Five Months and a Day!!

I have officially had braces on for 5 months and 1 day! Time really does fly by! It doesn't seem like I've had them on for almost half a year! I'm extremely happy that time is passing so quickly because I can not wait to get these suckers off! I have dreams about that day! I must admit I spend a lot of time on Youtube watching videos of people getting their braces off! I can't wait until that day is my day! I'm sure you all can relate.

So I went in to get my second tightening on Monday the 22nd, and things went ok. It's weird because they didn't change my wires at all. They left the same ones in!?!? They did replace my top powerchain and added an additional one on my bottom grill. They also left the same twist tie things on my bottom grill, but just added a powerchain to it all. The orthodontist checked out my teeth and was telling the assistant "23, 25, 26, 7, 8" numbers that meant nothing to me, but the assistant quickly understood.

I explained that I hadn't been wearing my bands 24/7 like he had suggested because I was doing a lot of presenting and public speaking at work. He understood and said it looked ok (whatever that means) He did give my bands to continue wearing (which I knew he would because I didn't leave them in like he suggested) except they are stronger bands. I can feel them pull harder. The point of wearing the bands on the side is to get my teeth to align with one another. (top and bottom) The one additional thing I have now are two hooks right next to my two front teeth. He added those because apparently I have a slight overbite...a few millimeters and what I'm supposed to do is wear two smaller bands in the front. From bottom to top. I'm to wear those only at night! (Thank goodness!) So basically at night time my mouth is completely shut closed! Kind of scary! and he said that if I yawn when I wear my front bands, my temporary hooks could break! Great :/

I have been sick again :( coughing and stuffy head and everything else that comes along with that. Because I have had a hard time breathing through my nose I have yet to have a full night with my new front bands. I can't wear them because I can't breath! Not only that I can't stop coughing at night, and coughing requires an open mouth! I'm just afraid I'll end up breaking my brackets, so I wear them as long as I can stand it but end up taking them off soon after I put them on. I'm sure once I'm over this bug I will be able to wear them throughout the night.

I will post pics later.

<3,
Claudia

5 Months...Almost Here!

Hi All!!!
I'm really excited for my 2nd tightening appointment...it's almost here! I go into my ortho's office on the 23rd, which is right before Thanksgiving so it's a bit of a bummer :( Luckily I can have mashed taters and stuffing!

From my previous posting I mentioned last time I went to my ortho's they wanted me to wear bands. I've been wearing them religiously until about 2 weeks ago :( I have been doing nothing but presentations and public speaking all month! I just can't speak for 2 hours at a time with the bands in my mouth! So I end up taking them out and wearing them only in the evenings when I get home from the office. I know it's a very bad thing and I hope it doesn't set me behind schedule. My ortho did tell me to wear them all the time if not I'd have to end up wearing them even longer...my guess is he's going to tell me that I have to keep them in longer next time I go in (bummer) But I didn't really have a choice...I mean it's hard enough talking in braces...but add bands to the equation and it's even worse!

My back right molars are really bothering me...especially when I put my bands in. I'm thinking it's even worse because I don't have the bands in all the time...IDK, but I hope the pain goes away...it's really painful :( I actually woke up in the middle of the night because my molars hurt! I took my bands out and it really helped with the pain.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I want to rant and rave about anyone I come across that also wears braces through out my own braceface journey! I went to the local mall yesterday morning and I had to stop by Annie's to buy one of their famous pretzels! I love pretzels!! Anyway, the girl behind the counter also had braces and she gave me a huge smile...and I smiled right back at her! We had a short conversation, acknowledged our grills and went on our separate ways. :D Awesome!

xoxo,
C

'Tis the Season

So this weekend I was driving back from Spokane with a couple of friends and we decided to get coffee at Starbucks. So if you guys are familiar with Starbucks you know that they have their yearly "Pumpkin Spice Latte" that are to DIE for! So needless to say I knew exactly what I wanted the minute I walked in and smelled the coffee in the air. "I'll have a Grande Tripple Shot Pumpkin Spice Latte Please!" it was awesome! Knowing that I was going to start eating healthier on Monday and that I wouldn't be having another one of these until next year I enjoyed every sip of it! Until.....I looked in the mirror and smiled!!!! I was horrified! My crystal clear grill all of a sudden turned this musty orange/metal color!!!! I couldn't believe it! I had orange braces!!! Just in time for Halloween! As soon as I got home I brushed and swished with two different kinds of mouth wash but still not much of a change. I was sad :(

