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December 21, 2001
Today I got my wires changed for the first time. I was really nervous because some of my friends told me it really hurts. The orthodontist puts a thicker, stronger wire in every few months to help the teeth move faster. My appointment was at 7:30am, so I was a little sleepy, but very anxious.

Brandy, my favorite orthodontic assistant, calmed my fears right away. She said it wouldn't hurt very much, and my teeth would only be sore for about 2 days. The first thing she did was take out my old wire, which was kind of like pulling a string through several latches. She started at one end and pulled it out until she was at the other end.

After she had both wires out (the top and bottom ones), she let me floss my teeth. This is a huge treat (I never thought I would say that about flossing!!) because with braces, you have to pull the floss under the wire for every tooth. This takes me more than 10 minutes a day! So, I gladly flossed! It felt great and took only about 2 minutes.

Then Brandy put in thicker wires on my top and bottom. It was pretty tight and I could feel the pressure - but it was bearable. They gave me some Advil so I wouldn't feel the pain. I totally recommend this - it helped tons!

December 28, 2001
Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My teeth were slightly sore for only two days. By the time Christmas came, I could eat all the turkey, ham, and pie I wanted to!!

Be sure to check out my next Brace Face Diary with pictures from all the places I have traveled since I got my braces!