BraceFace2o1o's Story

[Kipepeo]

Well Chrystal, you should be feeling that good. Your teeth look awesome. So at least from a social perspective, your ortho is doing a fantastic job!

[BraceFace2o1o]

Well Chrystal, you should be feeling that good. Your teeth look awesome. So at least from a social perspective, your ortho is doing a fantastic job!

Thank you Kipepeo, it means a lot .

[BraceFace2o1o]

Ergh I had a horrid dream about my teeth and braces last night. I dreamed that my wire came away from my molar bands, and when I stuck my finger in my mouth to investigate, each bracket from the back to the front popped off one by one and my teeth were all lose and wobbly because they were no longer being held in place. I tried to phone my Ortho but he was away on holiday so I couldn't get seen ... Haha oh dear what am I like . Boy was I glad to wake up and realise it was just a dream.

I only had some discomfort in my teeth for about 2 days after my adjustment, these wire changes don't really 'hurt' much anymore. I can't wait for my horrible gap to close, it's right at the front of my mouth so very visible, please go away! On a more positive note (and absolutely nothing to do with Orthodontics), my new fur kid comes home with me on Tuesday... it's going to be a fun few weeks/months toilet training! NOT .

[Jay04]

OMG, your teeth are sooooo different than when you first started posting. They look so amazing. How much longer do you have to go? I finally got mine off last month! I was so happy I could eat more stuff but i've still been told I can never bite in to an apple due to my bonded retainers Oh well, I'm not going to complain as i'm so happy with them.

I remember those braces related dreams. They suck. I always had the one when all my teeth fell out

[BraceFace2o1o]

OMG, your teeth are sooooo different than when you first started posting. They look so amazing.

Thank you so much!

How much longer do you have to go?

Well at my appointment I had about 8 weeks ago my Orthodontist said I have about another 13 months to go, so from now it's about another 11 ish months, I can't wait! If he is right it will mean I finish just under half way between my 18-24 month estimate that I was told at the beginning of treatment, which would be great.

I finally got mine off last month! I was so happy I could eat more stuff but i've still been told I can never bite in to an apple due to my bonded retainers Oh well, I'm not going to complain as i'm so happy with them.

Wow that is brilliant! Your treatment was just over a year long, how lucky I am jealous hehe. Oh dear no apples!? I haven't eaten an apple since wearing my braces and I miss them... I am going to be having a lower bonded retainer too, doh!

I remember those braces related dreams. They suck. I always had the one when all my teeth fell out

Haha they really really do, I haven't had any for a while. I'm not looking forward to my next

[BraceFace2o1o]

So I had another adjustment on Wednesday. It had been 8 weeks since my last and I knew I was in for a proper treat with lots of soreness to come afterwards. I had both upper and lower wires changed, upper teeth all have wire ligatures (I always feel quite a bit of discomfort with these rather than the normal rubber ligatures), lower teeth have normal ligatures, I have a metal 'powerchain' on my lower front 4 teeth and a few bends in the wires between my 2nd premolars and 1st molars (both sides, upper and lower - I have no idea what they are for!). Also I have to wear elastics again, but in a different configuration - this time I have to connect them to my lower 2nd molars to my upper lateral incisors. I was meant to wear 2 elastics on the left side and 1 on the right, but I left with just the 1 on either side because my Orthodontist said to leave it like that for now to get me used to them and to wait until my next appointment to see about the 3rd elastic.

My mouth was sore within 15 minutes of leaving, then a good few hours later it was pretty damn painful! I couldn't even bite into a Babybel, that's how sore they were. Nevermind, been there done that got the t-shirt n all that, so I should really be used to it by now (but I'm not lol). I'm now on day 4 and the pain has pretty much disappeared.

It's now just 4 days after my appointment and I cannot believe my gap seems to have closed a tiny bit already, also my bite is even more messed up than it was before so I'm keeping my teeth apart to avoid clashing down on the only 2 teeth that meet when I bite right now... but this isn't so easy to do while asleep, OUCH. I sooo look forward to a proper/better bite! mine's been messed up for months now... Patience is the key, I need to keep reminding myself that.

