Second Adjustment

First off, thanks to Makay and Brent for the words of encouragement (it means a lot!) . . . and condolences to Makay and her family for their loss.

We finally finished our trial yesterday (was supposed to be 5-7 days but went for 4 weeks!) and am very happy to say the jury ruled in our favor. Such a relief!

This morning, I had my second adjustment with the orthodontist. My orthodontist (Dr. D) shares his practice with another orthodontist (Dr. S). Because I had to push out my appointment due to trial, I ended up seeing Dr. S for the first time this morning. I had hoped to get an update on my progress and ask some questions at this appointment. I decided to ask Dr. S what he thought and he gave me some answers . . . let's hope Dr. D agrees.:)

My first concern was that I noticed a few days ago that the tooth to the left of my top front left tooth (I should really learn the names of these teeth) started moving behind my top front left tooth. That seemed weird -- shouldn't the movement go in the other direction? When I asked Dr. S, he said that can sometimes be a "side effect." Huh? Isn't the purpose of this process to make the teeth straight? He did clarify that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better, so I'm hoping that gets fixed soon. I also asked about the progress and whether he thinks I'll be able to keep my surgery date (late January 2011). He said it looks like things are progressing well (although he mentioned the bottom teeth are moving faster than the top teeth) and that I should have "no problem" making the January 2011 date. I SOOO hope that's true. After reading the blogs of so many other people whose surgery dates were moved, I'm worried. My surgeon books up at least 8 months in advance, so I want to know sooner rather than later if I need to move it. Out of curiosity, how many people actually had surgery on their original planned date?

Nothing else too exciting to report re: the braces. It's always nice to have new, clear bands on. Oh, I guess there is one thing . . . on Saturday night, I ran into someone I know as an acquaintance who I see about once every month or so. He came over and commented on my braces. Turns out, he has them, too! He had invisalign for two years but it didn't work so his orthodontist put regular braces on to get his teeth to where they want to be. He put them up really high on the teeth -- that, combined with the fact that he has more lip coverage than I do, made it so you can't even tell he has them! He's had them for over six months and I didn't even know it! He gets them off soon (didn't have to have surgery). Jealous!:)

(Almost) Two Months Down!

Tomorrow will mark two months since I got my braces. I decided when I first got them that I would try to celebrate each month as a little milestone that puts me one step closer to the end result. So, tomorrow the braces and I will go wine tasting with some of my closest friends. I'm normally a red wine girl, but I've found my braces (and particularly the clear rubber bands) prefer white. So, we'll check them both out. I have an adjustment next week, so at least I can change out the bands then . . . I've indulged in a little more red wine this month than they like so it's about time!

I've also made it almost all the way through my first trial with braces . . . well, actually, my first trial period. After five years of practicing law, I finally got one! I do wonder what the jury thought when I got up to question my first witness and displayed my bedazzled teeth. I like to think it endeared me (and my client) to them. I wonder if that would be an inappropriate thing to ask when polling them after trial?:)

I still struggle with the insecurities I mentioned in the last post. But, they tend to come and go in small spurts and most of the time I'm just happy and excited to finish the process. I feel incredibly lucky to have wonderful, supportive friends who remind me on a regular basis that braces really aren't that big of a deal (I mean, really, they're not . . . I just sometimes forget). I'm also overjoyed (and surprised) by how many adults I run into now with braces. It makes me realize there were probably just as many people wearing them before I got mine, but I didn't notice . . . which means people probably don't notice mine as much as I think. It's like that old saying about how you'd care less about what people think of you if you knew how little they did. When it comes to braces, I think that's really true. When this all began, it was primarily about getting rid of (or at least minimizing) my daily headaches and not having to buy stock in Excedrin. While I didn't like my bite/smile, I accepted that they were part of who I was. But, ever since I got the braces, I've become much more aware of my teeth, my bite and my smile, and I realize I am SO excited to fix them all! Seeing the progress of Makay and others is truly inspiring!

Anyhow, that's all I have for today. Just trying to post semi-regularly. Next adjustment is next week. I had to push it out and see a different orthodontist because my trial is going longer than expected and will conflict with my appointment. I'm a little bummed because I was hoping to ask more questions re: what my teeth are supposed to be doing and whether I'm on target for my surgery date. Hopefully I can still get some of those answers.

Oh, and almost forgot . . . another friend of mine got braces the week before I did. He's about my age, just a couple of years younger. Anyhow, I saw him last night and he told me one of his front brackets came off! It's still connected because it's on the arch wire, but it just slides around in front of the tooth. Crazy! I didn't even know that could happen!

Insecurities

The first week of braces was horrible. I didn't want to smile (and I normally smile A LOT!) and felt like being anti-social (which I have never been). Even though I logically knew they were not, I felt like people were staring at my teeth and wondering what this 30-ish-year-old woman was doing wearing braces. Not only did I hate how the braces looked, but I feared the difficulty in talking clearly might not go away (it did . . . only lasted a week or so), which would be really difficult for my job.

Fortunately, I managed to push down my insecurities and have fun with friends, family, work, etc. I even went on a date just three days after getting the braces put on (I'm sure he was shocked considering we met days before I got them!). Getting out there right away and not letting my insecurities control my life, and having people in my life who really supported me and tried to convince me they weren't as noticeable as I thought, helped. I got over (for the most part) the fear of people staring at my teeth and my smile came out again. It lasted really well for about a month -- I had an amazing birthday and other fun nights/days out and almost forgot about the braces (the only exception really being when I tried to eat in public, but I learned how to manage that as best as possible). But, in the past few days, those insecurities have returned. The braces and I went out of town this weekend for some fun with friends for the 3-day holiday. Maybe it was the new environment, but I suddenly became very much aware that I was wearing braces and felt like the ugly duckling.

From reading other people's blogs, I know these ups and downs are normal. I also know (or at least hope) that I'll believe it's all worth it when the surgery is done, the braces are off, and I have the health smile and bite I want. I guess I just want that day to get here sooner rather than later. But, I guess that's normal.

Anyhow, I promised myself I'd try to post the good and the bad of this experience. This post encompasses a little bit of both. Reading everyone else's blogs helps . . . I hope mine does the same.

p.s. Good luck to Makay and others who are having surgery soon!