Week 93, 94

...and I'm officially two weeks from being braces free! My, how fast have time flown by...in just two weeks, I'd be debraced, and starting the next part of my braces journey (retainers). Now that I'm so close to having the braces off, I'm feeling a little antsy. I just want them off now! Not two weeks later! But, I've survived this long with them already, another two weeks isn't really much of anything. Beside, the two weeks will go by fast, and before I know it, it'd be debracing day. I'm looking forward to the entire procedure--the bracket and glue removal, permanent retainers application, making molds for retainers, and being fitted for said retainers. And of course, my first dental cleaning without the braces in the way! It's gonna be a long day on Feb 8, but it will be all worth it. Plus, I'm celebrating with eating dinner out that night, so it'll be nice little end to my journey with braces.

No updates, because there isn't much to update. I'm literally just waiting to get the braces off, and my teeth looks and feels fine. Bite's wonderful, feels comfortable, and I've had no issues with my bite. No issues with my teeth. Just the usual frustrations with elastics, but even that is mitigated by the knowledge that I won't have to deal with them again in two weeks time. My braces aren't really acting as braces now anyway; they're just retaining my teeth in their current formation until braces are off.

So here's my list of things that I've learned with braces:

1) 100% worth it to do it. That's not to say that it will be easy, smooth sailing, or straight forward. But it is worth doing. I joke about my teeth being a $3700 smile, but in all seriousness, braces are absolutely worth it. The improvement in aesthetics and bite goes such a long way that I didn't know what I was missing out until during my treatment.

2) Braces will test your patience. With braces you have to relearn how to eat, brush, floss, talk and position your jaws. These can cause frustration (lot's of it too!). It's especially worse in the beginning, when you are just starting out. But all that will dissipate eventually. Your mouth will learn how to maneuver and function with braces in.

3) Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Borrowing this quote, because it captures braces related pain quite accurately. There will be pain with moving teeth (you're moving teeth through bones! It will hurt!), but the attitude and mindset that you have for the pain will determine how the pain affects you. I didn't really have too much pain throughout, but did take the odd Tylenol whenever I needed it. I didn't let it stop me from doing anything. Not even eating.

4) Speaking of eating...it's become an event with braces. You plan for it, and around it with braces on. Sometimes you don't bother because it's too much work. I imagine retainers will be the same.

5) Elastics are the devil. They just are. They're annoying, inconvenient, and frustrating at times. They snap off, they can be difficult to put on, and they add some pain to the treatment. You become a slave to them once you're prescribed to wear them. Posterior box configuration on the molars is the absolute worse (and I'd know. Been wearing them for 11 months now). But wear them religiously, and the results are amazing.

6) Things can get worse before they get better. Everything in braces is interim, so things can and do look way worse before they get better. Teeth don't always look align and straight throughout the journey and that's okay. As long as the teeth are where they need to be by debracing day, it's fine. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

7) You will develop better hygiene. It's just an inevitable side effect of having braces, really. One that I'm sure will make my dentist very happy about.

8) You're the only one who really cares about and obsess over your own teeth and braces. Well, and maybe your orthodontist too. But generally, nobody cares that you're in braces. Nobody.

Week 93

Week 94

Week 38

Christmas has come and gone, and the holidays are just about over. The end of another year is fast approaching us, and a new one is just around the corner. This will be my last post of 2017...hopefully 2018 will bring everyone joy, hope, peace, serenity, good karma and success!

(And teeth movement for me. Maybe even an end date for braces! A girl can always dream, right?)

I am finding that I am able to eat more and more food that I previously couldn't, not because the food items were on the "banned" list, but because my teeth hurts from biting down on them. I've avoided broccoli and veggie stems for this reason, but I had steamed broccoli the other night, and nothing happened other than I was able to chew on it without much trouble. Same with veggie stems. Now, this is not to say that I'm ready to chow down on steak, but this is good news nonetheless. And I'm now able to tear into food with my front teeth again! When I first got braces, there was none of that. Because it would hurt like a son of a gun whenever I tried to rip food using my incisors...that and I never realized just how much I use my incisors to tear into food until I couldn't use them anymore! But things are looking up for me, food wise. At least I'm not exclusively stuck on the soft food anymore....though tough, chewy and hard food likely remains a no until the braces are off.

