Thank you all for the warm welcome and encouragement,
smallbutmighty,
Tulip,
KK,
Meratyn,
bracedagain,
Lisa65, and
Emily25.
Be sure to keep a small notebook with you to write down any questions or comments for the ortho.
That’s a great idea,
smallbutmighty. I already have some questions so it would be good to note them.
Looking at your additional appliance (bite splint), I think it's easy to understand why it will take a little longer to get used to ... but it will happen.
After wearing the splint for a week, I can eat a bit better.
The biggest annoyance is that I have to repeat mysthelf constantly! Which doesn't feel so great with cleats scraping my tongue. I resort to wax when my tongue feels raw, though I've lost some wax to swallowing.
The gelb pops off easily, so my tongue has a new toy. Maybe this is what it feels like to have mouth jewelry???
And thank you for the great care advice,
Karen!
D'oh! I got to the end of this thread before I realised what your username means!
Meratyn, I'm glad you and
Denise "got" my weird sense of humor.
A waterpik might help you with cleaning under it more easily. Has your ortho made any suggestions like exercises to help those jaw muscles not to ache so much? Good luck, and I hope the jaw pain doesn't decide to expand its sphere of influence!
Meratyn, I get to take it out to clean it after I eat. Too much food gets trapped under it.
I wasn’t given any exercises to do, but that’s another great idea. I stretch my mouth to relieve the tension, though it’s probably not very attractive. I’ll likely have some unsightly habits to break after treatment.
I had to wear one of those Gelb Splints for my TMJ before my first time in braces . I used it for about 9 months to reposition my jaw before I got the braces put on.Then while in braces my ortho had me use a retainer type bite plate for most of my treatment. I know what you are going thru with the splint . Although I could remove mine to eat and clean. Fortunatly It worked and corrected my TMJ, as I was getting some terrible headaches before that. Hang in there while it works its magic and you'll be fine after using it for your prescribed time. I'd bet that after a while you will relearn to talk with it in. Just keep trying and you'll get it.
Thank you for the encouragement,
Ken! I feel better knowing that someone has btdt. I wish I could take it out to eat. That would be heavenly. Unfortunately, I bite the bracket on the cuspid. Once it lines up, I’ll be free from this splint. I can’t wait! I do wonder if my ortho picked this type of splint to correct my jaw/bite.
That top arch will probably start to round out pretty quickly and hopefully you won't have to wear the splint for long. It looks pretty uncomfortable.
Thank you for the sympathy,
Lisa65. After reading your story, I’m aware that you know what discomfort feels like.
What I have to go through seems tame in comparison.
Glad that I could be of some help with LITHA'S nick name! Good one by the way Lisa! Very creative of you!
Later! Ken.
Thanks
Ken! My creative moments are
rare, so I try to seize them when they happen.
I like your ceramics , they are looking great
Thanks,
Emily!
and assured me that I would need extractions. Fear of extractions 
, he assured me that I would not need extractions 
I questioned my decision to get braces. What would happen the following week with the bigger spacers? 
Thankfully, I don't gag, but my jaw is sore, I lisp, and food gets trapped around and under it. 
