Silly string. I’ll just leave that there.
Mid-January. If I could only wring out the lawn… But! The daffs are coming up, the daphne smells outrageously good. A rabbit ventured out of its burrow the other day.
I guess you’re wondering why today’s post is entitled pizza.
Some of you will recall I got braces on my bottom teeth back in June, after an errant front tooth was removed. Why, you ask, would you do that to yourself in your 60s. Well, that tooth was starting to grow forward, if you can imagine it. All those years of not really thinking about my teeth, feeling ever so slightly smug that I had managed to dodge braces as a teenager. Ha, ha to me.
(Yup, TC had braces to make
himself even more Hollywood)
So, in May of 2025 my tooth went good-bye and in June on went the railroad tracks. And onward we go. I thought I was psychologically prepared for this but no one can really express the irritation of your jaw hurting for days after new wires are installed and the strange feeling of your ears being pulled towards each other. When you’re 15 you don’t care; when you’re older, you do.
And to top it off the hole wasn’t closing as fast as anyone thought it should. The orthodontist said this sometimes happens with adults. Younger people have more malleable bodies.
So, through the summer, through the autumn, into the colder flooding weather, not a whole lot.
Last appointment of the year in late December he does the usual: wires off, new wires (plus rubber bands) on and voila it’s xmas, see you in late January. But low and behold late December I looked at the teeth and the hole was significantly smaller. Result!
So, maybe finally, we’re going in the right direction. Only around 10 months to go.
Which leads us, very long-windedly, to pizza.
At the first appointment when I got the brackets glued on and the first set of wires Mr Ortho said ‘please note, you really can’t eat the following for the foreseeable: whole nuts and things like sourdough bread, where the crust needs to be torn’. Ok I can do that. I grind up the nuts and dump them in yoghurt. That works fine. Nuts are a big part of protein in my diet.
I think to myself I can live without sourdough for a year and a half. What I didn’t realise is that you use that particular tearing action with pizza dough. And all of a sudden I craved pizza to a ridiculous extent.
I have a few things on the list that will be revisited as soon as I’m given the ok. Pizza is at the top. Stringy, gooey pizza from the farm shop with a thin crust and things like olives and artichokes on top. Bagels. I have tried doing bagels cut into pieces but what’s the point. So, an everything bagel with cream cheese and lox is high on the list. Sourdough bread with butter. Chocolate covered pecans.
I went looking to see if there are any pizza scented perfumes. And … I actually found three: Demeter, of course, called Pizza (crust, tomato and oregano); a brand called Snif with Slice Society (basil, dough and tomato); and even Domino’s got into the act with a LE pepperoni scent.
I don’t wear perfume to ortho appointments. Rather, as a reward for sitting still while someone pulls things around in my mouth I get to sample stuff afterwards.
Next appointment is late January.
Did you have braces or do your kids have them now? Do you recall any cravings?
Pics: pexels, wiki
I never needed braces. I had a couple of riding accidents in my teens. One gave me fragile crazed teeth, like crazed porcelain. UK dentistry was not good 50 years ago. Goodness knows what was done but some had to come out others were amalgamed together. The front one was crowned. Then I had impacted wisdoms out. Over time I’ve lost teeth when the amalgam failed but I’ve had little movement. Whatever happened, my teeth have been straight.
My eldest had a halo that he had on in his late teens. Sounds similar to what March had. He had quite a bad underbite. It solve it enough but took a couple of years.
Amalgamated together? Like a gully among several teeth? Will have to look up halo. I cat sat for a local orthodontist years ago who recommended a local dentist who I still see. She was trained outside the UK.
It was back in the 70’s. My teeth were held in clamps whilst filled with amalgam one at a time. It was that or lose them in my teens.
The halo is similar to what March described a contraption worn overnight with bands that pull the lower jaw forward.
Thinking about my kids’ braces (three of them) it’s pretty astonishing what orthodontia can do. Two of them had this crazy expander cemented in the roof of their mouths with a tiny skate key I turned once a day, to expand their upper jaw. All of them would have had an absolute MESS to deal with as adults and they all ended up with very nice smiles.
Never heard of that. Will look up.
I was lucky and avoided braces. Which didn’t stop me from having tooth issues later in life. Fear of dentists (the one I had growing up could have subbed in “Marathon Man”) and lack of insurance for years meant trouble later in life. Even when I did have Corporate America Dental Insurance it didn’t cover a lot. Oh well. Who needs teeth anyway..
