Angel's Journey with Braces

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#1 Post by **angelmarie1990** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:24 pm

Hi! My name is Angel and I am a 19 year old college student. I have had crooked teeth for most of my life and finally decided to take the plunge and get braces in May. I had to get all of my wisdom teeth pulled in March and had my orthodontist consultation in April. I was a little nervous, but not for long because my ortho is really nice guy. He said I wouldn't need to have any extractions (which I was really happy about), but that I do have a narrow upper palate and would have to wear a palate expander for 3 months. That seemed a little intimidating, but I was willing to do anything for straight teeth.

I made another appointment for molds, x-rays, etc. and on May 20 I was getting my braces put on. It took over 2 hours to get them on, but most of the problem was due to the expander not fitting in correctly. I have ceramic braces on top and metal on the bottom. The hardest part about this whole experience is the expander. When I first got it, it was hard to eat and talk, but I have it figured out now and it's not too bad. I had to turn the expander 35 times, and now it is just sitting at the roof of my mouth. The expander is coming out at my next appointment which is Sept. 15. I can't wait!!

I have had 2 adjustments, and at the last one they put on a heavier wire and also put two springs on the top to make room for my lateral incisors which need to be moved way forward. I will post pictures, but I must warn you that I am not the best photographer and the quality is not very good.

This first pic is when I first got my braces on.
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv19 ... 90/024.jpg

The second is of my expander
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv19 ... 90/016.jpg

This pic is my most recent after almost 3 months of braces
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv19 ... 90/011.jpg

#2 Post by **PrincessPeach** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 3:17 pm

Welcome to AW!
Woo another 19 year old ;D & we have the same braces

Yay for getting your expander off, i bet that'll feel great! & i reckon you'll have the most lovely teeth when your braces are off!

#3 Post by **acd** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:16 pm

The best thing about starting at 19 is that you don't spend the next twenty years thinking about whether or not you should (like I did). Congrats on moving forward. You may run into questions in the coming months that can be answered here so use this resource.

#4 Post by **amandajane** » Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:38 am

Looks like you have a ways to go. Make sure you visit a dentist for a cleaning every 6 months. Brush, floss and use mouthwash. Hopefully your smile will turn out beautiful.

Good luck.

My story: viewtopic.php?t=31380

#5 Post by **angelmarie1990** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:38 pm

Thanks everybody for the nice comments and advice. It is really appreciated.

Well yesterday was the day I've been waiting for....my expander was taken out!!!! It is amazing! I can actually eat and talk normally now. It didn't even hurt when he took it off. The worst part was when he had to scrape the glue off. That kinda hurt.

Nothing else significant really happened. They put molar bands on the molars that my expander was on and now we're waiting for the springs to make enough room for my lateral incisors. My next appointment is October 27th, so we'll see what happens then!

#6 Post by **angelmarie1990** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:29 pm

Hey everybody! It has been awhile since I have given an update on my braces. I finally got brackets put on my two lateral incisors in April, and I am very satisfied with the results so far. I had an adjustment on Tuesday, and I got a heavier wire on the top, and I have to start wearing elastics. He also put a tie wire on the brackets on my lateral incisors. I am posting pics of my teeth when they first had braces and what they look like now because I think the changes are amazing! (The second pic is a thumbnail because it kept posting it too big).

#7 Post by **WoodWillow** » Thu Aug 12, 2010 6:22 pm

Wow! What a drastic difference! Lookin good!

#8 Post by **angelmarie1990** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:45 pm

It's been awhile since I have posted on here, but I got a debrace date!!!! They are coming off on July 6th at 9am!! I am so excited! Not too much has been done since my last post. I got some IPR done in May on my two front teeth and a few on the bottom. It didn't hurt, but I thought it was slightly uncomfortable. I then got powerchains on the top and bottom, but these weren't too bad. My last visit was on Thursday, and I got my lower powerchain off and the ortho made a few bends in the wires. I am so excited to see the final result!

#9 Post by **angelmarie1990** » Sun Jun 12, 2011 5:42 pm

Here is a pic of my teeth from a few weeks ago.

[img][IMG]http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv19 ... Zoo004.jpg[/img][/img]

#10 Post by **angelmarie1990** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:42 am

My braces are off!!! My teeth feel amazing! They are very smooth and a little bigger than I remember them. I got permanent retainers on the top and bottom. I go back next Thursday to pick up my top and bottom hawley retainers. I will post a pic of my new teeth!!

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv19 ... off078.jpg

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