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

[catgyrl]

I suppose I'll just keep updating this for posterity's sake...

Well, my alignment problem corrected itself within a few hours of having the wire engaged last Friday. I no longer have one rabbit tooth. The powerchain seems to be working well in getting these gaps closed, too. Really, my biggest concern is that these upper-left teeth are STILL higher than the right side, and I can't imagine what he's going to do to bring them down (IF they can even be brought down...) I wanted to try just using the left elastic and taking the right one off... then I remembered the mess I just got out of!

In my rush to get out of their office last Friday, I forgot to tell them I needed more elastics. Fortunately, they were open on Saturday, and she said she would put some in the mail for me so I wouldn't have to drive down there. (Hmmm... are they just being nice, or is she sick of seeing me?) I've heard her offer that to another young girl before, so I guess it's just a courtesy they provide.

Monthly pic (Please ignore the small bit of food stuck in the bottom teeth…)


Have a great week, everyone!

-Cathy

[Snowglobe32]

Hi Cathy,

Your teeth look great! As for the left teeth being higher, I know it is possible to fix that, I just can't remember how right now.

When I was "close" to running out of elastics the first time, they mailed me some....neon colored elastics! I was horrified and said "Oh, heck no!" Lucky for me, I asked for more so my ortho would know I was wearing them but I didn't really need any more. I ended up giving them to my friend who is a hairdresser. She has a lot of really young clients and their hair is too fine for regular ponytail holders.

I am starting to get a gap between my front teeth! I am hoping it is because the cross elastics are pulling the teeth away. I thought about calling but I go back in 3 weeks and I know it isn't anything a powechain/tie can't fix.

Thanks for updating! I look forward to your posts.

[catgyrl]

Awww...

Thank you for stopping by, Snowglobe32! And thanks for "having my back" in the other thread. I have to remember that I was a newbie once, too, but I don't think I was ever disrespectful to anyone.

Anyhow, thank you for the reassurance about my upper-left teeth. I'm hoping it's something as simple as taking the elastic off the right side and keeping the left one only. I notice that some elastics are tighter than others, so lately, I've been trying to put the "tighter" elastic on the left side, hoping that would make a difference. Nothing so far... They both loosen up equally.

I finally got them in today's mail. So, you didn't even TRY the neon ones? I think I would try them once at work just to see people's reactions.

Congrats on tour gap!! I'm sure that's what's happening - the elastic is pulling your tee back. Who would ever think that we would be happy for gaps?

Thanks again for your support! I truly appreciate it.
Cathy

P.S. I love heating pads, too! I can't fall asleep without it. It relaxes me. It runs in my family - our heating pads come with us in vacations, too! and I actually have tried it on my cheeks for braces pain relief, and it works.

[Waiting4braces]

Hi Cathy,

Just finished reading this thread- your teeth are looking fabulous!! It's been particularly interesting to read about your experiences with the different elastic configs, am expecting elastics in two weeks for my midline so am hoping to get a similar configuration to you rather than the diagonal config I've seen on YouTube!

Looking good, hope you enjoy Vegas

[catgyrl]

Thank you very much, Waiting4braces! I know I ramble on and on sometimes, but I thank you for taking the time out to read my story.

How far off is your midline? Mine started off about 1/2 a tooth off, and I'm thankful that he seemed to be able to fix it with just the wire and Class II elastics. I've seen those diagonal ones, and PRAYED I wouldn't get those. I'll cross my fingers for you that you won't have them, either.

Speaking of elastics, I snapped both of mine at the same time this morning. Have any of you heard of the book "Go the F to Sleep"? It's a children's story for adults about a parent trying to get their child to sleep, and all of the excuses kids come up with. It's written in the sing-song-y style of a children's poem, except that almost every line ends with a version of "Please go the F to sleep!" Well, this morning I watched a video of a lovely Filipino grandmother unknowingly reading it to her baby granddaughter, and every time she gets to a curse word, she reads it, laughs and said, "Ay... this book is BAD!" But she keeps reading all the way to the end. I have not laughed this hard... or loud... or long in quite a while. I laughed so hard I cried... and SNAPPED my elastics! Which made me laugh even harder!

Great start to my day!
-Cathy

P.S. I don't think the book was really intended to be read to children. It's for adults.

[Waiting4braces]

Thank you very much, Waiting4braces! I know I ramble on and on sometimes, but I thank you for taking the time out to read my story.

How far off is your midline? Mine started off about 1/2 a tooth off, and I'm thankful that he seemed to be able to fix it with just the wire and Class II elastics. I've seen those diagonal ones, and PRAYED I wouldn't get those. I'll cross my fingers for you that you won't have them, either.

No problem, I found it interesting reading My midline is about 2-3mm off, so it would be GREAT if he could fix it using a non-diagonal configuration! I'll find out in two weeks, eep! It's great to know that there are other possibilities out there!

[Mauvaise]

[quote="catgyrl"]
Speaking of elastics, I snapped both of mine at the same time this morning. Have any of you heard of the book "Go the F to Sleep"? It's a children's story for adults about a parent trying to get their child to sleep, and all of the excuses kids come up with. It's written in the sing-song-y style of a children's poem, except that almost every line ends with a version of "Please go the F to sleep!" Well, this morning I watched a video of a lovely Filipino grandmother unknowingly reading it to her baby granddaughter, and every time she gets to a curse word, she reads it, laughs and said, "Ay... this book is BAD!" But she keeps reading all the way to the end. I have not laughed this hard... or loud... or long in quite a while. I laughed so hard I cried... and SNAPPED my elastics! Which made me laugh even harder!