Next day woke up not feeling so good. I ended up calling in sick (which I NEVER do...I've done it 1 in 6 years) going to the ER that night only to find out I had INFLUENZA TYPE A /SUB TYPE H1N1!!!!!!!! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS...SWINE! I was in shock!! Needless to say the whole week I spent curled up in bed trying to recoup from the miseries I was suffering! I'm now feeling back to my normal self...somewhat. The fact that I had swine flu made me forget about my orange gear...once I remembered I checked them out and they seemed to be back to their normal color. They didn't seem orange anymore! Weird! I was glad but still weird! I called my ortho to have my bands changed anyway because I swear that every once in a while I get a glare of orange looking at me in the mirror. So I go in on Wednesday to get my power chain changed. I will keep you guys posted but other than that my gear is doing ok. Since I was sick this whole week and didn't eat for 3 solid days my teeth got a rest from chewing! I'm just now gaining my appetite, and trying to recoup from my 7lbs I lost in about 6 days! I just thank God I'm ok and I can officially say I've survived the orange grill and the swine!

xoxo,
C

Week 12

Today is my 12th week with braces...WOW! Time goes by fast...I was thinking that by Christmas of next year I will hopefully have my braces off, maybe even sooner if things go well. This Christmas however is a different story! I will be sporting my shiny grill next to the shiny Christmas tree! Hey maybe I'll get in the spirit and have my ortho put in green and red bands on my brackets during the season! Or maybe I'll even decorate my grill with some small Christmas ornaments! LOL! J/K!

I had a couple bad days with a soreness on my lower right gum...it was weird! Nothing was bugging my gum, It wasn't a sore...just irritation of my gum?! It wasn't the bracket because it was far from the gum and it wasn't touching it in anyway, but my gum was sensitive??...only in that area right below where my rubber band connects on the bottom bracket! I just rinsed with warm water and salt two times and it did the trick! It's still a bit sensitive, but not nearly as bad as it was before. Amazing how fast the warm water/salt mix worked! My jaw has been extra painful these last two weeks since I got my bands put in. I'm guessing the bands move my bottom grill and try to align it with my top grill? IDK, but I think that's what it's doing.

Speaking about Christmas trees...the other day I went to Walgreens and found the little Christmas tree brush thingies we all use to keep our grills clean on SALE! (you know what I'm talking about...I just don't know what they're called) Anyways, I stocked up! LOL even though I get them for free from my ortho I decided it was too good of a deal to pass up! I have four 12 packs! LOL enough to last a while I think!

I also came to the conclusion that my braces rock! I get attention I didn't in the past and I'm so comfortable in them now! I can actually say I've bonded with them! They are like part of me...I constantly think about them. Wonder how they're doing, if they need anything? are they clean? are the brackets lose? Is it time to change my bands? Is my powerchain still clear and not yellow? Are they doing their job? I even sometimes talk to them...tell them to do their thing as quick as possible so that my teeth and jaw will be perfect! I know it's weird...I am weird but It's become part of who I am, part of my routine. I must admit, when I get them off it will be an adjustment in itself! Don't get me wrong...I can't wait for them to come off, but the day that they do I think I may shed a little tear...Just a little little one though!

I've been having fun with my braces...Enjoy!

Bands Bands Bands :(

So at first I thought I didn't mind having the bands in...but now I'm really hating them! Grrrr :( I have to wear them 24 hours a day taking them out only to eat and brush but they really really make my jaw hurt :( And I honestly don't understand the point of them! I have however kept them in for 90% of the time. I take them out for a couple hours a day. I took them out for a few hours this afternoon because I had a presentation to give at my work. I'm comfortable speaking in front of a group of people since I do it so often in my job, but speaking in braces and on top of that speaking with my bands! That's a big No No! I took them out to give my presentation and put them in soon after. There is just no way I could do it with my bands in! So my jaw is constantly sore because of them...I'm hoping this goes away because I don't know if I can stand 9 more weeks of this!

OK enough of me complaining...

First Tightening - 10 weeks out!

Hey All!

