More and more adults are turning to brace treatment, and that's exactly what MKFM presenter Sam Carmichael has done. She explains her first impressions on this blog...
As a child, I always wanted braces, not only because I thought the brace-face look was actually pretty cool, but also because I wasn't fully happy with the alignment of my teeth. Fast forward to my early twenties, I have finally decided to embrace the brace-face and start my smile journey with MK Smiles.
MK Smiles is a private family practice in Brooklands, a new estate, so the practice itself is ultra modern. Patient safety is key at the practice, and at every appointment I have had my temperature checked, had to sanitise my hands and staff have been in full PPE (you can read more about the safety measures here). I have felt very safe despite the circumstances. But now, on to the braces...
Kish, a dental surgeon, is overseeing my orthodontic treatment and he has been amazing since the very start. Before getting braces, I was rather apprehensive as it is a big commitment, but Kish settled my nerves and has been on hand to answer any questions I've had. I've never had any dentistry work done, so trust me I was full of questions!
During the consultation and review appointment, we discussed the options available to me (both Invisalign and fixed braces) and then agreed that braces would be better for my case. Although I used to like the typical silver brace look, I decided to go for ceramic (tooth coloured) braces.
The actual 'bonding' appointment of putting on the braces was painless and didn't take much time at all. It was finished in just over 30 minutes. Initially, the braces felt very tight, almost like somebody was gripping their hand tightly round my teeth. And, surprisingly, I could speak fine! I was expecting to have a sudden lisp, but it did not affect my speech at all. The main thing that struck me, and still surprises me to this day, is that they are barely visible. My friends didn't know I had braces until I pointed it out, so ceramic braces are the perfect option if you're looking for something subtle.
It has now been just over a week since they were put on, and it's taken a while to adjust but I'm getting there! In all honesty, for the first week I could barely eat solids. My diet consisted of porridge, jacket potatoes and Farley's rusks with milk (my new favourite snack). I couldn't put pressure on my teeth, so it was a struggle to brush my teeth properly, but this soon faded. Now, my diet is almost back to normal - but I do have to chop my food up into tiny pieces.
I've now realised that the discomfort I felt at the start was because the braces were truly doing what they do best... they were moving my teeth. It's only been just over a week, and I can notice a clear difference in my smile. My bottom front four teeth are completely straight and they weren't a week ago. Plus, my canine tooth was previously a lot higher than my other teeth but now it has been brought down and is in line with the rest. I had no clue that changes could happen so fast, and I'm loving the results already - so I'm excited to see how the rest of my journey goes.
If you're interested in orthodontic treatment at MK Smiles, then you can find out more on their website. They also offer Six Month Smiles and Invisalign, and lots of other treatments.
