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

[ashesgap]

I've decided the Essix are super icky. I just don't like them. I'm always taking them out to clean them, and they're always covered with plaque. They'll do for now, but Hawleys will make me much happier.
I'm sure for those first few months of 24/7 wear you'll be fine with the Essix, but when you move to just night time you might want Hawleys. Although I could be totally wrong and you might love them.
~Ashley

[catgyrl]

Okay, time to vent...

Went in for an adjustment this morning, and ortho was not pleased with my teeth. He acted like I was slacking on wearing my elastics (which I wasn't), so he put me back in zigzag configs. Oh yes... with new hooks on the #2 teeth (upper laterals), so my jaw is now COMPLETELY wired shut. Before I left, he told me to swallow. Then he told me to swallow again. Then he told me I was having tongue thrusting issues, and that I needed to work on keeping my tongue on the roof of my mouth when I swallow, as opposed to letting it touch my teeth. Well... DUH! Why didn't he check on this, like, 2 YEARS AGO?? Could he not tell from the shape of my teeth that that was an issue? I could've been working on it all this time, and had my braces off. He said if that didn't work, he'd have to put something on the backs of my upper teeth to stop it. So... an even longer wait...

I was not in the greatest mood this morning (take a new medication, which makes me groggy), and now I feel like this: .

[lau]

wow- i hope it gets fixed. i dont know how you are able to tolerate all those things like having your mouth wire shut and stuff. Hang in there and TGIF!

[libbylou]

My God Cathy, this really is an endurance test for you!!! Just when you are about to think its coming to an end.....!
Your teeth look great, fingers crossed those braces are off soon

[Joye30]

Hi, I'm new here and read your whole story Can't wait to see what your teeth look like when you get the braces off!

[braceface74]

Sorry you had such a crap appt with the ortho, i'm not surprised you are mad.. it's awful when you get all psychd (sp?) for the ortho appt for it not to go how you had hoped.

Your teeth are looking fab though, i hope my ortho isn't going for absolute perfection as i couldn't cope with what you have.. extended sentence just wont be acceptable to me lol.

fingers crossed things sort themselves out soon and you get get the braces off x

[Crazy4Snow]

Looking great! Those elastics look aggravating as all get out!

You'll be finished in no time!

[klobird]

Wow Cat--Thanks for mentioning the swallowing thing and the tongue crib thing--now I know that if my ortho ever asks me to swallow, my tongue's going to be clear back to my tonsils!!!

[catgyrl]

WOW! First time in 2 years I've been bumped to page 2. LOL! I guess that's what happens when... well... nothing is happening.

I'm tellin' ya... I'm over these things already. Seriously over them. So much so that I done a BAAAAAAD thing.

This past weekend I went out to dinner, and one of the things that came with my dinner was corn on the cob. Normally, I'd just substitute that with something else (mashed 'taters, etc.) But I decided to be brave/stupid and take a bite out of it, since it's been over 2 years since I've had it. It was DEE-LISH-US!! But after only 2 or 3 bites, I decided to nix it because it was just too messy; it got stuck everywhere.

Fast-forward to the next morning. I woke up and went to remove my elastic to brush my teeth, and it came off a little TOO easily. I looked in the mirror and lo and behold... my ceramic hook on my upper-left canine had disappeared! Just popped right off somewhere. I had to get a magnifying mirror to confirm but yep, it was GONE! Had to be the pressure from eating the corn on the cob, plus maybe the fact that that hook has had an elastic of some sort pulling on it for almost 2 years now, and it was plum tuckered out. I can't believe after all this time, I actually BROKE SOMETHING myself. So, I made due and wound the elastic around it as best as I could (though definitely NOT in the proper config.) I also discovered that my C-chain had broken on that tooth, too. I think the wire-tie they have on there must've sliced it.

Called ortho's office on Monday morning and found out he was out all week at an ortho's convention. Lovely. But they called me back and said I could pop in and the assistant could replace the chain and install another wire hook on there. She wasn't upset (though of course I didn't tell her what I'd done! haha) Said "These things happen." I'm discovering the hook wasn't installed very securely, and starts to bend forward as the day progresses. But my next appointment is a week away, and they can fix it them.

DO NOT EAT CORN ON THE COB, PEOPLE!!!!! IT IS EVIL!!!!

[TinkB]

You are such a rebel! I can't believe you chanced it with corn-on-the-cob. LOL!

