Hmmm….well it only took about a week and my tongue did in fact get used to the buttons rubbing on it ceaselessly…go figure! I stopped poking continuously at the elastics with the tip of my tongue, which was nice too, (the novelty just wore off). My teeth adjusted to the extra pressures of the wire and buttons and they are not sore either. So I can eat and brush with ease again…isn’t the human body’s ability to adapt amazing! The only side issue is that foods that are ‘stringy’ tend to get stuck around the buttons.  For example nectarine pulp, bean shoots, ham, orange ...