....and they're off!

673 days ago, I started my braces journey, and today marks the end of a phase of that journey. It still feels a bit surreal that they're off, and that braces will be nothing more than a distant memory, and I definitely do, in a weird way, miss having braces, but all in all, what a journey it's been. Some ups (seeing all those changes was a highlight), some downs (feeling said changes, and the procedures done to manipulate teeth into those changes were not so fun), some detours and turns, but finally, I ended up where I needed to be, and today was the big day to get them off.

I'd have to say that braces were definitely a worthwhile investment, but not for the faint of heart. You have to go into braces mentally and physically prepared, and not something one should do on a whim...thought that's more or less what I did. I always wanted straight teeth, and then two years ago, I decided that then was a good time as any to do something about making my teeth straighter, and without really doing much research, I dived head first into the wonderful (and sometimes wacky) world of orthodontia. Heck, I didn't even do more than one consult. I went with the one that my dental office referred me to, and 22 months later, here I am. I definitely would recommend doing research if one is considering undergoing orthodontia, and it is probably more beneficial to go to more than one consult before deciding on an orthodontist and a treatment plan. I got lucky as everything worked out just fine, and I liked my orthodontist and the office staff. I've had no issues with my treatment whatsoever, and the staff were great at answering my questions, as was the orthodontist in explaining things when I asked. My estimate was 18-24 months, and I got them off just a day over the 22 month mark, and my result was pretty much what I wanted and then some, so I genuinely have no complaints. I know some people aren't as lucky as me, so I am grateful that things worked out beautifully for me.

Now onto today's removal appointment...

The appointment started off bright and early at 0840 in the morning (I really am not a morning person, but the only other slot they had for removal today was 0730, and no way was I waking up that early.) Even though the receptionist told me that the office was running on time today, I wasn't called in until 0900. So I'm pretty sure they weren't running on time. Maybe not running late, but definitely not on time. Got seated in the chair, and after I confirmed with the tech that I was, indeed, happy with everything and did not want any more tweaks and changes, the orthodontist came over to check on my teeth and bite one last time. He declared me good for debracing! So this was it, and there was no going back.

The tech put in the permanent retainers first before complete removal of the brackets. She loosened the brackets of my upper and lower front four teeth (I think. It might have been canine to canine, I wasn't sure), and cemented the permanent retainer on the lingual side of my "social six" teeth on both arches. The placement process seemed pretty involved, and if I had to guess, it probably took a good 10-15 minutes to apply both upper and lower permanent retainer. The glue solution tasted horrible as I accidentally let my tongue touch the glue. Would definitely not recommend. Then once the permanent retainers were in, it was time to removal the brackets.

The tech didn't take out the archwire or powerchains prior to removing the brackets. She removed the brackets with the archwire and powerchains intact.. It looked pretty cool when she took the whole thing off, and I got to look at what the brackets and archwires and powerchains looked like when they're not being attached to my teeth. Removing the brackets didn't really hurt. It was uncomfortable, but it didn't hurt..more like a pinch to the teeth when the brackets were pried off. I went in without taking any pain meds, and it went just fine. The tech did a good job in prying all the brackets off. Most went off easily, though one ceramic bracket broke and she had a bit of a trouble removing all of it (the orthodontist ended up polishing the rest of that bracket off at the end). Then she polished the glue/cement off....and weirdly enough, my upper left canine hurts like a mofo when she used the polishing thing instead of the burr....so that was really weird. After all the polishing was done, I was told to brush my teeth by the sink.

That first brushing was weird. It was weird seeing my own teeth without any braces. And yes, what people say about your teeth looking "bigger" after braces seems to be true. My teeth looks bigger (especially my top arch), even though I know that's not actually possible. Maybe I just got used to seeing them being covered with braces, and only seeing a small portion of my teeth through the brackets and archwires. It was so nice to be able to brush without the brackets and wires in the way. I almost didn't know how to brush without all the orthodontic appliances in the way!

X-Rays and photos were taken, and then the orthodontist came by to reshape one my bottom central incisor, as I had requested for that when he came to inspect my teeth. After that was done, impressions for retainers were made, and I got sent to brush my teeth again before going to the waiting room to wait while my retainers were being made. I waited about an hour before my name was called again to pick up my retainers. The retainers are the clear kind, and the tech had me try them on, and gave me instructions on how often to wear the retainers, how to take care of them, and general information on the use of retainers. I also got a goodie bag from them, which basically was a T shirt and a water bottle. After making my retainer check appointment and confirming that I would be getting whitening done at that appointment, I was free.

All that took about 3 hours, so I do understand why they made removal an early morning slot thing. But still, it was too damn early for me. But I guess for braces removal, it was definitely worth it!

For the removal retainers, the official instructions I got was to wear them nightly every day for the first year, then every other night, and gradually transition to two to three nights a week. I am not actually going to follow the official instructions that I was given. I'm going to wear my retainers basically whenever I'm home for longer stretches of time. I won't wear them to work or out, because talking with them in is a lisp fest, and I have no intentions of lisping when I don't need to, but I will definitely wear them more than the 8-12 hours a night thing that I'm advised to do. I just spent close to $3800 on straightening my teeth and correcting my bite...I'm going to retain my teeth the best way that I can.

