Sweet L's Braces Story + pics (updated MAY 2008)

[Sweet L]

Hi! I've been posting at the Bracket Club, but I thought that if I'm going to keep a journal of all this wonderful process, this would be the right place!!!

So, here I am, tomorrow morning it's my B-day, and to be honest I thought I would feel different, I have been feeling anxious since a week, with that feeling of butterflies in your stomach ,
but now I realized, that after my appointment, I have to go to work, and that worries me a little...
and I have a lot of meetings and parties, so I guess I'll get used to eating in public really fast...
On Wednesday I'm invited to a birthday party, and as we are in Argentina, we're going to eat "asado" (Barbecued beef?), it's going to be my FIRST public-social appearing, and I'll eat meat ....
On Saturday night, we're singing with the choir, and having a party with a choir that comes from another city...
Next Saturday, there's a Baptism, of my cousin's daughter, and I'm her Godmother, so I'm expecting a LOT of pictures ...
And at night I'm invited to a Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party! (here we celebrate the 15th birthday...)

So, as you can see, I'm not going to have a gentle beginning of the journey, it's like in the next couple of weeks, family, friends, co-workers, all are going to know about my braces... !, but somehow that makes me feel relieved!

Now, it's time for the hardest part (at least for me)... Pics!!

Here it's my uggly real smile

this is my "smile" (not showing too much teeth as you can see )....

the results of thumb-sucking

left side

right side

lower arch

upper arch

I'm sorry for the quality of the pictures, my boyfriend lend me his camera, and I took the pics alone....
I promise the next ones will be better (the teeth and the pics too )

I can't believe how happy I feel!!!!!
Here's to the beginning of MY journey

Hugs and moreover all my gratitude to all my friends and members of the Archwired forum!!!!

[xtrememkovr]

from one previous thumb sucker to another... "Hello!". I'm glad to see that you will be embarking on a similar journey to mine. Open bites are hard to find around here ... so I'll be paying close attention to your progress.

Have a happy happy b-day. I LOVED being braced and even thru the challenges I am SO happy I made the decision and I'm sure you will be too. Hang on to the promise of a healthier and improved smile and it should get you thru any rough patches in your journey.

Kari

[florencegal]

I really hope everything went well for you today Sweet L!! Hopefully you're adjusting well in preparation for your hectic social calendar. Be proud of what you're doing for yourself and don't be afraid to smile wide! I'm sooo jealous of your party tonight - that menu sounds amazing! I've learnt in these 1st few days (and I think perhaps Kiwi has mentioned it elsewhere on the boards) that chewing right back on your molars means you don't risk bits of food getting stuck round the front in full view. It's worked for me so far!

Best of luck with everything - it seems like you have an amazing positive attitude to all this and that will help you through anything the journey throws at you. Love the pics by the way - your teeth look pretty good now so by the end of treatment you'll have a real million dollar smile!

x

[Sweet L]

Hi!
Thanks for all your kind comments!

I need to share this: I'm Happy!!!!

It has been a wonderful beginning!! I went to my ortho's office, she put the upper brackets, and a really thin wire... the process itself was quick, painless, and I didn't taste anything disgusting...
I like her technique for placing each bracket, she grabs them with some kind of tweezers, and she has the 'glue' inside a little tool, like a pen, so gently she puts a small drop of the 'glue' on each bracket, and places them on each tooth...
So it was clean, fast, and I loved to know that everything was FINALY starting!!!!

Then I was amazed when she showed me the box with all the ligs, she offered me to choose!!!!! I have to admit that I chickened out a little, because I chose the clear ones... but I told her that next time I'll put some colors on!
I didn't got any 'goodies bag' (I guess that's the bad side of being braced here )...

When I was able to close my mouth, I was surprised that these tiny things could feel so HUGE!!!!, she laughed when I told her that, and warned me that the next morning I was going to think how those little things could HURT so much !!!

