I have to say that I am suitably impressed. This was a boy who is blessed with not brushing his teeth as regularly as normal people do, and yet receives glowing reports of healthy gums and teeth from the dentist every time. Even Monique, who prepared his teeth for braces when quizzed on his oral hygiene, said it was great, and if he kept doing what he was doing with the braces on it would be good.
After I pointed out that his attention to his oral hygiene did not follow that of us mere mortals, she quickly retracted her earlier statement and advised (with the visual aid of teeth suffering from decalcification) that he would not be so lucky if he let plaque build up around his braces and that he should definitely brush at LEAST twice per day.
So far, I can honestly say he has not only kept to that, but has been careful to not consume sweets and fizzy drinks and has given up the frozen sunny boy’s he loves so much. I am proud!
After a couple of days of eating gingerly, he is now back to full chewing capacity and last night managed a whole scotch fillet steak. He has also advised that he could not understand why anybody would need wax (pointedly jeering at me as I pushed another blob into the wire at the back of my mouth). He felt the hooks on the back brackets as I did, but he decided to let his cheeks toughen up without using the wax in the interim. Good for you son – everybody likes a martyr.
All jokes aside, I don’t think this is going to be nearly as whiney a journey as I thought. He is proving to be a responsible orthodontic patient, and surprisingly resilient to the discomfort. Makes my life easier!
