OK--This was not the plan!

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#691 Post by **klobird** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:19 am

OK you guys--I don't have Hollywood teeth or anything. I just don't have the teeth I used to have! You should sure see that!

Jem--I'm so glad you are in this process too! You will be thrilled with the results!

#692 Post by **Dee17** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 8:29 am

Am SO very happy for you. Hope you have a wonderful time in Hawaii playing in the sand. Can't wait to see your photos when you get back!

#693 Post by **starfish88** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 4:53 pm

CONGRATULATIONS!

Enjoy your holiday can't wait to hear all about it when you're back.

#694 Post by **200books** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:53 pm

Congratulations!

#695 Post by **klobird** » Wed May 01, 2013 7:51 pm

I'm back from Hawaii--it was AWESOME!!

So, I said I would try to recount my debanding experience. First though, I LOVE MY TEETH NOW!!!

Anyway, with that said...
Right when I sat down, the ortho assistant came over and started clipping my braces off. About 5 mins later, they were gone! Sooooo....everyone says they are smooth and slimy feeling when you get them off. Mine weren't. They had globs of glue on them and they still felt a little like braces on my teeth.

Well, she started to do the scraping, picking thing to get the glue off. Then she polished my teeth. After that, she took upper and bottom impressions. I really gagged when she did the upper one. Then she told me I could go over and floss and brush. I kept my head down the whole time because I didn't want to see them until the ortho was completely finished.

So then the ortho came over and started grinding and sawing and sanding on my teeth. This actually took a while. When he was done, the assistant came back and bonded the permanent wire retainer behind the bottom front 6 teeth. It's such a thin piece of wire! (I have a problem flossing under that wire--I can't poke the threader floss thru my teeth--they are too tight together. I'm going to have to call the ortho) And yes, I still have to buy threader floss.

It's sooo expensive compared to regular floss.

So, next...the moment of truth. Everyone was saying how awesome my teeth looked. I went over to the sink where the mirror was. I was REALLY afraid to look--thinking how disappointed I might end up being. Finally, I lifted my head up and looked.

OMG!!!

I could not believe those were my teeth!! They are GIGANTIC!

I was in shock--it was sooooo awesome---and so different!

Well, after that, they took the full x-rays, and pics for my private patient chart site (I don't see them there-- yet--but Kipepeo is going to put them up for me when they come up--or maybe she will put some before pics up, and the cell phone pics I sent her. They are full photos of me--but I'm too old and too poor to care anymore...

)

Anyway--then they had me sit in the waiting room while my Essix retainers were being made. It took about 1/2 hr. So,then they had me try those on and take them off and put them on to see how they felt and give me practice. One edge was sharp so they ground it down a little. (It still is a little uncomfortable--the first couple of days the bottom retainer tore up my tongue, so now I'm putting some wax under that edge and then up the side a little. I'm going to have to go back in and have them grind on it a little more.)

Lastly, they gave me my bag of goodies and took pictures under the congratulations sign for their website. It's ALWAYS an assistant who is in the picture with the patient. They had the ortho come over and stand in the picture with me! A new young ortho was standing there--I had never seen him before--and my ortho looked over at him and said, "This is our most knowledgeable patient" (!!!)

Anyway, the ortho told me that he tells all of his patients that they have to wear their retainers full time for 6 months. He told me I really only need to wear them 12 hours on, 12 hours off. He said he knew I would comply. He says 24/7 to all of his patients because if he told them 12/12, they would end up wearing them every other day--then less and less. So, I wear them 12--mostly at night--12 off during the day.

And I finally get to use my birthday present--whitening strips--professional grade!! YIPPPEEEE!!!!

Things I still do after 2 years: I roll my tongue over my top braces--only they aren't there!....I keep opening my mouth wide--I did that all the time just to stretch my elastics...I went to a luau in Hawaii, and kept looking for the bathroom (to go clean the junk out of my braces) and remembered--I don't need to anymore!...And, my friend offered my gum--I looked at her like "I can't eat that" and then remembered--"I can chew gum with no problems!"--so I popped it in my mouth! (I really don't chew much gum, but it was a shock to me when I realized that I hadn't even considered the possibility yet!) And I eat frozen candy bars now--with Macadamia nuts--from Hawaii....

