Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Braces!

So I'm a metal-mouth for a few months.  Got my implements installed last month, and will have these for three or four months, depending on how long that stubborn left incisor takes to drop, and for that cranky bottom row to line up like soldiers.  I had those invisible plasticky ones for a while, and they worked for the bigger stuff, but for the final detail work, I'm going to need wire braces for the last few months to get the details worked out. 


As you can see, other than the, you know, wires, things are looking a lot more even than they used to be:  Right Side:
 Left Side:
I've made a lot of progress already...

On the other hand... eating with braces is a pain in the butt.  I'm sure lots of my readers have experienced this for themselves, but I'm going through it now.

Foods that work with braces:

jajangmyeon
seolleongtang
muffins
kalguksu
dumplings
meat... in small bites
spinach
dubu (tofu)-based foods
eggs
kimbap (eaten slowly)
noodle dishes in general
shrimp

Edible, but needs cleaning afterwards:
anything with rice.
that is, most Korean food.

Foods that don't work with braces:
any ddeok and variations thereof
fish with bones
crunchy vegetable matter (kimchi, gakdukki)
nuts
artisan breads with tough crusts
fried stuff (especially deep-friend stuff)

On the bright side, I'm losing weight, because instead of eating until I'm full, I've been eating until I'm tired of trying to eat around my braces.

So that's what's up in Roboseyo-ville.

I've got some things I need to take care of, and I got a really kind e-mail from a loyal reader who's been concerned about the drop-off in posting lately (thanks! sincerely, thanks), and I promise, this is not the end of the Roboseyo we know, and once I've taken care of things, I'll be back in full swing.

But in the meantime... got in my application to the Korean Studies program I want to go to, and did a bunch of other stuff that'll come out once I start catching up on my back-blog.

See you again soon, Readers.  Thanks for your loyalty.

All the best:

Roboseyo

9 comments:

TWEffect said...

Congrats... I was thinking about getting braces myself. I might seriously look into it soon.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! You're almost finished! I have braces too and I've lost count of how many times I've skipped lunch at school because I couldn't be bothered with awkward eating / cleaning up afterward. Frickin' rice.

Luckily, mine are being removed on Monday. Retainer time!

melissa v. said...

whatreyou, married to a dentist or something???

Emma said...

Had two rounds of braces, so I feel your pain, though I was in the States and it was a little easier to find food that I could eat. Though, I could be looking at a third round (fell of the retainer bandwagon, but mostly because it's 6 years old and plastic). Do you recommend your orthodontist? I'm considering going in and seeing if I just need a new retainer or have to go back to braces again...

Unknown said...

Do you know what! I found braces soo much easier in Korea!! Its totally acceptable to brush your teeth in ANY public place! Plus lots more adults have them.

The pain will ease up soon, if you have ligatures, though stay away from curry rice!!!

They also do some wicked floss just for braces with stiff ends!!

:-)

Anonymous said...

I'm set to get braces on the 14th and I'm preparing to say goodbye to a year plus of my life. A huge chunk of my favorite foods do not make it on my researched list of braces-approved foods.

The dentist might as well take a hammer and chisel to my heart and pound away slowly, making sure I feel every strike.

A bit demented, but I'm glad to see someone else I in a similar situation (with braces, not a shared outlook per se).

C.W. Bush said...

Got to love that affordable Korean dentistry, eh? I got a lot of work done last year right before I headed home - and will be making an early visit to the dentist when I get back to Busan next month.

Roboseyo said...

Hello,

I'll be heading to Korea next year. I've been trying to find more information about getting braces in Seoul, but I can't seem to find anything. I'm just wondering, how much was it? What place did you go to and would you recommend it?

Roboseyo said...

Price is not far off what you pay in north America, unfortunately. Send a letter to my gmail (roboseyo at) if you want more details.