I'm adapting.

By now most of my friends have seen my braces. There seems to be a unanimous conclusion that they really aren't that noticeable when I'm talking. I guess they could be lying and just telling me what they think I want to hear, and if that's the case, they are bad liars but good friends. I am definitely growing more used to them. When I look in the mirror, they no longer seem to make up 95 percent of my face. I do not feel nearly as self-conscious as I did in the first 24 hours. I'm pretty comfortable smiling and laughing. Occasionally I do cover my teeth as sort of a reaction if someone gets too close, but I'm wiling to bet that the gesture will fade soon enough.

The best part is that I am now on day five with braces and I have not had any pain, not even really any discomfort either. I have not taken any meds since the first day, I haven't felt the need. This is the best I could have hoped to feel and I'm grateful.

I went back to the ortho this morning for them to fix my unglued bracket. They said that can sometime happen in the first 24 hours if there is too much moisture on a tooth for the bracket to fully bond. The whole process was quick and painless. I arrived early and since they got me in early too, I was out by 8:30 and at work by 9 a.m. That was another relief. If everything else goes as planned, I won't be back until the middle of March. I am so excited to think about my teeth starting to move!