Its official! I am debraced!! I had my appointment on 25 September at 10am and was out of there at 11:45am... yes it took THAT long! OMW, somehow as a kid when i had braces for the first time, I dont remember the removal taking that long, or being nearly as ....sore?!
So they clip off each bracket, then proceed to grind off all the remaining bits of cement/glue that remains on the teeth. It literally sounds like a construction site going on inside your head. It is SO loud and SO uncomfortable and SO sensitive really. You just wish that part could be over.
Thereafter its a scale and polish, and then they proceed to place the permanent retainers (I opted for uppper and lower permanent retainers) on the underside of the teeth. Also quite an involved process, wearing funny big yellow glasses to help prevent eyes from getting sore due to the high intense light that comes off the glue gun. And then its sit up and rinse... and you get to have the first look at your new mouth!!!!!!! It was as if someone had inserted a brand new set of false teeth into your mouth, its looks so new and different and feels super weird!!!
And you feel like you can't stop staring into the mirror, hahahahaa!!!!And then you are whisked off to the x-ray room to get the same kind of xrays that were done at the start of your treatment: cephalograph and panoramic xray. And then photoshoot time. Not my fav as i really dont enjoy the camera
But was keen to see what the shots looked like especially to compare before with after pics. I have uploaded these for you to see, as well as pics of my teeth at start, and during the treatment. And then you back in the chair for impressions for the Essix Retainers (clear retainers to be worn at night only). And then they tell you to come back in the afternoon (or at least they told me to
) because they need to chat to you about how to wear your retainers, care for them, how to floss with permanent retainers, etc. So literally, my entire day was consumed with the orthodontist - although I did have a two hour break in between to pop around to the hair salon and get my hair streaked neon blue!!! 
And so it seems that whilst the metal wearing part of my journey is over, its not really the end as retainers are a life time investment and the more you wear them the better the long term results. They fit really snug, they actually 'snap' onto your teeth but dont hurt in anyway. Taking them off in the morning however is like fighting with your face
Its quite a task to pry them loose as they've been suctioned to your teeth all night and (not to be gross) saliva gets caught underneath making the removal all the more hard. Sigh!!You need to rinse them under cold water only and wash with mouth wash, not tooth paste which is too harsh. The lifespan of the retainers are said to be around 2 years, but could be shorter if you are someone who grins their teeth whilst sleeping. Luckily I dont do that.
My teeth, even three days after removal, are still sensitive and I can't really bite into anything or chew things that are too hard. So soft foods for now.... although today I had pizza for lunch and what bliss with no wires to have to bother with!!!! Its still a bit strange to now have the brackets in my mouth - so much space - and i find myself licking my teeth now! I must admit that whilst sitting at the orthodontist reception waiting to be called into discuss my Essix retainers, the receptionist was explaining to one client that they have new multicoloured elastics - two and three toned!!!! Wow i thought, I will be missing out on those, rather sad..... but then again i realise there will always be enhancements in the future
So lets just move on to what we have now and enjoy the future with a smile with no colours I did ask the receptionist later that if they ever make the Essix retainers in neon pink she should call me!!!! To those out there who are still waiting to get braced, dont be scared. its an experience well worth the time and investment and mine went by so quickly before you know if yours will be over too
If you need to contact me directly for any news, advise, etc you can email me jessi.jacobs8@gmail.com and I will see how I can assist.
So now that I am 'free'..... best I keep smiling more and more!!
Cheers everyone!
