Did I say May 6th? Make that May 20th. :(

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#1 Post by **TsuKata** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:17 am

I'm not getting braces off today after all.

Dental office just calledâ€¦retainer didnâ€™t come in yesterday like it was supposed to. They called the lab (www.myretainer.com aka Harris Laboratories) to check on what had happened this morning, and it turns out that the lab shipped it yesterday instead of shipping it to *arrive* by yesterday as they were directed to do. So, thereâ€™s no retainer waiting on me.

And the dentist office was willing to stay late Thursday (when the retainer will arrive) or bring me in this Saturday (they're not typically open Saturday)â€¦but Iâ€™m not available because of I'm going out of town.

And so, because the dentist office just moved and thus is booked solid (because they were unavailable for a week due to movingâ€¦hence it even being this long before my retainer day), the first slot I can get into is on May 20th.

The thing isâ€¦Iâ€™m sad. Iâ€™m not sad so much because Iâ€™m unhappy being in braces. The braces are fine for me right now. Iâ€™m sad because Iâ€™d kind of built up today, and Iâ€™m annoyed because Iâ€™d really re-arranged work and a bunch of other things to be able to do this in a way that was relaxing and stuffâ€¦and now I have to do all of that again. And I'm just disappointed overall.

#2 Post by **Piper Leah** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:28 pm

Hang in there. It's not easy being patient, when you wrote the book and sequel on patience. When it comes to braces, better to let it happen on the doctor's schedule even if you feel it's longer than need be. More than likely they know what they are doing. I had mine removed last Monday and it was awesome, but it was after 2 setbacks which cost me half a year. After being fitted for my hawley retainer yesterday, I'd much rather have the braces than the retainer. I don't they are fitted correctly. Don't forget, if you one of us lucky ones, you'll get to wear this lovely retainer for 6 more months 24/7, then nightly indefinitely to keep your teeth straight and aligned.

Good luck to you!
Piper Leah, Austin, Texas

#3 Post by **Luella** » Tue May 06, 2008 3:16 pm

TsuKate- what a BUMMER! I hate when I get giant let-downs like that! Go get a massage or a pedicure or something- you deserve it! And don't worrk- 2 weeks will fly by!

#4 Post by **TsuKata** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:36 am

Luella - I followed your advice almost precisely. I treated myself to a pedicure at home and felt much better when done.

Thank you both for your sympathy and support.

#5 Post by **cybersiren** » Wed May 07, 2008 9:02 pm

Man! That really sucks when you get held back by non-ortho related things. Like theyare ready to come off but other issues are preventing it. Bummer! I had a big setback when my ortho was sick one time. I know how crummy that feels. I'm supposed to get mine off tomorrow and I just KNOW something will prevent it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

#6 Post by **TsuKata** » Mon May 12, 2008 12:54 pm

I think the thing that made it so disappointing was having to tell all the excited colleagues and friends who called or stopped by to congratulate me and ask if I was excited (or ask to see the results, depending on when this was) that it would be another few weeks.

Lesson learned: Aside from those who need to know, even if you have been given a de-banding date, you might want to hold off on telling other people. That way, if something goes wrong, there's less people to tell...and if everything goes off without a hitch, then no one's the worse for not knowing in advance.

#7 Post by **TsuKata** » Mon May 12, 2008 8:43 pm

In that vein, I didn't mention that my dentist called me last Thursday. My retainer had arrived, and now that she had verified that it was there, complete, and ready to go, she arranged to stay late at the office today to fit me in.

So, I'm braces-free!

Click the WWW link to see pictures and such, including pictures of my wicked cute boxy cat retainer.