Retainers....well they're definitely different than braces. I don't know if I necessarily like them, but I'm sure I'll get used to them. I can't talk properly with them in, and they just feel bulky in my mouth...in a different way than braces felt. My teeth don't touch each other while in retainers, and that feels a bit weird. It's a bit like having bite blocks again. Putting them on is fairly easy, and I'm working on getting the removal down pat. It's a work in progress, but it's only my first real day with them, so I'm sure they'll get better. But all in all, retainers are working out okay so far. Too early to tell right now, but as all things orthodontia, I too, will get used to retainers.

It feels weird without braces on, and it feels odd to be able to eat whatever I want with no repercussion. I don't need to special prepare food in a way to accommodate for the braces, and I don't need to make a trip to the bathroom to clean my teeth after every meal. It's weird knowing that it's impossible for food to get stuck on my teeth now, whereas before, I knew that no matter how careful I am, food will get stuck on the wire and brackets, and swishing with water and cleaning was a must after eating.

But I am officially braces free now, and that's an achievement of a milestone of sort.

Before. Just looking at this made me realize how far I've come, and just how many changes happened to make my teeth and bite the way they are today

After 22 months of braces. My new smile! Everything looks much, much better than before. It's no Hollywood perfect smile, but it's perfect enough for me.

Retainers

Bye bye elastics! No more ever again!

...and just like that, I have a debracng date!

I went to my orthodontist appointment today, and it turned out that it was my second to last "regular" appointment with the office today. I am now officially in the last 30 days of my braces journey, and my debracinging date is set for Feb 08! Funnily, it would've been Feb 07, which would make it exactly 22 months...but alas, I have some work obligations that day that I can't reschedule, so alas, it was not meant to be. So all in all, by the time I debrace, I would've been in braces for 22 months and 1 day (well, not really a full day. My appointment is bright and early at 0840, but still.). And what a journey it's been.

And with that, I can now say that I'm in the final stretch of the process, which feels really damn good. Though now that I have an actual debracing date, I can't wait for the next 29 days to just fly by, so that I can go to my debracing appointment and get the braces off! Antsy isn't the word I'd use to describe what I'm feeling now, though I anticipate that I would feel more antsy closer to the date. Eager anticipation is a more apt descriptor right now.

My appointment today was really short and sweet. The orthodontist that I see wasn't there today, so another orthodontist who also works at the office covered for him. The tech that I had seemed to be relatively new at her job--she wasn't bad at what she was doing, and she didn't do anything wrong that I noticed. She was just slow, that's all. But there's no crimes to doing things slowly and surely. The tech took off the powerchains and wires, and then waited for the orthodontist to come and do his assessment. The main thing for today's agenda was to evaluate for debracing.The orthodontist had me bite down a few times, looked at my teeth, had me bite down a few more times, and declared that I was good for debracing for next appointment. He did put a bend in the wire by my upper midline, to bring up one of my central incisors a bit, to match with the other one. I honestly can't remember which, I think it's the left, but it's so insignificant that had he not mentioned it, I probably wouldn't've cared enough to do anything about it. But hey, since he insisted, I'm not going to say no. I am also to continue with my nightly elastics routine, which I expected. I did ask if I can stop the elastics, but I didn't think I'd be granted that. No harm in asking though! But at this point, you can ask me to do anything with my braces, and I'd probably say yes. I mean, I can do keep up and maintain any routine for the next 30 days if it means braces comes off right after.

I asked the tech for more details about the next appointment--what will happen, what to expect, and the length of the appointment. She told me that it was actually two appointments--one for the actual debracing, and one to pick up the retainers. The debracing bit will be about one hour in length, and it will consist of physically removing the braces--removing the wires, powerchains, and of course, the brackets. The remaining glue will be polished off. I will be fitted with a permanent retainer for both arches, so one for top and bottom, and impressions for retainers will be made. Also, photos and XRays will be taken. Then I will come back to pick up the retainers, though I don't think I'll leave the office waiting room during that time. My debracing appointment is at 0840, and they've got me picking up the retainers at 1030. Assuming the debracing takes one hour, I'll just hang out in the waiting room for 45 minutes or so. It just seems rather pointless to go anywhere during that time. And then after all that, I'll be done!

Well not done done, but I won't have another braces adjustment appointment ever again. It'll just be retainer checks for the next 12 months, and that'll be that when it's done. And yes, I've already planned for dinner out to celebrate on that day!

So...here's to the next 30 days going by fast!

These puppies are going off in 30 days. By this time next month, I'd be braces free and onto retainers!

Week 85, 86, and a trip to the orthodontist!

So I had my appointment today...and let me tell you, morning appointments are hard. I don't even know why I voluntarily picked a morning slot for this appointment. I've always went in the afternoon, and it definitely works better for me. I mean, I'm just not a morning person at all. And nothing is going to change that. So I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to this appointment slot for today. I woke up later than I should've, barely made it out of the house on time, and I basically slid into the parking stall at 10:20 exactly. 10:20 is when my appointment is. Lucky for me, the office was, as usual, running behind, so I wasn't actually late. But still. No more morning appointments if possible!

