Will VT's Braces Story

[cowlypso]

Congrats on a great start. Flossing will get easier. Someday. If not soon, it will probably be easier by the time your braces come off.

Not having bands on those back molars is completely normal. Lots of people either never get bands on them, or get them halfway through treatment. Not sure why, but that's the way it's done. I've only got bands on my front molars right now, too.

I got my bottom arch wired last week. My worst day for soreness was actually that evening. I took some tylenol before going to bed. I haven't really been sore at all since then. My front teeth feel a little funny if I bite on them, but they aren't really sore, and I don't feel them at all if I don't touch them (which is most of the time, since my upper fronts are a full 7 mm out in front of them...).

Best of luck to you in the next week or so, getting used to things. Definitely go for the wax the minute you start to feel something not good. I had a few brackets I needed to wax, but after about 3 days I was able to skip it. So it usually doesn't take too long.

[Will VT]

Hey, everybody! I've been really busy with work and school, so I haven't been hanging around here much. I've got my first adjustment coming up on Wednesday (yes, on Valentine's Day, how special ) and I'm really looking forward to it. Everything has been going smoothly. I finally got the hang of flossing and my mouth has grown accustomed to all this gear.

The only real problem that I've had so far is a bracket that came loose. I was brushing my teeth not 5 minutes ago when I noticed that the bracket on my left-most top incisor (number 10, I think) is no longer bonded to the tooth. I wouldn't have noticed it, except for the fact that it had slid along the archwire and was quite a bit out of place. I discovered it when I was using my proxy brush. I guess it is a good thing that this happened so close to my adjustment so I don't have to go in for an extra appointment.

Is this sort of thing common? Is it an indication that I've done something wrong? I didn't have anything out of the ordinary to eat, and I've been careful to avoid hard and chewy foods. Are ceramics more likely to come un-bonded than metal brackets?

Anyway, back to work. I've got a paper to write. I'll post an update and some new pictures after my adjustment on Wednesday.

[emily25]

Hey will

great looking teeth already congratz on getting braced

[Will VT]

Just got back from my adjustment. Traveling to my ortho's office was a bit interesting, we're in the middle of quite a blizzard here in Vermont! I got my free-floating bracket reattached and moved up to a heavier wire. Since this was my first adjustment it was the first time out of the wire since it was originally put in, and I didn't like it one bit. My teeth were very uncomfortable when he took out the wire. I was quite happy to have the new one put back; my mouth felt normal again!

Here's the goods:


For comparison, here's the b-day photos:


The doc said that my uppers are rounding out nicely, and looking at the pictures I can see some small changes. Unfortunately, the top doesn't need much attention; the bottom is where my problems lie. I won't have the lowers wired up for another two months

[Will VT]

I haven't been on in a while. Not much happened at my second adjustment. Same wire went back on the top and nothing happened with the bottom.

Just went in for my third adjustment this past Wednesday. Finally got my lower arch wired! My ortho had to do a little grinding on my lower incisors to make them a bit more slender so they would all fit together. I'm a little bummed that I have to go through the whole getting my mouth used to the braces thing again, but I'm hoping it will be easier this time.

Even though it is a pretty thin wire on the bottom now, I can still really feel it. I guess it must be because my lowers have a lot farther to go before they get into place. I can especially feel it on my left side. No sandwiches for me the next week or so!