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

If you want to share the detailed saga of your braces story, this is the place to do it. You can use this forum as a braces journal, editing and updating your posts as your treatment goes on. Remember to also visit the main ArchWired.com site for additional stories from other readers!

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catgyrl
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#181 Post by catgyrl »

Under Construction wrote:HI Cathy,
Just stopping by to wish you speedy gap closure and a good appointment next week!
Take care,
karen
Thank you so much, Karen! These buggers really DO take forever to close, don't they? I really don't see how he's going to get my upper and lowers to match "one-to-one" because there's one less tooth up top, instead of two. I guess I shall just trust him.

As for the gap, you totally can't see it from the front anymore, and you have to look REALLY close from the side. It is getting smaller, but I would bet it won't be fully closed until next year.

Take care!
Cathy

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fleur26
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#182 Post by fleur26 »

hi just wanted to say im new here and have enjoyed reading so many stories on here before getting my braces including yours catgyrl! :D

catgyrl
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#183 Post by catgyrl »

Thank you very much, fleur26! I, too, find this site and everyone's stories so fascinating, and they've given me a world of information. I'm on here all day long. Haha

How are you holding up as a braces newbie? Wanna rip them out yet? :lol: I must say that they do frustrate me at times, but I've never wanted to take them off because I'm seeing such great results. Did you post a story on here? Are you taking pics so you can follow your progress?

Cathy

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kaylaa
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#184 Post by kaylaa »

Hi Cathy! How did your adjustment go today? Did you end up getting the screaming pink ligs?

My next adjustment is on monday the 1st and I think I am going to go with black on top (again) and hot pink or red on the bottom!

:)
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catgyrl
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#185 Post by catgyrl »

Hi Kaylaa-

I sure did! Not sure if I like them, though. Here's the very looong story. You can skip to the pics, if you like.

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Hi all!

Just got back from my 7th adjustment. Doc must’ve been in a good mood today, because he was chattier than usual. I, on the other hand, got home at 1:00 AM this morning from the Adam Lambert concert in Honolulu last night (FANTASTIC show, for all you Glamberts out there!); had a splitting headache and my ears were ringing, so for once I wasn’t in a mood to ask questions. LOL I did mention that my canine was really doing a number on me over the past month, and he laughed and said, “That’s what happens when it moves…” Uh… no DUH!! I also mentioned that, for a couple of days, it honestly felt like someone was standing there physically yanking it back and forth, as I could feel it actually wiggling. He said, “Yep, that was me. I was moving it remotely from my office…” (Gee, I guess he does have a sense of humor after all!)

I got a new wire on the bottom; same size, but I think this one is stainless steel. He said it was “a different material” and that’s the only other material I know of. I’m definitely feelin’ it in my lower molars. No wire change on the top; just the ligs and powerchain. He pulled out a discreet color (I couldn’t tell which one, but it may have been the Pearl ones I asked him to order a couple months ago, and wasn’t sure if he did or not.) But I informed him I was getting Screaming Pink this time, and he didn’t bat an eye. When I saw them, I said, “Holy crap! Those are really bright!” He said, “They’re really not that bright once you separate them out and put them on.” I’m not sure how I feel about them yet. I think they kind of make me look like I have lipstick smeared on my teeth. Not enough contrast to make it look like an obvious colored lig, and not clear to make it look invisible. They also photograph a lot lighter (like a pale pink) than they actually look. They really, REALLY glow in real life!

OH!! And for good measure… he added on another powerchain to “help move this tooth along”, so I now have TWO bright pink powerchains pulling back my canine. Oh yay... As you can see by the pic (and the resulting gap), it’s definitely working. He did tell me, “This one is attached just to the hooks, not the whole tooth, so it may pop off when you brush. If it does, don’t worry about it. I’m just trying to get the tooth moving without rushing it too much.” I have noticed that the chain(s) have pulled my canine and molars UP, which makes the left side of my mouth go higher when I smile, so now my smile is rather crooked. I’m sure those will be brought back down once all the teeth are in place… right??

Screaming Pink ligs w/Lopsided Smile (LOL!)

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Side view of Double Powerchain and Double Gaps

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Poor Quality Cell Phone Pic (yet shows the “glowing” a bit more)

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Since they’ll be closed a few days the week of Thanksgiving, my next appointment is 5 weeks from now. I sure hope this color holds up, because I know there will be family pics taken over Thanksgiving.