So, I left from my ortho's office, and went to the supermarket... so like ten minutes after being braced, I was shopping vegetables and other stuff! It was a little strange because I felt like I had to push my lip to cover the braces (I have only in my upper arch now)... But I have to admit that I felt kind of proud of myself, I was recently braced, I hadn't seen me on a mirror, so I had absolutely no idea how I looked!! but there I was, firmly walking, head up, and choosing onions, and carrots !

When I got home, my mother said: 'You only have a crooked wire on your teeth', so I had to show her the brackets...
Then my boyfriend came, and said that they were really hard to see, so I was happy-happy!

That day (the first one), I had no pain...just a weird feeling, I was surprised that only two or three hours later, I started to feel strange...but NO PAIN!

I woke up, on day two, still no pain, and when I brushed my teeth they felt a little sensitive, and chewing was a little uncomfortable.... but I had no problem eating (slooowly )...
I went to work, and anyone said anything !! and that night... I went to the birthday party!! ...
I ate meat (a tiny piece), carrots salad, lettuce salad, cake... no problems at all, only eating slow, and chewing with my back molars that aren't braced yet! so I danced, talked, ate, and had a LOT of fun!
Today's day 3, my teeth fell funny when I brush them, and my mouth was starting to hurt (my lips and cheeks), and last night I searched on-line for orthodontic products in my country, so I made a list, and this morning I went to buy some stuff to make my own 'goodies bag'
So I bought WAX!, I only used once today, but it helped a lot!
I had my choir rehearsal (no one said anything about my braces), I ate cake again... and I came home happy-happy-happy

I keep drinking a lot of water (I always do ), and the salt water rinses, that I started doing like a month ago....
So far, so good!!!
My only advice to anyone reading this and thinking about getting braces is: DO IT!!! I already feel them as part of my mouth, today I ate at the same speed as my mum ... so there's no regrets, only the anxiety of my next appointment (12/11), when I'll get my lower braces!

I'm going to post some pics, if you dont mind!!! (I know that I talk and talk ) that was the only downside of my b-day, that while my ortho was placing the brackets, she was talking to her assistant, and making jokes, and I couldn't talk!, I only made noises like MMMHHH!! one of my worst 'tortures' is not being able to talk

So here're my first braced pics!!


Not noticeable from the distance




my new smile (for now )

Thanks again for reading and posting!!!
To florencegal, xtrememkovr, KK, linda21: Thanks for the patience, and the support, I send you all my best wishes, tons of positive energy and patagonic love

[Sweet L]

Thanks Kiwi and linda21 ! for your support and for reading my post ...

So, no news from this side of the globe, except that tomorrow the choir it's going to sing, and after that we're going to eat together... (I guess that shows that Argentina has a lot of Italian blood, and every situation is good enough to get together and eat ). Anyway, the only thing that worries me a little, is that all the food will be for eating without fork and plate... like pizza, and pies, and empanadas (they are some kind of stuffed pastry, with meat, or ham and cheese inside )... The food it's going to be great, so I'll manage somehow

I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!!! Here's a pic of one of my favourite foods: empanadas


Thanks again! and I hope you'll have a nice weekend...

linda21: Here's to everyone being happy about their decision to get braced

[Flora2006]

It's great to hear you are so positive about your braces! Congratulations on getting them and I'm glad your not in too much pain or discomfort. Way to go!

Good luck with it all! And I agree, those empanadas look delicious!

[tulip]

Hi Sweet L,

Congrats on getting your braces. Sounds like it's been ok so far and you've taken it all in your stride - either that or you have immense mind-over-body power!!! Probably you're just not the type to make a fuss anyway

Anyway, looking forward to tracking your progress on these boards.

[joney]

Hi SweetL

Your post made me smile.

