Speech Impediment

Just as I thought the teeth weren't moving -- and if anything were moving inwards, not forwards -- I realize they are starting to move forward (ie. I'm a buck-toothed gal now) just as the ortho's assistant said they would.

I know because I'm having a hard time speaking clearly. Lots of spit and unclear pronunciation mostly. I didn't really think about it much, but several people at work today have pointed out that I'm speaking "differently." Oh, well. I was told it would get worse before it got better.

I did go back to the ortho yesterday. I wanted to get the wire clipped on the left side because it was poking my cheek -- not comfortable at all! I mentioned I was having a difficult time flossing around the bands (the metal just shreads the floss) and turns out there was some bonding cement stuck between the teeth. The assistant cleaned the excess cement from around the bands and it worked! Last night I was able to floss around the bands without a major headache. She also told me the water pick and humming bird interdental pick are good if I can't get the floss inbetween the teeth. Said it's most important to get something between my teeth up at the top of the gum.

I also discovered this weekend that if I sleep on my stomach -- which involves face pressing on pillow -- I get a nice deep indentation of the braces inside my cheeks and on the lower lip. And unfortunately, this area then can rip open pretty easily causing more mouth pain. I'm now trying really hard to sleep on my back only, but it's hard. I really like to sleep on my back when I first fall asleep, but usually end up on my stomach at some point during the night. Who knew I'd have to adjust my sleeping habits??

Comparison

Okay, took some photos last night so Andy and I can settle the debate about whether or not my teeth have moved.










Here are the "before photos"









And the "after 1 week in braces" pic

Hmm, not sure because the photos are taken at slightly different angles and there's a lot of metal in the way!! Maybe there's a little movement ... ?

I survived the first week!

So, it's been a full week now since I got the top appliances installed. After a few agonizing days when I wasn't sure I would ever get used to them, I now can say I feel comfortable with the metal in my mouth.

I've had a few teeth-bashing incidents, including one with a beer mug that cut my lip and another while playing tennis. But all in all, the braces aren't too bad. Taking good care of my teeth is more time consuming, but I know it'll be worth it in the end.

Andy is convinced my teeth are moving, but I'm not so sure. I suppose the teeth must have started to move a little bit, but I don't think the movement is obvious yet.

I was excited to get through week 1. But when I cheered Andy sarcastically said "Yeah, almost done. Only a few more weeks to go."

But hey, here's hoping the next 16-24 months fly by.

K-Swiss Season Over

Lost my K-Swiss tennis match against the #1 seed. No surprises there. Most of the games went to deuce several times, so I feel like I played well. And, turns out Jennie's ALTA Sunday Women's team was looking for players and she invited me to join her team. Yeah! So Amy and I will be playing on the same team in the Fall.

Two days down, a ton to go

I was thinking last night that I probably will not get the appliances removed until sometime in 2007. That means I'll live the entire year of 2006 wearing braces. Hmm, really sounds like a long time when put that way.

Braces - Phase One

Here are a few photos of the top appliances

Ouch

Eating dinner last night was a chore. I feel a dull ache in my jaw, but that in itself is bearable. My teeth don't really hurt at the moment. But the inside of my mouth and my tongue are killing me!

The brackets didn't feel like much of anything yesterday morning, but by the evening, it felt like I had straight pins scratching the inside of my mouth every time my lips or face moved. The metal bands on my back teeth have some kind of bulky closure on the backside which also rubs the sides of my tongue as I talk or try to eat. That is really uncomfortable.

After feeling really stressed about trying to eat (leek and potato soup with lots of mushy bread), I was a little on edge. I know I'll get used to it, but in the meantime it stinks. I was starving and eating was not enjoyable at all.

I did have a beer with Andy last night. He ended up coming over because his power went out and the Gilly Girl was afraid -- she doesn't like storms. After a while, things didn't really seem so bad.

Braces On

Got the braces at 8 am this morning. That's way too early for me to get up, but it meant I would barely be late for work.

Wow, can't believe I have braces. It's been 2+ years since I first started to investigate seriously.
Brackets are on the top only, for now. Still not sure about the timeline for the bottom ones. I hope it's sooner rather than later because I figure the sooner they go on, the sooner they come off!!

I have metal bands on the molars one in from the back. No brackets yet on the "12 year old" molars (the ones at the very back of my mouth). Christie, the ortho's assistant, said they will probably add those brackets when they install brackets on the lower teeth. The band on the top right has a tube on it, which they tell me will be used later for the springs to correct my bite. The left band has a long, horizontal piece of metal sticking out, but I'm not sure what that's for. It's not a tube, as far as I can tell.

All the brackets are self-ligating. They are In-Ovation brackets from a company called GAC International. Because they are self-ligating, I don't need to have elastics to hold the wire in place. They are traditional metal, but are smaller than older-style brackets. Could be worse. And because Dr. Stewart can apply greater pressure to these brackets without worrying about breakage and other problems (when compared with ceramic brackets), he claims he can move my teeth further and better in less time. Less time sounds good to me. Total time in braces is estimated to be 16 to 24 months.