Oh and I really don't seem to have much patience with elastics, I dread being told I will be having them again and get really grumpy when putting them back in after brushing and eating... probably because it's difficult to do sometimes .

[Jay04]

Ugh. I remember when my bite was messed up too. It was annoying as hell! You seriously look like you have a hollywood smile looking at your pics now

[BraceFace2o1o]

Ugh. I remember when my bite was messed up too. It was annoying as hell!

Mine feels the best it has in ages (but still not quite right), but it's not so great when I remove the elastics

You seriously look like you have a hollywood smile looking at your pics now

Aww thank you! But I have to be honest, since my last pics were taken in June a lot has changed and it's one of those stages where it all looks worse! I have gaps between my front teeth and lateral incisors (on both sides) now due to the elastics I'm currently wearing, argh! I'm avoiding taking any photos because I don't want to see what it looks like lol. Sometimes I think wow my teeth started to look really good but now they look pretty crap and I'm like WHY!? Mr Ortho what did ya do to my teeth!? then I realise I still have a good 10 months to go until I'm finished so need to chill out! But I really cannot believe what 2 elastics can do to ruin the look of my smile just to correct my damn bite

So just a lil update: I had another adjustment last week, not much happening at my appointments now. I had all my wire ties replaced on the upper arch and ligs on the lower, no wire changes. My Ortho said I could leave the elastics because I've been wearing them enough and then he double checked and said no, need to wear them a bit longer... poo!

It's frustrating because my bite is messed up because of 1 pesky tooth, yes ONE tooth... the lower right 1st premolar. When I bite down, the tip of that tooth bashes on the left side of the upper right 1st premolar rather than slotting in the middle of it, if that makes sense. The 1st and 2nd lower right premolars seem really stubborn and are still slightly tipped and need to come out more to fit in my upper tooth! Sometimes I feel like bringing it up with my Ortho but never do.

Also there's something else bugging me at the moment, well it has been for a few weeks now. My lower right canine is still slightly rotated, not by much but enough for me to notice it in the mirror and I can also feel it when I run my tongue along the back of my lower teeth. I'm really not sure why my Ortho hasn't repositioned the bracket on it to get it moving into place like the other teeth (my lowers are straight apart from that one tooth which is still rotated ever so slightly). I also feel that if it was straightened up the tiny gaps I have along that side would also get smaller... I think I'm going to have to bring it up at my next appointment because it's really bugging me now.

1 more month to go and I will have been in braces ONE YEAR! Woohoo!

Other than that, I have nothing else to report

[BraceFace2o1o]

Well it's my braceversary! Wow this last year really has gone quick. I'll have another 'braceversary' for my lowers in February .

Had an adjustment on Monday. Lower wire changed and told not to wear the elastics anymore, although my Ortho did give me some lighter ones to wear at night only if I feel my lower teeth/jaw going backwards. He said my left side is perfect, just need a little more work on the right side then I'm done.

While I was there he said the best thing ever! After my next appointment in 4 weeks time I'll only have about another 4 or 5 months until I'm done. Wahooooooo! So that will make it about 18 months treatment time, even shorter than he last estimated in late July . Just thinking that in about 5ish months I could be brace free I find myself getting excited! I really can't wait even though a weird part of me will probably miss my braces. These damn things have become a part of me now, they are there and I rarely even remember them... they feel so normal to me now.

My Ortho said at my next appointment I will have an upper bracket repositioned and the thingy in the roof of my mouth removed, although if there's some relapse it will have to go back in... he said removing it will be a test to see if it's all stable.

It's so strange coming on here and seeing new members who are just starting, seeing signatures with only days in them and remembering that was me once... feeling like straight teeth were an eternity away. Now I have straight teeth and will be finished soon is an awesome feeling.

