Monday, September 13, 2010

Day 370 - First Year with Braces DONE

One whole freaking year! And what a year it has been!......got married, changed careers, passed one of my final two actuarial exams, went to Europe......wow!

But bring my jaw blog, I'll stick to the teeth.

Seriously, when I look back at the Day 1 blog pictures, my teeth have come light years in one single Earth year! My teeth are now straight, believe that or not! I no longer wear the upper palate retainer, and there has been a little relapse up there (I can tell because that retainer does not fit very snug at all when I try to get it in there), but for the most part everything is looking great! I am currently in the process of closing the gaps caused by the extraction of the lower 4's back in the spring of 2009.

Once that is done, the real fun starts, and my return to this blog will be assured. Impressions of my teeth are going to be taken, and the surgical team is going to figure out the appropriate course of treatment for the impending surgery. It makes me nervous just to think about it. I guess I can take solace in the fact that once THAT'S over, then this whole process is going to be over as well.

I am going in to see Joanie once every 3-4 weeks now since the wire used to close the gaps is only good for that amount of time. I also still have a problem with the upper molars, which have not quite aligned with the rest of the teeth yet. They protrude slightly to the outside, which could be a problem if they move my maxilla forward during the surgery....I may be chomping down on my cheeks. So they are trying to push these molars UP as far as I'm aware. It has made for a couple of uncomfortable days since my last adjustment, and the bracket wire is once again slicing into my cheek.....which has not happened in months!

I will keep everyone up to date.

So given that it has been a year now, I think these are my top observations of life with braces:

1. Carrying a toothbrush with you is a must. Something from every meal is going to get stuck in the brackets, and can be quite disgusting. Lettuce or any kind of leafy vegetable gets stuck in there every time I eat it.

2. Flossing is annoying, but is pretty important. I would recommend at the very least using a waterpik if flossing is as annoying for you as it is for me.

3. Electric toothbrush is a must. The OralB Triumph has special heads for people with braces. I use the pick-like head to clean the brackets, and then the regular head to clean the teeth.

4. Go to your dentist as often as possible for cleanings. The bottom line is that your teeth are not going to be kept as clean with braces as they would be without, so going for cleanings as often as possible is strongly urged! I currently go every four months. Once this is all over, I may pull back to every 6 months.

5. Keep your eyes on the prize. After it's all over, your teeth are going to look great. Besides, adults with braces is becoming more and more common.


I will update this again once I start hearing about the surgery.

Take care!

Paul