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

[TinkB]

What a difference 2 months have made. Your teeth look great!

I have been taking pictures with our home camera, load it to the computer, and delete them as soon as I can. I don't want to scare my husband.

[Marilyn711]

Thanks Cathy Your teeth look great. I havent called to make an appt but better get moving. You are over half way there..that's wonderful!

[catgyrl]

Thanks, Marilyn and Tink!

Hey Tink - you should take a pic of your teeth (upper arch, preferably, since that's the freakiest-looking angle), and make it his desktop wallpaper (without telling him, of course...). Or, make it the wallpaper or lock screen pic on his cell phone. He'll love you for it! (Yes, I am evil...)

I know I must look like a whacko, posting all these pics of little, itty, bitty changes, but I was having serious doubts about whether or now (or even HOW) those teeth were going to move down. Thinking back a couple of weeks, my upper teeth were KILLING ME... and now I know why! Just goes to show that any pain we endure is all worth it.

-Cathy

[Nikkistixx06]

Great story! Your teeth look great!

[catgyrl]

13th Adjustment: 5/20/11 NEW THINGS!!

Well, lots of new stuff today – YAY!! The office was crowded today (“crowded” = more than 2 people there. It’s a very small office…), and doc wasn’t very talkative. He told his assistant to give him a .018/.025 wire, and I let out a “Yay!!” (I’d had this other wire since September 2010, so it’s been almost 8 months.) He just smiled and shook his head, as he usually does. I was all set for my Lavendar powerchain, but suddenly he told the girl to give him a clear powerchain. Clear … as in… awful, horrible, STAINING, CLEAR!! The one I’ve avoided like the plague since a month or so after I got the clear brackets. I had no freakin’ idea what he was up to, and I was about to object…

What he ended up doing was removing my old wire; then weaving the powerchain over and under the tops and bottoms of my empty brackets. He then put the new wire in. (Cool – I can still get my lavender powerchain! Uh… not so fast...) She asked me, “Are the single o-rings okay, since you already have a powerchain under there?” I told her, “I guess so…” I’d gotten so used to the full powerchain, and really like the look of it. But he has his strategies, so I let it go. He told her to criss-cross the lig on the upper-left canine, and if she had trouble doing that, he would put a Teflon tie on it. That poor canine – it’s been thru so much!

I thought to myself, “CRAP! Well, you wanted him to do new things…” Out loud, I said, “Holy crap!” He just walked away and said, “Yep!” I told you guys – he has no sympathy at all. After all of my equipment was in, he asked, “Does it feel tight?” Surpisingly… it didn’t. I snuck in a quick question about the other gaps, and he just brushed it off… “They’ll keep closing; don’t worry about it.” I’m also to continue wearing my elastics.

I think the Lavendar ligs are cute – they look more pink than lavender. Let’s see how well they hold up to staining. Although, it probably doesn’t matter since I have that awful clear one underneath, which will definitely stain. Next time, if he wants to get “weave happy”, I may ask if he can use a colored one.

At home, 8 hours later, I’m still not feeling any pain from the new wire (which, by the way, now matches the one I’ve had on the bottom forever and ever.). However, it took all of 15 minutes for me to develop yet another space – between my central and lateral incisor. Gap total as of now: 3!

A couple of pics: If you look close, you can see the clear chain, my new space and the criss-crossed lig. (Sorry it's so big - I wanted you guys to see the zig-zagged clear chain - it's kinda cool!)





The receptionist didn’t even bother to tell me I could come back in 4-6 weeks. She automatically gave me the 4-week date (she knows me so well…) So happy…!

-Cathy

[catgyrl]

Well, it's been a few days with all my new gadgets, and surprisingly... I feel no pain or discomfort! I'm utterly shocked, especially with the new wire... and new chain... and new double-crossed (whatever you call it) canine bracket. Even my shredded-up lower lip near my elastics hook has healed fully. I'm still loving my lavendar ligs, and combined with the (as yet) clear powerchain, my teeth look kinda purty!

Here's a chapter from the "Out of the Mouths of Babes" book: I went to a program at my 7-year-old nephew's school yesterday. He's in a class with other first graders with varying levels of learning disabilities. One of the boys had a little booth where you could make a little cookie, which consisted of (don't barf now...): A graham cracker, blue-colored frosting, and Goldfish crackers. I had to "get the water" (frosting), spread it on the graham cracker, and "get 4 fish" (put 4 goldfish on the frosting). Oh... YUM!!! I proceeded to make my cracker and told the teacher aide, "Wow! This looks delicious! I'm sure my braces are going to look LOVELY afterward!" She looked at me, laughed and said, "Oh, blue teeth!". The little boy asked, "Why do you have BRACELETS on your teeth?" I told him it was to make my teeth straight and pretty. He asked, "How come I don't have those?" Poor kid... I looked at all the gaps, cavities and silver crowns in his mouth and thought, "Oh don't worry... you'll probably need them!" I just told him he was lucky he didn't have to have them. Then he told me, "My mommy has them back here..." and pointed to the backs of his teeth. She has linguals!! I told him she was lucky and that nobody could see hers. He then told me I needed to take my cracker home to eat it because I couldn't stay in the classroom.

I think that's the lengthiest conversation about my braces I've had since I got them on... and it was with a 1st grader...

-Cathy

[Snowglobe32]

Wow Cathy- your gap is closing nicely. You can hardly tell!

