The Professor's Story of Braces at 40 (with pics)

[TheProfessor]

Thanks, NeilH! I'm really hopeful that I'll have my braces off by the two year mark since I'm really fed up with not being able to eat without food sticking everywhere. This makes me very motivated to wear my elastics, I actually don't mind them at all and they are far enough back to not look too weird (although it does seem like people are staring at my mouth more than usual I could handle a few extra months, but I really want to be done before my 42nd birthday at the end of May since I'm planning a trip to Europe and I want to be able to eat like a normal person!

[TheProfessor]

Professor! Your teeth are looking amazing! It's crazy to see how far you've come and the end is near! Happy holidays!

Thanks, nicolie825! I know that my teeth will never looked perfect because of their weird shapes (but my orthodontist will do some evening out of my teeth at the end), but I'm thrilled with how they look compared to how I started! How are your teeth doing these days?

[nicolie825]

Professor! Your teeth are looking amazing! It's crazy to see how far you've come and the end is near! Happy holidays!

Thanks, nicolie825! I know that my teeth will never looked perfect because of their weird shapes (but my orthodontist will do some evening out of my teeth at the end), but I'm thrilled with how they look compared to how I started! How are your teeth doing these days?

The evening out at the end will help A LOT. I was concerned with my bottom teeth because they were all shaped differently and weren't level, but I am very happy with the filing and refinement my ortho did! I can't wait for you to get yours off so you can experience the braces free life (it's great! lol)!

[TheProfessor]

Happy New Year, everyone! I survived my second Christmas with braces! The triangle elastics are not too much of a pain to wear, but I had some trouble with some hooks getting loose and stabbing my cheeks. One of them came out on Dec. 29 as I was trying to put some wax on it, just before I started a 13 hour (over 2 days) drive back home. When I got home at 2pm on Dec. 30, I called my ortho to see if I could come in and have the hook replaced. The receptionist told me that the next available time would be on Jan. 4, but I held my ground and told her that I didn't want to go without elastics for 5 days and lose the progress I made in the last 3 weeks, especially since I'm so close to being done. She put me on hold for a minute and then came back and said that they could squeeze me in that afternoon. It took the tech about 2 minutes to replace 2 hooks, and now i'm happily wearing my elastics again. I hope they do their job in the next 3 weeks--things are looking better, but still not perfect.

[TheProfessor]

When I was home at Christmas, my brother looked at me really strangely and asked me why I got braces again!!! I told him that these are the same ones I've had for the last 21 months! I don't see him that often (the last time was 6 months ago), but I guess he thought I should have been done a long time ago! They should be off the next time I see him

[Lisamichelle18]

Wow amazing!!! Love seeing before and after pics!!!

[newbite]

You're so close!! Woohoo! Do you know what kind of retainers you will have?

[NeilH]

Sounds like you are making great progress and quite right to stand firm and ask for a quick appointment so you can continue with your elastics.

[TheProfessor]

You're so close!! Woohoo! Do you know what kind of retainers you will have?

Yes, I'm getting there! I'm now in the hypercritical phase and I feel like my top teeth still need some tweaking, but hopefully my concerns can be resolved pretty quickly with some bends in the wire at my next adjustment ( my right lateral and canine seem to flare out a little). I've been wearing my elastics religiously, so hopefully I'm still on schedule to make my debonding appointments at my next adjustment.

I'll definitely be getting a permanent retainer on my lowers and probably Essex for top and bottom. The tech at my last adjustment thought that I might get a wire behind my uppers, but she wasn't sure if there would be room. She also mentioned the possibility of a Hawley. I'll ask my orthodontist about it in a week and a half.

[metalliKa]

Woohoo! You're in the home stretch!

[Uptown Girl]

It must be a nerve wracking time as the end approaches. Earlier on there is always the comfort that time will fix all the problems and then suddenly time is running out. Do you just get rid of the things on your teeth that affect your life in so many ways or hold out for perfection?

My teeth have a lot of improving to do before debanding but being in the second year is comforting - it won't last forever.

[NeilH]

Hold out for perfection of course!

[TheProfessor]

Hi gang!
I had my 13th adjustment today and unfortunately didn't get to make debonding appointments. I brought up my issue with my upper laterals sticking out unevenly and my ortho first tried to explain it away by my teeth being different shapes and thicknesses (apparently the number 2 teeth are the most variable teeth in our mouths). She looked around in my mouth for a while and then decided to put some new bends in my top wire to make my overjet more symmetrical (I knew from the beginning that I would be left with a bit of an overjet and I'm ok with that). I have to keep wearing elastics until my next adjustment in 5 weeks (on Feb 29), and then we'll see if I'm ready to get these braces off.

So, I'm probably going to go over the 2 year mark--I'm gussing that it might be April or later when I finish. I was disappointed after my appointment, but now I'm ok with keeping the braces on longer since it gives my lowers more time to stabilize (they haven't been touched since October). Now I have to decide if I should go ahead with my cleaning and annual exam which is scheduled for Feb 16. I wanted to postpone this appointment until I have my braces off, but it has been 6 months since my last cleaning and I don't want to wait too long, especially since I've been slacking off a little on brushing after lunch and snacks. I guess I can always do an extra cleaning if I need it when my braces come off...

[NeilH]

If I was you I would go ahead and keep your appointment and just reschedule another one once you know your braces are coming off. White spots / decay can form really easily if you are not careful and for the sake of an extra appointment, I think it's certainly worth the effort.

[newbite]

I'm sorry to hear you're going over the time you wanted but it sounds like the right choice. It's only a few more months!

And I agree about the cleaning. You should absolutely keep your appt. your teeth will look better when your braces come off if you get a cleaning now. I had a cleaning in September, got my braces off in November, and haven't been able to get in for another cleaning yet (finally this coming Friday!). My teeth look good, though, because I had that cleaning in September.

Oh and I, too, got surprisingly slack with brushing towards the end. It was fine, though.

Only a few more months!