I'm a FLAKE....

I’m a F…la..k..e. There, I said it.

I am the person who gets annoyed by “flaky” people. The friend who bails on get togethers last minute or the friend who never returns text messages or calls and when they do they are notoriously late with their response. That’s why saying this pains me…. I am a flake. It has been months since my last blog post and I am just as flaky with my “brace related” social media. I set out with the intention of being really diligent but apparently I am a flake. If I have to embrace this new character flaw, I would like to choose my own variety of flakiness. Perhaps I could be a flake of the chocolate variety? A chocolate flake. I feel like that is more acceptable. Everyone likes chocolate, right? And for those who don’t like chocolate??? Inconceivable, first and foremost; those people are a lost cause anyways and are apparently just as character flawed as I am with my flakiness. Kidding….kind of.

Ok so if you’re here, you’re interested in my brace/ jaw surgery updates. Not my dilemma of now being considered a flake. So alas, an update of importance will now be delivered. Firstly, I have not gotten my jaw surgery yet. Secondly, I am encroaching my first year anniversary of becoming a braced bandita.

My estimated surgery date when I first got the braces on was for September 2015. My orthodontist began telling me around March that he thought I would be ready for surgery earlier than my projected date. Of course that left me anxiously awaiting for the thumbs up from him at every appointment I went to but every month he tells me that I’m not ready. At my June adjustment, he tells me that we are going to do some surgical molds or study models in July and we’ll have a better idea of whether my bite is ready for surgery. I was so anxious for July’s appointment. I am not looking forward to having surgery but I am looking forward to the next step of treatment and then having the braces removed. We took the study models at my July appointment, he called me a few days later and told me that it would be another couple months until surgery and that my front teeth need to come forward more. I had a feeling that he was only telling me that I would be ready earlier to pacify me. Not cool. Now it will likely be towards the end of the year and that is terribly depressing. I LOVE the holidays. Like, I am “crazy lady” LOVE the holidays. I could write a whole post on things that I love about the holidays and will be sad to not get to fully appreciate those things if I am banged up and looking like Shrek because of surgery.

At my last appointment which was 09/02/15, I had the orthodontist show me specifically what we are waiting for my bite to do. Apparently the left side of my mouth is ready but my right upper canine is not lining up correctly between the lower canine and molar. He also mentioned that we are going to try and recline my front lower teeth a scosh to help maximize the advancement in my lower jaw. At this appointment, he bumped up the wire on the bottom to the strongest stainless steel, disked/reshaped my 4 front bottom teeth, and put on a power chain. I am already in the strongest wire on top so he didn’t change my wire but he did put on a power chain which I thought was going to be the death of me. I literally had tears rolling down my cheeks. I was told that surgery can more than likely happen before the end of the year and that he wants to see me every two to three weeks from now on to help ensure that we can get surgery rolling sooner than later. He is taking study models again at my next appointment which is on 09/22.  We shall see….

Here are some pictures of my progress…

Not too bad for a year. I only wish my teeth were as white as they were before braces. If anyone has tips on how to whiten your teeth with braces please tell me! 

Me after my appointment. I was pretty happy in spite of the pain he put me through because I was on my way to get pain relieving medication (Cabernet) and pity party medication (chocolate). 

I will update in a couple weeks...probably...hopefully...

Bye Dolls!

Where is my time machine?

The first day….no, the first 7 days… I have thought at least 5 times a day, “Can I go back in time and change my mind?”

 I am slowly getting use to the feel of the brackets inside of my mouth. I am a little cut up and raw in the back of my mouth; top and bottom on both sides because I have tie wires on the last two molars of both upper and lower teeth. The tie wires are like little metal hooks that stick out on the brackets so orthodontists can use rubber bands at some point in your treatment.

I am told that after a couple of weeks, your mouth tissue will adjust and you will stop getting rubbed raw. There is something to look forward to! In the meantime, I am using a lot of dental wax.

The tooth sensitivity was the worst for the first 3-4 days. Since then, the pain has been tolerable with Tylenol, ibuprofen and my personal favorite…wine.  The orthodontic assistant that put my braces on told me that with each adjustment the wire used will get thicker and sturdier and will make my teeth hurt much more. She said that the wire in place now can easily be bent and is nothing compared to the wires of my future. PSSHHH is what I say. If they intend to beef up my mouth accessories then I will just have to beef up my wine supply.

Speaking of beef….that’s not happening, nor will it probably happen until I get this bite turbo out of my mouth. Bite turbos are also referred to as glue blobs, fangs or whale’s tails. They are named based on the shape of the bite turbo used in each individuals’ mouth but all serve the same purpose.  Bite turbos can be metal or tooth colored plastic.  I have a whale’s tail bonded behind my front teeth and it is tooth colored. Here it is….

I need the bite turbo because my overbite is so deep and tightly cuddled against my front lower teeth that I would be biting down on the braces for the lower teeth. Seeing how I already have chipping and wear to my front teeth, I should take the bite turbo lovingly….but alas, I HATE the bite turbo. I cannot chew anything. The whale’s tail may stop my front teeth from banging into other teeth but it also means that my molars don’t touch anymore.

