i have a confession to make.
i can feel the burden of guilt weighing down on me even more if i don't do this.
well..

for those of you who asked me if wearing braces hurt, and if i said no, then i must be lying.
yes, it does hurt. but not all the time. it'll only hurt when it was the first time you're wearing it.
and also after each appointment with the dentist. I'm sorry if i have to lie cause i just don't want to scare people who planned to wear braces in future. As a form of compensation, I would like to share with you my experiences and some tips about braces.

General tips: Since it's the school holiday, it's the best time for you to wear them now. try to get the nearest clinic cause anything happens to your braces, you can easily go back there to fix it. once the metal wires poke my gums (and it hurts of course), so i went back there to seek aid. there's going to be a lot of appointments before you wear the real braces. for those who preferred going to the hospitals, I'm not so sure about the process and all. I only know that you will get subsidies and you have to wait for years to wear braces. but if you go to private clinics like i did, it costs around $3800-$4000. YES, YOU CAN PAY BY INSTALLMENTS. every visit, i paid $150. only for braces.

Before braces: you will have to go through X-rays and if he founds something usual, you will need to go to other specialists he appointed to seek second opinion. if nothing serious, then he will put this small circular rubber bands in between your last tooth and the second last tooth. after a week, those rubber bands will be removed and he will insert in a metal piece that covers the sides of your entire last teeth.

Wearing braces: take a lot of pictures first before you go for the appointment on the day you have to wear braces ;) remember to wear some lip balm first because he will use this giant plastic to hold your lips and open your mouth wide. (you won't want people to look at you i swear). the whole process took me 2 hours. he will use this gadget that illuminates a blue light to dry your teeth and then he'll glue the metal blocks on each tooth. it hurts for the first time and i had difficulty talking. i had to eat porridge and soft food for the first day. hard food like meat and chicken can only be eaten if you think you can :)


these will be your best friends everyday. mouth gargle, mouth floss and a small toothbrush. don't worry, that toothbrush have not been used. you need to use 2 toothbrushes. one is on the photo shown and another one an ortho toothbrush. can get it in the clinic.

Then: sometimes, when you brush your teeth, your mouth bleeds. you will need to visit the dentist every 6 weeks. for that visit, he will tighten the wires and do something else he needed to. after that, your whole mouth feels numb. so numb that you'll find eating a piece of bread is hell. the sensation will go away after 1-2 days.

Next: usually, dentists will recommend you to pluck out 4 adult teeth. for some people, they don't pluck out. he will not make you go to sleep but he will just buse the gums. 2 upper teeth and 2 lower teeth. he will pluck out 2 at one appointment. the gap, size of a tooth will eventually close up with the help of the wires.

After braces: after you wear braces, you will need to wear retainer like I'm wearing now which cost $600. this is not included in the previous sum. the single wired retainer is for more serious case. the best time to wear braces is when we're still teenagers. when we're 20+, our gums will be harder and hence, the process of braces will take longer. more than 2 years i guess. the metals were stuck on my teeth for 2 years. it was supposed to be 1 and half years but my surgery was the cause of the time extension.


before i wore braces.


2 months wearing braces.



5 months wearing braces.


1 year wearing braces.


1 year 6 months wearing braces.


I'm sure this seems familiar to most of you. haha. this is my retainer box where i always keep my retainers. you have to remove your retainers when you want to eat and brush your teeth.

AFTER BRACES..[retainers]




and that's the end of my experiences. not exactly the end. i'm still wearing retainers though. for those who are planning to wear them, i strongly encourage you to do so. any doubts, i am more than willing to help you :)
seriously, i'm not trying to scare you but some scary stuffs told are just to make you feel more ready to what reality you are going to face. you're just gonna suffer for 2 years and then you can enjoy for the rest of your life :D

L O V E S:

- Family
- Friends
- Donuts
- Sushi
- Takoyaki
- PINK
- Cycling
- Badminton
- Listening to music
- DANCING
- Laughing
- Admiring cute magnets (those stuck at the fridges)
- Playing at the monkey bars and swing
- Prefers soupy food than fried food
- Eating Quails eggs (telur burung in malay)



W I S H E S:

- Paris Hilton Can Can perfume
- Driving license
- Visit to Universal Studio
- Go snorkelling
- Visit Hong Kong disneyland
- Visit Hong Kong Wax museum
- My own DSLR camera