Week 55

Here we are, another week, another post. And this time, it's actually on time! Small blessings, right?

So we are now firmly in what I called the boring phase of the whole braces journey. I've been on my final wires since January, and really, there's been no major changes or shifting that I can see. Not that I expect there would be. I mean, this is the stage where things get tweaked and finalized before the wires come off, so there shouldn't be any major changes. But man, is it ever boring! Like...rationally, I know things are happening, whether or not I can see the changes or not, but visually, it's gotten pretty dry since January. As far as I know, we're working on my bite, and that should be it.

But so boring!

My molars are definitely touching each other now--thank you box elastics--which hopefully mean that I won't have to deal with more elastics when I go in for my next appointment on the 9th. I just think that while elastics work, and work well, I'm getting a bit tired of elastics by now. Except for three months, I've had elastics since I got braces put on. And I'm kinda missing the freedom of having no elastics. Braces are definitely a lot easier to deal with when there aren't elastics involved. But I suppose time will tell what the next step in my journey will be.

Week 55

Week 54

Another week, another post.

Well, I'm definitely getting better at putting on the box elastics for my right molars now. I'm able to hook the elastic into a box configuration on the first try successfully about 80% of the time, which is a lot better than like, 10% of the time, which is where I was at when I first started this whole molar box configuration thing. I'm still not sure why I'm able to put on the box configuration on my left molars pretty much with 100% success rate on the first try, but not my right. It's definitely got something to do with the angle, and the way I hold the elastic hooking tool in my right hand vs left hand...but anyway, the point is, I figured how to hook on the box configuration elastic for my right molars with a much better success rate than when I first started. Which makes the whole thing way, way less frustrating than it was.

If it continued to be as frustrating as when I first started out, I couldn't promise that I'd be all that compliant with it. I mean, I've been pretty good with being compliant with everything the orthodontist has asked me to do, but this molar box configuration thing definitely tested my compliance. The first weeks, when I was having so much trouble with hooking the damn elastic (and having it stay) onto my right molars, I was half convincing myself that I didn't need perfection, and that it was just fine with me if my bite wasn't a perfect Class I bite. It was that frustrating. But all's that gone now, and thank god I decided to stick with it through the frustrations.

(I might not be needing a perfect set of Hollywood teeth, but having a functional and correct bite is pretty damn important. And I'm not throwing away nearly $4000 just to end up with an imperfect bite over something that I had control over.)

I feel like I am more aware of my molars touching each other, which I suppose mean that the elastics are doing their jobs, which is a good thing. I really just hope that this is the last of elastics I'll have to deal with for a while. Except for three glorious months, I've been in elastics for the entirety of my braces journey so far, and it's getting a bit...annoying and old. I mean, if it comes to it it, I'll wear elastics for the entire time I'm in braces if have to, but I'd rather not. Especially not after having experience the amazing freedom and ease that is braces without elastics. So I'm crossing my fingers that on my next appointment, the orthodontist won't find another reason for me to wear elastics. The same way I'm crossing my fingers to finish my braces journey sooner rather than later.

Week 54

Week 53

Another week has passed, and I'm now firmly into the start of my second year of braces. I really, really hope that I can get these things off in 1.5 years instead of 2...but we'll see how things are doing at my next orthodontist appointment (which is in early May). I still can't believe it's been one whole year since I've had the brackets and wire installed on my teeth. I guess time flies when we're having fun. It's still amazing to look back at all the progress pictures that I've taken, and see all the changes that have taken place. My teeth definitely looks and feels better than before I got braces, that's for sure.

As for this week, I think I've finally figured out how to put on the box elastic for my right molars without the elastic eternally slipping off after I've put it on. It's still a work in progress, but so far, the technique that I've developed is working well. I still have to do the odd adjustment here and there, but it's definitely much better than before, where I'd spend up to 10 minutes just fixing the elastic (and sometimes I won't be successful, and if those times happened to be at work, then I'd just go without the elastics. It's terrible, I know.). I'm acutely aware of the forces the elastics are placing on my molars, and I'm pretty sure I can feel the molars touching each other better now. So the elastics are working, and I'm glad for that.

Though I really wish that I was done with elastics already. I've been in elastics since day one, save for the blessed three months from November to January where I didn't have to wear any. I see elastics as a necessary inconvenience of braces, a necessary evil if you will. And while I'm perfectly okay with using them, I'd still prefer not to, if I can help it. Braces are just simply so much easier without elastics. But sticking with my approach to braces, I'm going to religiously wear the elastics as ordered (or, as religiously as I can) so that I don't extend my treatment unnecessarily. Anything to shorten treatment time I'll do.

Week 53

Week 52...Month 12! One year of braces!

