2 weeks in braces

So its been 2 weeks and things have settled down alot. The first 2 to 3 days were pretty painful but after that they just seemed to settle in and I got used to them. I only had to use wax for the first 4 days but now I dont need any which is great because its a real pain getting it on there in the right spot then not aciidently eating it like I have done on a few occasions :)

My top teeth have moved a fair bit but my bottom ones havent budged. I think because my top teeth have been manipulated so much since surgery they are alot easier to move. Eating is almost back to normal (by normal I mean before the braces but with the expander). Nuts, biting into apples, lollies, crusty bread etc are all no nos and pretty much impossible to eat anyway but it was like that before the braces so no big deal. I do miss biting into things though... right now it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! Its hard to explain how my teeth feel right now, especially my front ones but its almost like they are half falling out and have cavities in them so they are sensitive and unstable... not a good combo if you were to bite into something. I mean they arent falling out or have cavities but you get the point.

I see my surgeon tomorrow for my 3 month check up. She hasnt seen me in braces yet so I'm looking forward to her reaction. Alot of people I know find it strange that both my ortho and surgeon are females but I've always had female dentists so to me its not so strange. I never planned it that way it just worked out that my surgeon worked in the same building as my orhto so it seemed silly not to use her. I've been very happy with my choices so far which is really lucky I think. My orhto is the kind of person who just dives in and does what she needs to do then says ok see you next time and doesnt tell you whats going on. I have to actually say ok so what are you doing? I trust her though so I'm not really worried. I am one to research things to death though so when she does give me some info I'm right on it then by my next visit I'm an expert (not really, I just think I am) on the subject :)

Braces on!

OMG - braces suck. I got them on last Friday and about 2 hours later I started to feel the pain. The bottom ones hurt the most. In fact the top ones dont bother me at all but oh the pain in the bottom ones. They were throbbing so bad all afternoon and into Saturday as well. I have already got some lovely sore spots from where the brackets are rubbing on my cheeks and lips. I feel alot better today but I'm still no where near comfortable. And just when I got used to the expander, I now have to get used to something else. Plus I cant chew again which is really frustrating. I think I miss that the most. Being able to bite into something and chew something without placing it in the right spot and avoiding pain. I'll get there though. I know that the end result is going to be great and well worth all of this.

The type of braces I got are a new design called In-Ovation C. The wire clicks into the brackets and are self ligating so apparently this means less adjustments and they work faster so less time in braces! I also got my veneer taken off 2 days before the braces went on so that was a bit of a shock to see that crooked tooth again after 6 years. They hadnt ground it down very much at all which was really surprising - so it doesnt look too bad. You cant even tell with the braces on now actually. My gap has opened up a little again but I dont really care. Its no where near as bad as it was and just looks normal at the moment. Here are some before pics and now with braces. You cant really see them and I havent got a close up of them yet but i'll get one up soon. My mouth is massive now and my lips are fuller which isnt all bad :)

Gap pics

Not much going on... except I think my gap is a tad smaller :) Most of the time I dont even remember the expander is in there so I'm grateful I'm not having a hard time with it. I'm starting to get a small gap between my front and second teeth because my front ones are moving back together. The one thing I miss the most is being able to bite into something - like a sandwich, or apple, or anything! I still have to chew everything and bite everything on the side.

Sitting in limbo

The closing of the gap has started to slow down now. It's still coming together though which is great. Less than 3 weeks til braces... yikes. I only just got used to the expander (well as much as anyone could get used to this thing!) and now I have to tackle a whole new set of problems... at least I'm getting closer to getting the expander out. I cant wait to talk normally and eat without getting half your dinner stuck in there and having to somehow get it out without sticking your whole hand in there! Pfft. Anyway...

Here's more comparison pics to show the gap getting smaller.

Still getting smaller!

I cant believe how much my gap has closed up! Its down to just under 4mm now - it was 6.75 so thats a big difference. Heres some comparison pics from when I stopped turning and now...














You can see that my teeth are coming in faster from the bottom which my ortho tells me is normal. She was happy to hear that they are coming together because it means that my teeth will move easily when she puts the braces on. 3 weeks this Friday until they go on! I have to get a veneer removed the Wednesday before which sits over my tooth beside my front tooth. I know this is going to look horrible but it has to be done. I found out from my old dentist who fitted the veneer if she ground down my tooth much before the veneer was put on and she said no, it was very minimal so I was over the moon to hear that. I was thinking oh no, my tooth is going to be like half the size because I know some dentists really grind the tooth down alot before a veneer is put on. She mentioned why she didnt do it and it was because she thought I would get braces down the trach cos I was so young when I got it fitted (17). Very smart :)
So not much else is going on with my teeth really. I still cant chew some foods like steak, nuts, apple with skin on and stuff like that but I am definitely more used to the expander now. I still dont speak normally but I'm kinda used to that too.
I will post again if my teeth close up more (and I'm hoping they are touching by the time my braces go on!) Woohoo!

P.s. my gap is closing up! Well a little

First pic is from last Monday and the 2nd pic is from today... keep it coming!

Feeling better

So last week was a hard week. But I'm doing alot better now. I have committed to working out 5 times this week so I know that will make me feel so much better. I always do when I'm exercising, and the fact that I've committed to it and said to myseld 'ok I'm back into it as of Monday' I know that I will do it. Also, my bf exercises with me so it makes a big difference when you have someone else pushing you.
So onto my teeth now - my front 2 teeth feel kinda weird at the moment. Like they are loose or something and they are also a bit tender as well. My ortho and OS told me that this was normal so I'm not panicking - I just dont like the feeling that my teeth are gonna fall out!
I think my gap has closed up about half a mm in the last week which is encouraging. I'm hoping it closes up a little more each week :) I'm an optimist. Other than the front teeth situation, I'm feeling good and I was chewing alot better on the weekend which was nice. I'm pretty sure I'm grinding my teeth in my sleep too which is not a nice feeling to be woken up to! Lots of pops and scraping noises - gross. I am however breathing through my nose when I sleep for some of the night which is a whole new experience for me. Even though I cant quite hold my lips together comfortably yet I'm still managing to breathe through my nose. Amazing!