One more thing--I always wondered what was in the goody bag--it was microwave popcorn, J*lly R*ncher crunchy, chewy fruit candies, peanut butter crackers, hard mints, and Cr*cker J*cks etc.
OK, so pretty much the only thing I haven't tried since braces was the Cra*ker Ja*ks. Eating those was AWESOME!

Sooo today was my first day back to work. There was one girl who wasn't there when I ran over to show my coworkers right after I got them off. So, she saw them for the first time today. And she kept going--it is so weird to look at your teeth (none of my coworkers where I am now had ever seen me without braces). Then one time today she goes "I keep thinking I'm looking at dentures!" I guess compared to the metal braces, my teeth look real white to them--I'm still working on it.....hmmmm.....

So ya, I'm very happy....and I'm hoping that it will be in the next week that I can get some pics up to show you all!!

#696 Post by **TMJJill** » Wed May 01, 2013 8:08 pm

After all the agonizing over this, I'm so excited that you are happy with the results.

Your story helps the rest of us (...well me) feel the hope for finishing our own treatment.

Hope you were able to party it up in Hawaii.

#697 Post by **Tobilei** » Wed May 01, 2013 10:14 pm

Oh my gosh!!! That's so exciting!!!!! Your story made me unable to wait to get mine off!!!! (I empathize with the whole "am I going to be happy" thing-I keep peering at mine and thinking they're still going to look awful when they take my braces off, not nice like everyone else's here!).

Can't wait for the pics!

And glad you had a good time away

#698 Post by **debinator** » Thu May 02, 2013 4:37 am

Great story Klobird!

I can't wait to see the pics!

#699 Post by **Dee17** » Thu May 02, 2013 8:23 am

Oh Klobird, I am SO happy for you. I think it was a long, arduous journey for you. So glad you have finally come to the end of it and that you're so happy with your results. I am also looking forward to seeing some photos!
Glad to know you had such a wonderful time in Hawaii. It's beautiful there, isn't it?

#700 Post by **Kipepeo** » Thu May 02, 2013 3:27 pm

She forgot to mention that after indulging in all that braces forbidden smorgasbord, she got a tummy ache!!!

#701 Post by **klobird** » Thu May 02, 2013 9:29 pm

Ya---I ate way too many yummies, and I now have the pounds to show it! And yes, Hawaii was really beautiful--especially the beach we stayed on because it was so private. It was really amazing.

I just checked my ortho website and my "after" pics are not there yet. I need to call the ortho next week anyway, so I will ask about the pics then if they are still not posted on the site.

Regarding my Essix retainers--they make my gums feel sooooo itchy!! They're itchy right now. Like an itch I can't scratch...arrrgghhhh!!!

Thanks Kip,Deb,Tob and Jill for your comments!!

#702 Post by **starfish88** » Sat May 04, 2013 5:08 pm

I'm so happy for you. I'm glad you had a great time in Hawaii and enjoyed all the yummy forbidden foods, even if they did give you a tummy ache. It's also great to hear what de-banding involves, it doesn't sound too bad. I can't wait to see pictures, I hope your ortho puts them up soon!

#703 Post by **VancouverJude** » Tue May 07, 2013 3:22 pm

Hey Lady!

Congrats on the debracing. That's fantastic news.

I am chuckling over the goodie bag full of candy. Every dentist should be so cheeky!

But as they say, without pix, it never happened. So bring'em on.

xx/oo, Jude

#704 Post by **klobird** » Tue May 07, 2013 6:15 pm

Kip!! Where are you!!! Tell them you've seen the pics!!

I am going to text Kip and ask her to put up the pics I have so far. I called the ortho, and the office pics won't be on my patient login site until next week--there is something wrong with their site, or they're changing it or something--I didn't really understand....

OK, Kip here I come!!

#705 Post by **Kipepeo** » Tue May 07, 2013 7:06 pm

Wait for it....

The newly minted Klobird!!!

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