I've been lurking on these boards ever since I found out on the 26th of March (at 11:00 am) that I'm going to get braces. I'll never forget that date and time, because I'm so absolutely thrilled that I finally get to do this!Like many of you, I'm an adult (23 years old), and I have always needed braces, but my mother could not afford them. I didn't think my teeth were that bad - I have a gap between my two front teeth (which I actually like, Lauren Hutton, Elton John, Madonna, and David Letterman are hawt!) and the tooth to the very right of my front tooth is crooked. That's pretty much it - I know my bite's not perfect, though I don't have an under-or- overbite, but otherwise, I thought I had generally aesthetically pleasing teeth. Over the years, though, it started to bother me more and more, and that pesky right tooth continued to shift back and turn a bit. I now look at my mother and her teeth, knowing that she couldn't get braces when she was younger, and knowing that she wishes desperately that she had braces back in the day because of the crowding in her mouth, and the crooked teeth that give her headaches, etc.
So, I decided to take the plunge to make sure that not only do my teeth look nice, but that they will have the best possible functionality for years to come. The only problem is - I'm in the US Army. And, not to knock Army doctors or dentists in any way, but I'm sort of left out of the loop. I don't know what class of bite I have, what things are wrong with my teeth. I know I don't have any cavities, and that's cool. I go for a pre-braces appointment on the 10th of April, at which time I have no idea if I'll be getting spacers or not. I know they'll make a cast. And then, I get braces on the 17th. I know they're going to be metal, and I doubt I'm gonna get to choose any cool, funky ligs ('cause believe me, I'd be rocking hot pink ones if I could!). I have no idea if I'm going to need a palate expander, or a powerchain, or any of these things I read about that you all have elaborated on in the most wonderful way. It's all sort of disconcerting for me. I know I'm getting braces, and I know all the options out there, but I don't know exactly what's going to happen to me.
My one solace is that this orthodontist is being transferred to another duty station, and the new guy comes in June. Hopefully, he'll be a bit more informative than this one. In the meantime, I'm content to read KK's tips on pre, during, and post braces recovery, everyone's neato change of lig color (I think SFSD got a metallic green powerchain? It was so rad), and EazyE's struggling through the first stages of braces (get through it now, I feel like a nut getting braces as an adult).
In addition to getting my grill fixed, I'm also going to be getting LASEK eye surgery done. I'm legally blind (it's cool - if you can't see the big E at the top of the chart, YOU are legally blind, too!), so I figured, hey - this surgery is free, I should take advantage of it.
My coworkers say that I'm going to be like Ugly Betty for a few months. How rude! I shall make 'em do pushups!
Just for a little timeline:
10 Apr: Pre-braces appointment (mold. spacers? brackets? general torture?
)17 Apr: B-day!
19 Apr: Pre-op appointment for LASEK eye surgery
25 Apr: E-day!
And if you actually got through all that, thanks for reading. <3 Pics on the way as soon as I can figure out how to take 'em without being all blurry!
Humbly yours,
Gap (but, you can call me Nicki.)
SENTENCED TO: 18 months of metalmouthed fabulousness.
