Sarahlynn's journey in braces

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#16 Post by **sarahlynn** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:46 am

PrincessPeach wrote:glad to hear your braces are getting much easier! Cant wait to be at the point where i dont have to be worrying about mine anymore!

& your co-workers didnt mention it? I just came right out & told them about mine, seems like they dont shut up about it now, but i suppose its only because they're trying to be concerned!!

I'm coming up on 3 weeks with braces on - and my first adjustment in 3 days!! I can't wait for that! I do still worry about mine and notice them, but it is getting easier. I think I'll be so much happier with them on when I have some real noticeable changes, like when my cross bite finally comes forward. I can feel them moving outward already, and I hope that they do something more to help pull them into the arch at my adjustment. I'm going to wait until my 3 or 4 week mark to post some more pics.

Well the coworkers that knew I was getting braces did mention it a little. One thing that I HATE that a few people have done - my manager included (she is really excited for me to have these though, I know this was out of genuine interest) - was to walk up to me, lean way in towards my face and want me to flash it all for them. I'm so not comfortable doing that!! I'm still uncomfortable with how crooked my teeth are for people other than my dentist and ortho to be getting a full on closeup view!!

So I just politely gave them a small smile and turned around and changed the subject. I told one guy to wait a few months before I gave him the super big metal flash

#17 Post by **PrincessPeach** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:51 pm

I had the same, a couple of my friends were like "go on then, show me!" & i was like "nooo i still hate how my teeth look" so no close ups yet!

#18 Post by **sarahlynn** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:48 pm

I had my first adjustment today - woot woot!!

I did get a slightly larger wire, don't know what gauge it is though. I asked the assistant right away if I'd be getting a new wire and at first she said no, that she would probably keep the same wire in. But as she was looking around in my mouth she said, "well, I probably could give you a slightly bigger wire....but wait, are you still sore?" I said yes, that I was still a little sore on some teeth, but I told her to give me the new wire anyways. The ortho agreed with getting the new wire too. But they said to not be surprised if I don't get a wire change at my next appt.

There was a lot of pressure on my teeth when she was putting the wire on and when she was putting my new ligs on (silver instead of the darker gray) - I wasn't sure if that pressure would last and honestly it was a bit uncomfortable. Putting the new ligs on felt a bit like they were twisting my teeth off! But luckily the pressure subsided pretty quickly once I was all set up with my new gear. Pretty much all of my top teeth are sore though when I chew. It's ok though - bring on the movement please!

I also got new elastic thingies tied around my bicuspid buttons to help pull them into the arch.

Exactly 3 weeks in now, with a new wire to boot! I'm excited to cross the one month threshold and hopefully see some big movement soon. I will post updated pics soon (my husband has the camera at the moment though & he's out of town).

#19 Post by **mlholl19** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 2:05 am

Congratulations on your first adjustment! I'm glad things didn't go too bad for you. Hopefully you'll see lots of movement soon.

#20 Post by ***tap*** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 3:19 am

hey,
your going to be so happy you went threw with it, the first day i had mine put on my lips stuck out and i couldnt shut my mouth it was awfull so i walked all the way home from my ortho feeling sorry for my self and its quite a few miles. ha. but everyday things become so much easier i work in retail and i thought everyone was looking and they probably were because of how my mouth stuck out, but after a week or so you really couldnt care less, i smile all the time now because i no i will have nice teeth one day soon

happy 3 weeks! i wish my adjustments were 3 wks apart there more like 8-10!
hope you see lots of movement

#21 Post by **sarahlynn** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:58 am

Thanks mlholl and tap!!

I think I have the 3 week adjustments until my bicuspids come forward - then I think the adjustments will move back to about 8 weeks apart. I am excited with how often I have to go now, and having them 8 weeks apart will feel like forever - so I definitely sympathize with you guys there!

I'm pretty sore this morning - I woke up with the super dry mouth and brackets stuck to my upper lip like I had the first few days in braces. My mouth feels a lot tighter and almost smaller, like it doesn't stick out as much lol.

I think I'm going to be one of those "gets worse before it gets better" cases. I was talking with my ortho about some things at my appt. yesterday and he said that one issue we'll run into with pulling the bicuspids out is that that may be simultaneously pulling the surrounding teeth in. And my teeth are already a little tipped inwards. I'm just waiting for the day for the two bicuspids to get bracketed, then I know things will be able to move to where they really should be.

#22 Post by **Margie** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:40 pm

It must be pretty exciting to get a new wire after only 3 weeks! You must be thrilled!

I am hoping to get a new wire at my first adjustment which is July 21st (2 months after getting my braces put on).

And I agree with Jesspenguin about the superfloss. When I first got my braces I hated it because it is thicker then regular floss but now that my teeth aren't as crowded I love it!

