Is 40 too old for a new grill?

[Under Construction]

I have my next adjustment on Monday! YAY! I know I'm not the only one silly enough to look forward to my adjustments!

My powerchain has gone a little brown in color. Could it be the red wine?

Ah the interesting things we have to consider as adults with braces!

[Under Construction]

Today was my adjustment. I noticed on my patient profile page on their computer that I've had 27 appointments! Wow, no wonder everybody there greets me by name!

Well today I have all kinds of fun stuff going on! I've got a a wire looping around my front five teeth and two sexy springs going from the opening of the gaps on either side of my mouth to the back molars. The good news is that the wire is white and looks much, much better than the powerchains I'd been wearing. (More red wine happened over the weekend!) The other obvious good news is gap closage. (Nope, probably not a real word.) The bad news will come later when I try to eat.

The doc mentioned a TPA next time. I had a TPA when they were trying to pull down my canine, but I can't imagine what they'll use it for in terms of my gaps. Does anyone have any insight?

I love my teeth and all my gear. I can't wait until next summer to show off my new smile!

[Under Construction]

So today I had yet another adjustment. I got a heavier arch wire, and then the same configuration of springs and wiring as last time. I thought that I was done and then the tech said, "And now the Doctor will put on the TPA." Oh darn. So, the TPA is supposed to pull in my two back molars that are slightly tipped out, to improve my bite. What's odd is I think the TPA I was wearing for my impacted canine actually caused the molars to push out in the first place. In any case I am lisping and aching. And I signed up for this voluntarily. And I'm paying for it. I have had my top braces for a year and a half now with no mention of putting on the bottom brackets yet. Light at the end of the tunnel, where are you?

[Under Construction]

GAP Photos of the day! Yay progress!

[Under Construction]

Funny, you can see my ACT flouride rinse in the background of one of my photos. I don't know why my pics always come out so large, but at least I have been able to figure out how to post them.

Things I'm pondering today in the world of braces...

Will I be able to get my braces off for my youngest sister's wedding...NEXT September????

Will I be brave enough to ask my orthodontist that question?

Have a great day, Everyone!

[Under Construction]

Okay, so I had to post another photo. It's slow enough at work that I was playing around with my eyephone snapping before pictures of my bottom teeth. It's always more shocking to see things in photos, which is so odd because you can look at yourself in the mirror all day, but when a photo is taken it's suddenly a much different experience.

So...this is what I can only describe as a HOT MESS! What you see here are my severely crooked and crowded bottom teeth currently braceless. My top left front tooth (your right) hangs down a bit lower than the right one, so that will need to be addressed. Also featured in this lovely photo (and I can not believe I'm putting this out there for public viewing!) is my "fake" temporary tooth where my future implant will go in. My gosh this is a big "to do" list. Uggh. I truly hope that one day I'll be posting my After photos and look back at this with a very pretty and straight smile.

[Under Construction]

Hi Folks!
Not much to report here in my world of braces. I have an adjustment appointment coming up on 11/2 so I guess I have metal on my mind. I feel like I am at that middle part of the program where things seem to slow down to a crawl. My gaps are still gaps although my tongue tells me they are slowly shrinking. Next appointment I'm going to finally get up the nerve to talk to my ortho about my timeline. I hope it's good news! More soon. Smiles, everyone, smiles!
k

[mama2cute]

Enjoyed reading yourr story and love that you have a sense of humor about this! Quickly learning that I'm going to need one too as I hope to be braced by the end of the year!

[Under Construction]

Happy New Year, Friends in Orthodontics!
I am finally going to get my bottom braces put on (2/3) after two years of working on my top teeth. My gaps are closing quickly, but my bite is a complete mess. I'm still hoping for a completion date of October 2011, but we'll see what the power Doctor has to say when I see him for the dreaded SPACERS at the end of the month! Oh nooooo!
Has anyone had a temporary bonded tooth removed for braces to be placed? I'm nervous about that. Also, I use a night guard on my bottom teeth at night, so will they have to fit me with a new one to accomodate the metal?
I hope everyone is doing well with lots of improvement and little pain!
Smiles, Everyone, Smiles!
Karen

[catgyrl]

Happy New Year, girl!

