Hello all.
In mid-March I will have my one-year anniversary in
braces. (I am posting now because I will out of the
country at that time.) I want to take the opportunity
to belatedly thank Lynn for creating and maintaining
this site, and to thank everyone who reads my
postings and offers support. I have never
remembered to do this in the past, since I
was always in a moody and self-absorbed frame
of mind when I posted.
So during this past year I had 4 extractions to
relieve overcrowding, wore a nance for 6
months, and springs and a button for 3 months.
(I'm not bothering to count the elastics.) Best
moment of the year was in December, 9 months
into treatment, when the nance/buttons/springs
came off. Since then I have been in a holding
pattern, waiting for some canine root movement
to be completed, so the ortho can put on closing
loop wires.
I have no regrets. But I wish I could say that I
am thrilled with my appearance. I look, IMO,
awful. (Sorry, no pics, neither I or the ortho crew
are big internet techies.) I have enormous gaps
between my incisors and my canines (top & bottom).
These are supposed to be closed by the closing
loop wire...someday. Ortho is also correcting an
underbite, so my lips are now pushed further
outward, looking fuller. This was, presumably, going
to give me a more flattering profile, and perhaps it
has...But I was depressed by a recent comment
from my hairdresser that "It looks like you are
having trouble closing your mouth all the way".
My face looks more sunken to me, but this could
be due to weight loss (from recent minor
surgery, also because I can hardly eat owing to
nearly constant mouth discomfort.)
So all in all, I am hoping that the worst is behind
me, and that it just gets better (i. e., more aesthetic)
from here on. The original projection was for 2
years, but when the ortho decided to extract (2
months into treatment) he muttered that I could
expect my time in braces to be lengthened by at
least 6 months. Since then he has said on
several occasions that my teeth are moving
pretty quickly "for an adult"...so I fantasize that
I might still actually finish closer to the 2-year
mark. It's pointless to ask him about it, he
never answers any questions that start with
"How long...?".
One year in braces
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