I told the orthodontist and the tech about the upper right pre molar touching the bottom tooth, and they don't seem to be too too concerned. I'm going to try again at my next appointment to tell them that it's really not comfortable....although I'm not too sure if the pre molar isn't supposed to touch the bottom tooth. Maybe it is. I don't now. Googling doesn't really tell me much. So I will definitely try again for the next appointment and see what he says.

So I did not have molds made for retainers today. The orthodontist wanted to rotate/move my upper right lateral out some more, so he made a bend in the wire for that tooth, and did some more IPR for my four front teeth. Also, he instructed the tech to put some kind of elastic underneath the that general area of my mouth. I believe that elastic stretches from my canine to my lateral incisor. Not too sure. And yes, it hurts. Totally felt it when the tech pushed the wire in (she had to use a lot of force to put it in, so yeah, definitely felt it). Then the powerchain went back on. Plan for next appointment is to evaluate for debracing (same as the goal for this appointment), so we'll see where things are then. I also, not surprisingly, need to wear the same elastic configurations that I was using before. Definitely closer to the end, but not quite there yet.

So that would've been the end of my appointment today if I didn't feel something snap off in my mouth on the drive back home. Whatever snapped off was around my upper right canine/lateral incisor area (where all the work was done!), and the pain was immediately gone. So was the pressure. And I knew that something was wrong. Thankfully, I was only maybe 10 minutes max from the office, so I simply drove back, and explained to the receptionist what happened. They were able to get me back in a fairly speedy time, so props to them. I know they're busy, and basically I was an extra slot that they did not plan for.

So what happened? Turned out that the bend the orthodontist had put in was a bit too strong for the bracket to handle, and the bracket broke in half, according to the tech. The top half came off, but the bottom half remained glued on. I've never had a broken bracket before, so I guess technically this is my first. Nothing of my own doing, of course. The tech reassured me that it doesn't count in my 5 complimentary bracket replacements, as it wasn't anything that I did to make the bracket break. So the broken bracket was removed, old glue sanded off, and new bracket replaced. The orthodontist seemed amused at the fact the bracket broke; to be frank, I was too. Never had to it happened to me. The orthodontist changed the bend in the wire so that it wasn't as strong of a bend. The tech then put the elastic chain around the brackets, then the wire, then a powerchain on top. And I was finally good to go.

Really hoping I can be done braces in 2-3 visits time, but we'll see where things lead me. I'm close, and I'm almost there, and I'm starting to get a little antsy with still being in braces, but I guess a few more months won't hurt. Already committed to braces for this long already, what's another few appointments?

I've been thinking about life after braces, and I'm not sure if I'll be a huge fan of retainers. They just seem to be so much more maintenance than braces. Braces are already on my teeth, I've got no choice but to go along with it, whereas retainers require a certain discipline to wear it. I'll be getting permanent retainers, as per my contract, so flossing around those will be interesting too. But you know, I'm not about to throw away $3700, so you bet I will find ways to discipline myself into wearing those retainers as prescribed. I can't believe that we're finally in the home stretch of things, and that within a few months, I'll be (hopefully) braces free!

Week 85

Week 86. After my eventful appointment. You can see that I have a new bracket on my upper right lateral incisor.

This may be my third last appointment ever...

So I went to the orthodontist today.

And from the way things are sounding, I could be two appointments away from getting the braces off. Which, is pretty damn amazing when I think about it. I still think it depends on if that gap between my right upper central and lateral incisor will close in time, but I think my orthodontist is trying to close that by using elastics.

The appointment itself was fairly uneventful as far as appointments go. I went in, didn't have to wait too long before I was called in. The tech took off the powerchains and the wire ligatures, and then the orthodontist came by to assess things. Did all the usual opening and closing of my mouth, and he did the usual prodding and looking. I've got no idea what he's really looking at, but I'm guessing it's my bite, how the teeth are mashing together, molar relations, stuff like that. I got bends placed in my top wire, at the spots between my canines and lateral incisors. Got the wire placed back in (yup, totally felt the tech put the wire back in. That would be the bends at work!), and new powerchains on (and yup, definitely felt the powerchains over the wire!). Got one new elastic configuration added to what I already have, and new bags of elastics. Made my appointment for next time, and that was it. Really not a labour intensive or long appointment by any stretch of imagination.

The good news? The orthodontist is planning on doing molds for retainers during my next appointment. Which is why next appointment will be a longer one, clocking in at 40 minutes. Even better news? After the molds are made, braces will come off within a few weeks. Which, by my vague estimations, I could potentially have the braces off by the end of the year, seeing as my next appointment is on Nov 30. Adding a few weeks takes us to middle/end of December...so if everything works out well, these brackets, wires, and elastics will be a thing of the past soon. Which brings us to the crux of the problem--if everything works out well.

I still have the IPR gap between my upper right central and lateral incisor. The orthodontist place bends in the top wire in an effort to bring the teeth down, and he also instructed me to wear anterior box elastic configuration at night on top of my posterior box configurations. I'm thinking that the anterior box will bring the front teeth down, which could help to close the gap. At least, I think that's what he's planning on. It can't be for open bites, because I've got none.

