Get braces.

On Friday, I had braces installed on my lower teeth. My orthodontist told me (warned me) that I would be cursing him out later when I tried to eat something.

This is because when he first put the lower brackets on, my top teeth were hitting them. He didn’t want me to bite off my brackets and cause a lot of return trips, so he put temporary cement on my lower wisdom teeth. This is just enough cement to keep my teeth from closing completely.

That’s right. I have a small gap between my upper and lower jaw, which makes eating…impossible, interesting, difficult.

It wouldn’t be so bad with just the gap, but my teeth are also sore. Plus, I have this new metal on my lower teeth, and the new metal has sharp edges. It is cutting up the inside of my lips and cheeks.

Needless to say, my mouth is sore. I never knew braces hurt this much. I am so sorry that I am subjecting three of my children to this same torture. I now understand why my youngest refused to eat for several days after getting his. I don’t understand why they refuse to use wax.

This means that since getting braces, my diet has consisted mainly of protein shakes, yogurt and soft cheeses. I am getting my required protein in, but my calories are lower than normal. It hurts to chew.

I think all of this is why I’ve lost 3 pounds. I was surprised when I stepped on the scale this morning. I even double-checked on a different scale, but the results were the same. 191.