Your next b-day just happens to fall on my ACTUAL b-day (birthday)! So glad you're getting the bottom ones on, finally. I'm dying to see your gaps... I went from one huge one to two smaller ones. (Pic is on page 15 of my story.) Logically, I know they're getting smaller, but what I'd really like to see is my middle teeth start to mosey on over to the left. But that won't happen until the other gaps close, I guess.

Take care!
Cathy

[drgnchsr36]

Great to hear that you're getting your bottom braces on!! Let us know how it goes! I'm curious how it'll be, I won't get my bottom braces on for a bit.

Hopefully adjusting to the bottom braces will be a breeze!

[Under Construction]

Hey Cathy!
The gaps are closing finally! I notice it a lot more now because ever time I eat rice it gets trapped in my gap. SO sexy! I am sure my husband really enjoys that. I can still fit the tip of my tongue in the right gap, but the left one is almost too small to squeeze it in. I love that I can see that progress! But I notice that as my gaps close, my bite gets worse and worse. Chewing has become challenging, but it doesn't stop me from eating! I'm anxious to get those bottom brackets on because that means just one more step in getting to the END of this journey.
Hope you're doing well!
k

[Under Construction]

So today it happened! I FINALLY, after two years of being in braces, got my bottom brackets put on! Woo to the hooie! They are all metal so when I smile I truly do look much more like an eighth grader now! And that's not all, Folks! Elastics! Yup, two bands from my upper top teeth to about the middle side of my lower teeth. He did not yet remove the "fake" bonded tooth from my lower front tooth yet, but plans to do that next time (2/22) or in the near future. I haven't had any pain yet and had a smoothie for lunch to avoid the food portion of the program, so all is well. I'm amazed to say I'm actually excited about this! I know I may look like an awkward pre-teen, but hopefully next year at this time I will have a big, white, straight smile to show off.
Hope all is well in your mouth, Everyone!
And Happy Birthday, Cathy!
k

[catgyrl]

Thank you!! Happy "B-Day" to you, too! Well, now you are fully wired. At least you know what to expect with having already been braced on your uppers. How do you like the elastics? I'm so used to mine now, that I feel odd without them. I find myself rushing through my meals so I can replace them.

How often did your ortho tell you to change them?

Cathy

[Under Construction]

Hi Cathy!
He said to wear them 12 hours a day, so I wore them for a few hours yesterday and then put them in a few hours before bed so I could get most of my hours in while sleeping. They don't really bother me that much...
BUT...
The bottom braces are another story altogether. They're driving me nuts. First of all, being a newbie I went to try flossing last night. I had the floss trapped between my two teeth farthest back on the left side. It felt like maybe there was a bit of cement remaining from earlier that day, so I started lightly pulling up on the floss and then YANK, the floss snapped out and pulled the wire right from the bracket on my very back tooth! Oops. I called the ortho office right away to let them know I needed to come in, figuring they'd call me first thing this morning as they have in the past. Nope. Around 8:30 I started wondering if they hadn't gotten my voicemail so I called again. As it turns out they are not open on Friday so I have to live with a disconnected poking wire all weekend. Bummer. I did think I could McGuyver my wire back into place, but I didn't get very far and I was afraid I would screw something up so I gave in.
Maybe it's because I did just get them and it's hard to remember two years ago when I got the top brackets put on, but these bottom brackets seem to be more obvious, more uncomfortable and catch even more food than the top ones do. Plus they're all metal as opposed to the slightly less sparkly porcelain ones on top. Ah well. Next year at this time...
How are all of you "adjusting"? Ha ha aha hhaaa! Get it? Adjusting! Okay...never mind...