Now here comes the twist. I am four months pregnant! My husband & I decided to have a baby in the knowledge that I'd be finished with braces before the baby arrives. I was beginning to find the braces a stress though. Lets just say the morning sickness has been really unpleasant and so having to keep brushing my teeth even more because of that and often in the middle of the night after giving in to night time hunger pangs (I'm talking 3 & 4am!) was becoming a real pain!! Needless to say I was relieved when my orthodontist confirmed the braces were coming off. So relieved I could of cried or maybe that was just hormones!

The process of removing the braces only took around 40 minutes. It wasn't painful, I would describe it more as "discomfort". Maybe I was just focusing on not getting sick while the orthodontist prodded around in my mouth (pregnancy while wonderful & exciting, is not always fun!) Anyway with the brackets de-bonded in a matter of minutes it was time to scrape the remaining glue off my teeth. I found this the worst part of the process. It sounded like she was drilling holes in my teeth and the sensation was horrible. Then my teeth were filed a bit to straighten the edges & were polished.

The moment I had been waiting 16 months for arrived as she handed me the mirror to examine my new smile. I was not disappointed although I was a little freaked by how enormous and white my teeth first appeared!! This doesn't take long to overcome though & I smiled all day and couldn't stop looking at my teeth in the rear view mirror on the way home. In fact I looked at them every time I passed a mirror. Moulds were taken for my clear Essix retainers which I had to collect the next day. I was told to wear these 24/7 for three months. The trick to not swallowing any of the mould substance is to concentrate on breathing in & out through your nose while its setting in your mouth. Trust me, it works. I couldn't have any x-rays taken as you can't while pregnant. She'll take these post pregnancy.

I admit that while I am absolutely thrilled with my Hollywood smile, collecting the retainer put a bit of a damper on things. I'm not used to it at all. Its a tight fit & my teeth are a little sore. However eating is a joy & being pregnant I'm eating a lot! I don't see how it is possible to wear the retainer 24 hours a day. I'll do my best though. But if you are in the early stages of pregnancy, feeling a little nauseous and worried about getting your braces removed, fear not. I forgot all about that when the process began. The surprising thing was my orthodontist told me lots of her female clients were pregnant. I thought I was alone! Good luck to all you brave pregnant women in braces. It will be worth it!