-Cathy

khublei
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#186 Post by khublei »

Wow your teeth look great already. Love the pink! :D
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SonyaM
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#187 Post by SonyaM »

LOVE the pink! I think it looks fabulous! But that double power chain.....OWIE! I hope it's not hurting you too much.
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catgyrl
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#188 Post by catgyrl »

Khublei - thank you very much! :D Head-on, my teeth never really looked that bad. But when I turned to the side... oy!! That's why everyone I know was surprised when I got braces. I just visited a friend I hadn't seen in over a year, but whom I've known for about 25 years... who herself had braces as an adult... and she still can't understand why I got them. I'm holding back on showing her the "horseteeth" before pics, but if I have to... I will! LOL!

SonyaM - thanks! I'm still getting used to the pink. I'm very surprised at myself because I LOVE pink in general; just not on my yellow-ish teeth. Maybe that's the problem. Oh well - not a whole lot I can do about that until I get these babies off.

The double powerchain: I don't feel any pain at all... YET. I do feel tenderness in the molars (not even the tooth being dragged back!) when I bite down. That's when I wanna go grab some gum and chew like a cow! My friend (whom I mentioned above) was shocked when I offered her some gum last night. She's like "You're not supposed to chew gum!!!" I told her she got her braces in the olden days, and that things have changed.

Will keep y'all posted.

-Cathy

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ashesgap
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#189 Post by ashesgap »

I know what you mean about things looking worse. I swear my mid-line is even more to the left than it ever was without braces. But honestly unless you're pointing it out, i can't hardly see what you're talking about. I do like those pink ligs though. :D
29 years old
2-18-10 baby canine pulled
3-15-10 got braces
12-22-11 Moving-SO EXCITED!!
1-2-12 Meet new Ortho
1-5-12 Begin finishing treatment
3-5-12 Canine Implants...dun dun dunnnnn
4-9-12 Deband!
I had braces for Two Years and TwentyFive Days
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catgyrl
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#190 Post by catgyrl »

Thanks, ashesgap! If you look at the 2nd pic, you can see that my left canine (on the right in the pic) is a lot higher than the other side... and they just keep getting higher. But I figure if they can pull the teeth up, they can pull 'em down, too... right? haha

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jensceana73
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#191 Post by jensceana73 »

OK...you did not...I repeat DID NOT....get to go to a Adam Lambert concert???!!!!!!!!!!! :shock: :yikes: Jealous....soooooo JEALOUS! My husband cannot understand why I like him...I on the other hand, cannot understand why I like my husband. :roll: :lol: (Kidding)

Anyway, felt the need to comment on your lovely pink ligs. Girl, they look awesome on you. You have such nice teeth, you could get away with any color. Black included. In fact, you should get black ligs and then wear black lipstick :huh: , Ok..maybe that's a bit much. No really, the pink looks great. Right now I have plum purple and screaming pink. Both of which I've had before. I do like the pink, just because it's girly, but I just LOVE the plum purple. I found the pink to look to dingy towards the end of my month between adjustments. The purple held up like a charm.

Hope the double power chain isn't bothering you too much.

Adam Lambert....so jealous. The only option I get is Justin Beiber...please, I'd rather wire tire my eye lids open...... :yuck:
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If God wanted me to have straight teeth, he would have made my parents rich..or so I was told....


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catgyrl
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#192 Post by catgyrl »

jeansceana73-

OH YES I DID!!!! Loved him on Idol, and just had to go! The show was great. Very different from other concerts, where people wander in and out, and talk in between (and sometimes during) songs. Everyone's attention was focused on Adam. We had 10th row seats and I got some great pics, too. The best part: I was one of the YOUNGEST people there! Lots and lots of gray-haired men and women there.

Justin Bieber was just here a couple of weeks ago, too (TWO shows!) I heard his show only lasted about 45 minutes. I wouldn't even go to see him for free, but I can't really hate on the Bieber fans because in my day my teenybopper/"can't sing for crap" faves were... Menudo. (We shall leave it at that...)

