-Michael- (with lots of pics) - Updated 7/13/08 - New Pics

[manglemouth]

Oh MAN I am so jealous! I haven't gone down a slope as fast as can be in....11 years Those were the good times on Austrian slopes (where I grew up), where everyone knew how to ski! Now in Florida, naturally noone has even gone down a bunny hill yet Thanks for posting the story, I totally enjoyed every bit of it! Oh and I agree, they really could splurge on some padding on those backrests LOL. The bandana was a great idea, you have some smart students! (Well, and to give you some credit too...you're a smart listener ). Never heard of Tigers Milk bars...what's that??? Is that something I would find amongst Slim fast, WW and Power bars and the like?

BTW your wire is pretty neat...I don't know if its just the picture but I think its' barely visible!

Have fun

Tina

[Granola]

Hi Michael! How funny that you just posted in my journal because I was simultaneously reading a page back in yours. I now must go back to the beginning of your story and catch up (great writing). Love the pics of your ski trip!

You have beautifully shaped, nice white teeth, and I think you will be very pleased to see how quickly they move over the next several months! When I got my braces on, I had a tooth on the lowers that was the opposite of yours--it stuck out in front of all of the others. It wasn't long before it joined its mates. I'm certain yours will do the same very soon!

[nita]

I couldn't resist popping in and letting you know how jealous I am of your snowboarding trip! The pics are amazing
This is only my second season riding and I'm seriously hooked already, which is not good considering it is 90 degrees in L.A. today.... I was literally watching my local mountain melt away this weekend

I really enjoy reading your posts and am glad to hear that your braces journey is going well. It really is all about attitude. Keep it up!

[bsblguy]

I love reading your stories. I was braced a few days after you and also have Damon Braces. I read where you said they don't do bend backs with damon's and I'm not sure thats so as my wires are bent at the back brackets, they don't just stick straight back. It could be slightly different treatments or ortho's doing things a little different. I wish you could send me a double double, god I miss in & out. I guess it's a small price to pay for not being in traffic all the time anymore.

[-Michael-]

Hi Everyone!

Granola...thanks for the compliments on my white teeth. I didn't even photoshop those pics, so that is indeed a great compliment to hear. I think it might be partially due to the fact that I've never had coffee in my life. I also don't drink non-clear soda. I'm weird like that

nita & manglemouth...Sorry to make you jealous! It if makes you feel any better, it was a whopping 80 degrees today so I'm sure most of the snow just melted off the mountain! This weekend will probably more like a rockboarding trip and soon I'll turn my focus back to surfing which I tend to do a lot in the winter anyway but during the summer too when I can longboard and relax with my friends in the small surf.

bsblguy...I went in and had them check the wire I popped out. It looked fine but was starting to poke, so they did a clip and then a slight bend-back. So I guess they really do that for Damons but only when needed. They said the whole idea behind Damon's is less friction, which means the wire is pretty much supposed to just sit in the brackets loosely. Interesting physics behind the design of these Damon's. How do yours feel? I have some days where it doesn't even feel like I have them on which is super nice!

-Michael-

[BracesRacer]

haha... thats some entertaining stuff I like the pictures the arrows are entertaining! Makes me think these braces will not be so bad after all.

[bsblguy]

Hi Michael. Most of the time I don't even feel I have braces on. At times I can feel some pressure at different point in my mouth but no pain. My front teeth still feel lose which makes it hard to eat but great for the diet. So far I'm very happy with the Damon system. I am sssstill talking a little funny though, s's are hard. Only 101 more weeks to go.

[-Michael-]

Why Wait?

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place" -Michael Jackson

As I sit here listening to a classic from the 80's, I have to wonder about my sanity. As silly as it sounds, I find myself looking in the mirror a lot lately! And when I say a lot, I mean all the time. When I wake up, mirror. When I'm brushing, mirror. When I'm done brushing, mirror. Shower, mirror. Driving, mirror (ok I limit this mirror time). But I'm not looking at 'me'. I'm looking at my teeth. Am I expecting to see something? Hell yes, I'll admit. Where is my movement?!?!?

Like so many others (I hope I'm not the only one!), I find myself constantly looking for movement. But I can't figure out whether or not I'm excited about the possibility of movement, or it's some morbid curiosity to want to see some part of myself alter form. Or, perhaps I'm just that paranoid that I still have half my lunch stuck in my teeth because I didn't have time to brush between inhaling my food in 30 minutes and a client meeting immediately following. Either way, I'm spending quite a bit of time looking at the man in the mirror.

I like to think (and hope) that I'm just looking for movement. After all, isn't that what we're all looking for every morning when we wake up? We all want to see that stubborn tooth finally shift out of it's pocket hole, those molars line up nicely and the dracula fangs swing out and join the rest of the group. I can't deny wanting to see movement much faster than I know it should happen but damn it's fun to think about my perfect smile. It's like ordering something in the mail and waiting anxiously for the UPS man to deliver your paid-for prize.

