Rachel's journey - better photos

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#61 Post by **Tommm** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 4:08 pm

Woot! My tentative debanding date is in March too! Let's try not to think about freedom until then though. It'll only make the last few months longer

Congrats!!!!

#62 Post by **Rachel B** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:38 am

Thanks Boohill and Tommm.

Boohill - you'll see movement really quickly and time flies. I've been braced almost a year now and it's gone past without me really noticing.

Tommm - yey we are both getting near the end now

R x

#63 Post by **Rachel B** » Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:11 am

Well I went for my umpteenth adjustment today. Didn't have much done that was different. My teeth are now pretty much straight and my ortho just needs to close my bite on one side so I have an elastic on the side that needs closing. Then other side is pretty much perfect.
He has given me lots of elastics to wear like the one in the picture you will see in a mo, but also said that if I don't feel like it's doing much then I am to use these other ones he gave me and to put it on in a triangular shape - he showed me how to do this.
The good news is that after my next adjustment, I have been given a debanding date!!!!! 24th May (my boyf's birthday - I won't tell you exactly what he said but he did say he'll enjoy the activities of the day without the usual slight anxiety he feels when I have a mouthful of metal - ahem!) and then get my retainers on 25th - woohoo - I'm soooooooo excited.
So, onto pics,

Enjoy and thanks for reading.

Rach xx

#64 Post by **JayC** » Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:54 am

is your ortho going to shape your "new" incisors so they look like incisors and not like canines?

#65 Post by **Blake24** » Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:11 pm

Progress is looking great!!

#66 Post by **Rachel B** » Sat Apr 10, 2010 9:38 am

Yes, my ortho is going to shape them and if I still don't think they look good enough, I'm going to get bonding or veneers but he said to try that first and see what I think.

#67 Post by **PrincessPeach** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 2:19 pm

your teeth are looking beautiful!

#68 Post by **pisceangirl** » Mon May 10, 2010 10:04 am

Hi Rachel

You're teeth are looking fab!

Woo hoo - not long for your debanding date (-:

I've just updated my story - haven't been on here in aeons - and I'm a little way behind you but definitely nearing the end.

I wish I'd done it years ago!

Keep us posted when you get the braces removed x

#69 Post by **Rachel B** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:02 am

So, they're finally off. (I suppose 16 months doesn't really warrant the term "finally" but anyway)

Last Monday (24th May) I went to the ortho to have them off. It was really weird as I had convinced myself that I wasn't having them off. I am still slightly uncertain about whether I should have insisted on having them on longer but never mind! (I do actually miss them a little bit)

He snapped off the brackets (scary), took off my molar bands (nasty), unscrewed my mini-screw (ouchy), sanded all the glue off my teeth (very ouchy), scraped the cement off my molars (not very well as I found out later on), removed any tartar (scrapy), cleaned and polished my teeth (yummy and crunchy), glued on my permanent retainer wire (which took AGES) and then took my impressions for my retainers (yucky).

I then went back the next day to get said retainers and have photos taken. I also asked him to please get the rest of the cement off my molars - which he dutifully did.

So now I am free. I am happy with how they look overall. My bite is still a bit open on one side but I wonder if this would ever have completely shut due to me having no laterals and therefore a strange teeth set up. The only other annoying thing is that between my central incisor and my "canine incisor" (lol- new dentistry term there) a little gap opens up after I've taken my retainer out for a few hours. I also have quite a bit of pain in the teeth on this top side of my mouth. I think it's because the tooth keeps slightly moving. I was told to wear my retainers at night but I am pretty much wearing them 24/7 to stop the silly gap. I might get in touch with my ortho about it but what he could actually do I don't know!!

There was talk about changing the shape of my canine incisors but this wasn't mentioned again and I didn't (duh!) but I can't actually see how shaping could be done that would look in any way good so I'm not really bothered about that.

I definitely want to get my teeth whitened. (I know they look white in the pictures but because canines are yellower generally, they look yellower in the front of my mouth.) I may also get some kind of bonding which I suppose would correct the gap issue if it needs doing. I'm not sure about all this yet. I think I need to wear my retainers and let my teeth settle before I start making any more teeth plans. I think I am probably overly critical because I have been obsessed with my teeth for so long. When I look back at how they were, I feel complete peace of mind at how nice they look now!

So, that's me all done. I am overall happy and definitely glad I had it all done, feel some slight niggles but I think I would probably feel like that no matter what the outcome was.

Rach

#70 Post by **Bekah** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:01 am

They look great! You must be so happy!

#71 Post by **PrincessPeach** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:21 pm

Your teeth look amazing, i am so jealous! You must be so happy!