Week 12

Tomorrow is Canada Day...so it will be interesting for me, being the first Canada Day that I will spend in braces. And I do plan on eating out (gotta take advantages of food trucks when it is available. And what good is celebrating the country's 150th birthday without some food?) Yes, I'm a proud Canadian, through and through.

So another week in braces have gone by, and things have improved for me. I am no longer restricted to just soft foods, but I wouldn't exactly say that I'm completely back to normal food either. My incisors are still a bit...not exactly sore, but...I'll say uncomfortable when I use them to bite down on things. Using them to tear food apart is probably not something I should be doing right now, and so I haven't. For a few days after I had my adjustment done, I couldn't even bite down on a ripen banana. So from that to being able to bite down on soft food is a rather good improvement. (I've been subsiding mostly on soft noodles and congee. I'm totally ready to venture into some "normal" food that leans on the soft side).

I'm not sure if the new wires have done anything yet, because I don't see any visible teeth movement. But that doesn't mean that it isn't doing anything. Just because I don't see any visible changes, doesn't mean the wires aren't working. I mean, I feel them working--there's a constant low pressure on my teeth. And my elastics? My current ones are so much easier to deal with than my previous ones. Having two elastics really open up your mouth (I have eaten with them in. You're not supposed to, but I was pressed for time...that and I was too lazy to deal with the whole putting elastics back in after meals at work those few times). That and having elastics that are meant to stretch further helps to open up the mouth. I have gotten better at putting them on now. My right canine is still a bit awkward, and it hurts whenever I accidentally close my mouth too quickly and it bangs against my tooth on the bottom. Oh well. It is what it is. I expect this will happen with my teeth as time goes on--my teeth are shifting and my bite is changing and there will be times where my teeth are just super awkward in relation to each other. But that's part of the price I pay for wanting straight teeth!

Where we started. God, that felt so long ago.

Week 11. Just after my adjustment last week.

Week 12. The wire on my upper right canine and upper right lateral incisor seem to have straighten out some. My midline doesn't look so off centered when compared to last week.

First adjustment and Week 11

So I had my first adjustment today! It was pretty exciting, considering it was my first time going back to the orthodontist for an adjustment since getting my braces placed on 10 weeks ago.

There were definitely some changes that were made, and I am feeling those new changes as I type. It feels like I'm back to the day when I first got my braces on, and had to learn everything from brushing, flossing to eating. Though it's not as dramatic this time around as I've already figured out the brushing and flossing and eating...but I suspect all adjustments will have an (haha) adjustment period. After all, I did not expect to move my teeth and have them straighten without some discomfort and inconvenience along the way.

So I got my wires, both top and bottom, swapped out. The old wires, as I predicted, have done their jobs, and are no longer needed. Instead I got a rectangular wire on the top, and a new circular wire on the bottom, and both are stiffer than the flexible circular wires I had on. I also got new elastics, as well as a new configuration for the said elastics. No new turbos were placed on despite me showing the orthodontist and the assistant that my right canine is touching my bottom tooth...the orthodontist said that it was normal and that my bite is going to be constantly changing now, so there isn't much he can do. Gotta live with it I guess. And lastly, the new wires are threaded all the way through to the back molars, whereas my previous wires weren't (something about the flexible starter wire doesn't have enough strength).

As soon as the new wires were clipped in, I felt an increase in pressure on my teeth, as well as pressure from where the elastic hooks onto my teeth. The good news about the new elastics is that I only need to wear two instead of four, but the bad news is that the new configuration is a bit harder to do than my old one. I suppose like with all things braces, I'll just have to learn to deal with it. I'm officially back to soft foods as I can't reasonably chew with my molars (due to the fact that they now are being moved), and I can't reasonably bite with my incisors, so I'm back to the good ol' mashing and swallowing.

At the same time, I'm looking forward to the changes these new wires will bring!

My teeth prior to being braced

Week 10 for comparison purposes

Week 11, post adjustment. New wires on top and bottom, and different elastics configuration. Now on Class III elastics!

My previous elastic size.

My current elastics size.

Week 10

We're at week 10 already! And my first follow up appointment is slated for next Wednesday. 10 weeks....it's incredible how two months have gone by already. I look at pictures from when I started to now, and I see the changes. It's really amazing how some brackets and a metal wire can work together to move teeth.

