New pics and quick update

Those were both from 12/8/11.  These are from today:

Wow I thought I was keeping up with this thing a little better.  I just went back and realized I haven't really posted in awhile and to think I'm 24 days in now haha crazy.  Lets see, well I know my teeth have been on the move, particularly because I could see a few gaps here and there on my lower teeth primarily and mostly because of the wires in the back getting longer and poking my cheeks.  I actually had to go out and buy more wax thinking that would help but I couldnt take it I had to call them.  They literally got me in like within an hour of me calling to get them cut and I wasn't there for more than 15 minutes which was pretty sweet.  I don't know why I held off for awhile from calling them because I felt guilty for some reason like I was bothering them.  The orthodondist actually called my cell phone directly like 2 weeks in to check on how the braces were doing which was pretty cool and I told him about the poking and he was the one that told me to come in so I think thats what convinced me.  Pretty good customer service I might say.

I actually haven't really compared my pics until just a couple seconds ago and I was pretty amazed at how much movement there actually was.  The wire is almost a straight line now compared to the very first one I took the day I got them on. Of course my front two teeth are almost totally closed for the first time ever too haha woohoo.  I do have a question for those with braces already. I've been brushing like after every meal now and honestly sometimes for no reason just because I feel like my mouth gets gross (like I said before I feel like I have my night guard in all the time). You can see in at least one or two of them the brown spot above my left (your right) incisor.  I'm embarrassed to say I think its plaque but I'm hoping someone tells me otherwise that its like the glue or something.  I haven't really been able to scrape it off or anything so I dunno maybe you guys can let me know.

At this point just about all of my friends have seen the braces and they all said its hardly noticeable so the ceramics are a good bonus I think. I also think I'm getting a little better at talking as well but that could also be in my head I dunno.  I'd like to think my bite has closed too but again, I dunno.  As you can tell I don't know much but I do know that tomorrow is Christmas so everyone enjoy the holiday.  Also my wisdom teeth come out 1/4th so I'll try to get a post up about that. My next ortho appointment is 1/26th and I know I have another dentist appointment sometime soon as well I think but I forget when.

Lisp

Quick little update here. Went out with some friends last night and before heading out after seeing the braces for the first time just about all of them noticed my lisp.  I said to them I think its actually getting worse and I'm not sure if that has anything to do with my teeth moving around or what but it was pretty obvious they said which sucks.  I personally still don't think its that bad its just words with "S" in them I think is when its most noticeable.  I can definitely tell that my teeth are moving already only a week in so that's pretty cool.  The wax has definitely helped because the back edges have been getting longer at each end and poking into my cheek pretty badly.  I'm hoping they will callus over soon so it doesn't hurt as much.  That's all for now.  I'll try to post some new pics next time.

Brace yourself!

 

Hey everyone,

Well as you can see I got my braces on yesterday.  The actual process of getting the braces on kinda sucked in my opinion.  It took like 45 minutes or so with really no break of being able to drink anything or close your mouth for the entire time.  Not to mention having a suction straw in your mouth and ultra violet heat light being used to dry the glue.  Safe to say my tongue was about as dried out as it ever has been.  Once they get the brackets on they do some crazy wiring which I never even realized happened.  I always thought it was just like two wires, one for the top and one for the bottom but instead theres those then another wire for each bracket to keep the main two wires connected to the brackets.  It all makes sense to me now but youd never realize it upon first glance of looking at the final result that all that happens.

The pain wasnt too bad at first, I came right home and ate a sandwich with no problem other than having all the food stuck in them.  You pretty much have to brush your teeth after every meal. I know I should be doing this even without braces but this time its a must.  By the evening I could feel them getting a little more sore but I thought I was still good to eat so I had 2 more sandwiches for dinner.  I bit into one and yeah the pain was ridiculous and I finally understood what the ortho was saying was gonna happen.  I eventually got them down but with very very minimal chewing if any (it was egg salad so not too bad haha).  Today is the following day and I'm still pretty sore.  Haven't taken any meds yet but I probably will after this.

For those of you with a teeth grinding problem like myself, they pretty much told me to just get rid of the night guard since it wont fit now or after all this is over.  They gave me a basic sport mouth guard that can be adjusted weekly by just remolding it.  Since my wisdom teeth are the only ones touching they said I can pretty much grind away anyway since they are coming out in a month so I'm not gonna worry about it too much until maybe after that if I notice I'm doing it again.

Not the most exciting post ever I know but I dont have much else to say really at this point.  I'm just glad to have them on I guess and to get the ball rolling. Next dates to look forward to are January 4th for the wisdom teeth removal and then Jan 26th for the next ortho appointment for tightening.  Oh and my sister is getting hers out December 14th. I already offered to be the driver for that gig and hopefully I'll get some funny footage of the aftermath that I can post on here haha.  If I dont post before the holidays everyone have a safe and happy holiday season!

Thanks for reading,
Tom

PS dont mind the egg yolk on my lip in the pictures, didnt feel like retaking them haha sorry!