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