My Braces Journey!

[MetalMouthBraces]

I got my upper braces on May 4, 2017. Although I know I'm a little late to document my journey progression, but it's better to start sooner rather than later! So here I am!

I decided to get braces to fix several problems with my teeth. One of which was that I had a severe overjet and overbite. My six front upper teeth was severely protruding and one of my two front teeth stuck out slightly more than the other. Generally, I didn't feel very confident with my crooked and protruding smile. My bottom teeth wasn't as bad as my top, but it could use a little bit of fixing.

During my initial consultation, my orthodontist explained that I didn't need any extractions and estimated that I would get my braces off in 18 months. Hopefully things turn out as planned, but I'm not going to get my hopes up too much. Looking forward to be sharing my ups and downs with my braces progression!

[MetalMouthBraces]

--Below are the previous entries that I've made so far up until today. I will be posting these in different posts though--

May 4, 2017

Today was the first day that I was getting braces. On the day of when I got my braces, I skipped third period and the rest of the school day to get my braces. It was roughly a 45 minute procedure. First they cleaned my upper teeth with water. Then they applied polish (tasted gross!), bonding glue and placed the individual brackets onto each tooth. Each bracket had tiny dots (red and yellow) to indicate which brackets went on each tooth. This procedure was only for the upper braces. After, my orthodontist checked to make sure everything was placed correctly, and the assistant hardening the bonding glue with a blue UV light. The orthodontist assistant then placed light pink elastics around my brackets and that started to hurt my teeth. Then she placed a thin arch wire around my teeth. They gave me a card that showed what foods I could and could not eat, soft picks, a proxabrush, a toothbrush, floss and wax. It's such a weird feeling to close your mouth and feel the tiny brackets on your teeth! There's already some soreness that I feel. Hopefully it'd go away soon.

May 5, 2017 - May 11, 2017.

Last night, my teeth started to hurt. It's the day after now, and I can hardly chew on anything. I feel like I want to rip out my braces, but that wouldn't be practical. I feel like I don't have any top teeth in my mouth. So weird and sore! Luckily, I see that my teeth are improving and my two front teeth looks like they are aligned now.

[MetalMouthBraces]

May 18, 2017

This was my second appointment two weeks after my first. But this time, I was getting my lower braces put on. Unfortunately, I had a cavity on my first molar on the bottom right, so they did not place the final bracket there. The procedure was similar to my first appointment. Like the first couple of days, it was sore but the pain wasn't as bad as my upper teeth. The pain for my upper teeth was excruciating and I felt like I didn't have any teeth. Not to mention, I felt like I wanted to rip out my braces. But this time, I was able to chew better than I thought.

[MetalMouthBraces]

June 29, 2017

For my third -but first tightening- appointment, it was very fast. I changed my ligatures to the lightest purple colour they had, but on my teeth they looked like a medium shade of purple. The orthodontist assistant had to keep redoing the elastics, which was somewhat annoying and painful. I had my cavity filled and they placed the final bracket on my lower right molar. I went home and ate, my teeth were slightly tender but I was still able to eat normal food. Brushing wasn't difficult, like it had been when I just got my braces on. Overall, it really didn't feel any different. I think I'm going to like these adjustment appointments because they're one step closer to taking my braces off!

My next appointment is 7 weeks from now.

[MetalMouthBraces]

May 5, 2017 - May 11, 2017.

Last night, my teeth started to hurt. It's the day after now, and I can hardly chew on anything. I feel like I want to rip out my braces, but that wouldn't be practical. I feel like I don't have any top teeth in my mouth. So weird and sore! Luckily, I see that my teeth are improving and my two front teeth looks like they are aligned now.

Forgot to mention that brushing was difficult and that my speech did not change. My smile, however, did. I had difficulty smiling with my mouth closed, but I usually smile with my teeth anyway. Also, there was a small gap that formed between my bottom teeth, but I'm sure it'll fix itself after a few adjustments in the future.

[MetalMouthBraces]

So I just came back from my appointment, and not much has changed. I don't know if my wire was changed to a thicker wire or remained the same. For my bands, I chose light blue. My lower central incisors and lateral incisors feel tender, but that's about all there is. I can still eat foods the same. One thing that I did notice that was different was the way they put on my bands. During my other adjustments, they would criss-cross (like a figure-8) my bands over the brackets, but this time my orthodontist put it around the bracket instead. Don't know what difference it makes, or what it is suppose to do.

Next appointment will be in 8 weeks.

[MetalMouthBraces]

The night when I got back from my appointment, my lower teeth started to hurt. I woke up this morning to find that the small gap between my lower left central incisor and the lateral incisor finally closed up! There was no pain on my upper teeth however. My bottom teeth is still a bit sensitive when I need to eat, but other than that I didn't need to take ibuprofen. When I go to sleep, my bottom teeth tend to clench and push my two front teeth forward. I also have ridges on the biting surfaces on my teeth, so I'll need to email my orthodontist to help "file" that down.

[atrixa]

One thing that I did notice that was different was the way they put on my bands. During my other adjustments, they would criss-cross (like a figure-8) my bands over the brackets, but this time my orthodontist put it around the bracket instead. Don't know what difference it makes, or what it is suppose to do.

I've wondered the same. I had the criss-cross a lot more in the early days, but at the minute they're all around the bracket. I wonder if it's to do with how the wire moves with the brackets?

[MetalMouthBraces]

One thing that I did notice that was different was the way they put on my bands. During my other adjustments, they would criss-cross (like a figure-8) my bands over the brackets, but this time my orthodontist put it around the bracket instead. Don't know what difference it makes, or what it is suppose to do.

I've wondered the same. I had the criss-cross a lot more in the early days, but at the minute they're all around the bracket. I wonder if it's to do with how the wire moves with the brackets?

That's a possible answer. I'm not too sure if I'm quite honest! I should ask in my next appointment. Haven't found anything online about it.

[MetalMouthBraces]

Hi all! I forgot to log in my last appointment which was 6 weeks ago from today. Oops. So during my fifth appointment, nothing much happened. Same old, same old. The wire was the same size because I wasn't ready for stronger wires yet. The individual ligatures changed back to the criss-cross ones. Not sure why though.

However, there were lots of changes today! My wires are the same size, but they are made out of different materials and it's much stronger. I can definitely feel it. I also got silver power chains put across my top teeth to close the gaps together, though I don't have any noticeable ones. I also got two smoke-coloured elastics that I hook from my cuspids (canine teeth) to the last bottom molars. Yeah, my overbite is really severe. I remember my orthodontist mentioning the number 17 so I assume it's the 0.017 wires? Also, my Unitek elastics are called Dwight 3/16" (4.6mm) Medium-Light. They sure are making my teeth sore by the minute! I just came back home from the orthodontists and my teeth already feel tender. Can't wait for tomorrow...