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

[ashesgap]

Thought of you today with this horrible tsunami stuff going on. Sure hope you're ok there.

[catgyrl]

Hi ashesgap-

My family and I are just fine; thank you for asking. We live at the highest point on the island, so weren't in real danger. If a wave was big enough to get to ME, the whole island would be gone. Sure wasn't fun staying up all night watching the tv...then going in to work...only to have to turn around and come right back home because the didn't call us earlier. But I feel so horrible for those in Japan.

Thanks for checking up on me.

Cathy

[iBorg]

With the world of the internet, it is amazing how news from lands afar still touch us. Let's hope that this is the last story like this for some time.

Mike

[HeyBuckey!]

Why Cathy! Your teefs look soooooo b-e-utimous!

[catgyrl]

Why thank you, Miss Not-Buckey-Anymore! Your teeth are just so beautiful (as I'm sure the rest of you is, too!). I cannot wait to get my teeth straight, unbraced, and whitened! I just remembered that a few weeks prior to getting braced I used Crest Whitestrips and loved the result (and that's why they look so white in my "Mr. Ed" pre-braces pics.) Probably gonna get my Plum Crazy powerchain back on next week. I wanted to wait until my teeth were straighter and more level, but no matter how hard I try to drink soda with a straw, and aim my ketchup-and-mustard-laden burgers toward the back of my mouth, the front still gets stained. I give up.

My bite is either totally screwed, or much better, depending on how you want to look at it. All teeth, including the front ones, now touch, and that feels so strange. I'm practicing trying to eat with the front teeth now; something I've never been able to do.

-Cathy

[jensceana73]

Ok.....you do NOT....look like Mr.Ed in your before pictures! Mr. Ed...didn't have anywhere near as pretty teeth as you!! Geesh.

[catgyrl]

Ok.....you do NOT....look like Mr.Ed in your before pictures! Mr. Ed...didn't have anywhere near as pretty teeth as you!! Geesh.

Okay, then... MRS. Ed!!

[Roboto]

Wow! My teeth are similar to how yours used to be (past tense for you now!). It's SO encouraging to see your progress! That overjet just closed right up! Your teeth are beautiful. I'm so excited and motivated now! (A couple more weeks until I get these bad boys on).

Woo hoo!

[catgyrl]

Wow! My teeth are similar to how yours used to be (past tense for you now!). It's SO encouraging to see your progress! That overjet just closed right up! Your teeth are beautiful. I'm so excited and motivated now! (A couple more weeks until I get these bad boys on).

Woo hoo!

Thank you so much, Roboto! That's very kind of you. Have you decided what kind of brackets you're getting, yet? Are you stocking up on all your dental doo-dads? I've become quite obsessed with/addicted to the dental aisle in Walmart.

Good luck, and I hope to see your story up here in a couple of weeks.

Cathy

[DesertCat]

Just saw your picture collage and wanted to say the progress on your gap/gaps (and overjet!) are looking amazing!

[catgyrl]

Just saw your picture collage and wanted to say the progress on your gap/gaps (and overjet!) are looking amazing!

Thank you, DesertCat! After all this is done, I want to figure out how to make a video time-lapse thing that shows the progress that way. I might stare at it all day in disbelief!

I commented on your story, too. Your teeth are going to look GAW-JESS!

[catgyrl]

I just can’t believe I’m coming up on my 1-year mark next month. It really has flown by so quickly. I tried to get up the guts to ask my ortho how I was doing, but all that (stupidly) came out was, “So, are my teeth moving on schedule?” As soon as I said that, I knew what he was going to say: “I don’t make schedules. Teeth move when they want to move…” Yeah, I walked right into that one. So I rephrased it to “Are they moving along well?” and he said, “Yes, they are moving.” After checking my bite, he said, “Hmmm…. That looks pretty good. I want you to lay off the elastic on the left side and just use it on the right side.” COOL!!! Then he said, “Don’t forget… only the right side.” I guess after two months, it would be a force of habit to forget and put both in. Wow – it feels so strange and off-balance to only wear one. But it will be great to actually be able to eat on the left side of my mouth and not shred my elastic. It's only been about 2 hours, and I'm already "feelin' it" on the right side.

No wire changes, but he did something to my lower wire again. I couldn’t see because he was behind me, but I think he made another small kink in it to help rotate my lower right lateral incisor. I also gave up on trying to be “inconspicuous”, and told her I wanted the Plum Crazy chain. Now I look even younger than I normally do… and I LOVE it!

Here are a couple of pics from today. You can see that my bite on the left side (right side as you look at the pic) is almost edge-to-edge, so I’m glad I’m not in elastics anymore for that side.) I hope he brings it forward more though, because those teeth kind of bang together. (Or, maybe I’m just not used to teeth actually touching each other! LOL!) My midline is holding up, so far. I notice, though, that it’s in perfect alignment with my face when I’m not smiling, but when I smile, it looks “off”. Ah well… it’s 100 times better than it looked before.



Aaaand… “Le Gaps”! The only time I notice them anymore is when food decides to hide out there.


-Cathy

[rhomboid]

Looking good. Are the lower brackets Damon Qs?

[catgyrl]

Looking good. Are the lower brackets Damon Qs?

Thank you. Yes, I believe they are. I know they're Damons; not positive about the Q, but I think they are.

[iBorg]

Ever look at your teeth and wonder who teeth are these?

You definitely look like you're getting close. I understand the desire not to ask "the question."


Mike