Week 75, 76, and Month 17!

So the trip to Disney World has come and gone...and I would definitely 100% visit Disney World again. It was, as cliched as it sounds, magical. Although a future trip would likely not include all four parks, and it would not be me trying to cram as many rides and attractions in a day as possible. Trip was fun, but tiring. And I'd like to visit Disneyland (the park that started it all) before visiting any other Disney parks. But...that's not for a while.

So I wasn't the best at braces maintenance during my trip. And I tried, but teeth and braces were not exactly my priority after doing a full day at the parks for 12 hours. I didn't floss at all during the week I was at Disney (I brought floss. I even brought Super Floss to facilitate in easy flossing!). I probably didn't brush as thoroughly as I usually do while on vacation. I did keep up with the elastics use...except for the one night that they kept snapping off, and I was too exhausted to really care. Braces maintenance during vacation is hard. But I'm really hoping that by the time we go on our next big trip (London, if I had my way), these suckers would be off. And I don't plan on taking any big vacations for at least another year, so these things better be off then.

In terms of movement...really nothing. The IPR gap between my upper right central and lateral incisor is still there, so I really don't think I'll be debracing in two appointments' time. I hardly think the orthodontist would make a mold of my teeth when there is still a very visible gap between two of my teeth. There goes that idea of debracing at around the 18 month mark. We've certainly gone a long way, but I know my teeth aren't ready to be debraced until that gap is fixed. Which, at the rate we're going, will not be closed by my next appointment.

The elastics continue to be pain in the ass, and I'll be so glad when I don't have to wear them anymore. I'm really hoping that I can leave them off for good at my next appointment. As much as I think it's so amazing that they work...I'm getting a bit tired of wearing them.

Month 17/ Week 75

Week 76

Week 73 and 74

So another two weeks in braces have gone by!

And while nothing really exciting or major happened this week, I do have to report that getting used to life without bite pads was a bit...weird. I was just so used to having two globs on the biting surface of my upper first pre molars that the first few times that I ate without them on, it felt almost a bit unnatural. As if having globs on your teeth is normal at all, but that goes to show you just how fast your body will adapt to anything. It's...a bit weird to not have the bite pads on my teeth, truth to be told, but it does feel much nicer without them. I guess they have done their jobs, and my bite corrected beautifully with them in. I still remember the first days and weeks with them in...eating was a big challenge. Then it slowly turned into me being used to them....then it morphed into that I don't even notice them at all.

The gaps made by my most recent IPR are still there, the right side worse than the left. At the rate that my IPR gaps are not closing, I don't foresee braces coming off that soon. i mean, my orthodontist wants to do impressions for retainers on my next appointment, but I just don't think that's realistic. I mean, it is true that IPR gaps can be closed relatively easily and hastily with powerchains, but I just don't see it happening with my gaps. The IPR gap between my upper right central and lateral incisor haven't from July haven't closed, and now the ortho made that gap ever slightly bigger by doing more IPR on my latest appointment, and it's all supposed to magically closed by October? I don't think so. But then again, I'm not the orthodontist, and I don't know the magic of braces, so maybe my gaps will be closed by the next appointment. I certainly am not holding my breath for it.

On the bright side, I'm going on vacation next week, so it shall be interesting to deal with braces while on vacation! (I know I went on a short road trip last summer with braces...but this time I'm actually going on a real vacation, so it'll be different). I can't wait to be at The Most Magical Place on Earth in a week!!

Week 73

Week 74