That's one of the things I miss in the summer. Going to a BBQ and eating corn-on-the-cob right on the cob.

[iBorg]

I understand the desire to cross the food boundary. I found I couldn't look at anything on the orto's no-no list and not have something pop off. My son, who just got his braces off two weeks ago could have ate gravel and nothing would have happened. I think we all get to the point of enough. I used to look at people with braces as kindred spirits. Now (this may get me kicked off the forum) look at someone with braces and still get giddy that I'm wire free.

Your day is coming.

[catgyrl]

TinkB - I'm not a rebel; I'm an IDIOT! LOL!

iBorg - Thanks for stopping by to encourage us "still-brace-facers". I truly am at the point of "enough". These elastics make me grind my teeth (not good), and also give me headaches and make me tired from all the jaw-clenching. We shall see what ortho says on Friday. If I don't chicken out, I hope to ask him exactly what else he's trying to fix. If they are things that don't bother me, and that I can live with, I may ask him to skip them. I'm ready to move on with my life, and leave behind the constant checking/cleaning/self-consciousness of my brackets after eating; the speech impediment, etc., etc.

Sorry - this is a bit of a whiny rant. Kudos to everyone who can stick it out until the bitter end.

[Ellebraced]

Hi Cathy

Thank you for the well wishes. I am excited. I think you will beat me, I HOPE you beat me because you have had them for so much longer and I think it would be awesome to have them off for your big party in July.

YOU HAVE TO ASK!!!! JUST DO IT. I did it this way..............SOOOOOO should I ask the dreaded question??? and then it was a blur. It doesn't hurt to ask, say you need a date for your ticker on your blog

I told them I was really really really trying to be patient and wanted them off by June 21 for my Grams 97th bday but knew that was wishful thinking. I am trying to enjoy the next couple weeks and know there is an end. I can handle another couple adjustments and will be brace free before the end of the summer

Good luck!!!

PS REMEMBER TO ASK !!!! DO NOT CHICKEN OUT!!! I will be checking in on Friday for your answer!

[Ellebraced]

OHHH the corn on the cob thing is INSANE!!!!! I can only imagine the mess you made. I just ordered on ebay a corn on the cob slicer, I will have to try it out this month! Why didn't you just use a knife LOL Bet it tasted sooooo good though!!

PG 2 shame on you!!

[catgyrl]

Well, Ellebraced, I tried...

I (very nicely) asked my ortho if it would be possible for me to get debraced in July, and he said, "No, that would be premature, with what we've got going on with your upper teeth." I asked if it was an aesthetic thing he was working on, because if it was, I was okay with them as-is. He said it was part aesthetic, and part function.

Then he started to be his usual smart-ass self, asking me, "Let me guess: It's for your junior prom... senior prom... your sister's wedding..." I guess he's heard all the excuses before. I did say, "Yes, I would like to get them off for my nephew's wedding," but he said he really didn't want to take them off that soon. So, I just dropped the subject. Well, not before asking, "So what, is it going to be another 6 months?" and he said, "No, not 6 months, but definitely not July." So, that gives me 2-5 months more. (Hmmm... maybe I should've told him I needed an EXACT date for my ticker here??) LOL!

Thankfully, he didn't ask me how my bracket broke, and I didn't volunteer any information. I also realized that the wing-tie (the part they put your ligs and chains around that holds it in place) had also broken off. He just reapplied another metal hook (which did a poor job of staying in place over the last 2 weeks, and already is bending to one side), and said at my next visit he's going to replace the bracket with another one WITH a hook on it. I sure hope he chooses a matching ceramic one, and not a metal one.

Not much else to report. He made a bunch of bends in my already crooked wire, and chained me back up. I decided to go with lavendar again, to see how it held up to staining. It did pretty good the last time I used it. Here's a pic (sorry it's so big. Photobucket changed their editing features, and I can't figure out the proportions to make it smaller yet.):



There was one other guy in there, and I heard him trying to put in his NEW zigzag elastics, and he was having a helluva time. I started laughing, and then felt bad. I told the guy, "I feel for ya, buddy! I've been wearing those for 5 months now." He was brave enough to ask the ortho, "So, one more month?" I laughed at that, too. I told him, "Don't even bother, cuz he won't tell you." Ortho told him, "AT LEAST one more month, how's that?"

So, looks like Elle and I might get debraced around the same time; though I think mine might be more like September.