Almost 10 months (and a nightmare before christmas...)

Message

#61 Post by **Buffy** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:01 pm

A long awaited update. Since my last post, I've been moved onto heavier wires - my first set of square wires.

I've also been experimenting with colours on my bottom ligs - pink, blue, and now purple.

I can't believe I'm 8 months in, it doesn't seem like that long at all. Movement seems to have slowed somewhat, my gaps appear to be slowly closing. Mostly no problems with ulcers or anything, although I've had a few in the last couple of days because I've been a bit run down.

Time for pics, because talk is cheap <grin>

Upper arch last pic:

Upper arch now:

Lower arch last pic:

Lower arch now:

Last smile pic:

Smile now:

#62 Post by **jenny101101** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 3:48 pm

Wow, Buffy, your teeth have come a long way!! They look terrific!!

I'm 8 months in too...time is flying! BTW, I love the purple ligs!

#63 Post by **Buffy** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:00 am

Thanks. I'm surprised to find I've had them on for so long.

I like the purple, but they're a bit more sedate than I expected. I think pink has been my fav so far, although my first set of colours was a very pretty blue.

Next appointment on November 6th, so I'll have time to debate colours til then.

#64 Post by **Buffy** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:07 am

Had an adjustment yesterday, which also marked my 9th month in braces.

I've moved onto heavier wires again, I think the ortho said they'd be the heaviest wires I have. I've also got some interesting new wire bits which I'll take some pics of later. Basically, the archwires came with extra metal pieces stuck on perpendicular to the archwire, at the front of it (if the archwire is normally like this _________ mine is like this ___|___|___). Once he put the wires in, he bent those metal bits down into a curve, and told me that this appointment would let the wires settle, and that next appointment, I'd be getting elastics to help close the gaps, and that's what the extra metal bits are for.

I have to say, I don't love them, but they're probably less ghastly than I think they are.

The heavier wires are playing havoc with my mouth - I was back on mostly liquid and very soft food again last night, and probably will be for a day or two til my teeth get used to the extra pressure. I just keep repeating that it'll all be worth it when I'm done.

Went with the cute blue ligs on the bottom again, as I really like the colour. Will try to take pics of the new setup before I go to bed tonight.

Thanks for reading

#65 Post by **Buffy** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:58 am

Almost ten months in.

Got my appointment for my next adjustment - December 23rd!

I'm getting elastics at this adjustment (provided things have gone to plan), which means that I'll be on soup for Christmas

I know it's necessary, but it's pretty sucky timing all the same.

My massive gap has reopened at the front too, even though it had been closed with the powerchain at last appointment. It's kinda annoying to see my teeth going backwards!

Just thought I'd share my nerves...

#66 Post by **Stoneyfaced** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:48 am

Hi Buffy,

I'm new to Archwired and have just been reading your story. Your teeth are looking great. I cant believe the changes in just 10 months.

Has the time gone fast for you? I'm having my impressions done on Friday to have the ceramics put on top and bottom, but I am really nervous. How noticable are your braces?

#67 Post by **Stoneyfaced** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:50 am

Oh Yeah, and pretty grim timing on your adjustment.... but just think of all them calories you will be saving, and how much money you will save not having to buy one of the ten million fitness DVD's out in January! lol

#68 Post by **Buffy** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:28 am

Sometimes it seems like I've hardly had them any time, sometimes it seems like they've been there forever. I think it just depends on the mood you catch me in.

My journey has been mostly trouble free, nothing majorly unusual, just the expected post-adjustment pain, etc.

From up close (like the pics I post here) they're easy to see, but in other pictures I've had taken in the last 10 months, mostly you can't see them at all. I've had several group pics and the like taken, and even some reasonably close up shots (head and shoulders from a slight distance) that you couldn't make them out in the pictures.

Even on days where I hate them, I'm still glad I got them, because my teeth have improved so much - these days, I love to smile, even with all that extra junk in my mouth!

Good luck with yours!

#69 Post by **Buffy** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:02 pm

Some pre-Christmas pictures - I've got my next adjustment on the 23rd. In theory, I should be getting elastics on those lovely hooks currently sticking from my upper and lower wires.

I'm hoping that he will give me them because, even though I'm sure they'll hurt a lot, they'll also close the annoying gap that keeps appearing beside my left front tooth!