Currently I'm wearing my elastics and...everything just feels so tight. I could hardly open my mouth, but I guess that's the point of the anterior box elastic. I trust my orthodontist and that he knows what he's doing...but god damn, I want these things off already! I really am in the home stretch of braces now, so I'll keep on wearing these elastics religiously!

Can't wait to have these things off and I can eat all the things I haven't been able to eat. Braces are worth every single sacrifice that comes with it....but that's not to say that wearing braces is easy or fun. And I know that retainers will be a long term thing that I'll deal with...but a $3719 smile isn't something I'm willing to mess up on. Especially since it's my own hard earned money!

Anteior box configuration, we meet again. Hopefully you'll help to close the gap!

Yet another orthodontist appointment

So I had my orthodontist appointment today...and you know what, I actually have news to share.

I told the tech about the root resorption observed by my dentist on the X-Rays that were taken on my last dental appointment, and after a few cat-and-mouse moments with the orthodontist office trying to get a hold of the said X-Rays (my dental office had sent them over, but something about the orthodontist office being unable to download them), I ended up taking a panoramic X-Ray at the orthodontist office. Something about the dental office doing bite-wings, and the orthodontist wanted a panoramic view. So anyway, I had another X-Ray taken.

The orthodontist had a look at the X-Ray, and while he does observe the same root shortenings that my dentist did (on my incisors, all eight of them), he wasn't nearly as concerned about them as she was. It wasn't good that I have root resorption, but I guess the amount that had happened didn't really phase him. He said that root shortening was a common effect of braces, and that the roots may look shorter to the dentist because he tilted my bottom teeth, and my top central incisor remains slightly flared out still. So no drastic measurements were taken, and we continue on with treatment...with the caveat that we we finish the treatment sooner rather than later, to prevent further root resorption.

We did more IPR today, and he put a bend in the wire to hopefully coax my upper left canine to be tilted forward. He didn't want to do anything about the upper left canine--he said he didn't want to apply more pressure there, but instead, he'll do some teeth shaping when we're closer to the end. Not sure I like the sound of that, but I guess he knows what's best for my teeth overall. I also got my bite blocks removed today! It was a bit weird when the tech was polishing it off...just a lot of vibration that I wasn't used to. But it didn't hurt, wasn't uncomfortable, and I don't have bite blocks anymore! Sure will be nice to chew food without those two blocks in the way. Got the powerchains placed back, and I was told to continue with the nighttime elastics. Not too enthused about the continued elastics....but it is what it is. I don't want to do elastics when I'm on vacation next month, but at least it's better than full time elastic wear. I'd hate to have to deal with full time elastics while on vacation. Especially when I'm going to the "Most Magical Place on Earth". Nighttime elastics aren't so terrible.

Now, the orthodontist hopes to do impression for retainers with my next appointment, and then the appointment after that is when the braces will be off. Obviously, that's all if things go according to plan. I certainly hope they do. So it looks like there's a chance for me to have my braces off by the end of the year, which would be amazing!

More IPR was done, so hopefully the space between my upper right central and lateral incisor will close up this time.

Another trip to the orthodontist

I went in for my regular check up appointment with the orthodontist today, and I think things are definitely closer to being in the "finished" side of things now.

As you probably figured out, there just isn't much in terms of movement and changes now. Not that I expect there to be. After all, I'm in "finishing" archwires, and I really don't think that major movements are expected when one is in the finishing stage of braces. Just small tweaks and fine tuning, working on the bite, and making everything as perfect as it could be before the braces go off. So based on that, I figured that I must be in the home stretch of things now....and after today's appointment, I think I'm a bit closer to the end now.

Realistically I don't know how long I still have in braces, but based on what my orthodontist and the tech said today, it's sooner rather than later.

So today, we worked on bringing in my upper central incisors as those are still a bit flared out. I actually think that's all we have to work on now. My bite is good, as per the orthodontist. Goddamn, I knew that religiously wearing those annoying as fuck posterior box elastics on the molars would pay off. And today, it did. The orthodontist and the tech were impressed by how my bite has changed, and the orthodontist even said that my teeth respond well to elastics, and they move fast under the influence of elastics. Now, I don't know if my teeth really move that fast due to elastics, or they show noticeable movement directed by the elastics because I wear them religiously. I'd like to think it's more the latter than former, because I am one super compliant elastics wearer. But either way, it's good that my teeth respond well elastics wear. It's also good when the orthodontist and tech notice the difference in your teeth due to your religious elastics wear.

I'm not completely in the clear in terms of elastics yet. I have to still wear the bilateral posterior box configuration on the molars...but only at night time, when I sleep. Fuck yeah. I can do that. Anything is better than full time elastic wear for that particular configuration of elastics. So in that regards, I'm quite happy about the "upgrade" in elastics wear. At least it will be less annoying now. I can just, for the most part, be without elastics, which is pretty freeing.