[catgyrl]

Thanks, Snowglobe!

That gap is in the "close a little... open a little... close a little" stage. I feel like at some point, he's gonna do something drastic to close them up; probably towards the end.

Well, my elastics are rubbing my cheek in a different area than before, and it's nowhere I can fix with wax. So much for "No pain or discomfort". haha I should know better by now, huh?

-Cathy

[kmluvgod]

Hey there Catgyrl!!! Okay so does the powerchains hurt? I know I will eventually have to get them and Im terrified.

[catgyrl]

Well, the chain that I have now doesn't hurt at all because it isn't really attached to my brackets. It's just kind of "woven" above and below the brackets, like a roller coaster. The last one I had that was attached to the brackets all the way across the top also didn't hurt. It just felt a little "tight" the first time I got it. But like everything else braces-related, you get used to it.

Now... The little, mini powerchain (basically, 2 or 3 links cut off of a full one) that he first used to close up my gap: I will not lie to you. THAT one hurt like a MO-FO for quite a while. At times, both cold AND warm liquids and food would cause that tooth to throb pretty bad. I even felt the tooth moving/jerking around. But that, too, improved over time.

No need to be terrified of a powerchain. Elastics... Another story... haha

Cathy

[klobird]

Hey Catgyrl--

I have a question for you since you have been in braces much much longer than me...I got my braces on a month ago.
Almost from day one, I have had problems with wires poking--coming down off the brackets, coming out of the buccal tube.
It's really wearing me out...Did you ever have that for a month long? I mean, I go in to get the wire snipped or bent, and
within 24hrs, it's another wire problem...

Ah ya, good old elastics...I have had elastics since day one, and think I will have them until I get the forsus. I would really like to have some period of time without them. The only time they are out is when I brush my teeth, and I notice so many fewer irritations. And my mouth feels so free! But they have made it very clear--you take them out you slip back--and I will do anything to keep the process going forward....
waaahhh....man, I really feel like I need a drink!!!.....

[catgyrl]

Hey klobird

Oh yeah... Sorry, I forgot that you were already in elastics. I'm amazed you're able to eat with them in. There's no way I can. I've tried, and end up snapping them in half. I guess it depends on your configuration. Upper canine-to-Lower back molar isn't too bad. Triangles are ... YIKES!

I used to have a lot of problems with pokey wires waaaaay in back on my upper left side. No matter how well she clipped them, it seemed like they grew back. LOL I've never had a wire actually come out of a bracket or tube, though. I wonder if your teeth are moving around a lot, dislodging your wire? Or, maybe they're doing sloppy work and not checking things thoroughly before you leave. Definitely bring it up with your ortho. I've brought up a couple of issues with mine (bracket doors left open... Jabbing me in my sore tooth... stuff like that) and I never had to being it up twice.

Good luck!

[klobird]

So, what is the triangle configuration for? I would not like that...

I eat with them in and with wax in too!! The elastics seem really light--I can open my mouth as far as it will go. I've never had the wax come out when I eat, and have had the elastics break once when I ate strawberries (and I changed the elastic and put another one on and it broke again...and again...and again-about 5 elastics!). So, strawberries will be without elastics or cut up really small. And also an elastic came off once when I was eating steak. 95% of the time the elastics stay--enough of the time that I don't even think about it now...the wax has never come out...

Triangle elastics--think I would have to take those out!!

[catgyrl]

My particular triangle configuration is from lower premolar, up to canine, and back one tooth; so, it looks like an upside-down triangle. It's to close up my bite and bring my upper teeth down. Fortunately, like you I'm also able to open my mouth wide with no problems. The trouble with eating with this configuration, though, is that the bands get in the way of the food and utensils. Believe me... I try as hard as I can to not take them out! But it just gets too complicated sometimes, and my coworkers all know "that look". It's like, "Uh oh... she's gonna take her bands out now!" I always try to eat quickly, though, so I can get them back in. I know both of our orthodontists are appreciative of the fact that we're so diligent with our elastic wear. Every month since I've gotten them (since January), he's always said, "This is looking good," versus anytime before that, when he said... nothing...

[klobird]

Hi Catgyrl,

Thanks for your reply in my blog...I had a whole bunch of chocolate and took a nap. I'm feeling a little better. I think I may just be overly tired from work and overtime etc...

I wish I wasn't as OCD as I am. I have been told it would be "better" to wear my elastics all the time except to brush my teeth. And if it does help the process to go faster, well that's what I want. But after thinking about it and your response, I think I am going to take them out to eat, off and on at least. I deserve to give myself a break from thinking/worrying about doing things the "right" way all the time...maybe if I cut myself some slack, then the whole having braces thing won't be on my mind 24/7.

One thing though, in spite of everything, I still feel extremely thankful to be able to have braces. I would not want them to come off before I'm done....

My ortho actually encourages questions, although I hardly have seen him at all...you should have seen how fast he put on my braces!!! The whole process took less than an hour. And they look perfectly lined up--really good for braces... But
I find most of my answers to my questions on the web. The ortho always seems like he is in a hurry, but I actually do like him. And there are some really nice assistants, except one I feel is just bad at what she does, and another who seems to have good days and bad days and gets kind of irritable and bored with questions on her bad days...

So, anyway, I guess time will tell...I will choose to keep my head up!

Again, thanks for your reply...