I'm going to get braces this year!

[NeilH]

You can't help but admire the refreshing innocence and honesty of children. Going through airport security today with my young daughter, the scanner buzzed and I was stopped for a search. She turned to the security guy and said, "don't worry, my dads got braces and that's what's set it off". There really was no response to that!

Lol! Aw that is cute! Haha.

Cute is one word for it!

[NeilH]

Hi Neil

your teeth are looking amazing as always! must not be to long for you now

I am seeing my Ortho on friday for a quick check up regarding my retainer. I have a bbq to go to on saturday with a bit of drinking and eating , and you can't drink alcohol with the retainer in, so i wanted to know if it was okay if i didn't wear it, but it would be for like maybe 8 hours or so... its a bit of a party haha.

anyway - just letting you know RETAINERS SUCK! lol. they are alot more work than braces, and although i love the stabilization feel, i hate having to take them in and out to eat and drink and then rinse them and then put them back in, ugh, its frustrating!

your elastics look like fun coming along nicely though and nice to hear you had a good trip to the dentist too! i am going to go to the dentist once my teeth settle down a bit from the braces coming off. I have a few black triangles i want to talk to the dentist about as well.

your going great Neil!

Thanks Rhibee, it's hard to sometimes see what the finished result will look like as your eye is drawn to all the metal work but I get the feeling I'm going to be quite pleased with how it's going to turn out. We are now looking at the end of the year or maybe early next which is so close, very exciting.

I'm sure retainers will take some getting used to, I have this plan in my head for several different types and will need to chat through my thoughts nearer the end to see if my ortho is willing to oblige. The plan at the moment is for permanent retainers top and bottom and Essix retainers top and bottom too. I would like a second set of Essix made up at the time of de bonding so I have a spare if the first set break or become distorted over time. I would also like a set of Hawley retainers as I had these before and although they are a little more bulky, are more accommodating for eating and drinking which is good for me as I travel quite a lot.

Having spent hours reading loads of clinical trials on retainers, I don't think one solution covers all needs so hope this approach helps to keep everything in place until I'm long past caring.

The elastics are still a bit of a pain and seem to be taking ages to start working, I do try and wear them full time for some of the week but this isn't always possible. I'm certainly getting the prescribed 12 hours wear per day in but would like to try to increase the average if I can.

Hope all is well with you and will update after my next appointment in a couple of weeks.

[NeilH]

I had my 17th adjustment yesterday during which some IPR was undertaken on the lateral incisors top and bottom to remove some tiny black triangles. I now have some incredibly small gaps between several teeth that I'm hoping the powerchains will close up in the coming weeks. I'm still wearing the same elastic configuration as my mid line still isn't fully lined up but getting more used to them and have been progressing towards full time wear.

For those of you who haven't undertaken IPR, it's a slightly strange and unnerving experience particularly on the top teeth as it feels like your whole jaw is vibrating, not painful just slightly uncomfortable for a few seconds. I may get some more next time once the gaps start to close.

As usual, it was another relaxing appointment with plenty of time to chat to the therapist and my orthodontist about progress and I'm now pretty certain that I will be finishing early next year rather than by Christmas.

[metalliKa]

Nice to hear you'll be possibly debanded by the end of this year! Even in January, it's not too far off! I'm excited for the day I'll get these suckers off too and the day can't come soon enough but I know the day will come. I just need to wait it out.

I agree that the IPR is a little unsettling and vibrating to the jaw. I actually like the feeling of having my jaw rattle around. Hahaha But oh, what I don't particularly like is all drilling and shaving gives off a kind of sulfur stench from the enamel.

And your daughter is cute for her quick thinking in explaining to the security about your braces. Shows she's in tune with your braces journey.

[NeilH]

Some serious OCD is kicking in, following the IPR to one side of one of my lower lateral incisors, the bracket appears to be off centre and is driving me nuts! Must stop looking in the mirror at every opportunity to see if it has moved back, it won't.

[Viconia]

I had my 17th adjustment yesterday during which some IPR was undertaken on the lateral incisors top and bottom to remove some tiny black triangles. I now have some incredibly small gaps between several teeth that I'm hoping the powerchains will close up in the coming weeks. I'm still wearing the same elastic configuration as my mid line still isn't fully lined up but getting more used to them and have been progressing towards full time wear.

For those of you who haven't undertaken IPR, it's a slightly strange and unnerving experience particularly on the top teeth as it feels like your whole jaw is vibrating, not painful just slightly uncomfortable for a few seconds. I may get some more next time once the gaps start to close.

As usual, it was another relaxing appointment with plenty of time to chat to the therapist and my orthodontist about progress and I'm now pretty certain that I will be finishing early next year rather than by Christmas.

Ah I'm so worried about IPR... I've only been in braces for two and a half months and my teeth are still going through periods of being extraordinarily sensitive. My next ortho appointment is on the 22nd so I hope they settle by then!
Hoping I can handle a vibrating jaw!