#23 Post by **sarahlynn** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 11:52 am

I've reached the 1 month mark, and here are a couple of pics:

First set of pics taken on Day 5:

1 month pics as of today:

Honestly I was hoping to see a bit more movement, but I think I'm just impatient

In the last several days I have noticed that my wire is straighter across my front teeth and in the arch pic it looks more evened out. I'll take whatever I can get! I have felt a slight move in the cross bite teeth, just by the way they hit my tongue, but I hope those guys speed up a bit more!! I look forward to the day that those get the real big-league brackets!

If anything it seems that my picture taking skills are improving

#24 Post by **bracedincanada** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:58 pm

Happy one month anniversary! I'd celebrate any little bit of movement I could see, it's better than no movement at all isn't it? Hope everything continues to go well for you.

#25 Post by **PrincessPeach** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:31 pm

Happy one month anniversary!

Well done on your first adjustment, its great that they're so close together, you might get to see some movement abit faster!

#26 Post by **sarahlynn** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:15 am

I was so excited this morning - looking in the mirror I noticed a significant difference in my one of my most hated tooth features!! I'll have to get a pic of it soon, but I don't have my camera on me at the moment.

If you look at the pics above, that large gap that I have between one of my front teeth and the tooth next to it - I've always hate hate hated that gap and I want it closed so badly! Well, it's not closed or anything close to that, but the tooth has definitely been brought inwards (it always jutted out a little), and now the gap is parallel instead of at that diagonal angle, so cool!! This has made my morning.

At my last appt. I asked when we could start closing that gap, but he said that that tooth needed to be rotated more before we can begin closing it. It still needs to be rotated a little, but I bet we're another step closer to closing that sucker!!

#27 Post by **Megan11** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:57 am

Hi sarahlynn! I was reading your story and was amazed at how similar our cases are. You can check my pictures out on my story to see. You are going to be so amazed at how fast those two teeth move up to the gumline. By month 4 and 5 they were almost all the way up there. But beware, teeth i the palate are VERY painful to move. I hated having those gaps too but it makes the progress so much easier to see. Also I have a debonding date at 11 1/2 months and I had an 18 month sentence so maybe that will give you some hope. Good Luck!

#28 Post by **PrincessPeach** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:53 pm

oo get you & your movement! I want to see pictures

#29 Post by **sarahlynn** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 7:51 am

I had my 2nd adjustment yesterday and despite the pain I'm in now I am a HAPPY woman! I didn't get a new wire, but I got the ligs changed as usual, and the elastic thingies that are pulling my canines forward retied as usual as well (and this time the assistant tied the elastic to the bracket of the adjacent tooth - and I like this much better!!

The very cool news was that I asked the ortho when we can start closing my largest gap, that gap next to one of my front teeth - and now I'm proudly sporting a power chain!! Woohoo! This gap is one of my most hated aesthetic features of my teeth (next in line to my cross bite canines), and I'm elated to know that that sucker is now actively being closed!

The ortho had the assistant do some sort of wire tie - I'm forgetting the actual name that he called it - in order to not allow my midline to shift as the gap is being closed.

The other totally awesome news is that at my next appointment (3 weeks out as usual) - I'm getting rid of this STUPID lower retainer!! He's putting bite turbos on instead!! I've read that bite turbos are a bit uncomfortable at first, but I don't even care, I loathe this retainer so much that I am welcoming the bite turbos with open arms!!

I specifically asked about this because I am concerned because one of my cross bite canines directly hits the retainer right now, and I'm mainly concerned about it when I'm sleeping. I think I'm a clencher and/or grinder and he is concerned that at night I may be shifting that canine back and forth. I always wake up sore in the mornings.

I have been pleased with my ortho all along and yesterday's appointment made me that much more happy with him - because he very closely listened to my concerns and questions and is accommodating me. That made me very happy.

The only sucky thing about yesterday was the PAIN!

One of my front teeth has been the most sore lately and the assistant had some trouble getting the new lig on - OUCH! Then later after talking with the ortho she had to remove the lig and add the power chain! DOUBLE OUCH I even had tears in my eyes at one point. My front 4 teeth have been the most consistently sore since the beginning and they are very sore today. I can handle it but I'm wondering when that soreness will subside and I don't think that having appts. every 3 weeks will help that matter

The 3 week appts. are solely to move those stubborn cross bite teeth along.

All in all though I was doing a happy dance all afternoon yesterday despite the pain

#30 Post by **Margie** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:48 pm

It sounds like your appointment went really well! Except for the pain that is.

I am a clencher at night too. It isn't so bad now, but when I first got braces it was really bad. I forgot to mention it to my ortho when I was there on Monday but they didn't say anything about there being a change to my teeth in that respect so it must not be affecting my teeth too badly.

The countdown must be on until you get the retainer out!