[/quote]


That is fantastic! Is that video on youtube? Samuel L Jackson did the official audio book reading for it and I don't even have kids, but I had to download it. Brilliant.

[catgyrl]

Mauvaise-

Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=3MkOieIdhY0

[libbylou]

Absolutely love your story and progress pics - its an inspiration for us all, even those who like me haven't quite taken the leap yet though! My daughter just had her top metal braces applied for her overjet this week, and showing her the pictures of how your overjet has reduced really made her smile through her sore teeth! Keep us posted right through to the end wont you?

[catgyrl]

Absolutely love your story and progress pics - its an inspiration for us all, even those who like me haven't quite taken the leap yet though! My daughter just had her top metal braces applied for her overjet this week, and showing her the pictures of how your overjet has reduced really made her smile through her sore teeth! Keep us posted right through to the end wont you?

Thank you so much, libbylou! You put a big smile on my (braced) face! I'm glad you daughter has taken this step while she's young. Keep reminding her to wear her retainers, or else she'll end up an old goat like me with braces in her 40's.

I will definitely keep this updated until the end (however long that may be). I'll probably hang out here for a bit afterwards, too, to see how everyone else is doing.

-Cathy

[ashesgap]

Hiya Cat!
Your Orthos wife sounds like she needs a hobby, like maybe the kids grew up and now she has nothing better to do? My Ortho and his assistants go to conferences together at least once a year, to keep up their schooling. They always have funny stories about the trips too. The office manager runs a tight schedule, that she won't change for anyone, even if the doc needs you to come in earlier....but she's never in the back bugging anyone. They (ortho and receptionist) have been together since he started 26 years ago...I can't imagine what would happen if some new person took over. At the end of your treatment you should give your Ortho one of those "1,000 jokes about dentists" books, or something similar. Maybe the patients after you would benefit a little.
Hope things continue to move along smoothly for you. Watching your progress keeps me from freak'n out too much every time my four year old pops her thumb in her mouth
~Ash

[libbylou]

An old goat - oh I have laughed at that - you are the same age as me so that makes two of us!! And I need bracing too, after I didn't wear my retainers in my teens!
My turn next - gulp! Your tales of the ortho office are so funny - it keeps making me think that one day someone is going to write a sitcom based upon their experiences at the orthodontist. They would make a fortune!

It is great though that the teenagers have this site to look at - with stories like yours to keep them motivated along the way.

Thanks again
Libby

[catgyrl]

Hey ash-

As long as your daughter's not still sucking her thumb in the 6th grade (ME!), I think you'll be okay. Thankfully, my ortho's office manager pretty much stays in the back room, unless she's helping with a consultation. She was uber-friendly to me during my consultation (of course...)

Had to call them this morning to change my appointment time for next month, and as I'm talking to the receptionist, one of my elastics snapped, which caused me to let out a loud "OWWW!" After telling her what happened, she actually giggled and said, "That's kind of funny, actually." I told her, "Maybe to you it is, but I think you sent me a bad batch of elastics because inevitably I snap at least 1-2 every morning, and another in the afternoon. It's a real pain in the ___" No comment from her...

libbylou - get goin' girl!! It would be so cool for you and your daughter to be braced and going through all this at the same time. Of course, I understand if finances are tight.

[catgyrl]

Hi everyone-

I'm so bored right now, and am definitely at the "not seeing much progress" stage with my upper-left teeth. They're still being stubborn little buggers and not wanting to come down and play with the others. I'm beginning to wonder if he will even be able to do ANYTHING to get them to come down:



My next visit isn't until 9/7, when I'll also be getting my teeth cleaned just prior to my Vegas VA-CAY on the 12th! Part of me is tempted to tell him to "do whatever he needs to... no matter how much it hurts" to start moving those teeth and get the overjet pulled in. The overjet isn't obvious from this angle, but it's definitely there.

My elastics are doing strange things to my jaw during the night while I sleep. If I lie still and don't move my mouth, after a few minutes, my upper and lower jaw feel like they're welded shut! It feels like the very first day I put on elastics, and I have to literally pry my mouth open, and after that my jaw just ACHES. Well, at least I know they're working, but DANG...

Oh, but the BEST thing that's happened so far: MINIMAL STAINING!!! It's been 3 weeks since my last visit, and thanks to my dutiful use of straws, the only part of my chain that shows any serious staining is waaaaaaaay in the back.

-Cathy

[Snowglobe32]

Cathy - you're teeth look great!

My cross elastics are hurting also. I wear them 24/7. The last two weeks or so, I wake up with a headache and the feeling like my teeth don't want to open. I had this problem the first time with elastics and I was over-correcting so we will soon see. I go back this Wednesday, I am hoping he says I can quit wearing them. At my last visit, he said something about only wearing them at night.

This Wednesday, he will have to deal with the gap in my front teeth which I think is caused by the cross elastics. I want powerchains on the top and bottom and I want suresmile wire #4 of 5! I will not be happy unless I get these! Or maybe I have no idea what I am talking about and will be happy anyway.

September 30th will be 2 years. I assume that we will go longer because I am on wire #3 of 5 but who knows. I can almost see the final result - but I know I will need some reshaping.

Thanks for the update!