(And boy, the list of foods I want to eat when braces come off is starting to grow. You really don't know what you will miss until you can't have it anymore. I could definitely use some beef jerky right now. Or caramel filled candies. Fuck, it's difficult when it's the holidays and you can't eat half the stuff people bring to work because of your teeth. I miss Ferrero Rocher damn it! And crunchy cookies! And cereal that haven't been drowned to death in milk. Good thing I can still eat canned tuna and cheesecake and sushi and pho...because if I can't have those, I'm not sure I wouldn't be going stir crazy at the thought of potential two years without them.)

I've got a dentist appointment on the 8th for cleaning, and then it's off to the orthodontist on the 22nd for a routine check in. I sure hope none of those appointments are too eventful...though I do wonder if I'm going to get a wire change when I go in to see the orthodontist. I've been in these wires since August, and they really aren't doing much for me in terms of teeth movement. So we'll see.

To celebrate the end of the year, I'll end it with a Things That I've Learned (So Far), year end edition:

1) If you're thinking about getting braces, do it. Your teeth won't change if you don't take the first step in getting them changed. I've always wanted to straightened my teeth, and I've been sitting duck on that ever since I got a "real" job. Not sure what I was waiting for. I should've gotten it done like in my early 20's. But it was only this year that I did something about it. Better late than never, I suppose.

2) Pain is a package deal when it comes to braces. Embrace it. Learn to deal with it. Because that's not going away anytime soon. Every new wire adjustment will hurt, repositioning brackets will hurt, eating will hurt, the pressure of the wires, elastics and powerchains against the teeth will hurt. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Tylenol and Advil are wonderful for the pain. And sleep.

3) Piggy backing onto the last statement, if possible, schedule your appointments on a day where you don't have work the next day. Because nothing sucks more than going to work with a sore mouth from your orthodontist appointment the previous day. Thankfully, so far, I've been able to mostly schedule my appointments on days where I don't work the next day.

4) Brushing and flossing with braces are a real hassle, but it's one of those things where the more you do it, the better you will become. And, if nothing else, you will develop better oral hygiene habits because of braces, and that's always a plus. I mean, I used to floss maybe ten times a year (before going to the dentist, and the short period of time after seeing the dentist), and now, I floss daily.

5) Your mouth will adapt to the braces and you will learn how to eat with the braces on. It won't be necessarily a smooth ride, but it will get there. And you will realize how much of certain teeth you use to eat when you no longer can use those said teeth for eating (like me and my incisors). You also will realize just how much food you can essentially just swallow with minimal to no biting involved. And when you find a side of the mouth that hurts less when eating, you will use that side like there's no tomorrow.

6) Yes you will develop a minor lisp. Yes it sucks. Yes it's noticeable. But good news, is that it goes away relatively quickly. So...there's not much in terms of advice from me other than suck it up and keep talking despite the lisp.

7) You will become hyper aware of other people's teeth and you will scrutinize your own teeth everyday in the mirror. It's just something that happens as a result of getting braces I suppose. And I've noticed that many adults wear braces, and that like 99% of the people with straight teeth have had braces at one point. The 1% that naturally have straight teeth are blessed in ways that most of us aren't. And that most people do not have a perfect bite or perfect teeth. Perfectly imperfect.

Week 38. The camera on my new iPhone 7 is amazing. That's all I have to say.

See you all in the new year!

Month 8 and Week 35

...aaaand another month is up! Holy cow, time's just a flying, isn't it? I don't remember eight months passing by since I've gotten braces on in April, but obviously it has been eight months because here we are, in December. In some ways, it really only feels like yesterday when I went to the orthodontist to have the brackets applied and the first wires slotted in (and boy, do I remember the pain and the learning curve that came with that), but looking at my teeth now, it's all been so worth it.

In the span of eight months, my teeth have straighten, leveled and aligned. Compared to my "before" picture, it's like we're talking about two different sets of teeth. And I guess, in a way, we are. I mean, that's kind of why I voluntarily signed up for braces, for straighter teeth. And the correct my bite. So obviously, my "before" teeth and my "current" teeth are definitely two different sets of teeth. One is a vast improvement on the other.

In this past month, I managed to finally be rid of elastics (hopefully for good. Really really hoping for good. Crossing my fingers that the orthodontist doesn't put me back on them when I next go in to see him in January). My open bite is definitely 100% gone, and I've got that small overbite that an ideal bite has. My top lateral incisors have rotated out a little more. The gap between my lower right lateral incisor and canine have closed. My upper left canine have got the bracket repositioned, and right now it's looking a little...tipped inward, but I'm sure that's nothing a new wire and/or bracket repositioning can't fix.