To bring my upper central incisors in, the orthodontist did a bit more IPR on my front four teeth today (still feels weird as fuck when he does it. It doesn't hurt. Just a vibration between the teeth. But it feels weird). I also got wire ties placed on my upper back teeth....I'm not exactly sure which ones. I think it's the first molar to the first premolar on both sides. But again, not sure. And it's hard to tell when I look in the mirror. The point of that is to keep those teeth together, at least, that's what the tech told me. I can sort of feel them, just a bit of extra pressure in the back. But nothing serious. In addition, the powerchain on my top teeth is done differently in an effort to help bring the central incisors back. Instead of the powerchain being looped around every bracket as usual, this time, the orthodontist wanted the powerchain to be under the bracket for the front four teeth. So we're basically using the powerchain as a sling of sorts, to pull the front teeth back. Hopefully it works. But we'll see what happens when I next go in in August.

Cute anecdote: The kid beside me got told that he will get his braces off in three weeks, and the tech turned to me and said "That will be you soon!". I hope she is right! I feel like we're definitely in the end zone of the home stretch now, and I just hope it won't take much longer! Still hoping for the 18 month projected "deadline" as opposed to the 24, but once again, only time will tell.

The powerchain is now under the bracket on my upper central and lateral incisors.

Month 13 and an orthodontist appointment

So another month, another picture. I'm not actually sure if there's any real point to me doing the week by week and month by month anymore, seeing as there's been no big changes between the weeks and months anymore...but I'll figure that out later. For now I'll stick to it, as that's what I've been doing for the past year.

Month 13

All I can say for month 13 is that things are getting finalized and that I can feel my back molars touching each other. No major changes from the one year mark, nor do I expect there to be.

Now, as for the orthodontist appointment that I had today...

It was probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest, appointment I've had so far. I was literally in and out of the office in 20 minutes. That usually doesn't happen. I'm usually out in 30-40 minutes, on average. But I guess that's another sign that things are starting to come together...the lack of major adjustments and changes in each appointment. Which in a way, is good, but in another way, makes for really boring updates and progress. But I do want to be done sooner rather than later, so I guess this lack of excitement is what I'm signing up for now.

The orthodontist assessed my bite, as that is what we're working currently, and declared that my bite is just about perfect. I suspect that the molars are literally the only thing preventing me from having a perfect bite at this time. Which you know, makes sense, considering the fact that I am to continue on the box configuration for elastics on my molars. Which, is still an annoyance, but at least I've figured out how to apply them efficiently and quickly now. Including the elastic for my right side.

I got IPR done today on my top four front teeth. According to the orthodontist, my central incisors on the top are flaring (I didn't notice it, to be honest), so to make room, he shaved a bit of teeth off each of my top four incisors. IPR feels...funny. The tech described it as super flossing, but it really isn't. It's more like....well, you just feel vibrations between the teeth that's being IPR'd. Not unlike a dental cleaning where the dentist uses the...polishing thing to polish your teeth. It feels a bit funny, but it doesn't hurt, isn't uncomfortable (beyond the fact your mouth is dry from being held opened). It's really just grinding a bit of teeth away to make room. 1/3 of a 1mm is what I was told. Which is to say, tiny. So now I've got some tiny gaps in between my four top incisors, which should hopefully help to bring the central incisors in to fix the flaring. With the powerchain, I'm sure that's not an issue.

I also mentioned that I noticed my top left canine is a bit tilted inwards when compared to my top right canine, and the orthodontist said that after the central incisors thing is fixed, it'll just be a simple thing to tilt the left canine out.

So that's my orthodontist appointment today. Some IPR, and to continue on the elastics. (I really am hoping that by my next appointment in July, I wouldn't be needing any more elastics.) Hopefully we're getting closer and closer to the end!

It's really hard to see, but there are gaps in between my top incisors.

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 41...and new wires!

I meant to post the week by week update over the weekend, but the internet at my place didn't want to co-operate with that plan of mine. Let me tell you, it wasn't fun living without internet, even if it's only for two and half days. Kinda makes me wonder just how we all survived without the internet to eternally entertain us. Well, correction, I am a 90's kid, and I am part of the generation that saw the integration of the internet into our daily lives, so I knew how life worked without the internet...but at the same time, all it took was a weekend without internet for me to realize just how dependent we all are on the internet nowadays. It's both a good and bad thing, I suppose.

Nothing really much happened in Week 41, so it's not like I would've had a long, well thought out blog post for it. The small gap between my lower right central and lateral was still not closed, my top left canine was still a bit tipped inwards, and I remained elastics free. Bite was still fine the way it was, and overall, the main thing I was waiting for was my orthodontist appointment. But before we get to my orthodontist appointment today, per tradition, I shall grace you with a picture of my teeth for the "week by week" segment of this post.

Week 41

And now, onto my appointment.

This appointment actually went rather smoothly, and it was probably the fastest appointment I've had thus far. I was in and out of the office in 25 minutes. I didn't have to wait in the waiting room, and I didn't have to wait too long for the orthodontist to see me once the tech removed the power chains (weirdly enough, she didn't remove the wires before the orthodontist came to do his assessment. Usually the wires are out by the time the orthodontist is looking at my teeth). The orthodontist did his usual thing of asking me to open and close my mouth several times while he examined my teeth, and then it was off to to the tech to carry out the orthodontist's orders.