[NeilH]

I had my 17th adjustment yesterday during which some IPR was undertaken on the lateral incisors top and bottom to remove some tiny black triangles. I now have some incredibly small gaps between several teeth that I'm hoping the powerchains will close up in the coming weeks. I'm still wearing the same elastic configuration as my mid line still isn't fully lined up but getting more used to them and have been progressing towards full time wear.

For those of you who haven't undertaken IPR, it's a slightly strange and unnerving experience particularly on the top teeth as it feels like your whole jaw is vibrating, not painful just slightly uncomfortable for a few seconds. I may get some more next time once the gaps start to close.

As usual, it was another relaxing appointment with plenty of time to chat to the therapist and my orthodontist about progress and I'm now pretty certain that I will be finishing early next year rather than by Christmas.

Ah I'm so worried about IPR... I've only been in braces for two and a half months and my teeth are still going through periods of being extraordinarily sensitive. My next ortho appointment is on the 22nd so I hope they settle by then!
Hoping I can handle a vibrating jaw!

Hi Viconia, firstly don't worry about it, it's not as bad as it sounds and is over very quickly. The IPR I had involved a small 'hacksaw' shaped attachment to a dental hand piece. The device is only about a inch in size and consists of a thin strip of what looks like sandpaper. The IPR involves a bit of a 'buzzing sound' but absolutely no pain whatsoever. There was no sensation on the teeth other than a tiny bit of pressure and I found the lowers much easier than the uppers as there was less vibration. Yes, it does feel a little strange with the vibrations felt throughout the whole jaw bone but nothing too unpleasant so please don't get concerned about it. My ortho is very conservative and only took off around 0.1mm of enamel preferring to wait to see what it looks like once the gaps close before taking a little more off if necessary. I have read a few clinical reviews about IPR and there is no evidence that it causes any problem with decay so I was happy to let this proceed.

I'm sure your IPR will go really well and don't be afraid to express your concerns as any good ortho will understand and try everything to make it as easy as possible for you.

Thanks for posting on my story, I really enjoy seeing comments as it helps reassure me that this blog is being read and may be of benefit to others.

[Viconia]

Thanks Neil, it's good to hear it's not too bad. I think the main reason I'm nervous about it is due to the sensitivity of a few of my teeth. The last adjustment where I had metal ties fitted was really painful and therefore the thought of vibrations is making me nervous.

I've found your story and your posts very helpful; you're so positive about your journey that it's actually pretty reassuring to read.

[NeilH]

Just a quick update, I have progressed to wearing my elastics almost full time now, it's been a struggle as they are just so visible and a lot more restrictive than the class 2 elastics I had before but hopefully my midline will now hurry up and sort itself out soon.

Every now and then I catch myself looking in the mirror and being really pleased with how my teeth a looking. The refinements are really tiny movements that I'm sure nobody else would notice and if I was to finish tomorrow I'm sure I would be delighted with the result.

The tiny gaps caused by the IPR are closing and at this stage I'm not sure if any more IPR is required as most of the little black triangles appear to have gone.

So overall, absolutely delighted with my progress and enjoying reading everyone's posts.

[NeilH]

Why is it that whenever I venture out wearing all my elastics, I bump into lots of people I know who all stop for a chat? Today this included someone I hadn't seen for three years!

[Viconia]

Why is it that whenever I venture out wearing all my elastics, I bump into lots of people I know who all stop for a chat? Today this included someone I hadn't seen for three years!

Haha, this happened to me after my adjustment last week. I had sore teeth and just wanted to go home and bumped into an old work colleague. Sod's law.

By the way Neil, you were right about the IPR, it didn't hurt at all!

[NeilH]

Why is it that whenever I venture out wearing all my elastics, I bump into lots of people I know who all stop for a chat? Today this included someone I hadn't seen for three years!

Haha, this happened to me after my adjustment last week. I had sore teeth and just wanted to go home and bumped into an old work colleague. Sod's law.

By the way Neil, you were right about the IPR, it didn't hurt at all!

It's as though we attract to us what we least want? Glad to hear the IPR went well, it's an odd sensation but not at all painful.

[NeilH]

I think you can see a bit of a difference if you look closely..

[kppixie]

Hi Neil

Wow, your teeth look amazing. What progress and worth all the pain hopefully! I can really say that unless you have had braces it's so difficult to explain what you go through! I will try to get some photos on later, quite a few changes for me in a short time with a new wire! Can't wait to see your teeth at the end of the treatment...........have you got a final date?
Best wishes, Karen

[NeilH]

Hi Neil

Wow, your teeth look amazing. What progress and worth all the pain hopefully! I can really say that unless you have had braces it's so difficult to explain what you go through! I will try to get some photos on later, quite a few changes for me in a short time with a new wire! Can't wait to see your teeth at the end of the treatment...........have you got a final date?
Best wishes, Karen

Thanks Karen, that's lovely of you to say. No final date yet but I think we are looking at around Feb / Mar next year. I have a few more appointments in the diary for Dec and Jan and looking at what is left to do, expect around 3(ish) months.