Dr. Stewart is also going to use a brand new technique called Sure Smile (www.suresmile.com). Right now I have a regular arch wire. But at some point during the treatment, the doc will use the Sure Smile process to do 3-D modeling of my teeth. Based on the data gathered the Sure Smile folks will use robots to create custom arch wires, which will move my teeth exactly where they need to go. I guess this is what $5820 gets you.

My jaw is feeling a little sore at the moment, but no major pain ... yet. Dr. Stewart did say the pain level might be worse tomorrow, improving by Thursday.

Andy came up to my office to take me out for lunch -- even if it was just so he could gawk! He also took me shopping for a mouth guard. He's concerned about me playing tennis and getting whacked in the face. It has never happened before, but knowing me, now that I have braces it's bound to happen. It's probably not a bad idea! Andy has been great and really supportive about the whole braces thing. He's wonderful. He never seemed mad or frustrated that I wanted to get braces. That helps so much. Unlike my dad who keeps saying he can't understand why I feel I need braces and hints that it's a waste of money. Great comment from a guy who had false teeth before he was 30! Not sure exactly how old dad was when he got them because he won't talk about it.

I had a smoothie for lunch. But even sucking on the straw was difficult. I guess once I get used to the feel of the brackets on my upper lip, eating will be easier. It's not that it hurts, but it feels odd. I did decide this afternoon to breakdown and use some dental wax on the back brackets. They are starting to wear on the tissue inside my cheek a little bit and I figured why let it hurt if it doesn't have to!

I've decided that my braces are cute. Doesn't do anything at all to make me look older, but no-one thinks I'm as old as I am anyway -- so what's the difference! And Christie said I can get pink elastics if I want -- even though I don't need them. Maybe I can do that for special occasions -- parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas ... .

More Pre-braces Photos

Pre-Braces Photos

Apprehension

Can't deny it. I'm pretty nervous about tomorrow's ortho appointment. The appliances go on at 8 AM -- although top teeth only for now. Not sure about a timeline for the bottom ones. It'll all depend on how things progress.

I know it'll be worth it in the end, and also that millions of adults before me have gone through the pain and embarassment of wearing braces, but I still can't help but worry about the whole ordeal.

I'm sure I'll be able to deal with the pain, but right now I have no real comprehension of what my personal experience will be like. And I can't imagine what my teeth will look like straight! I guess I feel a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Bring on the straight teeth with a perfect bite!

Spacers

I still need to take some "before" photos of my teeth. The braces go on in just a few more days. I got the spacers put in on Tuesday morning. I didn't blog at first because I would have said it didn't hurt and I didn't want to jinx things. But after two plus days I can say it really isn't so bad. Sure, I feel a little extra pressure on my front teeth, and feel like I have something stuck in between my molars (because I do!) -- but I can't say it hurts.

Either this is a good sign of things to come, or the braces are gonna hurt like heck.

I will have to get Andy to take some pictures of my teeth tonight.

BTW, won my first K-Swiss playoff match last night. Hurrah! Alas, my playoff hopes may be short lived because I'm more than likely going to play the #1 seed in the next round -- unless there is a massvie upset. Then I'll be playing the #64 seed! Here's hoping.....

Birthday Photos

Here are a few photos from my 30th Birthday party

The Gilly Girl!


(left to right): Randy (Andy's neighbor and Gilly helper), Andy, me, Jon, my Dad, Kristen


(clockwise from front left): Gerry, Wendy, Brad, Jon, Amanda and Erik Swerdlow, Joshy, Andy, Whit and Amy (my new tennis friend).

Partae! 30th Birthday Partae!!

Saturday's birthday party was great. Andy, my lovely boyfriend, did a great job helping to organize food and drinks (and cleaning!). It was really nice of him to let me have the party at his apartment. All of my wonderful friends who were able to make it were at the party. So was my dad, my brother and Andy's mom. My dad cancelled a weekend away with his wife to be there. Jon and Donna both flew in to visit for the occasion. It was really nice that they thought my birthday was worth a trip!

I thought it was a fantastic party. Now that we are getting older, the scene tends to be a bit more sensible (ie. no spilled drinks, broken things, apt wrecked the following morning). But the party was no less fun. Even if I do say so myself, Andy and I have a really interesting and diverse group of friends.

After the party, everyone bailed on a trip to MJQ except for me, Andy and Jon. We got there just after 1am. For the first hour or so, the music was brilliant and we even saw rock and roll Kenny -- which was funny. I can't go out like I used to, but if the music is good, MJQ is still a brilliant night out!

My brother left the camera in the cab on the way home -- almost a complete disaster. But after calling the cab company, the driver returned to Andy's apartment complex to drop it off. Anwar protested and said he didn't want the $10 tip Andy offered him for his trouble. $10 was the least we could do.

The rest of the weekend was lower key. Andy missed breakfast on Sunday (at noon!!) due to a hangover. I was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt (thank goodness!). We spent the afternoon at IKEA so my brother could look for things for his new apartment in SLC. Of course, he couldn't buy much because he was flying home.

Monday Jon and I grabbed breakfast at Goldberg's Deli. Then we ran errands before going back to my apartment to play some tennis. He beat me 7-6 in a tiebreaker, which was crap. I could have beaten him :-(

At least Andy then went on to beat Jon 6-1!! That made me feel better!

Will post some pics from the party as soon as I download them from the camera.