I have had the same wires on my upper and lower for about 4 months now just holding my teeth in their correct positions. My last visit on May 30 my Ortho told me that July 11th would be my debracing day.
We took molds for my permanent lower retainer and my Hawley upper. I initially selected a clear Hawley but then called back about an hour later and asked them to switch it to TIGER STRIPE
. I thought what the heck my retainer is going to be even less visible than my braces...live a little.So this time tomorrow I will have been brace free for almost 8 hrs. I will still contintue to visit the site and I would like to thank all the people who have posted their advice, comments and opinions. Our sharing of experiences is what makes all our journeys a little easier. The journey doesnt' seem quite as long when you have someone to talk to along the way.
I have met only two other people my age wearing braces which makes our virtual community all that much more important and helpful.
If I can sum up what I have learned from my short time as a MetalMouth participant it's that there are many ways to handle an issue but no one method fits everyone.
I have a co-worker who had braces as a teen and talked only of the pain and inconvenience they gave him. This was one of my concerns with getting braces but my journey has been far simplier and less painful than I initially imagined. In fact the most painful part for me was getting my ligatures changed at each visit. The tension of the dental assistants strecthing the ligs slightly to remove them hurt worse than my teeth moving - perhaps that highlights how fortunate my braces experience has been.
Doubt I'll sleep much tonight - just so excitied about tomorrow. Someone asked what's the first thing I'll eat when I get my braces off. I said the first thing I'm doing is brushing my teeth. I don't know what it's like to brush my teeth 'naked' since they've been straightened.
Tomorrow is the end of my braces but the beginning of something much bigger.
The people who I needed to support me DID! And that's all that counts. I saw a quote in a school hallway today it said...
Be what you are and say what you feel
Those who matter don't mind
Those who mind don't matter
I couldn't sum it up any better.
ICE
:D
Congrats Ice and Angel! I hope everything goes great
