Almost One Month Down!

As of tomorrow, it will be one month since the braces went on. That means one month down and one month closer to getting them off! I was supposed to go in to the orthodontist in 2 weeks for an adjustment, but as luck would have it, I have a trial that was supposed to start this week that got pushed out a week and was going to conflict. So, looks like I'll be doing the adjustment on Monday (I'm actually glad to get it done earlier . . . I'd hate to delay the progress). I went in earlier this week for spacers (again) so they could put on the brackets on my furthest-back teeth (only did 4 of the 8 brackets the first time). The spacers aren't as painful this time -- not sure if my mouth has just become more accustomed to the entire process or it's the type of spacers (last time they were metal, this time they're those little rubber bands). The top left one is bothering me, but otherwise not too painful.

I'm REALLY hoping my teeth are moving. I know it's only been a month, but I keep looking for progress so I can get that surgery started and over with as soon as possible. It's really hard to tell so I'm going to try to be better about taking pictures. One of the things I've found most helpful on these blogs is to see people's progress in pictures (especially the post-surgery recovery). So, to that end, I've posted some pictures of me from a year or so ago. The first one kind of shows part of my profile. You can kind of see how my top teeth point out and my lower jaw overcompensates to reach. It's not the best picture to see it, but I delete most of those pictures.:) The second picture shows what it looks like when close my teeth and the space that's between them. For some reason, I've never been shy about smiling even with the weird teeth/jaw. Go figure.

Anyhow, just wanted to post an update to celebrate being done with one month of braces. I'll post more later after the first adjustment. Should be interesting to question witnesses with 4 extra brackets and a new wire!

Am I crazy?!

Approximately 20 years ago, I had my first set of braces taken off. Over the years, my teeth didn't move too much, but I was never really satisfied with my bite -- my top front teeth stuck out (and felt like they might eventually point straight out) and didn't seem to align with the bottom teeth and I had a characteristic "gummy smile." But, I was willing to ignore that. I had a harder time ignoring the headaches and jaw aches/popping that started when I was 9-years-old and continued even after my braces were taken off. I never realized the two might be related until someone mentioned it a few years ago.

Fast forward to 2006. I went to the orthodontist to see if I could get a quick fix, hoping invisalign or something else less-noticeable than braces might help the problem. That's when I learned for the first time (after getting two separate opinions) that I needed braces and jaw surgery. As it turns out, as I aged my jaw didn't develop like it should, resulting in a poorly-aligned bite, headaches and jaw pain. My teeth only barely touch on the right side and don't touch at all anywhere else; I have a huge gap between my top and bottom teeth in the front; and I can't close my mouth without serious effort. Why my childhood orthodontist didn't figure this problem out 20 years ago still shocks me (it seems pretty obvious from the x-rays). But, that's what happens when you live in a small town, I guess.

Anyhow, for several reasons (not the least of which being the fear of wearing braces as an adult and going through jaw surgery), I didn't follow through on the process right away. It took me three years to finally break down and do it. After wearing a splint for a few months and meeting with/getting approval from the surgeon, I finally got my braces on last month. Needless to say, I hated them the first week and wanted to run back to my orthodontist to have them taken off. But, I'm starting to get used to them and sometimes even forget they're there . . . I just hope they're off before I get too used to them. Anyhow, like many before me, I'll post updates on this blog as I go through the process and hope it will help others as much as the blogs I read before starting this process helped me (and continue to do so!).

Thanks again to all the bloggers whose words encouraged me to do what I know I needed to do but had a hard time admitting on my own!