Marathon Man. Had forgotten about that. Now I’ll to try to forget all over again.
I had braces forever — five years? Six? As a teenager. And my treatment started with them pulling four teeth. I had the old-school full bands on each tooth, none of this glue-on stuff they do now, plus the tiny rubber bands attaching upper and lower jaws. It was often quite painful, but I had major tooth crowding plus a massive underbite and I’m grateful my parents dealt with that when I was young. I stopped wearing my retainer somewhere in my 20s and I contemplate Invisalign periodically but it’s mostly my lower teeth and not too bad.
Four teeth. Arg. I resent the idea sometimes that this all started a few years ago vs my body doing it as a teenager. I do think the worst part of it was getting the tooth pulled. Right now one front tooth is sort of in an underbite position. I’m hoping that will start to change from next appointment.
Tooth pulling. Yikes. I had to have all of my baby molars and canines yanked. I think they did it in four visits. Then about ten years ago they had to go in and remove adult ones. I had a very kind and gentle dentist (this time) but it still was several visits which was not fun. Luckily a work charity paid since I had been laid off. So now I have that pepsodent smile I always wanted as a kid. I just now take it out at night to clean.
I had to have them because of my jaw and headaches, also cause I’m vain 🙂 I remember the pain as teeth started to move-also my whole face changed because of them. You get used to it. I wore mine for 5 years, and that was 40 years ago. Probably need another round now I’m in my fifties. I don’t remember cravings. Can you cut the pizza into slivers, and then chew? It’ll be worth it in the end-bit painful while it’s going on for sure. You have all my sympathy and if I get mine-I’ll expect the same 🙂
Definitely will return the sympathy. I think they are affecting my ears — sometimes for better, sometimes not. I can’t chew anything with strong structure. Just doesn’t work. I’ve taken to cutting up pasta like you do for a five year old …
I went through Invisalign as an older adult. I am happy with the results – never had braces as a child but my lower teeth were seeming to get more crooked with age. At least I could take my aligner out when I ate and have whatever I wanted….but since the aligner needed to stay in 20+ hours/day there was no spontaeous eating or snacking. Great for my diet but a pain to deal with.
I decided I’d go with the ‘normal’ braces rather than Invisalign — mostly due to cost differential. It’s interesting teeth going wonky in middle age, though not really fair.
Apparently it’s pretty common. Tom Cruise had them and Faye Dunaway had them at 60. (of course after they were straightened she had veneers of something that gave her chiclet teeth. Not that I wouldn’t get then if I could afford it..
Oh, honey! Yow!
The thing I most remember about braces (which I had as a young teenager) was the day after I got them: Ow! Gums/head/whole SELF (because gums/head) just aching! I couldn’t have eaten if I’d tried.
My cousin stopped by and my mom made breakfast! Pancakes! Sausages! Baaacon!
I couldn’t even LOOK at it, let alone taste it.
I was salty towards my cousin for quite awhile after that!
Well, that’s an interesting thought, the soreness. Something else to ask about. I imagine it will be a bit before pizza works but it’s really in my head.
I sympathize Cinnamon. I never had them, but both of my kids did. My daughter ended up getting them a second time on her own dime when she was on her own because her teeth had shifted (she failed to wear her retainer!). And now my son is contemplating doing the exact same thing for the same reason. So the takeaway is wear your retainer. They missed chewing gum and popcorn if I remember.
My brother, who was the one who had braces as a teen, did that: didn’t wear retainer. And ended up with expensive dental treatment as an adult. I will be good about retainer.
Ha! My daughter is going through the same thing! She was vaguely p!ssed that I wouldn’t pony up for them again (she’s almost 30). I TOLD her to wear that retainer, so oh well.
My brother was impossible from around age 14. Didn’t listen to anyone. Having to go through a whole load of dental stuff in his 40s is the only time I remember him saying he had made a mistake in being stubborn with my parents.
Heya Cinnamon,
I too dodged braces and have teeth moving around my mouth apace, including a lower front now snaggletooth. I’ve often thought of braces but remember the agonies my sister went through and figure living with wonky teeth is OK.
Pizza is one of my favorite food groups. YUM!
Portia xx
I was getting very skeptical about the braces but now I am happier and beginning to see why they’ve done what they’ve done. I did feel this might be totally pride etc but now I feel like the money I’m spending is going to a good cause. ah, pizza. it’s not something I ate that often but boy do I crave it now.