parents and I took many months to find a suitable dentist and finally went for consultation with Dr. Michael Lee during December 2013.
I was told by the dentist that my overbite was of an acceptable range and is not severe. However, as a vain girl and perfectionist, I wanted to get rid of the flaw. It is known that people spend the most time looking at each other's mouths! So I should start perfecting from my mouth, right? #vaingirlexcuse Eventually we settled on pulling four teeth which were located 6 teeth from the front tooth. I also requested for my upper row to be of ceramic braces instead of the common metal ones because I'm quite sure I wouldn't look very good with colourful silver wires and brackets in my mouth. I had to schedule my next appointment 3 months later because of my hectic school schedule.
3 months went by damn fast and before I realized, I was already at the entrance of the clinic, preparing to pull my teeth. I kept telling the boy and my OBC girls that I'm damnnnnn scared, and they kept telling me to just keep calm. Brigid told me about how her wisdom tooth extraction was not painful, and that was my greatest comfort because if a wisdom tooth extraction don't hurt, how bad can a normal tooth extraction be right? But I'm a weakling and I walked into the clinic trembling. I remember I was trying to play Cookie Run to calm my nerves down but my hands kept shaking I couldn't get very far in the game. I think my parents realized too because they started joking with me.
When the nurse called my name, my Mom had to push me into the room because I think I was about to hyperventilate or something. Dr Lee pulled his massive DSLR and started taking pictures of me like a photographer. For a moment I thought I was at a photoshoot HAHA.
I kept reminding Dr. Lee to apply the anaesthesia gel before giving me the injections, and he was very patient and assuring. He even gave me strawberry flavoured gel! (Dance around) He asked if I were going to pull 2 teeth or 4, and I told him 2. However, I heard him giving his nurses instructions to prepare for 4 extractions! I panicked a little but I felt that he was doing it for my benefit because I probably wouldn't want to come back for another extraction again.
Dr. Lee asked me to close my eyes and before I realized what was happening he started giving me the injections. The first two injections felt painful mainly because he did not leave the gel to set for a longer period of time. However, it is quite bearable, like a mild bee sting which goes off in about 2 seconds. The next two injections were painless because he let the gel set in for a longer time. What disturbed me was the instant bloating of my mouth, chin, cheeks and lips. I also felt like there were liquid forced into my nose area. I was sent out of let the anaesthesia set in, and I couldn't resist but to pinch my mouth area because I was amused at how numb it was.
Finally, I was called in again to have the extraction and I am so thankful that Dr. Lee made me do all 4 extractions at a go because I don't think I can sit through such a process again. When I saw the pliers I immediately had the urge to escape, and I let out this long silent scream in my head when he forcefully shook my healthy strong teeth to extract them with the pliers. The pressure he applied was so strong the nurse had to hold my head straight. I swear I was and still am traumatised. I can feel all the pressure and also the disconnection of the tooth from my jaw when it is extracted. Every single extraction came with a small "crack" sound when the tooth came out. Thank god he was very swift in the extraction I think the entire process took less than 10 minutes!! PHEW.
I was waiting for my prescription when suddenly I felt short of breath and a little dizzy. I managed to walk myself to the toilet and I started puking. My parents then hurried to get me home but I couldn't stand it anymore and fainted while cutting through a coffee shop. I swear fainting is the worse feeling ever, it's like I knew I was about to hit the floor but I had no strength to do anything about it. In addition I could not make a sound because my lips were so numb they refuse to open up. In conclusion I just felt useless and lost of control. After being saved by my parents I knocked out in the coffee shop for awhile before I regained consciousness.
I don't know why I reacted this way, probably because I'm afraid of blood and I stared at my bloody extracted teeth for too long. Otherwise it's because I lost too much blood. Sigh, shows how unhealthy my body is. Anyway, I got home safely and all so it's alright! But i'm struggling to eat right now because I have to use my front teeth to chew.
I will officially put on my braces later this month, and begin my 1.5 years braces journey. I am no longer looking forward to it, I just want it to be over and done with. Right now I will just live with my boh geh self till my appointment comes. (Shrugs)
WARNING! GROSS PICTURE OF MY BLOODY TEETH UNDER THE CUT!
It's official! I'm going to be a braces girl on 24th March!
To be honest I don't know whether I should look forward to it or not, after hearing all the braces account from my friends such as never-ending ulcers and wire breakage etc. Oh well, be brave, Iris!
Back in 2010, my aunt suddenly suggested that I should get braces because I was showing some signs of an overbite. It isn't obvious when I smile, but very obvious when I speak. I was in consideration but was not ready to go through all that pain. So I decided that I will be contented with how I look and not list my teeth as one of my complexes.