So I went in for my first tightening today! I was really nervous and scared to go in there, because I didn't know what to expect. It didn't take long at all I was probably in the chair for about 1/2 hour! I was surprised. I was also surprised to know that it kind of hurt :( The whole pushing on my teeth was not fun at all and some teeth were more sensitive than others. I didn't get the clear brackets on the bottom because the Dr. said it would slow down the process since the clear ones are not as stable as the heavy-duty metal ones...and the last thing I want to do is sport my bedazzeled grill for a week longer than what I have to.

I got a thicker wire on both the top and the bottom grill...the girl said it was a really good thing because it meant I was closer to being done...which is still about 15 months away :( I know!! I was hoping for a shorter amount of time...but it looks like I will be sporting my grill for a few months longer than what I had anticipated! I guess it's better to get it done right the first time. As far as my Jaw goes...the Doc said it's still unaligned and still tilting to the right, but it was too soon to tell if my braces were doing it's job. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I don't want to have surgery!!! The good thing is that I don't have an under or over bite. My bite is actually perfectly aligned! My top and bottom teeth actually are symmetrical with one another, which is nice :D

Besides the thicker wires I also got a powerchain on my top grill. I have to say I wasn't looking forward to the powerchain because it seemed bulkier than the individual bands on the brackets, but it doesn't look that bad, or that much more noticeable!! I'm also excited to wear it because as I mentioned in an earlier post my teeth have moved so much that I have gaps in places that I didn't before! The powerchain should help close the gaps between my teeth. Reading other blogs I've heard that powerchains work quick! I have the clear powerchain which is really nice because it's a lot less noticeable. I'm hoping to keep them as clear as I did the the individual ones during my first appointment 10 weeks ago.

My bottom grill didn't get any bands at all! Just the wire! I asked and she said that she actually wrapped a piece of wire on each bracket individually which works similar to having the band on each bracket....I have to say I love having the wire instead of the band. For one it's less noticeable which makes the bracket look smaller, it also feels a lot smaller. I'm not sure why the difference but I'm ok with it :D My bottom teeth look great too! They seem perfectly straight to me, but they are obviously still slanted according to the Dr, and the x-rays!

Another thing I got were Bands! I'm guessing that's a good thing...I'm not sure what the point of the bands are but the doc and the assistant kept stressing the importance of wearing them 24 hours a day taking them out only to eat and brush.

QUESTION TO MY FELLOW BLOGGERS:

WHAT'S THE POINT OF THE BANDS?

The assistance actually said that I could keep them in if I could while eating. I've kept them on today since I got them, but it's only been a few hours. I am however going to try my hardest to keep them on allllllll the time because I don't want to slow down my process at all! That's the last thing I want. And actually they're not that bad, I don't really notice them only when I try to yawn. LOL If you look at the pics they are on my back teeth so it makes it less noticeable.

I was proactive and took my Advil today before my appointment, and the Dr said to keep up with it for the next week because he warned I would be sore :( And it's only been about 8 hours and the pressure is on! I can feel it and can only imagine what it will feel like in the next few days :( Not looking forward to it. But the assistant said that it's never as bad as when you first get your pimped out grill! So that's awesome news!


(Sorry about the quality, on my last trip to Vegas I broke my camera and these are from my phone)

Here's my full frontal pic! Notice the powerchain on my top grill and the individual wire ties on the bottom grill.



In this pic you can really see the gap I was talking about, and the new bands.


This is the other side and my other gap.


OH, and in case you haven't noticed from the pics I'm missing my canine teeth! I know, they just never ever came out! My dentist says that out of about 1000 people about 3 have missing canine teeth, but only about 1 of those thousand are missing them from birth like myself. Weird huh?

Overall it's going good... I don't really have any sores, my lips are not as chapped as they used to be, I use my wax minimally...I'm used to my wires but can't wait until these suckers come off! Of course this is me saying this only hours after my first tightening, this could all change within the next couple of days. Keeping my fingers crossed nothing changes!

Also for some reason I came home today after my appointment and just slept slept and slept! I did the same thing after I got my braces first put on...not sure if I just happened to be tired or if it has something to do with my braces and the pressure? IDK, but a little sleep can't hurt anyone right?

xoxo,
C

First Apt!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I go in for my first tightening tomorrow afternoon! I'm excited but scared and nervous! I don't know what to expect...I hope not too much pain! :( I will keep you guys posted tomorrow after I get my new wires in! Wish me Luck!!!!