On topic: Thanks for the kind words. When you say your pink ligs were "dingy", do you mean they just faded, or actually changed color? I really want to go back and have them changed, but I'm sure he'd have a fit if I asked. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly that I don't like about them, but... I think I'd rather put on the clears and watch them turn yellow. I know... I'm weird.

My double powerchain, surprisingly, isn't hurting much. I had that teething / "itchy gums" feeling on my molars for a day or so, but constant gum-chewing yesterday got rid of that. A coworker asked to see my teeth and said, "WOW! They're really moving!" Then, when I started to show her my big gap(s), she turned away. She's a bit tooth/mouth-phobic, I guess.

Black - don't think that's gonna happen. :lol: Purple - definitely would do that again.

-Cathy

opera^gal
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#193 Post by opera^gal »

Hey catgyrl...I know your disappointment in the pink. I had the 'acid flamingo' for a week during the second round of spacers and was glad to swap them out after 7 days. I'm sure your ortho office wouldn't mind if you called and asked to swap out...worse thing they can say is 'no way crazy!' Go for it, get what you want and be happy!!!
2/2/09: metal braces T/B
8/20/10: braced removed (18mons, 18days), hawley retainers T/B
9/16/10: LR central incisor extracted (failed root canal)
2/23/11: implant/bone graft
9/15/11: implant crown placed, lower lingual bonding corrected
9/21/11: upper bonding on lateral gaps from upper arch forward advancement
10/17/11: new hawley retainers w/plastic tubing over the 'social six' wire, both T/B

catgyrl
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#194 Post by catgyrl »

Thanks, opera^gal-

Acid Flamingo? OMG - those sound atrocious!

I may give them a call tomorrow morning; they open at 7:00 AM. I've already asked for so many crazy things over the past 6 months, this really shouldn't surprise them. I just hope that (1) they say "yes", and (2) that they can squeeze me in tomorrow because they close early (right after lunch).

This is so terrible! I can't believe I'm just as self-conscious with these pink things than I was with the metal brackets!

Will (of course) keep y'all posted.

-Cathy

catgyrl
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#195 Post by catgyrl »

Pink... BE GONE!

I decided to take a chance and I drove by my ortho's office on the way in to work to see if I could get these pink ligs changed. It was about 15 minutes before the office officially opened, and the door was already open. When I made my request, the receptionist went back to talk to him. The conversation went on a bit longer than I'd hoped, so I was sure he'd say "Hell no! She crazy!" Instead, he came up front and said, "I haven't even had my coffee yet, Cathy!" I laughed and told them "I know I'm a pain, but I promise to never, ever do this again. I will even put it in writing!" Receptionist laughed and said, "Yeah, you're a handful..." She said that had I come a week or two later, they would not have changed them because by that time there would have been movement and stretching of the bands. I told her that I understood that, and that's why I rushed in today.

He said, "Well, you were very brave to try the pink," to which I replied, "Yeah I know, but I didn't like looking as if I had lipstick smeared across my teeth." I ended up with Pearl ligs (he ordered some more samples, which he pointed out to me, so I know that he DOES listen to his patients), and the powerchains are called Obscure. They are the closest to tooth-colored that I've ever seen, and he suggested I try the Obscure ligs, too, as they were supposed to be a little more stain-resistant than the Clear. I'll probably do that next month. After he attached the first powerchain, I said quietly "Sonofab****" (not to HIM... but because of the pain) and he said, "Hehe, you asked for it." I told him, "You're such a sadist, like that dentist in 'Little Shop of Horrors'!" He said, "Steve Martin - yeah!"

I know this was the right decision because when I got to work, my coworker noticed I'd changed them and she said, "What's wrong - didn't like lipstick smeared on your teeth?" :yikes: I told her, "Why didn't you tell me that's what it looked like?!" She said she knew it was for my braces, so she didn't say anything. (Trust me peeps - up close pics look nothing like a full-face pic with these Pepto Bismol things on.)

I learned a valuable lesson today: My ortho isn't as mean as I thought he was. :lol: If he were, he could've easily turned me away. He even gave me a little rubber ring with all of the lig colors on it that I could keep so I could hold them up to my teeth to see which one I wanted to try. He didn't have to do that, but I guess it would benefit both of us. He even commented that the tooth is finally moving back really well, and said it needed to move about halfway back from where it is now. It's so great to see REAL progress...

-Cathy

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