braces really aren't that bad

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#46 Post by **kim22** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:49 am

lol thanks....i'm just at that horrible gappy stage right now. the main gaps are closing, but new ones keep appearing lol. oh well all part of the process i guess. nothing i can really do about it. i'd rather be gappy for a few months and end up with nice striaght teeth rather than live with my teeth the way they were pre braces. not pretty lol. but i finally got my pictures uploaded so here they are. so the pictures on the far left are from august, the middle pictures are from october, and the last pictures on the right are from this month, december.with the side view pictures of my gaps however, both the middle and the far right picture are from december. i see major progress with the extraction gaps. the left gap seems to be closing alot more quickly than the right. but thats ok, as long as they close i dont care which one is finished first lol. i just really hate these new gaps between my fangs and second tooth. if i get caught at a certain angle in pictures it looks like i only have four teeth lol. it looks horrible. but im hoping they close up fairly quickly. apparently my bottom teeth are done, i'm hoping shes planning on changing the wire sometime soon. i've had the same original flexible wire since july. but she said she just needs them held in place for now since they straightened out within a matter of days. she said it's pretty much all top work now. since that was were most of my problems were. but anyway enough of my complaining, heres the picssss....

#47 Post by **kim22** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:54 am

oh i forgot to mention about that first picture on the left of my bottom teeth. it's before i got the bottoms on, it was taken from a side angle, because its the only angle that really could show the mild overcrowding. as you can see it was just that one tooth was a little out of place, other than that, they were fine to begin with. i thought i should probably explain that since it looks a little confusing lol. well my next appointment isnt until january 9th. i've actually also had the same top wire since july. she just keeps changing the elastics and clipping the wire at the back. does anyone else's ortho do this? it's starting to make me wonder. i'm worrying this is pushing back treatment time? but then again she is the ortho so she knows what shes doing. but i just wondered if anyone else gets that done also?

#48 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:03 pm

Looks like the plan my ortho had for me too!

#49 Post by **kim22** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:08 pm

sooo i gathered some pictures of my teeth before braces. i wanted the ones from the ortho because they're alot closer up. cuz the flash sometimes would blurr the crookedness and they would actually look somewhat straight. there arent any that really show my overbite. i just found some from a few different angles just to get an idea of how they were before. looking at them now, i can actually say they werent as bad as i always thought they were. but i can say without a doubt that these braces are definitely worth it, and working. i love it lol. i'm so glad i got them. i knew if i didnt get them when i did, i probably never would have. it's really strange to see my teeth without metal on them. and its crazy to think that they're actually coming off one day. i always feel like i just have them forever lol. but i cannot wait till the de-bracing day. but i still have a whole year before that happens. maaaaybe half a year. that was the initial quote i was given, 1.5-2 years depending on how well i co-operate with the cleaning rules and showing up for appointments and whatnot. and i've been good about all of that so far. so im hoping for the best. i keep telling myself 2 years just so im not let down or anything. but anyway here are my teeth before..... warning: it's not pretty...

#50 Post by **kim22** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 8:33 pm

soooo, i have an adjustment coming up on the 9th. i'm hoping i can still make it to the appointment. i dont actually remember what time it's at. but unfortunately my grandmother just passed away on the 4th. so the funeral is on the same day as my appointment. so i'm just hoping the times dont clash or anything. cuz obviously i would go to the funeral over the appointment. but i'll call them tomorrow just to find out what time it's at, i'm pretty sure it's early in the morning so i should be fine. i think she's probably just changing the power chain on the top. the gaps are closing up finally. both of my upper canines are kind of floating about on their own right now. so i have this whole, "i only have four teeth" look going on. which obviously sucks lol. im hoping they close up within the next few adjustments. it's kind of nice because i can look at my friends teeth who's also in braces to see what the next step is. she had the same problems as me, and the ortho has the same treatment plan set out for me as my friend. i'm just about 8 months behind her. so i can always ask her whats going to happen next or remember what her mouth went through when she was at my stage in her treatment. anyway, i'll take pictures after my appointment to show any progress.

#51 Post by **kim22** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 2:40 am

ok so i got a little surprise at my last adjustment. turns out she had alot more in store for me than just a powerchain change. she started out by changing my bottom wire. keep in mind i've had the same flexi starter wire since i got the bottoms on in august. so thats like 6 months in the same wire. it had gotten very soft. then she changed the top wire. finaaaalllyyy she's starting to work on the overbite. she put in the first one in the series of over bite wires. it felt so weird to have a super stiff wire there. i had the same wire since july in there. so it had gotten very soft and bendy. then finally she put on a new power chain in the same formation i've had for the past little while now. my gaps are really starting to close now. by the year mark, which is in april, i think they'll be pretty much completely closed. including these new gaps. so after all that work i was expecting alot of pain. but nope, just some tenderness the next day. so i was pleased about that. the one thing i hate about when my teeth start shifting is that my cheeks and mouth get a little more sensitive than usual. but oh well it usually only lasts a week or so. i dont have my own computer right now so i cant upload any pictures. theres definitely been some movement even since the adjustment but its ok, i'll still take the pics soon.

#52 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:32 am

What an adjustment! I'll come back later for some pics!

Sorry about your Grandmother's passing.

#53 Post by **kim22** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:43 am

heyy! ok i know its been like almost 6 months since i've written a post. but that just means lots of news right? i got lazy and stopped taking pictures so i havent exactly been documenting every adjustment. but compared to the last pictures i took back in like january my teeth look very very different. my extraction gaps are 100% completely closed up. it's a nice feeling. but unfortunately i'm still rocking the gaps between my fangs and my second front tooth. but they have closed up alot. the gap on the right side is nearly closed, the left on the other hand still has a little way to go. i almost forgot i reached my one year brace-aversary back in april. now i'm just dying for all of my teeth to be touching again. the gaps really bother me and i always forget to think about the end result and how worth it it's going to be on the day i get them off. i think i might be so excited i might actually pee my pants. ahah no i'm kidding but i'll be super excited. anyway when i get a chance i'll take some pictures to show the movement. it's definitely noticable.

#54 Post by **PigletInIowa** » Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:44 pm

Hi, Kim,
I'm really glad that I found your post since it started so long ago and stopped for a long time. But I'm excited to see your case really similar to mine in some aspect. A question I have about your treatment is did your ortho ever mention that your back teeth need to move forward some to close your gap? in other words: do you know if you have a class II molar relation (which is required for the end result) or you have a molar relationship in between class I and II so the back teeth need to move forward. I'm just wondering since you never showed any picture from the side to show where your 2nd premolars sit on top of the bottom teeth.

I was really inspired by your story and hope to know a bit more. btw, do you plan to upload some new pictures? I'll be really happy to see some.

Thanks a lot!