So a year ago, I went to the orthodontist for my first "real" appointment and had braces installed. Lot's have happened during the said year...and now here we are, one year later. It's really really amazing how fast time has flown by. I can't believe that one year has gone by already. My teeth definitely looks a lot better than when I first got braces installed!

In terms of movement, I think some degree of leveling has happened for my top incisors, and I definitely am more aware of my molars touching, due to the stupid box configuration that I wear on them for elastics. I"m still not too impressed with the box configuration, mostly because my right molars brackets don't seem to want to hold onto to the elastic too too well. Full confession: there have been days at work where I didn't wear elastics on the right side after lunch break...not because I didn't want to wear it, but because the damn elastic just won't stay put! It gets a bit annoying and stupid to try to rehook the damn elastic over and over again on hooks that aren't really hooks....and beside, I didn't have the time to eternally hide in the bathroom to troubleshoot the elastic. But for the most part, I've been pretty good at elastics wear. And I think I may have discovered a way to hook the elastic onto my right molars in a fashion that make it stick better. I hope anyway. We'll see.

So without further ado, let's do the pictures!

Before braces. Boy did my teeth need work. 

First day in braces. The pain and learning curve was real.

Month 6. Things were definitely looking better by this time.

....And this is what things look like one year in!

Here's to hoping for not being in braces for too much longer! I really hope to get these off by the 1.5 year mark...but only time will tell. In any case, I have an appointment in early May to look forward to, so we'll see what happens then.

Happy one year to this blog! (For those of you reading and are debating on whether or not to get braces...my piece of advice is to do it. Affirmative. 100%. It's totally, totally worth it!)

Week 51

Okay, so I think I've been a pretty good sport about this whole braces thing (I have to be, considering the fact that i willingly signed myself up for it), and I've been pretty damn good about using elastics (I wear them religiously. I do not want to extend my time in braces unnecessarily). But these stupid box configuration on the molars? They're really trying my patience. Really, really, really trying my patience.

It's not even so much that they're hard to put on. I've got the hang of it now. It's the fact that the right sided one just doesn't want to fucking stay put. I have no problems putting on the elastic for the left side, and having it stay, but the right side? Oh boy. I haven't really quite figured out how to make it stay, and when it does, it's more luck of the draw than my technique. I swear, it'd be so much fucking easier to put the box configuration on if the first molar brackets had actual fucking hooks. But nooooo, the hooks that they do have is curved the wrong fucking way for these box elastics! (they're PERFECT for hooking the powerchains though. Just not fucking elastics.) And on top of trying to hook the elastics onto essentially two curves, the elastics have to sit over the powerchain ends on the first molar! And the powerchain ends aren't exactly thin and delicate. They're rather bulky. And they take up like, 90% of the available space on the damn hook. So it's no surprise that I spend up to 5 minutes just hooking the elastic on the right molars and hoping that it will stick and not slide off on whatever attempt I'm on.

I know it'll all be eventually worth it, and I definitely won't whine when I have that perfect bite down pat and straight teeth to boot, but right now, it's just a very very trying time with the elastics. But I can feel the elastics working "more" on the right side than the left--it feels tighter on the right side than the left side, which I attribute to the fact that my right side may have a bigger open bite than my left. I mean, I'm in these goddamned box configuration to make my molars touch after all, so it would make sense that I would feel the most pressure on the side that has the bigger gap between the top and bottom molars.

On other news, the gap between my lower right central and lateral incisor is now mostly closed, and I can see some difference in my front teeth with the repositioned brackets. On the down side, my upper left lateral incisor looks to be slightly higher than my upper right lateral incisor, so that means there may possibly be another bracket repositioning in my future.

And thus, next week will be one year of braces for me! Time sure flies.

Week 50

Week 51. See how my upper lateral and central incisors are more leveled with each other when compared to the previous week? Also,see how my upper left lateral incisor is a bit higher now?

Week 49, 50, and a trip to the orthodontist!

Okay. So I totally am living the whole "be careful of what you wish for" saying right now. See, I was complaining/whining that basically nothing was really happening for the past little while, and then I went to my orthodontist appointment today, and...let's just say, I am now the living proof of being very careful what I wish for in the future. I mean, Jesus Christ, had I known what I'd be expected to do after today's appointment, I would never have dared to whine that things were sooooo boring in the past little while. Fuck, I'd take boring to what I have to do now.

So I haven't given the updates for Weeks 49 and 50, mostly because nothing was happening. Nothing exciting happened (in hindsight, that is actually good. Preferable even). I did feel my bite changing subtly, but it wasn't anything to write home about. Ergo, I've been real lazy about posting my week by week updates remotely on time, because there just wasn't anything to update on. It sure got tiring really fast writing about the same things over and over again, about how there's no visible teeth movement, and that the gap between my lower right central and lateral incisors was still there. So I've been lazy. But here are the pictures from the past two weeks.