However, last year I realized that my overbite has gotten more severe and the teeth on the lower row were starting to shift outwards as I grind my teeth when I sleep. (Can't help it, especially when I'm stressed!) I managed to convince my Mom that I needed to fix my teeth, and she convinced my Dad who gave me the thumbs up. By the age of 19, I have many friends who have already gone through this painful (or not) process and have beautiful set of teeth. Many of them said it was an experience they would never regret. My parents and I took many months to find a suitable dentist and finally went for consultation with Dr. Michael Lee during December 2013.
I was told by the dentist that my overbite was of an acceptable range and is not severe. However, as a vain girl and perfectionist, I wanted to get rid of the flaw. It is known that people spend the most time looking at each other's mouths! So I should start perfecting from my mouth, right? #vaingirlexcuse Eventually we settled on pulling four teeth which were located 6 teeth from the front tooth. I also requested for my upper row to be of ceramic braces instead of the common metal ones because I'm quite sure I wouldn't look very good with colourful silver wires and brackets in my mouth. I had to schedule my next appointment 3 months later because of my hectic school schedule.
3 months went by damn fast and before I realized, I was already at the entrance of the clinic, preparing to pull my teeth. I kept telling the boy and my OBC girls that I'm damnnnnn scared, and they kept telling me to just keep calm. Brigid told me about how her wisdom tooth extraction was not painful, and that was my greatest comfort because if a wisdom tooth extraction don't hurt, how bad can a normal tooth extraction be right? But I'm a weakling and I walked into the clinic trembling. I remember I was trying to play Cookie Run to calm my nerves down but my hands kept shaking I couldn't get very far in the game. I think my parents realized too because they started joking with me.
When the nurse called my name, my Mom had to push me into the room because I think I was about to hyperventilate or something. Dr Lee pulled his massive DSLR and started taking pictures of me like a photographer. For a moment I thought I was at a photoshoot HAHA.
I kept reminding Dr. Lee to apply the anaesthesia gel before giving me the injections, and he was very patient and assuring. He even gave me strawberry flavoured gel! (Dance around) He asked if I were going to pull 2 teeth or 4, and I told him 2. However, I heard him giving his nurses instructions to prepare for 4 extractions! I panicked a little but I felt that he was doing it for my benefit because I probably wouldn't want to come back for another extraction again.
Dr. Lee asked me to close my eyes and before I realized what was happening he started giving me the injections. The first two injections felt painful mainly because he did not leave the gel to set for a longer period of time. However, it is quite bearable, like a mild bee sting which goes off in about 2 seconds. The next two injections were painless because he let the gel set in for a longer time. What disturbed me was the instant bloating of my mouth, chin, cheeks and lips. I also felt like there were liquid forced into my nose area. I was sent out of let the anaesthesia set in, and I couldn't resist but to pinch my mouth area because I was amused at how numb it was.
Finally, I was called in again to have the extraction and I am so thankful that Dr. Lee made me do all 4 extractions at a go because I don't think I can sit through such a process again. When I saw the pliers I immediately had the urge to escape, and I let out this long silent scream in my head when he forcefully shook my healthy strong teeth to extract them with the pliers. The pressure he applied was so strong the nurse had to hold my head straight. I swear I was and still am traumatised. I can feel all the pressure and also the disconnection of the tooth from my jaw when it is extracted. Every single extraction came with a small "crack" sound when the tooth came out. Thank god he was very swift in the extraction I think the entire process took less than 10 minutes!! PHEW.
I was waiting for my prescription when suddenly I felt short of breath and a little dizzy. I managed to walk myself to the toilet and I started puking. My parents then hurried to get me home but I couldn't stand it anymore and fainted while cutting through a coffee shop. I swear fainting is the worse feeling ever, it's like I knew I was about to hit the floor but I had no strength to do anything about it. In addition I could not make a sound because my lips were so numb they refuse to open up. In conclusion I just felt useless and lost of control. After being saved by my parents I knocked out in the coffee shop for awhile before I regained consciousness.
I don't know why I reacted this way, probably because I'm afraid of blood and I stared at my bloody extracted teeth for too long. Otherwise it's because I lost too much blood. Sigh, shows how unhealthy my body is. Anyway, I got home safely and all so it's alright! But i'm struggling to eat right now because I have to use my front teeth to chew.
I will officially put on my braces later this month, and begin my 1.5 years braces journey. I am no longer looking forward to it, I just want it to be over and done with. Right now I will just live with my boh geh self till my appointment comes. (Shrugs)
WARNING! GROSS PICTURE OF MY BLOODY TEETH UNDER THE CUT!
Maybe now you understand why I fainted.
XOXO,
Iris
XOXO,
Iris