There's good news and bad news that I received from this current appointment. And because I'm a cup half full type of person, I will start with the good news first.

My wires got changed! It's been awhile, and I had a feeling that I would be getting the wires changed today, just because I've had the previous wires on for over four months already, and they really weren't doing a whole lot in terms of teeth movement (I'm sure they were doing something, it's just not something that I could visibly observe). So this was something that I was looking forward to, so I'm glad that my old wires were final-fucking-ly changed.

That's not the good news though, though it was definitely a plus. The actual good news is that I'm now on "finishing wires". Judging by the name and the very shallow and limited Google search that I ran, these are the wires used to tweak, fix details and finalize things before braces are off. It means that all the heavy duty work has been, for the most part, completed. So it means that I'm at least in the home stretch of my braces journey...however long the home stretch is!

Being the finishing wires, the tech told me that these wires would be the strongest wires I would have. As in, there won't be any wires that are stronger than the finishing wires. And being the strongest wires, these suckers do hurt going in. More so on the bottom arch than the top. In fact, I hardly felt the top wires going in, but boy, there sure was a lot of pressure when she slid the gates down to secure the wires on the bottom. I would say that the pressure was almost as painful as the initial wires used when I first got braces. Almost. The tech also told me that the orthodontist had put a "step" (which is a bend in the wire) in the bottom arch wire, located in the canines, to help position the incisors better. Well, that's what I understood anyway, as I went to this appointment on about four hours of sleep after a night shift at the hospital, so the finer details are a bit blurry to me. I couldn't really see the bends in the wire due to the power chain, but I sure felt them.

Now for the bad news...I'm being put back on elastics, full time. These elastics aren't as bad, but they're still elastics, and they're still a pain and annoyance, and I really, really, really was hoping that I'd be done with elastics for good, but I guess my orthodontist had a different idea on that. The elastics are worn on my top canine, top premolar, and bottom premolar, forming an upside down triangle. And I have to wear this configuration on both sides of my mouth, at least until the next appointment. The tech said the elastics is just to improve my bite, and they'll assess how things are doing in ten weeks.

I'm not too impressed with this development, because I really, really, really enjoyed my elastics-free days while it lasted, but at the same time, I'll always comply with whatever the orthodontist wants me to do, because my desire to have braces come off sooner rather than later greatly overrides my dislike of elastics.

So that was a rather eventful appointment, all packaged and tied neatly with a bow in 25 minutes. Excited about the fact that I've entered the home stretch of my journey, but bummed out about the elastics. But it is what it is, and I look forward to the changes that these finishing wires and elastics will bring.

Onto the finishing wires now....and it's back to elastics we go.

Orthodontist appointment!

So I went to the orthodontist today, and here's what went down today:

Unlike last time, the office wasn't running late, so I pretty much got in at my scheduled time. Which is good, because I arrived 10 minutes early, and I didn't really want to wait another 45 minutes to be seen. So good thing for me, the office wasn't behind today, and off I went.

So as usual, I was asked to remove the elastics off the brackets, and the assistant took out the wires. She had some difficulty removing them, but after some fiddling and wiggling, she was able to slide them out just fine. Let me tell you, it feels really effing weird to just have the brackets on your teeth, with the doors slid open, but no wires in. It's like...it's just really weird. Doesn't hurt exactly. But I think it's because my teeth have gotten so used to have the wires there as support, that without them, it's just all strange. I wonder if this is what it'll feel like when braces are removed? It's like...I remember not having braces once upon a time, and I was fine, but every time when they remove the wires, leaving just the brackets in...it's really really weird.

The orthodontist then came and did his assessment. You know, the usual opening and closing of my mouth several times, poking and prodding at different places, and focusing his poking and prodding at specific teeth, and then talking in codes to the assistant on what he wants done. Well, not codes, but to me, it might just as well be codes, because all I hear is a bunch of random numbers and words, but the assistant understands all that perfectly (of course she does, it's her job). I suppose this is what patients feel like at the hospital--the doctor assesses them, then turns to the nurse and they speak in medical terms. Isn't great that I'm learning what it feels like to be a patient through my braces journey?

So what the orthodontist ordered today was: 1) reposition the brackets on my upper left canine, and bottom right second premolar 2) keep using the same wires 3) keep the powerchains and 4) discontinue all elastics (at least, until the appointment, which is at the end of January).

I was not a fan of the bracket repositioning, considering what a pain (literally and figuratively) that was last time, but this time around...it wasn't so bad. I don't know if it's because I know what to expect, or the assistant that I had today had better technique than the previous one, but whatever it is, it didn't hurt as bad! She got both brackets off in one go, and she didn't break any of them. The bracket on my canine is a ceramic one, and last time, when the assistant removed the ceramic bracket to my upper right lateral incisor, it broke. But this time, the ceramic bracket on my upper left canine didn't shatter when the assistant pried it off! The whole removal process was fairly easy peasy. She then applied the new brackets on, the orthodontist okayed them, they were cured into place, and my wires were threaded in.