I think it's time to do another Things I've Learned (So Far), just because I haven't done one in a such a long time! Plus eight months is a good time as any to do one.

So...Things I've Learned (So Far):
1) Wear your elastics religiously. They work. They are a pain in the ass (and mouth), but they do work. They are a necessary evil.
2) Life with braces is so, so, so much more freeing and better without elastics. The more compliant you are with elastics wear, the sooner you will reach the desired changes, which means, the sooner you will be rid of them.
3) Brushing and flossing gets much, much easier with practice. Before it would take me forever to brush and floss, and now it takes me 10-15 minutes. Which isn't bad.
4) You learn to swish water very well when eating out. (Admittedly this probably a bad habit, and for those of you reading, please don't pick up this habit. Don't be lazy like me. Pack a toothbrush and toothpaste and brush after eating out.)
5) Powerchains are a bit like elastics--they are a pain, but they do work to close gaps. So put up with them if you want your gaps closed!
6) Not all food on the banned list are equally bad. Granted you really shouldn't be eating anything on the banned list. But if you're careful and crafty enough....(full confession: I've eaten candy bars with bits of nuts in them. And nothing's happened. But I was super careful with the nuts. I've also eaten chips. Again I was super careful with them).
7) Your changing bite will feel weird and awkward at times, and some days you don't even know how to bite food because of the changing bite. That's normal. Your mouth will always find a way.
8) If it weren't for the fact that I see my bite turbos everytime I brush, and the fact that I can feel them with my tongue, I'd have forgotten that they're there.
9) It feels really fucking weird to have the wires out and the brackets gate opened with nothing in them. I can not stress enough how weird the feeling is.
10) Bracket repositioning is a necessary evil, and not one that is particularly enjoyable.

Before. Look how my teeth have changed over the course of 8 months. It really is amazing. And man....look at the cross bite, the gap in between my front central incisor, the way my top left central incisor slanted towards the left...I definitely don't miss this at all

Month 7

Week 34

Month 8/Week 35. Look at all the change that have happened! Cross bite is gone. Gap between front central incisors is gone. Teeth are mostly straightened and aligned. No more edge to edge bite. It's amazing what some brackets and wires and time can do!

Week 19

Welp. I had my adjustment (and you can read all about it on my previous post), and I'm still getting used to the new wires. My teeth are sore, and it'll be awhile before my mouth feels like "my mouth" again. But all this in the name of getting nice straight teeth, eh?

Compared to last week, I'm not too sure there's any really anything new. I've started using elastics to close this open bite that I've apparently developed, and I think it's going well? I mean, in the pictures, my top and bottom teeth seem to be a tad closer to each other. My top arch have definitely moved out some, and it's quite obvious now when you look at my upper left canine when compared to before. So, I guess the elastics are working as they should, which is good. My top right lateral incisor is slowly coming out of its crossbite too, so that's good.

Before the pictures, a quick Things I Learned (So Far):
1) Power chains are no joke. They bloody hurt. They make elastics feel like a child's toy.
2) Elastics work if you wear them as prescribed, religiously. No they're not fun. They haven't been fun. And I don't anticipate on them ever being fun. But they work, and that counts for something.
3) After an adjustment, it can be painful to brush and floss. Learned this the hard way yesterday.
4) Speaking of flossing, with new wires and power chains on, it can be difficult to floss. Because you know, spaces and gaps are closing and all that jazz.
5) Your bite is always changing. In fact you might develop a bite that you never had before due to being in braces. AKA, me and an open bite.
6) Having braces work much better than any diet. It's hard to gain weight when your diet is restricted and eating becomes a big hassle.
7) The lisp does go away, but not completely. I'm okay with like 99% of words...but there are still a few words that I just have trouble spitting out because of braces.
8) Better oral hygiene habits will develop because of braces. That's a plus from braces, right?
9)....that sometimes when you can't brush after a meal, swishing water really well inside your mouth works too. Not as good as brushing, obviously, but it gets the job done.
10) Wearing elastics in a box configuration for night time use means you end up swallowing your yawns because you can't open your mouth wide enough to actually yawn. It's...really weird.