Some pics:

Smile:

Upper Arch:

Lower Arch:

#70 Post by **grneydfairy** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:01 pm

wow, an adjustment on the 23rd?! You are brave Buffy!

Happy holidays and good luck with your adjustments and getting elastics.

#71 Post by **Buffy** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:13 am

Hey.

Well, I've had my "elastics" since the 23rd now, and it's been a varied ride so far. I was very sore the first night that I got them on, but I feel that was compounded by the fact that I was so tired and feeling a little unwell that day too. Thankfully, most of the pain had actually subsided by Christmas day, although I did spend most of the morning of Christmas eve so full of painkillers I think I must have rattled when I walked!

Turns out that he didn't give me elastics to put on, he just hooked lengths of powerchain from the various hooks. So on the bottom, I've got silver powerchain linking from those little bottom hooks on the archwire to hooks on my molar brackets, and clear powerchain (now somewhat yellow!) linking on the top in the same way.

It's actually proved quite handy, because it's meant that I haven't had to worry about putting them in or out, or about them snapping or anything like that.

Over the Christmas, I noticed one or two things. We went out for a work Christmas party on the 19th, and a colleague commented on the improvement he'd seen in my teeth. He said that he didn't know what it was that I had done, whether it was me smiling or saying something, but he just spotted it suddenly, and wanted to say it to me. Needless to say, that made me smile a lot. I also noticed myself that I've no longer got my huge gap between my top and bottom teeth. I used to be able to stick my tongue out between my top and bottom front teeth, with my molars touching (i.e. my mouth closed). I realised after the 3rd or 4th time that my top and bottom canines banged off each other this December that I haven't got that gap any more. In fact, now my front teeth are just ever so slightly over my lower teeth, just like they should be. This had me very excited indeed. I do keep banging certain teeth though, which hurts. I'm just not used to them all being so close. If I push my lower jaw slightly forward, I can touch my lower front teeth with my upper front teeth. In 24 years of being alive, I've never been able to do that before.

It seems that my extraction gaps are beginning to close now, with the help of the elastics, although I have to look hard to see any difference. I'll be taking photos soon, and hopefully they'll help me see a change. I'd hate to think that the pain over Christmas was all for nothing!

So far, so good. My next appointment is on Thursday February 5th. I originally got my braces on Wednesday February 6th, so my next adjustment is pretty much bang on my 1 year anniversary in braces. Funny how these things work out. I'm going to ask my ortho about my progress and see if he can estimate how much longer, but I suspect he won't tell me.

That's all for now, talk soon.

#72 Post by **Buffy** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:21 pm

Update pictures - almost a year in.

Upper arch:

Lower arch:

Smile:

#73 Post by **switchblades** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:10 pm

Just read through your whole story, and your teeth look great so far!

Good luck with your adjustment on the 5th, my next is the 2nd

#74 Post by **Buffy** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:51 am

I must say, today is definitely a "fed up with braces" kind of day.

I'm overall happy with how they've straightened out, and I'm much happier with my smile. I think the progress is great, don't get me wrong.

But my gaps seem to be taking forever to close, even with my new elastics, which has lead to some frustrations. They've moved slightly unevenly, meaning my midline is off, and some teeth (in particular my right upper and lower canines) keep banging off each other because the gap is more closed on one side than the other.

I was harbouring a secret hope that I wouldn't see another full year in braces, particularly since there are family portraits in my future. But research I've done, and stories on here, seem to indicate that you'll spend a while in braces with "perfect teeth" to make sure that the roots have moved as well as the crown. So if we estimate 4-6 months in "root movement" phase, then it would seem that my teeth are lagging behind a bit in terms of closing up those gaps.

I know it's early days yet, and there are plenty of people on here with longer sentences than I, and with bigger problems too, but today, for this moment, mine feel enormous. Today, I'm fed up with my slow teeth.

#75 Post by **Buffy** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 2:19 am

Just a mini-update from the ortho yesterday, with some disappointing news. Apparently, I'm going to be another 9 months in braces at least. My original prognosis was 18-24 months, and since I've been in them a year (today, actually) the "9 months" brings me a lot closer to 24 months than 18.

Quite disappointed actually.