I felt pressure at the areas where the bracket was repositioned, but I had expected it, so it wasn't a surprise or anything like that. I kind of wish they had used new wires with the same prescription as the ones I have instead of just slotting back my old wires in, but whatever. I guess it's easier for the assistant to use the pre-existing wires since they're already shaped to go into the brackets, and she doesn't need to spend as much effort to wriggle the wire into the place. It's a little gross to know that the wires have been in my mouth for...three months and counting, but then again, it's not like I don't brush or anything, so the wires themselves are fairly clean.

BUT NO ELASTICS FOR THE NEXT 8 WEEKS. Holy fucking shit. This was an AMAZING orthodontist appointment, because of that bit of news. The orthodontist wants to see how my teeth will be like without the elastics, so we're not using them from now until my next appointment. He said my teeth are doing great, so I really fucking hope everything goes accordingly, because I'm not in a hurry to be back in elastics anytime soon. Sure it feels weird without the elastics in my mouth, but this is a good kind of weird, not the kind of weird weird that was having wires out of brackets.This makes things slightly easier, because I no longer have to remove and replace elastics for meals, and no more box configuration at night time! I feel slightly more free without the elastics! I can eat and snack whenever the fuck I like without factoring in the elastics now. It's really really really amazing.

I know I said in one of my earlier posts that I would likely find something to complain about when the elastics are off, and that is probably still true, but right now, I've got nothing to complain about. Heck, I'll take as many bracket repositioning as it takes to keep the elastics off.

Now, the picture!

BYE BYE ELASTICS!!! (until my next appointment, that is)

Another orthodontist appointment...and week 27

So I had another orthodontist appointment today (well, yesterday I guess. Since I'm writing this past midnight), and scratch out everything I said about the previous appointment being painful. Because this one takes the cake so far. This current appointment makes the last one seem like child's play.

The office ran late, so it didn't matter as much that I was literally two minutes early to the office for my scheduled appointment (as per my usual. I never see the point in going to medical/dental appointments too early, unless asked to. Why would I want to extend the amount of time I have to sit and wait?). I waited a whooping 40 minutes before I was seen. Honestly. I could've been half an hour late and I would've still been early. But that is neither here nor there, because I would've gladly waited another 40 minutes if I knew what awaited me for today's appointment.

Started off with an X-ray and some pictures. That was the only easy, painless part of the appointment. Everything else after this most definitely weren't easy or painless. After the X-Ray and pictures were taken, the assistant took the wires out and I waited for the orthodontist to come around. And it feels really weird without the wires on my teeth providing the pressure. Almost painful, but not quite. It's just...a weird awkward feeling with the gates on the brackets all opened, and no wires there to push against my teeth. I wonder if it will feel weird for the first little bit when I get the braces off?

The X-Ray was fine, I guess? The orthodontist did tell me that there was some slight bone loss on the lower right side, so I'll have to keep up with the oral hygiene. Otherwise, roots were fine. At least, I wasn't informed of any roots shortening. Which is good. No news is usually good news when it comes to all things medical. Then, the orthodontist did the usual looking, poking and prodding in my mouth, and he decided to change the position of four (I think) brackets. Something about moving the roots? Anyway, this is where things went from 0 to 60 real quick.

Let me preface this by saying that I do not have a low pain tolerance. I had fillings done as a kid without any anesthesia (and I had quite a bit of fillings done as a kid), sprained my ankle and continued to walk with the same ankle for weeks without seeking any medical assistance (the ankle healed by itself without any medical intervention), and injured myself countless times (I'm a bit of a klutz. I can and do trip over my own two feet while walking on perfectly flat ground). I may not have the highest pain tolerance, but it's definitely not low. I can tolerate pain. I can tolerate discomfort. Pain and discomfort aren't things that make me cry, normally.

But holy crap. Having the brackets pried off my teeth was painful. It's not mild discomforting pain. It's not like a cut or a scrape. It's not even like the pain I get when new wires are snapped in. It's just...it's painful. I don't know how to properly describe it. It's kind of like someone pulling your teeth out, almost. There's a lot of pushing pressure, and pain. And the thing is, the assistance couldn't get any of the brackets off in one go (which is good, I guess. Because it means the glue is holding up and the brackets are secured). She pried and pushed and pulled until they were off. And I sat there while she pried and pushed and pulled. She had a lot trouble getting the ceramic ones off, and fuck, those hurt the most. I teared up when she worked on those. And yes, they do shatter when they're being pried off, so it was great fun to sit there and have the assistance do more prying, pushing and pulling to get the broken pieces off my teeth.

Then after all that was thankfully done, she cleaned the teeth that had the brackets removed. Some drilling was done to get rid of the glue. Some water spraying. A lot of suctioning was done. After the orthodontist approved the position of the new brackets, she placed them on. Again, a lot of suctioning was done. My mouth got real dry. I should've smeared on more lip balm beforehand, but oh well. This part didn't go by too badly. I did endure having brackets put on all my teeth, so having 4 placed on wasn't a bit deal. Just a bit uncomfortable with having my mouth propped wide opened and the assistance maintaining my mouth dry while she places the brackets on. But all in all, this part wasn't so bad.

