Braced at 42

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#31 Post by **Beckett** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 3:18 pm

Two new brackets today on my last two lower molars. They are really squished in there next to the tendons on my jaw. And it's making my molars rise up a bit and they are the first ones to touch when I bite down. He wasn't going to mess with them at all except the one on the right was sinking in the front and rising in the back so it needs to be leveled back out. Just irritating in the meantime. I feel like my uppers are tipped outward and the inside points are contacting the lowers first and too much, but we will see what happens once the lowers get pulled into line.

Power chain upper and lower, red on top, green on bottom. Merry Christmas.

#32 Post by **Beckett** » Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:14 pm

Yay, out of the overlay wire on the bottom, but now I'm in a new longer wire that will reach the back brackets which means he had to take out the one that had the nice finishing bends in it. He's keeping it stored there in case he decides to try and duplicate it with a longer wire. I already feel my 4 lower teeth getting out of whack, he wants to see me back in 4 weeks instead of 6 to see how thing are responding. I also have a class 2 elastic on the right like before, but he put me in a class 3 elastic on the left. So upper canine to lower molar on the right, upper molar to lower canine on the left. It's to help alight the midline. Feels weird, but cool that it can help do the job we want. He said if the new class 3 on the left causes any joint pain to take the elastic out and let him know. Back to full time wear which will really cut into my munchies. He did a lit bit of IPR on those front lowers to get them to snug up to each other bett I asked him about a few things and he remarked that I am very observant and noticing all sorts of things. All will get addressed as we go along, but I think he liked it that I am paying such close attention during my treatment.

Pale pink power chain for Valentines Day next month.

#33 Post by **Beckett** » Sun Jan 22, 2017 7:23 pm

I'm just here to whine about the welt forming on the cheek that has gotten the new elastic formation going the opposite direction than before.

#34 Post by **Grix** » Tue Jan 31, 2017 4:51 am

Really enjoying your journey Beckett thanks for taking the time to post, I'm 35 and get mine in a few days and hope to share my experiences also.

#35 Post by **Beckett** » Wed Feb 15, 2017 11:02 pm

Had a 4 week appointment today. Got a thicker wire on the bottom, tied with power chain all the way to the very back molars. He's trying to pull up the leading edge of my last molar on the right and close a new gap that has formed between it and its neighbor. So big I can slip my fingernail into it! Power chain all around, class 3 elastic on the left, class 2 on the right. So things are very sore on the bottom. Back to soft food only for a couple of days. I would like to get back to my wire with the finishing bends in it but it's not long enough to reach the new back brackets, but I might ask at the next appointment to have the bends duplicated in my new longer wire. Going without it has popped my two lower front incisors forward a bit so they are out of line again. And the left incisor...it seems tilted a bit into the center one. Very weird, but I have no idea how they rotate it. Needs to go clockwise about 5 minutes.

I got clear power chain (well, the smoke) thinking it would help things be more invisible for family pictures soon, but my thicker wires just seem to be more prominent now. My previous chains were light pink and I think they actually hid the wire better. Oh well, that's what photoshop is for, right? Or I could just get over myself and realize that family portraits with me in braces is not that big of a deal and for posterity it might be fun. The last official portraits we had done my oldest was still in his hardware, why should it be any different for me?

My ortho is thrilled with how things are looking, and his enthusiasm rubs off and I can't help but be excited. It's really turning out to be one of those model smiles I never thought I'd have. We haven't talked anything about winding up yet, bite is still in need of adjusting, but I'm nearing the year mark, so maybe only 6 more months? I don't dare ask

#36 Post by **Beckett** » Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:45 pm

4 weeks again. Added some bends to my lower wire, got the tightest power chain both top and bottom, IRP top and bottom (my upper centrals are a tad larger proportionally to my lowers so they need a little slimming to help get rid of the newly created overjet I've never had before. It's actually kind of cool, but needs to be corrected) got a couple of new bends in the lower wire, and switched the left elastic to a triangle, upper molar and canine to lower canine. That's interesting to talk with. And drink with. And smile with. But seeing everything slowly get perfected is so cool and I'm so glad I took the plunge to do this.