  I can mush, smush, smash, mash, etc. into the roof of my mouth and then swallow the food. I don’t get the whale’s tail off until my reclined front teeth are flanked forward. This could be between six months or up to a year, which will be right before my surgery. That time frame or the picture of my whale’s tail might not look or sound like much but trust me when I say that it is unbelievably annoying. In fact, when it is removed I plan on asking the orthodontist for it so that I can have a celebration and bash it to smithereens. Side note, I have never used the word smithereens in a sentence…..I rather like it. One last thing about the bite turbo and then I will shut up about it…..I have a lisp. The orthodontist told me to practice my S’ by reading aloud. I have three children who I read to all day long and the lisp is still there. Insert *sigh*.  

OK, now that I have officially terrified anyone who will be getting braces in their future…..the most important point of this whole post is that I survived. Am I a complainer? It sure sounds like it. Am I resilient? Heck yes. I can still see the big picture and the end result. Have I had moments of regret? Yes. Have I had times that I feel unattractive? Yes. Has there been pain? Yes.  BUT I am still choosing to embrace the process. I have been blessed to be able to financially take care of the issues impacting my dental health, my husband tells me I am still as pretty as ever, and my four year old refers to my braces as a beautiful necklace on my teeth. All wonderful things. I am still happy that I have officially jumped into this process instead of just thinking about it. It will all be worth it in the end. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some lisping, mashing, pumpkin seed baking, and wine to drink. Goodnight beauts and don’t forget to….

Keep it lovely!

Teach me how to Damon, teach me, teach me how to Damon

Hello Beauts!

I chose the Damon system of braces for many reasons. My initial interest was because the brackets on the Damon braces are a much slimmer shape and protrude a lot less than the traditional metal brackets which is obviously great because they are less noticeable. Because the Damon braces don’t stick out as much as the traditional ones, I have heard that they are gentler on the insides of your mouth. Big bonus in my book!

Damon braces eliminate the need for elastic or metal “ties” because they use a passive self-litigating bracket which moves teeth without tightening. This new system of braces also use light, high-technology shape-memory wires that move teeth faster and require fewer adjustments. Damon braces use a slide mechanism to hold the wire, which allows teeth to move more freely, quickly and comfortably. Traditional braces are tied in with elastics, which cause friction and pressure, making treatment slower and less comfortable.

The Damon system also has a line of clear braces. Damon Clear achieves results in the same way as the metal Damon braces do except that the brackets are clear. Because there are no elastics tied around the bracket, the Damon clear system is fairly stain resistant. Huge perk for you coffee and red wine drinkers out there….including ME! Some patients can have their whole mouth done in the Damon clear system but others have the clear brackets in front where braces are most noticed anyways and have the metal brackets on the bottom and on the molars. This will be the case for me.

 For some, choosing the Damon system has drawbacks. Going this route means that there are no colored options for those of you that might be interested in color coordinating with the holidays and seasons. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE the holidays as much as anyone else but I am also not wanting people who see me out and about with my toddler and two babies to think that I am getting ready to audition for a role in MTV’s Teen Mom! So…for me that means boring silver metal mouth.

Ending side notes….. I may come to hate the Damon system. After all, I haven’t had them put in yet. I have heard magnificent things about them and have no reason to think that I won’t agree with my orthodontist or reviews online. Also, there is nothing wrong with “grown-ups” wearing colored elastic ties. I just can’t bring myself to do it and I don’t want the celebrity status….kidding! Just don’t do green for St. Patrick’s Day…for obvious reasons. Most importantly, no matter what braces you choose to get or the braces you may already have, EMBRACE that beautiful metal mouth. Try and smile with your mouth open and be proud of how far you've come….whether it’s just making the decision to get the process going or whether you are months or years into treatment. It will all be worth it in the end.

Keep it lovely!

And so it begins...

It’s only 2 days before the big day! My Damon braces go on 9/9/2014. I am feeling anxious, overwhelmed and a bit excited. This process has been a long time coming. I found out about 4 years ago that I would need to get jaw surgery along with braces. I thought the first doctor that told me this should be institutionalized for being crazy. After all, wouldn't someone have said something much sooner than this? Needless to say, I sought out other opinions and the information remained the same.

I am not going to lie. The most important part of this blog is to be totally transparent. I was TERRIFIED of how I would look as an adult with braces. I still am but not as much. Also, I don’t do well with mouth pain and have serious dentist phobia. Over the last four years, I have tried to research and find other blogs and social media outlets with other adults who are going through or who have been through a similar process. I was a little frustrated. There are tons of teens documenting their experience and that’s great and all but I can’t really relate to what they are going through. I would also find adults that were going through braces but not orthognathic surgery. Fortunately, there were a few blogs that I came across that had some of the information that I was looking for and it inspired me to try and encourage and educate anyone else who is considering or going through this process by writing this blog.

I don’t think there is a perfect time to begin any lengthy and expensive process but if I had to pick a time then it would be now. There have been tons of times that I have started the process, had molds made and then never followed through. The first time I cancelled was because my husband and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. The second time I cancelled the process was because the surgeon that I was referred to demanded a lot of cash up front and that was not realistic for my family at the time. The third time I cancelled was because I found out I was pregnant with twins. Presently, I am not pregnant, nor am I trying to become pregnant and the new surgeon that will be performing my surgery next year is a little more practical when it comes to financial demands!

In the next post I will talk a little about why I chose Damon braces over traditional metal ones.

Keep it Lovely!