I didn't get any new wires this time. Just the same wires that I was already on. But the wires feel tighter than before, because of the different position that the repositioned brackets were in. At least that's what I was told by the assistance. And it hurts a bit when the wires were snapped in. Definitely felt the wire when it was placed in. Can't tell why the position of the bracket can change how a wire feels, but it is what it is. Still got the powerchain, one on top and one on bottom...and when those were placed on, yeah, that hurts. Really fucking hurts. Powerchains hurt. Was not given any new elastic configuration; instead, I am told to continue to wear elastics the way I've been. Which means, yes, I'm still stuck with the box thing for night time.

My next appointment is at the end of November, and hopefully, there will be more changes for the next time. I can take wire changes....just no more bracket removal for a while. It's fucking painful and I'm in no hurry to repeat that any time soon.

Week 27. After the latest orthodontist appointment. The wires and the elastic configurations are all the same. The brackets on my top lateral incisors have been changed and I think so have the brackets on my lower canine or pre molars. Not really sure which two on the bottom got bracket changed. But the incisors on top definitely did.

Second adjustment...

...and ow, what a bitch of an adjustment that was today. I know, I know. I willingly put myself through this braces business. So therefore, I willingly signed myself for two years of pain, modified diet, and general inconveniences when it comes to my teeth. So really I shouldn't complain when I willingly and knowingly signed up for what I signed up for.

But. This is my blog on my braces journey, and I'm all for a candid show and tell of the process. This is part of that candid tell all.

I got both my top and bottom wires changed today. Both for something stronger. And I definitely, most definitely, one hundred percent-ly felt the change as soon as the assistant snapped in the stronger wires to both arches. That wasn't even the bad part about changing of the wires--I had anticipated that I would be getting a wire change this time around (as per what I was told at my last appointment), but I did not anticipate the assistant having trouble snapping the wire into the bracket on my bottom right molar ("Teeth 7"). I knew she was having trouble, because normally, it doesn't take very long for the wire to slide in and the gates closed...but with the bottom wire today, she just couldn't get the wire into that one specific bracket. So the orthodontist did it. And well, he got it in by wrangling with the wire and bracket a lot. And I felt every single bit of that. I don't blame the ortho for doing what he had to do to get the wire in...but did that ever hurt. On a completely different side note, I imagine that's how my patients feel when I wrangle in difficult IV starts and Foley catheters. Not fun, but needed.

(Does this make me want to be a little gentler in the future with difficult IV starts and Foley catheters? Maybe. But not really. Does that make me a bad nurse? Maybe. But not really. Well. You all know what I do for a living now, I guess.)

I also had power chains applied to both my top and bottom arches. And yes. Every single thing about them hurting like bitches is true. They do. Hurt. A lot. I mean, it makes sense for them to hurt. It's basically a chain of elastic over your teeth, putting even more forces in addition to the forces the wires bring. The orthodontist explained to me that they were to close some gaps I was developing in my arches (the most noticeable being the gap between my bottom lateral incisors and canines). I definitely felt the power chains as soon as the assistant placed them on. Here I was, thinking that I've been doing just fine with braces so far, and that the pressure I was feeling on my teeth weren't all that bad. Quite manageable really. Along comes these power chains and...this feels like I'm back at the beginning.

On top of all that, as if all those things weren't enough, I was given a new elastic configuration to wear for when I sleep. And that is I am to wear a box configuration on the front, because apparently an open bite is starting to develop. A box. The assistant have added these posts by my top canines. And I'm supposed to loop the elastic through the posts on all four canines to make a box. And I wear it for sleeping only. I did a dry run of it today after my appointment, to figure out how to put it on...and let me tell you. It's no fun. It hurts. I can't really open my mouth after the box configuration is on.

Oh and? I'm to wear my elastics in the Class III configuration as before (which isn't bad at all) at all times, like before. This means that I have to wear them with the box configuration, and it definitely will not be fun. At all.

I just hope that this open bite thing fixes itself soon. Because this new box elastics thing is reallllly the anti-definition of fun.

Not that I was expecting braces to be fun. But...this is my blog, and I reserve the right to complain once in a while. Even if I did willingly put myself up for this.

Next appointment is on Oct 11, so hopefully, things will look up by then!

New wires with power chains. New posts for my might time box elastic configuration.

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.

Orthodontist appointment!

I went to the orthodontist today to get the wire that's half out of the bracket on my right lateral incisor fixed, and the appointment went well. The tech took a look, and explained to me that sometimes, when a teeth needs to be rotated (such as the case with my right lateral incisor), the rotation may force the wire out of the bracket. It was a relatively easy fix. The tech pushed the wire back into the bracket, and to secure the wire better, she placed a metal tie around the bracket. And boy, as soon as the wire is back in, I felt pressure on my tooth. And when that metal tie went on, well, the pressure intensified. My tooth hurt a bit after the appointment, but it's gotten better now. I'd imagine that's what tightening the wire will feel like, when I do go in for my follow up appointment next month. Not looking forward to the pain...but hey, with braces, it's literally no pain, no gain. And since I want to have straighter teeth, the pain comes as a package deal, am I right?

Wire back in the bracket with a metal tie around the bracket.