Catgyrl's (Cathy's) Journey at age 42...

Message

#121 Post by **catgyrl** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 10:47 pm

MegP60+ and shinyRiver-

Wow - thank you! You ladies really made my day!!

Funny - I see way more flaws in my teeth now than I did before the braces... but I care so much LESS now! Something must be wrong with me...

I just can't imagine how they're going to look at the end. I may not recognize myself.

-Cathy

#122 Post by **cosmo** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:02 am

i love them your smile is beauiful it looks liek your just wearing a retainer. your teeth are so white

gorgeous. I know what you mean about noticing flaws with the braces now. I look at my teeth so much now that i notice things and have to wonder OMG was it like that before, how did I let my self even smile before?
I love my clear braces but they are not as cool as yours but still cool

#123 Post by **mikesmile** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:04 am

Hi Cathy

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your new braces so much! They are very subtle indeed

and I agree with cosmo that they look like you are just wearing a retainer. You also have a very pretty smile.

Something you had said in a previous post caught my attention. It's a very valid point, too. You said when you saw photos of yourself smiling with metal braces your teeth/mouth just looked black. I've noticed that as well, in some recent pictures I've been in. (group shots taken from a little distance) I agree - it didn't look appealing, so I can understand how you felt that way. I even appeared like that in a recent picture (that was grainy) in a local newspaper!

That was kind of embarrassing...

About the colored ligs: I was so shy at first to get colors too, but after a couple adjustments with color you'll realize it's no big deal. They don't show up in person as much as you'd think. On our posts we're viewing more close-up, so they look more pronounced, that's all.

Mike

Second Time In Braces - Estimate 12-14 Months

#124 Post by **catgyrl** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:20 am

Thank you, mikesmile and cosmo!

"White"-looking teeth = REALLY GOOD FLASH on my camera! Honestly, my teeth aren't white. But I much prefer slightly yellow-ish than black in pics.

I think I may try colored ligs once the upper teeth straighten out a bit. Upon much scrutinization, I see no difference in my gap closure from the last adjustment (3 weeks ago) to today. I'm wondering if he didn't do anything different with the rubber band because he wanted the new brackets to "set". Since they've proven to be strong, I think/hope all bets are off come Friday, so he can get in there and really start moving the teeth. :Crosses fingers:

Wow - are my bottom teeth jacked up now! The grinding I've done in the past has really made the top edges so uneven, and now that they're pushed forward into their proper place (well... almost proper place), it's really noticeable. The edge of one of them is actually pretty sharp. I'm going to ask if he can sand that part down a bit. He'll probably say no because they're not all moved into place yet.

Cosmo - how many hours a day, total, do you think you spend examining your teeth for changes? I think I probably spend an hour altogether. LOL!

Will post an update after I get back on Friday!

-Cathy

#125 Post by **alimommy1** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:50 am

LOL... at least 20 minutes, I don't look every day but yesterday I took more pics to look at side by side. Do you think we're all strange for doing that? I am with you on the flash, it fixes a lot of 'discoloration'

Might as well at least ask about sanding down the one spot, I mean they fix high spots or anything poky if you have bonding or a restoration so it might not be a big deal. They'll do it again after treatment too - unless you opt out.

#126 Post by **catgyrl** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 7:21 pm

alimommy1 - yeah, I think mine is more like 20 minutes too, though it seems like an hour. I don't think it's strange to stare at and scrutinize my teeth, but all of my friends think it is. And yes, I am going to ask him about shaving down that one point. I really don't see how he can extrude those teeth anymore than they are now, so he may be able to get that sharp edge off. The teeth look like this:

\_ _ _ (except the edge is more of a 22-degree than a 45-degree). I'll try to take a pic when I get home from work.

-Cathy

#127 Post by **catgyrl** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 9:44 pm

Okay, here's my jaggedy tooth:

Think he'd have a problem getting rid of that pointy edge?

-Cathy

#128 Post by **opera^gal** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 10:10 am

Hey Cathy..I've got one of those too! Also from grinding and also on the bottom..hoping to get the edge taken off when I'm debanded in 15 days. Good luck with your 'sharpie', I see no reason you would be met with 'Why no young lady, we can not possibly do that' or some such negative answer.

#129 Post by **catgyrl** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 10:52 am

Thank you, opera gal!

It's good to know others have a "sharpie" like me. Other than switching out my brackets to clear, this will be the first time I'd actually be asking him to do something specific with my teeth. I know it still won't be straight until I'm debanded, but I'm constantly playing with it with my tongue, and I know tongue thrust isn't a good thing.

Congrats to you on your debanding!! So happy for you.

-Cathy

#130 Post by **jensceana73** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 11:15 am

Ok...your teeth are "spankingly awesome...ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

....I could only wish the teeth gods look down upon me and bless me with half...of what you already have.

#131 Post by **catgyrl** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 3:10 pm

jensceana73 wrote:Ok...your teeth are "spankingly awesome...ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ....I could only wish the teeth gods look down upon me and bless me with half...of what you already have.

Oh, you are too kind.

However, according to what my ortho said at my visit today, when I asked him how long it would take my tooth to move over to its proper place, he said, "A LOOOOOOONG TIME!" And he wasn't joking. He said my upper left canine needs to move over to fill up at least half the width of the extraction gap. I'm guessing in the past 7 weeks, it's moved about 1 mm. Since the gap itself is about 11mm... hmm only about 5mm more to go. He then (I think, jokingly) said, "Stop asking so many questions."

He was nice enough to file down my pointy tooth a bit, but he didn't want to do more until they were all aligned properly, which he said may be after 2 more wire changes.

Today is the first day I feel no discomfort after an adjustment, despite getting a bigger wire on the bottom (top was left the same, and I suspect will remain that way for a while until that darn tooth moves.) I went and messed my sparkling clear ligs by drinking a JJ fruit smoothie (not sure if I can say the name here), and getting black seeds everywhere. Yuck!

-Cathy

#132 Post by **rhomboid** » Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:36 pm

Your pictures show you to be pretty with your new braces. You look like a teenager, congratulations.

#133 Post by **catgyrl** » Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:24 am

rhomboid-

Why, thank you very much for your kind words! I suppose there are worse things one can think of than to look... ahem... 20+ years younger. I think the chubby cheeks help, too.

-Cathy

#134 Post by **sadpanda** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:15 pm

Hi Cathy -

You might have mentioned this, but I haven't been able to read your whole story....so, I was wondering if you had to add on months/weeks of treatment just because you changed your brackets. I was warned that if I broke a bracket or something, it could mean longer treatment time, so I remembered you got those beautiful clear braces and thought maybe it was like breaking all of your brackets off and getting new ones.

#135 Post by **catgyrl** » Tue Aug 10, 2010 6:44 pm

Hi sadpanda-

Good question. My ortho didn't mention anything about adding on time because I changed brackets. I'm also not sure if switching from metal to ceramic has changed the amount of pressure he's able to put on my teeth. I have the same band and same wire on the upper teeth that I had with the metals. If there is any extra time added, I doubt it'll be much. If I remember, I'll ask him at my next appointment in September. (Even though he half-jokingly told me to "Stop asking so many questions.") He likened it to a kid asking "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" I guess it is a bit early (4 months in) to be asking about the end of treatment.

According to the treatment paper I signed in the beginning, if I ever break a bracket I have to bring it in (or as much of it as I can) and they'll replace it. If I break more than three, they will charge me $35 a bracket. YIKES!!! More incentive to be ultra-careful.

-Cathy