Metallic blue power chains. I'm not feeling as adventurous and worry that the screaming pink would look like bubble gum all over the braces.

#37 Post by **Beckett** » Thu May 11, 2017 2:49 pm

After a fiasco with lower double power chains, since resolved, I've got holding chain up and lower, and triangle elastics on both sides. Medium strength, lower canine to lower molar to upper canine, so reverse of what I used to have on the left side. What does the triangle configuration do? Either way, ouch. And he tweaked the wire between my last lower molars to swing them back in line and to raise my second molars back up to level with the rest so when I bite I don't contact my back molars first like they have been lately. Did it with a little plier tool while the wire was still in the brackets!

He said we are coming along, mentioned we are on 14 out of possible 16 months so I guess my sentence may be shorter than I thought?

#38 Post by **Aaeolien** » Fri May 12, 2017 11:10 am

Awesome to read thru and follow along with your progress. I am just about to start the journey again on Monday. 12 months this time. I'll be back in braces 10 years after i got off the last set. LOL All good though. Looking forward to it actually.

#39 Post by **Beckett** » Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:29 pm

Two weeks!! As long as the minor adjustments made today do their job, I'll be out of these things in two weeks! New trick is a midline elastic overnight, from upper left canine to lower right canine. That's going to be interesting. But my ortho is thrilled with how everything looks, and he reassured me that he's not trying to push me out of them so if anything feels weird or I'm not happy with anything to please speak up. He's ordering a specialty burr to give me that little youthful V shape at the lower edge of where my top front teeth come together. It kind of disappeared through a combination of wear and IPR. I asked some really good questions about things and he said I have a good eye for this, I should go into orthodontics.

I'll have to wear Invisalign retainers until the Hawleys get made.

#40 Post by **erin5550** » Sat Jul 08, 2017 9:42 am

Beckett wrote:Two weeks!! As long as the minor adjustments made today do their job, I'll be out of these things in two weeks! New trick is a midline elastic overnight, from upper left canine to lower right canine. That's going to be interesting. But my ortho is thrilled with how everything looks, and he reassured me that he's not trying to push me out of them so if anything feels weird or I'm not happy with anything to please speak up. He's ordering a specialty burr to give me that little youthful V shape at the lower edge of where my top front teeth come together. It kind of disappeared through a combination of wear and IPR. I asked some really good questions about things and he said I have a good eye for this, I should go into orthodontics.

I'll have to wear Invisalign retainers until the Hawleys get made.

Congrats!!! How exciting!

#41 Post by **atrixa** » Sun Jul 09, 2017 2:26 am

Congratulations, Beckett! It must be a relief to see the end of this.

#42 Post by **pixispearl** » Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:37 am

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am 38 and just got braces on for the first time 4 weeks ago and am still struggling with food. I can not chew very well and eating is a struggle. I cried the first weekend out of frustration. I am still eating soft foods not graduated to anything else yet. I am getting tired of eating the same thing over and over. Any suggestions on what I can eat? Any and all info will be greatly appreciated.

#43 Post by **Beckett** » Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:28 pm

I had a lot of mashed potatoes and eggs in the beginning. Fish sticks were good for lunch once my molars started touching more. Cream soups, yogurt, smoothies, soft pasta with smooth sauces.

#44 Post by **Beckett** » Wed Jul 19, 2017 8:12 pm

I had a feeling today wasn't going to be de-bracing day. Got two new bends in my lower wire near my right and left incisors, and a small wire tweak near my upper left canine to rotate it just a fraction of a millimeter more because to me it looks more on edge than the other one. Appointment in 4 weeks, we will evaluate then if I'm ready to break free.

#45 Post by **atrixa** » Thu Jul 20, 2017 9:13 am

Beckett wrote:I had a feeling today wasn't going to be de-bracing day. Got two new bends in my lower wire near my right and left incisors, and a small wire tweak near my upper left canine to rotate it just a fraction of a millimeter more because to me it looks more on edge than the other one. Appointment in 4 weeks, we will evaluate then if I'm ready to break free.

Such a shame you didn't get them off, but it might as well be perfect when you do

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