Brandyshea's journey to straight teeth...with pictures!!!

[brandyshea]

Today was my first adjustment, four weeks after I got the braces on. I had a bracket off on the top right and I didn't even notice. Maybe it was just loose, I would have noticed it while flossing, right? The ortho glued the bracket back on, and then sent me on my way since we're not changing the wire this time.

I've noticed some improvement in my teeth, mainly the front two on the top, and one on the bottom left that is coming out from behind two others. It's pretty exciting. I'm not looking forward to future adjustments though, as today was pretty painful and the only undid three wire ties.

I asked when I could get the bite turbos off, I had some false hope that they would come off today. I almost cried when they told me it could be six months! I've already lost five pounds, I wonder how much more I'll lose.

I've taken pictures, but it was kind of hard since my husband isn't here to help me. Onto the photos: I'll do comparison, before and after.

Day 1


Week 4

You can see how my teeth have shifted up a bit (the last picture is at a weird angle, they haven't moved that much).

Day 1


Week 4

This is where I've seen the most progress.

Day 1


Week 4

I can see here where the tooth on the bottom right is coming forward.

Here's a comparison of the side view:
Day 1


Week 4

(This is me biting down all the way. Now can you see why I've lost weight?)

And lastly, here's my smile. I wonder how they're going to straighten. Will some of the teeth come down, or some go up? Or maybe they all meet in the middle? Anyone have any idea?

[shaynesgirl]

Hi brandyshea,

Your story and pics are great, I can notice quite a bit of movement there, good news for you. Hopefully I will have movement like that also after 4 weeks, my top 2 front teeth look similar to what yours did.....

Good Luck!

[brandyshea]

It's time for another update! I had my second adjustment yesterday. This past month has been pretty uneventful. Unfortunately I had to get a cavity filled, but lucky for me, it was the day before my second adjustment. I say that, because the dentist had to cut the back of my bottom wire out in order to do the filling correctly. He called my ortho to make sure it was ok first, but I don't know he would have done it with the wire in place.

I dont' know if you all remember, but I've got bite turbos on which prevent me from biting down all the way. Somehow I've managed to manipulate my jaw into moving back far enough that my bottom teeth go behind the bite turbos and I can close my mouth that way. It's still not great, because my teeth don't exactly line up that way, and only the left side touches since the teeth on my right side are still too far up in my gums if that makes any sense at all. However, I can almost eat everything that I could before, even salads! I haven't tried steak, and I don't think I will until these turbos are out.

Oh yeah, I asked the assistant who put my new wire in (only on the bottom) why they used wire ties in some cases and ligatures in others. She said that they used wire ties on me initially because of the rotation of my teeth. Wire ties hold the wire closer to the bracket, where ligatures have some give. She said that as my teeth rotate to the correct position they will replace the wire ties with ligatures. If you look at my bottom teeth, one on the front already has one, and two on the side (don't know if they're visible) have them too.

Now for the pictures:

Day 1


Week 8


Day 1


Week 8


Day 1


Week 8


Right side week 4


Right side week 8


Left side week 4


Left side week 8


I've seen a lot of improvement on the bottom front teeth, but also in the tooth on the bottom left (my left) that has moved up a lot. It used to look like it was diving into the middle of my mouth, and while not totally in line, it's straightened up a lot.

And finally here's a shot of my with my face showing. This is what I love about the ceramic braces. You can't really see them in pictures unless you're really close up.

[alexa]

Looking great!

[brandyshea]

It's time for me to update again. I won't be going back to the orthodontist again until August since I got an internship for the summer and will be out of town until then (Atlanta)! I checked with him last week and he said that the wires I have on will keep my teeth moving for that long so it's not a big deal.

I've seen a lot of movement, especially in the lower teeth. I'm anxious to get the bite turbos off, but from the look of my lower teeth, it doesn't look like it will be anytime soon.

Here are some pictures, always the before first, and then the most recent.

Enjoy!!

Day 1:


Now:


Day 1:


Now:


Day 1:


Now:


Week 4:


Now:


Week 4:


Now:

[M1k3y]

Great progress.

[MsTee]

Hi brandyshea! I am new to the board and your thread is one of several that I began reading. I am also 24 and will braced in the next couple of months. I don't feel too bad about getting ortho treatment at my age though...as long as my teeth are perfect by the time I get married (whenever THAT might be)!

I've enjoyed reading your thread, and look forward to hearing more about your journey!

~*Ms Tee*~

[M1k3y]

So what is the deal now Brandyshea?