Sunday, July 30, 2017

Week 16

Another week has gone by...and with that, we're at the end of July. Summer's just about halfway done, and that means I've only got one more month to really enjoy the gorgeous sunshine that we've been blessed with this year. I won't miss the frequent thunderstorm though, but I definitely will miss summer when we head into fall. Summer always go by so fast here...you learn to treasure summer when you live in a city that's known as "Winter City". I'm definitely living in the wrong city, but gotta be where the work is, right?

So my orthodontist appointment got pushed back by two weeks, so instead of going in this Thursday, I'll be going in on the 16th. That's two more weeks that I have with my current wires, so we shall see if any changes will be happening between now and the 16th. I highly doubt that there will be visible changes, but you never know. I mean, the braces are always doing their jobs, even if there aren't any visible teeth movement and changes. I do have to admit that it's a little discouraging to see a lack of teeth movement and changes on a near week to week basis like I was when I first got braces, but this isn't a race. It's a marathon. Some weeks there will be visible movements, and some weeks, there won't be. It's just a patience and waiting game, most days.

I went to the local fair last Friday, and it was...a bit limiting on what I can and can not eat with braces on. Braces don't work very well with many carnival food, so I stuck to food that I knew were safe. I had poutine, some mini donuts, root beer, lemonade, and macaroni and cheese. I know, very typical everyday food and nothing that screamed carnival food, but I really did not want to risk anything. There will always be more opportunities to try the more creative and crazy carnival food once I get these braces off. But right now, I gotta do my part and stick with food on the safe list. I want to do everything in my powers to not hinder any progress (and maybe even speed up the process, if I can), and that includes staying away from food that aren't braces friendly.

In terms of my teeth...I really have not noticed any noticeable changes. But I can report that my bite feels different than before. I think it's due to the fact that my right canine is completely out of its crossbite and no longer hiding behind the teeth on my bottom arch. It does feel a little weird, being able to feel my right canine, but that's not a bad thing. My bite is being corrected, and my teeth are being straightened, and that's what braces are meant to do. I also believe that my upper arch have come out a little more due to elastic use, but I can't be 100% sure. I just feel that compared to before, my upper left lateral incisor and canine seem to be more "out". My upper right lateral canine looks to have an edge to edge bite with my bottom teeth, so if that's the case, it means that tooth is slowly coming out of its crossbite too, which means, things are moving.

But again, I can't be sure of those things, because I look at my teeth multiple times a day, everyday, and it's really difficult to judge minute changes. But I'm hoping that I'm not wrong here.

Week 15

Week 16

Friday, July 21, 2017

Week 15

Another week, and another 7 days for my teeth to shift and move. Another 7 days closer to being done with braces. It's amazing when you think about how much (or little) a person can do in 7 days, the amount of things that happens over a course of one week, and the staggering number of events that happens during a short 7 day period. I'm being a little pedantic here, but I'm in a reflective mood. It's just, you don't really consciously think about the seconds and minutes that tick by, but they really do add up. And fast.

Kind of like how braces work. You don't notice the small movements and changes on a daily basis, but compare pictures from the present and a few weeks ago, and suddenly it's very obvious that the teeth have been shifting here, moving there, rotating some....constantly remodeling itself with the guidance of the arch wire. I still find braces to be pretty amazing in how they work--All it takes is a wire, something to guide the teeth onto the wire, and bam! You can shape the teeth how you want. It's pretty amazing. Sometimes I look at my teeth, and I still can't believe that the teeth I'm seeing in the mirror are my teeth. I guess I'm just used to seeing them crooked, with the gap between the upper central incisors that it's a little...weird seeing myself with straighter teeth, no gaps, and having an actual right canine that isn't tilted and hidden behind the teeth on the bottom. But that's part of having braces--seeing the changes in the teeth!

My bite is starting to feel different, but that's to be expected. After all, braces not only straighten teeth, but correct bite as well. I can't really explain the feeling, just that my teeth are stacking differently inside my mouth than what I'm used to feeling. I suspect the major player contributing to the different bite is my right canine--for so long, I've been used to it being in a crossbite and now, it's out. With my right canine out of its crossbite, strangely enough, the bite blocks are back in use now. I can feel my bottom teeth against the bite blocks, stopping me from closing my mouth all the way. I'm taking this as a sign that things are moving accordingly, and in the right direction too.

Another thing I'm noticing is that top teeth seemed to be, ever so slightly, jutting out a bit more, slowly coming out of the edge to edge bite that I've had my whole life. That must mean that the elastics are working then. Not a fan of elastics (braces would be so much easier without them!), but I know that if I wear them religiously, I will get results. And so far, it seems like they're doing their job

Another week to go before my adjustment....I wonder how that will go this time. I guess I'll just have to wait and see!

Week 14

Week 15

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Week 14

Another week in braces have gone by! Nothing really happened this week, other than the fact that I discovered you can put elastics on by hand instead of with the plastic tool that comes with the elastics. And that discovery alone made my braces life slightly easier--gone were the times of aiming the tool at the hook and trying to loop the elastics over the hook. Now all I have to do is pick up the elastics with my hand and just loop it over the hook with my fingers. It work much, much better than the hook tool. But still would recommend using the tool for smaller elastics.

Not much have changed between last week and this week in terms of teeth movement. I'm starting to think that the movement have slowed down with the new wires that I have. Because I feel like that when I was on my starter wires, there were teeth movement every week...but now, I hardly see any. Well, ones that are visible anyway. I'm sure things are moving as they should be, but it's just not on a level that I can directly observe yet. Eating is easier now, but in about three weeks, I have another adjustment, which I presume will set me back on the eating regular good thing again. I've gotten much better at brushing and flossing, and putting on elastics have been easier now that I figured out how to put elastics on by hand. My mouth and lips still feel dryer than usual, but again, that's a price I pay for wanting straight teeth.

Before.
Week 13
Week 14






Friday, July 7, 2017

Week 13 and Month 3

Today marks another week, and another month. Time seem to go by so slowly at times, but...here we are, three months later. I'd like to say that nothing happened, but we all know that's a lie. The pictures will tell a different story. That in the past three months, my teeth and shifted and moved, and I can feel my bite changing. So while there isn't a whole lot going on a day to day basis (I swear my teeth aren't moving every time I look in the mirror. And I look in the mirror a lot), when you take conglomerate those days together, it's evident that a lot has happened.

This is where we started
Month 2


Week 12

Month 3/Week 13
So...evidently, the gap in between my front teeth is mostly gone. My right canine is mostly now out of the crossbite, and you can actually see it, instead of it hiding behind the premolar on my bottom arch. My upper right lateral incisor is being rotated? I think. Because when you compared it against the previous month, there's more of a tilt on it. Same with my upper right central incisor. Cannot tell much difference with teeth in bottom arch...but I THINK the second premolars are being straightened out. My midline is in the middle, instead of being slightly off like in Month 2.And the wire straightened out some more when compared from previous week.

See? I thought there wasn't a lot of changes, but when I compare the pictures...I can pick out the changes. Braces really is a thing of patience, and I can't wait to see what next month brings!

Onward and upward we go!

Life after braces