A new thing I have noticed lately is that the bite turbos aren't really working anymore. The one on my left side has filed down a lot (since I tend to chew on that side), and the one on the right doesn't seem to be doing much as my right upper canine is preventing it from doing its job. Before my right canine started coming out of the crossbite, the right bite turbo did prevent my teeth from touching, but as my right canine is slowly being moved....my canine got in the way. It rests on my lower teeth, and it serves as a bite block of sorts, although I wouldn't imagine that it is a particularly good bite block. But I do imagine that when I go see the orthodontist on Wednesday, something will be done to rectify that situation.

I'm really hoping that I'll be getting a new wire, and maybe get my back molars into the wire as well. The assistant told me that the initial wire can not be hooked up to the back molars because it wasn't strong enough, and that a stronger wire will be used to connect the back molars to the rest of my teeth...but the caveat is that they cannot start on a strong wire. Something about too much pressure. So I'm hoping that I'll be getting a new (stronger) wire when I go in on Wednesday. Considering how straight my current wire is, I'd say it did its job wonderfully (I'm not expert or anything, but I don't think the wire can provide any more teeth movement than it already did. Plus it straightened itself out nicely, moving my teeth with it). I shall definitely update after my appointment...though I have been warned that it will be painful for the first little bit. But then again, braces is literally one of those things where the saying "No pain, no gain" is true.

This is what we started with.

And this is what we're working with currently.

...Comparing the two, it appears that my midline is off, and my top arch is "tilted" (as it is essentially being propped up by my right canine). But I do know that sometimes, for braces, things get worse before they get better, so I'm not going to fixate too much on the fact my teeth is all weird right now. I trust that my orthodontist knows what he's doing, and that braces is really a journey in patience.Plus, there's improvements and movements already, so it's all very encouraging.

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)

Month 2

So. Another month in braces have gone by. And during that month, my teeth have made some movements, I've gotten better at my brushing and flossing techniques, and life with braces have so far been good. Speaking of brushing, I have found the most amazing toothbrush at Walmart--their own brand of toothbrush of sensitive teeth is just wonderful. The brush head is small enough for me to get in between the brackets and my gum line, and the bristles are so soft. I could caress the bristles all day. Oh my god, this toothbrush is amazing. Just...totally worth the $1.50 I paid for it. It's just...I love it. I love it so much.

Anyway, onto the pictures:

Before we started...

Month 1

Month 2

The biggest movements have definitely been my upper central and lateral incisors, and my upper right canine.The gap between my top front teeth is just about gone, and it's pretty amazing to see the progress so far. Braces doesn't seem to do a whole lot day by day, or even week by week...but compared month to month...and BAM! All these changes are suddenly obvious.

Braces are a truly a practice in patience. Onto the next month we go!

Week 8

You know, braces is really a marathon, not a sprint. And that looking in the mirror everyday isn't going to show me the movements. But when I compare recent pictures to pictures of when I first got braces, I see a difference. And I definitely see major differences when I compare my current pictures to my "before" pictures. It's also amazing how brackets, wire and elastics have been moving my teeth. I really should've done this earlier....but better late than never, right?

My appointment is coming up in a bit over two weeks, and I'm definitely looking forward to that. I'm really hoping that I'll get a new wire, and that my second molars will finally be wired up...but of course, it's not up to me. It's what the orthodontist thinks is the best for my case, and all I have to do is be a patient patient, and follow his directions as best as I can. Kind of like me and wearing my elastics religiously. Anything that will get me out of braces sooner rather than later, I will do.

I have really no real updates this time around, other than to compare my current teeth with my before teeth...and boy, when I do that, there's a noticeable difference already. My top central incisors are no longer turned inwards towards each other, but flattened. As a result of that, my top lateral incisors are showing more. My top right canine is pulled forward more, and is slowly coming out of the crossbite. There are spaces where spaces didn't exist in my bottom teeth.

Braces are definitely a practice in patience.

The teeth that I started out with

The gap in between my top central incisors are definitely closing up. My left central incisor is more straight now. I feel like my top left lateral incisor has rotated some.