-----------------------------
(UPS GUY KNOCKS ON DOOR)
(MICHAEL ANSWERS DOOR)

Michael: Yes.
UPS GUY: Special Delivery for Michael

Michael: Where do I sign?
UPS GUY: Right here.

Michael: What is it?
UPS GUY: Looks like a Perfect Smile to me.

Michael: Woohoo!!!
(Michael slams door in excitement and breaks hinge, turns around, trips over dog, falls to ground and drops perfect smile on the floor)
-----------------------------



Call me impatient but that's what I want to happen (except for that last part...hehe). Wouldn't that be sweet?

Ok, back to earth. Back down to reality. We can't do that obviously but in my mind, there has got to be something we can do. So I started brainstorming and then it hit me. Why should I have to wait? I want to see a better smile now! With some mad skills in the Photoshop department (mad skills...haha), why not straighten my teeth right now!

So with that, I sat down with a photo of my teeth and whipped up something special. I call it 365. This is what what I hope my teeth start to look like around day 365. I posted below for your viewing pleasure. Keep in mind I don't know what a perfect smile looks like yet, so I decided not to go all the way with it yet! Why put myself through the torture of seeing what I can't have....yet? So with that, I present to you my teeth on day 365.

[lionfish]

Day 365 is looking pretty good.

[SDFD TSchott]

Mad skills at photoshop is a wounderful thing. I can literally do the same thing, I use lots of photoshop time and also alot of video editing time. Anyways your stories make me come back to read more keep it up Michael.

~Tim~

[Danielle]

Where does one go to find a random picture of a UPS guy delivering something?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand... you're not the only one constantly looking in the mirror hoping for changes. My earliest changes were in the flossing department... it got easier and a little less time consuming (though not much).

[sjsarre]

How amazing would that be.... And if it was possible I still wouldn't mind paying out all I have now!!!

[bsblguy]

My dad did the perfect instant smile thing many years ago. He had his teeth pulled and got dentures. He often told me it was something he always regretted, along with the tattoo.
And I hope my 9 month smile looks as good as your 7 day smile. I do like photoshop so I guess it could be.
As usual, a very good story.

[creatvetyp]

Hi Michael. I get my braces in one week. I'm excited and horrified all at the same time. I'm 30, which is traumatic enough on its own. But, I've waited along time to fix my teeth and I'm sure it will be worth it.

I still have to decide between Damon 3's and the white ceramic braces. There aren't that many pictures out there of people smiling with Damon 3 braces. Now that you've started, would you make another choice if you were to do it again?

A. I'm vain (no, not vain, make that self-conscious) and terrified at the thought of dating with braces. Maybe ceramics would show up less? But then if the Damon's really can be quicker....my ortho didn't mention that possibility.

B. I've read on the forums that the Damon brackets are bigger than ceramics. Did you feel like you had a fat lip at first? I decided to whiten my teeth before the braces and am using plastic trays. When I have them in, I look like I lost a fight. I'm wondering if it will be the same with the braces?

Anyone else out there have any feedback?

[-Michael-]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the wonderful compliments. The really odd thing in this whole deal is that I don't even like writing...haha.

Hi reatvetyp! I am 32, so I have you beat by a few days. I can say with comfort to go for Damon3's. I love mine. They rock! I smile everywhere I go, all the time! I show 'em off. As with most things in life I find it's all about attitude and if you have it, no amount of metal in your mouth is going to deter anyone froms speaking to you, becoming your friend, or something more

I thought about clear and then I said to myself 'people might not notice them then?' And that would be bad. I want people to notice I'm fixing my smile. I want girls to know I do care about myself and how I look...haha I don't care about dating. A girl is going to like me or she isn't. It's that simple. If braces get in the way of being able to date, then that peson isn't worth my time anyway. As for kissing....can't be that difficult if that's what your worried about. Several million people across the world have braces and I'm guessing more than a few of them get by just fine. I haven't kissed yet as I've been too busy to get out there and start dating since I got my braces, but I see 100's of people every day and no quams about smiling.

For your fat lip question...nope. I didn't feel a fat lip. Sure it was odd at first but you quickly get comfortable. And since these don't have those ligature things, there is no friction and about 10 days into these, I had to run to the mirror thinking they fell off in the night. I litterally cannot even tell I had them on! That is how gentle the pressure is on the teeth. I love 'em. Hopefully this helps you decide on what kind you want.

And if you want some pics...keep checking back here and I'll try to post some before you go in, of me and my Damon's (with a smile), so you can get a good look at what they look like someone.

Good luck with everything and keep us posted on how it goes! What is the exact date you are getting some?

-Michael-