(I know that I talk and talk ) that was the only downside of my b-day, that while my ortho was placing the brackets, she was talking to her assistant, and making jokes, and I couldn't talk!, I only made noises like MMMHHH!! one of my worst 'tortures' is not being able to tal

You must be a chatterbox like me. I hated not being able to talk after I got my extractions, to me that was the worst thing. My family thought it was hysterical and odd that I couldn't speak and made the most of the peace! It also struck me as funny but I couldn't even laugh whilst trying to maintain a steady pressure on my extraction sites, and you know when you try not to laugh that only makes a situation funnier.

Hope you managed the food ok.

Regards
Joney

[antsika]

Congrats Sweet L for being braced and for the great attitude! It was fun to read your story! It is very good that you continue your life as nothing happened!

Your brackets are really invisible!

Good luck on the next B-day!

[Sweet L]

Thanks Flora2006, tulip, KK, joney, antsika, Stacexox!!!

tulip: Sounds like it's been ok so far and you've taken it all in your stride - either that or you have immense mind-over-body power!!!

OH NO!, you have discovered my secret power!! ... Seriously, I already experienced mayor pain, with my 3 knee surgeries (and it still hurts and is not working the way I would like it to work, and I don't know if one day it will ), so any discomfort I may feel in my mouth, it's just not important for me, I guess that if I consider that the braces are going to be in my mouth for a certain period of time, and they are going to let me have a more beautiful smile...
Why not to embrace my braces?? ...
Maybe it's that, I don't know, but honestly everything is just fine ...

KK: I pull a lot of food apart with my fingers ... it's not hard, just make sure you have something to clean your fingers with afterwards ... it really does make eating so much more enjoyable!

Yeah!! that's exactly what I've been doing! But now I have permission ...

joney: I know exactly what you mean, I had a wisdom tooth removed a few years ago, and I couldn't talk or laugh for some days , but my boyfriend gave me a software that could reproduce text, so for that week my 'voice' was played by that software, but I talked and annoyed everyone a lot .

Stacexox: Well done on finally getting braced Sweet L!

I'm finally inside 'the club' ... I hope my brackets won't stain, , but if they do, at least I'm going to be 'unique' ... Luckily, I don't drink too much coffee (and my friends say that I don't even drink coffee, that it's 'dirty water', because I don't like strong coffee, it's water barely colored with coffee ), and I'm starting to drink my tea with milk, and we don't use curry here, so, for now I doing ok, my only worry is about mate, it's a beverage made of YERBA MATE (some kind of plant), and I'm being careful of brushing my teeth after drinking it, because I don't want my ligs to turn green .... but again, if they do, I'm going to pretend they were meant to be that way

Hugs and kisses

[Sweet L]

Hi everyone!!!

I think my teeth look a little different... Can it happen in ONLY a week??
or is just that I'm anxious to see some changes??

Please compare my pics and give me your opinions...

This pic was taken 11/13 (Last Monday, the night before my B-Day...)
and this one was taken, a few minutes ago 11/20


11-13 11/20

Is just my imagination or there is a slight change????

Thanks for taking the time of watching my pics!!!!

[joney]

Sweet L

I don't think it is your imagination. It looks to me like they have definitely moved, especially your top incisor. I'm day 11 in braces and I have noticed movement in my teeth. It's great isn't it!

Regards
Joney

[Sweet L]

Hi joney!

It's more than great! It's amazing!!! Even though they start to move slower now (I really hope not ), seeing changes so soon just reinforces the idea that we're on the right path!!!!

Congrats for your 11 days braced and for noticing movement too!

Here's to all of us enjoying great changes in our teeth!!!!!

[Sweet L]

Thanks bracedagain!

Best of luck to you too!

[xtrememkovr]

yup. I definitely see movement too, Sweet L. Funny, cuz I think it was my 10th or 11th day also when I saw some movement. I thought I was just wishfully watching - but nope. They were on the move!! Congrats on your great decision to brace once again. I can just "hear" you smiling in your posts. Totally great!

Oh - and that food looks yummy. Wash your hands well and start picking things apart. I pick apart everything now. Even bananas that seem like they would be easy to bite into.

Kari (X).