New wire. New liquid food.

Oh hai. Yeah, I'm still here.

The past couple of months haven't been very interesting because there wasn't a lot of pain involved. LOL.

This month, well, time to bitch.

New wire went up top. It seems the bottom teeth have been very satisfactory so far. And boy does this son of a bitch hurt!

Because of the easy past 2 months, I figured that I would stick a pot roast in the crock pot for dinner after the appointment. If it was true to the past 2 months, yes, that would be a lovely dinner to come to.

However, the new, fatter top wire changed everything.

The pressure was immediate and it was slowly getting worse. By the time my friends came over for dinner, chewing had become a bit of an annoyance so I just had potatoes and carrots.

The following morning, forget about it. I was on the 4-hour-on-the-dot Ibuprofen regimen. Greek yogurt for breakfast. Mac & Cheese and avocado salad for lunch. And, my newest obsession, Jamba Juice's Peanut Butter Moo'd.

470 calories in a 16-oz cup. Dinner is served.

I tried to chew on the pot roast at lunch today and gave up after about 10 minutes. The pain wasn't so bad but it was just annoying. Like a mild menstrual cramps: not rehabilitating but constantly there just to make sure you know you're not pain-free.

Dinner of chorizo and eggs and ceviche went down a lot easier accompanied by a bottle of Negra Modello.

Beer and chocolate peanut butter smoothie? I think I might have just found my new source of caloric intakes on these bad days!

Now and Then

I was just talking to a colleague about braces. Her two kids just got theirs off. Her daughter is pretty good with wearing her retainers. Her son, however, already lost his after having taken them off to eat at a McDonald's and threw them out with his tray.

I told her she should definitely tell him about me. And the following statement.

Look, kid. My colleague has just got her braces for the second time in her life because she didn't wear her retainers. I am willing to pay for the replacement of your retainers right now and you'd better take care of them and wear them. You know why?

It's either *I* am paying for the retainers now with *MY* money. Or 10 years from now, you have to go through the whole braces process again *AND* paying out of your own pocket.

Lord knows preaching that to a teenage boy would do much of a damage. But the colleague is gong to pay for this next one and that's it.

Good luck, kid.

Click Click Click

On Sunday, I put too big of a forkful of food in my mouth. While maneuvering the bite, I heard my left jaw went "click".

It wasn't painful. Until a couple of hours later. Like I had just sprained my jaw.

Came Monday morning, I couldn't open my mouth to yawn fully without pain. That evening I found I couldn't open my mouth wide enough for my spin brush. If I pushed through the pain, I could keep my mouth open with ease as long as I don't get back to the angle I had to push through earlier. If I dropped below that angle, it started all over again.

Brandon feared it might be an onset of TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder), a painful condition with the jaw clicking and dislocating. So I went to see my ortho this morning.

She had me do all kinds of movements and felt my face for the usual signs. Apparently, it wasn't TMJ. I merely "sprained" my jaw. The pain and limit of movement is caused by the swelling within the joint. With an Ibuprofen regimen and hot compress, it should go away in a few more days, given that it's been many days already.

While at it, she also removed the "spackle" she put on my molars now that my teeth have aligned in a way that the top teeth no longer touches the bottom braces. Having had that for a few months would have contributed to my jaw acting funny as well.

I am adjusting to NOT having the elevation. I found myself feeling this little space I have in my mouth.

And you know what this mean? Eating a salad shouldn't take that much effort any more now that the molars are leveled again!

No more big, giant bite for me while braces are still in.

*sigh*

New sensation

A whole new level of interesting going on in my mouth this week.

First, the sore. Almost over now. Almost.

But then, a molar up top became sensitive to touch. Then the corresponding bottom tooth.

But then they both would hurt without touching anything. Even when when I explored in there to see what the problem is, unlike last time when one of the tooth was super sensitive, this time nobody responded to the touch.

Yet the ache remains.

I did buy a new spin brush as Brandon was ordered by his dentist to start using it again.

Why 2 spin brushes in the household when you can change off the brush?

You see, we used to do all the brushing in the master bathroom altogether. When I was prescribed a strict oral care routine, I had to include a mouthwash. Unfortunately for me, my tongue swelled up with the minty mild stuff. My dentist recommended Listerine Orange, which works out really well.

However, Brandon cannot stand the smell of Listerine. The thin veil of orange doesn't do much to stem the strong Listerine-y undertone.

Thus, I was banished to rinse in the guest bathroom. So I just moved my entire oral care regime altogether.

And therefore, we need 2 separate brushes.

Or that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Alas, the sore!

Ahha. The first canker sore since the installation of the braces!

It started with a small cut from my newly shifted teeth meeting my mouth. I've been stressed out at work so, naturally, with immune systems going insane, a canker sore took hold.

And it's right between two braces. Putting the gum on those two spots still didn't help much as the sore rub on them both anyway.

I think I hate this worse than the day after adjustment.

ETA: Kanka Softbrush Gel kicks MAJOR ass!

Last Feast: Month 2

Last month for the night before tightening feast, I had the prime rib and shrimps.

This month, it's my favorite babyback ribs from Maderas in Los Alamitos. Fall off the bone tender! With a side of loaded garlic mashed potatoes with cheese and bacon on top and sauteed green beans. Brandon also ordered a side of our favorite baked potato soup.

The leftover mashed and the soup will be something I'd eat for lunch at work today while I can kind of still chew.

However, talk about bad timing, I'm going to a cooking demo and wine tasting tonight. The wine part I can partake, the eating, not so much.

Liquid Yummy: Blended Zucchini Soups

Two zucchini soup recipes to stick in your freezer for those days after an adjustment. (Omit the purslane and garnishing zucchini for the chilled soup so you don't have to chew them.)

Please note that although the soups are super easy to eat without much chewing, the tiny veggie particles can get into all sorts of places. Just because these guys are soups, it doesn't mean that you can skip brushing afterward.

Not to mention, the onion and garlic infused through both of them. Heh.