Week 18

Week 19. See how my top left lateral incisor and canine are more forward now? As is my right canine. Could be the camera angle, but I think my teeth are closer together this week than last.

Week 9

As there isn't much change in my teeth between my last post and this one, I've decided that I will not provide a week by week update here. Instead of giving an update of my teeth, I think I'll turn this into a Things I've Learned blog.

So without a further ado, Things I've Learned So Far:
1) Putting on elastics is so much easier with practice. But with that said, I still don't know how to put on elastics without the plastic tool.
2) Choosing the right toothbrush can make all the difference.
3) Flossing is easier now that I've got the hang of it.
4) Sometimes, following the list of "banned" food is the easy part. Eating food can be the hard part.
5) There's no need to really follow the list of "banned" food. Common sense (and your teeth) will dictate what you can and can not eat.
6) Braces lose their novelty real fast.
7) Looking obsessively in the mirror daily for teeth movement becomes a normal routine.
8) You start comparing your teeth with other people's teeth...and you definitely start noticing other people's teeth more
9) You weirdly get used to waking up with your cheeks pressed against your braces.
10) You get used to the constant pressure on your teeth.

Look at where we started...

Look at where we are...

(Yes I'm channeling my love for Hamilton)

Things I Leaned (So Far)

Think I'm going to start another "segment" on this blog (as of now, my other "segment" is going to be the week by week progress) aptly titled Things I Learned (So far). I've had braces for...a little over a week now, and there has been quite a few things that I've learned since getting the braces on. And because I like to overshare on the internet, I'll impart my wisdom to whoever stumbles upon my blog (and hopefully be entertained/educated from my musings). And so, these are the things that I've learned so far, arranged in no particular order whatsoever.

1) Let's just get it out there, elastics and bite blocks suck. But, you do get used to them. I'm not saying they'll feel natural to you...because come on, braces, elastics and bite blocks are as natural as a snail without its shell, but overtime, your mouth and teeth stops registering them as "foreign objects" to you. I don't even feel my bite blocks most of the time, and the pressure from the elastics aren't as terrible as it was when I first got them.

2) Putting on elastics can be a pain in the ass. I have no idea how people can hook them on using just their fingers. I have enough troubles as it is using the tool that came with the elastics. But after a lot of trail and error, I think I've found a way that consistently works.

3) Brushing is definitely different and weird with braces on. Toothbrush definitely gets ruined a lot faster, due to the bristles being snagged by the brackets. And there's the fact that not only are you cleaning your teeth, you're also cleaning your brackets and wires. Flossing went from a 5 minute thing to a 15 minute thing, turning it from a mild inconvenience to a massive bitch. Threading the floss underneath the wire for flossing is definitely something I'm looking forward to not doing once the braces are off.

4) Eating becomes a thing you have plan around. Snacking goes right out the window, unless it's with a meal. You really start to think and plan your oral intake on a daily basis when you have braces on...especially if it means fiddling around with elastics each and every time you eat. So what if shrimps from a shrimp ring, chicken noodle soup and tomatoes don't exactly go together? You eat what you can when you have the elastics off.

5) I never realized just how much food debris gets trapped inside my mouth after eating. I never used to brush after I eat, but now, if I don't, it doesn't feel clean.The mouth is a truly disgusting place after eating.

6) I'd like to think that my oral hygiene have drastically improved since getting braces, what with me actually flossing once a day, and brushing twice a day and after every meal.

7) Dry lips are a reality that comes with braces. I don't know why my lips are so dry ever since getting braces, but they are. Regular chapstick isn't cutting it either. Vaseline seems to do the trick, but I bought Carmex, and I'm going to give that a try. Dry mouth seem to be a thing too, that comes with braces.

8) The lisp that I got after getting braces is thankfully, only temporarily. There are still the occasional words I struggle with, but the lisp, for the most part, is gone.

9) I never knew how much I used to use my front teeth to tear into food....I seem to use my front teeth to eat just about everything it seems like. But now that I can't (and I've tried. Sinking my front teeth into food hurts, so it's a no go), I've definitely developed new ways to eat. Chewing with my back molar, crushing food against the roof my mouth, and just plain swallowing things are my go to methods now. I never realized just how much food you can swallow without biting or chewing on them.

10) Braces is one of those things where it gets worse before it gets better, and it tests my patience. I know it will be worth it but...sometimes, I just want to take them out and be done with them.