[BraceFace2o1o]

Oh dear, the ups and downs of braces! My gap is is opening up again... what a pain in the ***.

My teeth have been hurting a bit lately, not because of the braces but because I have a very bad cold... My teeth always hurt when I have a cold. If it hasn't gone by my next appointment I may have to cancel and reschedule.

I will have to mention my crossbite (I have no idea if that's what it actually is, but yeah) to my Ortho at my next appointment because it's driving me nuts, has been for months but I was just thinking he'll correct it eventually but so far no sign of that. Basically my lower right 1st or 2nd premolar (can't remember which one) hits on the upper 1st or 2nd premolar (again, can't remember which one - I would have to check in the mirror and I'm too lazy to move right now) in an odd way, it's hard to explain on the internet and there is probably a term for it but I have no idea what it is. If you were to look at my teeth (my right side, your left) from the front of my mouth (imagine I have no other teeth other than the premolars) my current bite would look like this (where the upper and lower premolars meet when I bite down)... yes I had to draw a diagram in paint which looks awful LOL:


I should imagine the lower premolar is ment to sit in the middle of that 'w' shape of the upper premolar though, a bit like this:


Oh and my lower premolar is slightly angled inward, not straight up like in my dodgy diagram

Either way it needs to be sorted because it's screwing with my bite and I cannot get my back molars to meet because of it. I think my cold is making me grumpy, because right now I'm SICK of these braces.

[BraceFace2o1o]

I took a couple of pics the other night with my phone, it's been AGES since I last took any photos I can't even remember when it was.

The lighting is really dull so not the best:

[BraceFace2o1o]

Feeling a little bit annoyed with my appointment today, I felt rushed because my Ortho was running late with appointments.

I turned up 5 mins eary and normally I'm never seen on time anyway. Two young girls turn up about 5 mins after me and the receptionist asks them what they are in for and they reply that basically they had both broken something on their braces and are being squeezed in between appointments to get the problem fixed... I mean, I've been in braces over a year and haven't broken anything yet but two sisters manage to at the same time... ergh teenagers! (they were to be fitted in after my appointment).

I didn't get called through until 20 minutes after my actual appointment time because the appointment before mine was for twins and I'm guessing the receptionist didn't allow an appointment for two adjustments and that's why mine was 20 mins late. Anyway, I was in and out of the chair in under 5 mins. Nothing changed apart from ONE wire tie and my 'expander' removed... What happened to my bracket repositioning? why wasn't my gap addressed seeing as it's opened up since my last appointment? I didn't remember the gap thing until I got in the car and I started to curse. My next appointment is for 5 weeks, that's 5 weeks of a powerchain that could have been working on re-closing that damn gap... grr

So thanks to 4 other people my appointment was rushed and although I was meant to have some work done I didn't have it done. I guess that's my pay back for saying my last appointment was awesome LOL. But yeah, I doubt I'll be debanded in April or May now thanks to this stupid gap. Oh and I obviously didn't have time to mention my concerns. Argh *Sigh*. Rant over.

[drgnchsr36]

Yea, I always hate being rushed because you forget all the questions and whatnot that you want to ask and talk about until you're in the car. Happens to me all the time.

[BraceFace2o1o]

Yea, I always hate being rushed because you forget all the questions and whatnot that you want to ask and talk about until you're in the car. Happens to me all the time.

It is very annoying isn't it It's like my mind goes completely blank, then once I get in the car BAM I remember everything I should have mentioned.

I was thinking about making an appointment before my next one in late January to discuss my concerns, but they are closed for 19 days as of the 20th and I highly doubt I will get fitted in, especially since they're only open for 8 days before my next appointment (3 of those are before the new year!). Woo what a pain in the butt!!!

[drgnchsr36]

Yeah, totally a pain! I try and write it down in my phone and hopefully remember to bring it up when the ortho is there. That's the hardest part with me.. the amount of time the ortho is there and remembering to ask the questions or getting the explanations.