Week 49

Week 50

If you can spot the difference between the two, then good for you. Because I sure as heck can't.

Onto the orthodontist appointment!

As far as appointments go, today's wasn't bad. It was a pretty typical appointment where the tech took off what needed to be taken off (in my case today, the powerchains. For some reason, the wires didn't go out today), the orthodontist looked, prodded and had me open and close my mouth a bunch of times, told me the treatments he wanted done today, and the tech carries out the instructions left by the orthodontist. So in that regards, today's appointment was fairly typical, and seriously nothing to write home about.

The treatments that the orthodontist wanted done today however....

...let's just say it started off pretty typical too. He wanted three brackets repositioned--on my upper central incisors, and on my upper left lateral incisor respectively. He wanted those repositioned as the four front teeth of my upper arch aren't all leveled with each other, and he wanted to change that. Fair enough. Whatever. I've had brackets repositioned before, so this wasn't anything new. And the tech I had today did an excellent job in prying off the brackets. Nothing broke, and it wasn't painful at all. I hadn't realized she had the brackets off until she told me she was going to start polishing the glue off my teeth! The brackets were then repositioned, double checked by the orthodontist, and cured into place. The wire was then re-inserted. Didn't get any new wires because I'm on my finishing wires now, and I was told by the tech last time that it meant that were was no heavier wire to step up to. So I don't expect wire changes from now on. Just small tweaks and changes here and there.

The orthodontist also wanted me to be on a different elastics configuration this time around. And he wanted a box configuration on my molars on both sides...because my molars weren't quite touching, and he wanted them to close. Otherwise though, he said my bite is looking pretty good. I suppose with this tweaking of my molars, my bite will be pretty damn good at the end of it. But boy...box elastics on the molars are not fun.

I mean, elastics in general aren't fun, but I think I've done a fantastic job so far in terms of being diligent in wearing them. Sure I've complained about wearing them in general, but I don't think I've ever disliked an elastic configuration as much as I do my current one. And it's been barely....three hours since I got put on them. That's how much I don't like them already.

See, with the other elastic configurations, I can see what I'm doing, and that really helps with putting them on my teeth. And with most other elastic configurations, they were fairly straight forward and simple to apply. But this one? Let's just say I seriously struggled with putting it on at the orthodontist office (and that's with only doing one side. The tech did the other side for me). The hooks on the molars are insanely hard to get to even with the elastics tool, and there's some legit finger gymnastics involved in latching the elastics onto all four molars on either side of the mouth to make a box. The tech did sympathize with me, and asked the orthodontist if there was another configuration I can do to achieve the same result, but the orthodontist was adamant on this stupid box thing.

I think I figured out a way to put it on now, but I seriously can't say this is easy. For two seconds on the drive home, I was considering on not following the full time wear thing for this configuration, and just do what I can with it...because it's THAT annoying. I was convincing myself that I didn't need a perfect bite to be functional, but that thought didn't last long. In the end, I figured that since I'm paying the office a nice sum of money, I would be doing myself a huge disservice if I veered off course now. I mean, I'm sure all this annoyance will be worth it in the end. And the end is definitely a lot closer in reach when I follow the instructions perfectly.

But it still doesn't make the fact that box elastics on the molars are just a plain big fucking pain in the ass. I'll stick with it, because I have to. But I'm really hoping that this is a 6 week deal, and that I won't have to have them anymore when I go back to the office in 6 weeks.

My "after" picture from today's appointment. Those four front teeth are going to be getting leveled!

Box elastics on the left side of my mouth.

Box elastics on the right side of my mouth

Week 48, Month 11

It's officially one more month until the one year mark of me having braces. And lot's have changed since last April. My teeth look much, much better than before, and I'm sure my bite has improved. So it's all been good so far. Can't believe that in a short four weeks, it would've been one year in braces. I mean...it really only feels like yesterday that I willingly put myself through the torture device known as braces. But, time flies!

The only down side with my current finishing wires is that there's just not much going on that I can see. There's just literally no tangible changes that I can observe on a week to week basis...and I've been looking, trust me. But I suppose that's what it's like on the finishing wires....they're there to finish the braces journey, and there shouldn't be any big major change s that happen with these wires. Which, you know, it's good to know that I'm at least on the final stages of my braces journey, but on the other hand, it's just so damn boring when I look in the mirror and nothing looks different. Like, I don't think anything's really changed since I got these wires on. I'm sure the orthodontist will disagree, and say that there's movements and changes and all....but on a tangible level, I really can't see much.

But hey, I've got an orthodontist appointment in about two weeks, so maybe things will be changing by then!

What my teeth look like, pre braces. I can't believe I let that edge to edge bite drag out for as long as it did...and all the gaps and the crossbite on the right!

Month 11. Things are looking much more neater and straighter now.

Week 48