Braces, the new Diet Plan

When I set up my family’s dental benefits at my new job, I forgot to add my husband and daughter to the dental plan.  Once you choose your plan you can’t change them for a full year.  The major bummer is that I set the plan up to put aside a savings account for my daughter’s braces.  If I didn’t use that money in the year I loose it.  So, of course not wanting to flush 5k down the drain I did the best thing I could do and got braces for myself.  My teeth were not that bad but it was something I always wanted to fix.  I had braces as a teen and I never wore my retainer.  Because teeth have a memory of an elephant, they did their best to move right back to where they started.

Brace Face

I opted for a full set of braces instead of doing Invisalign. Heck if I did wear my retainer back in the day I knew as an adult I wouldn’t wear the Invisalign sets.

The day I got the braces put on I felt like I lost 15 years off my age.  I spoke funny and started to talk with my lips closed to hide the braces.  Over time this all went away because I really didn’t care in the long run.  I knew the out come would be worth it all.

One thing I never realized was that braces where going to help me in my quest to shrink.  From the initial day they were put and the days that I got adjustments to the wires etc., they made my teeth so sore that I just didn’t want to eat.  When I did eat the soreness made me stop and think about what I put in my mouth.  I could choose anything soft but I took that thinking process a step further by making a better choices.

Taking advantage of this I made sure my cupboards and refrigerator were stocked with healthy and low fat food.  Some of my favorite choices were hummus and pita bread, apple sauce (low sugar) and Greek yogurt.

I had my braces on for a little under two years.  Towards the end I was fed up with them but now that I see the results, I am so happy I made that dental benefits mistake after all.  Funny you never know how one mistake can turn into a great healthy result.

Now my daughter has her braces on and only has a few months until she is done.  The good thing is that since I went through the procedure, I can help her get through it with a great result.