Things I never gave a second thought to, are now in the forefront of my mind! And things that I felt were SO important, have turned into nothing but an afterthought.
Chapstick is my BEST FRIEND, never had chapped lips until braces, now I have probably 10 sticks of the stuff ALL OVER the house, in my car, at work, in my pockets etc.
**note--chapstick does NOT do well going through a laundry cycle....hmmpf!**
I do smile, I don't care to hold my lips closed or in some weird way that just screams SHE HAS BRACES AND SHE IS HIDING THEM or worse!....I show off my bling bling baby!!
A Sonicare toothbrush is the holy grail (next to chapstick that is!). That thing can get anything out of your braces! IT ROCKS!!
**note---if you load the toothbrush up with paste, and turn it on, MAKE SURE it is IN YOUR MOUTH! Otherwise you are cleaning paste off the walls, mirror, sink etc....**
Flossing has taken on an increased importance (and probably the first place you can notice change in your teeth)...threader floss is GREAT! Buy it, you will be happy you did!
**note floss shreds on braces, so you end up with little thin threads of floss that are very hard to get out! DARNIT!!!**
When they give you a chew wafer USE IT. Works great!
No one cares that much about your braces, unless you are on a chat group like Archwired
So don't bother telling everyone about your ligs, elastics, extractions etc...they will just nod and look at you with a blank stare...or so my friends did anyway 
WAX is my best friend...I used lots in the beginning, now I don't need it much anymore, but don't worry, wax doesn't care if you take time off from the relationship
Drool....it isn't pretty, it isn't cool, and neither is that sucking noise you make when you are trying to get it all out of your mouth, but it is better than spit hanging out of your mouth
Eventually, you get more used to your braces and you can take care of that without the noise Elastics aren't too bad, I was going to cry the first night I was putting them on just because it took FOREVER, but now I can do it blindfolded, playing a piano, while frying bacon....ok, maybe not like THAT...but you get the point
**note--elastics make GREAT slingshots!!!! They can pop out sometimes (especially if you have some funny angled teeth so the brackets are not straight on), and if you are lucky they don't shoot out of your mouth, and if you are like me, unlucky...they shoot out and hit your hubby in the face....how is that for a mood killer!!!! ***
One must be able to laugh at themselves (see above statement)......
Definetly a learning experience, but a good one, I can't wait to see what happens with my smile....until then, just rolling with the punches..
Happy Happy Joy Joy!!
Z
time is flying.