First, I had my archwire taken off for my cleaning. Oh my mother-loving goodness, that hurt so freaking bad. I was cursing and yelling the whole time. I admit I am a huge baby, but goodness it hurt! The assistant who was removing my wires was a great sport and bantered and teased me in just the right way to help me see how hilariously sissy I was being. He was awesome. I had a cleaning, which was MUCH needed! My teeth are so white now! Yay! I love my hygienist. She is wonderful, and makes me feel at ease. I had more x-rays and pictures taken, which I was not expecting. My appointment day happened to be the last day my ortho will be working in my office so she spent a long time discussing my case with my new ortho guy and then explaining to me, in detail, what they have decided my treatment plan will be.
Since I have pretty severe periodontal bone and gum loss, my treatment is not traditional. We are not doing this braces thing for cosmetic reasons, but for health reasons. To keep my teeth, gums, bones and roots healthy by improving the bite, the crowding and such. However, due to the severity of my condition, my ortho made it clear to me that we may have to stop early if we see any further signs of loss. Right now, my condition is good and has been good for a while, but if it starts progressing again, I will be debanded no matter what my teeth look like. I hope everything continues to go smoothly. I do not want to be debanded early. I do not want my periodontal disease to worsen. I just want healthy teeth, healthy gums and no more bone loss.
Without any further ado, here's my 2 week progress pictures! I think there has been a lot of changes these past two weeks! How exciting!
Day 1:
Week 2:
Day 1:
Week 2:
) it really is one of the best decisions I've ever made, and definitely the best one I've ever made for my health (marrying my husband is the best decision I've ever made, you know, overall 
). While it may seem like the end of the world the first three days, it gets easier and easier every day. The pain, the self-consciousness, the adjustment - it's all getting easier and braces are becoming normal for me. It's a huge change, but the brain and body adapt quickly. 
. I don't about you, but in the 2 weeks I've had braces, eating has gone from being annoying because it hurts, to being annoying because my lunch stays with me for the rest of the day by sticking in my braces. Yum. I am the master of the post-lunch-swish. Butttttt, at least I can EAT!! I truly love to eat. Love love love. I thank my metabolism for keeping me at a healthy weight despite the amount of food I eat all day 
. Anyway - what I meant to say before that tangent - if you've just had your braces put on this week, let me tell you now that it will get better. If you've had them on longer than 2 weeks (which is how long I've had mine), then I guess you're screwed. Just kidding! I hope it gets better for you soon! If food is one of the loves of your life like it is mine (for me it goes: Husband, Cats, Food), I'm sure you will find a way to make it through 
. A good swish with some Listerine type of mouthwash (the kind that really burns) makes the pain stop. I think the "intense" mouthwash cauterizes my mouth wounds 
!
