<![CDATA[Dental Braces Forums - Blogs - BlondeAddiction's Braces Addiction: by BlondeAddiction]]> http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/ Adult Teeth Braces Forums Discussing Dental Braces, Invisalign, Ibraces, Teeth Whitening, TMJ, and More! en Sat, 25 May 2013 23:52:05 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[Dental Braces Forums - Blogs - BlondeAddiction's Braces Addiction: by BlondeAddiction]]> http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/ 3 weeks after Braces removed UPDATE. Essix Retainer and Whitening info. PICS! http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/3-weeks-after-braces-removed-update-essix-retainer-whitening-info-pics-2766/ Sun, 09 Dec 2012 17:57:05 GMT *NEW whitening Update at the bottom WITH PICS - Dec 15th*

Hey everyone!
So it has been 3 weeks now since I had my braces removed and I can't say how ecstatic I have been! Here's where I'm at so far! :)
The evening after I got my braces off, my friends all threw me a huge surprise party at a bar to show off my new smile. I was stoked!!! I could NOT stop smiling, and people left and right were asking to see them and take photos with me. I would look back at the pics after I took them and just stare in awe. Is that really me?? Even candid photos- from every angle- pretty teeth!! My husband will stop me in the middle of the day to stare at me and smile- I'll say "what"? and he'll say "your smile is so beautiful". I still melt. People I don't even really "KNOW" even comment about my braces being gone- people like the checkout person at the grocery store, the post office man, etc. So much for "clear" braces, eh? Evidently EVERYONE knew I had them lol! It feels good though. So freakin good!

RETAINER WEAR:
My deband date was November 21st and I received my clear Essix retainers on the 29th. I was concerned going 8 days with no retainer that my teeth would shift and fortunately that wasn't the case. I did, however, feel a ton of pressure on one of my front central incisors the moment I popped it on at the Ortho's office. I remember going "owe,... uh.. this sucks" to the assistant but I left and was feeling pretty happy about them... until about an hour later. At that point I literally wanted to throw these things against the wall.... and then run over them with my car. The pressure was so intense on a few teeth. I was mispronouncing words left and right, drooling and spitting accidentally, and every few minutes I was dry-heaving from the feeling of it gagging me. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure. Every hour or so, I would just have to remove it and take a breather- consciously preparing myself to begin again. Taking them out was pure hell. The first time it probably took me 15 full minutes, and when I removed them my teeth were sensitive and ached again as I could almost feel them settle. Snacking days are gone, as I have to think REALLY hard about that midnight snack. Do I really NEED that Pop Tart? I DID just brush and floss 2 hrs ago. Eh, screw it. Not worth the time it'll take to remove my retainers, clean them, eat, brush, floss, rinse, and put them back in. I'll wait til morning. Despite all the negatives I experienced the first week, i can say that, like braces themselves, you learn to adjust. My Ortho didn't explain how to care for my retainers so I just took it upon myself to rinse them with water after I ate. Well, after about 4 days this method wasn't working out the best because when I would remove them I noticed they were dulling. I started brushing them with my toothbrush and toothpaste for a few days, but later read that this will cause scratching and is not recommended. Fantastic. It's been 3 weeks and my retainers have definitely clouded up and are scratched. Thankfully, I purchased additional retainers from my Ortho so I went out to Walmart, bought some tablets to dissolve in water for them, and have been using them since yesterday. I switched out my 3 wk old retainer for a brand new one (which is DEFINITELY more clear than the one I had been using lol) and will continue to go this route from now on. The solution removes plaque buildup, food stains and particles, as well as kills all bacteria that causes odor (and trust me, they DO start to have a foul odor) so I recommend going out and buying some as soon as you receive your retainers. I purchased a box of 108 tablets (almost a 4 mos supply if used daily) and it was only $5.00. Oh, and making the switch to the new retainer last night- OWE! That thing is SNUG! It's amazing how quickly my original ones got broken in.

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WHITENING:
When I removed my braces my teeth were pretty white. Either time has gone by and they're slowly getting stained again, or I'm just used to them and not realizing it any more lol so I asked my Ortho assistant how soon I could start whitening. She said "as soon as you want"! and informed me that I could use my retainers as whitening trays as well. I mentioned that I was planning to use Crest Whitestrips and she asked what % of peroxide they were using. I was unsure since I hadn't purchased them yet (and they come in different formulas) but she said that they use 15% in the office so to keep that in mind. Come to find out, the strips I am using now, the 20 day Professional Effects, are 14%. I'm going to Las Vegas for a meeting in 5 weeks with come co-workers I haven't seen in a year so I wanted to go ahead and start on this to reveal my new straight white smile. I'm currently on day 5 and I can say that they ARE working. The box claims you'll see noticeable results in as little as 3 days with full results after 20, and after 5 treatments, they're slightly whiter. The 2nd day I started getting sensitivity on 2 teeth so I switched to Sensodyne Toothpaste and started doing fluoride rinses 2x a day. It has helped considerably in the last 3 days but had I been smarter, I would have begun the toothpaste/fluoride regimen the week prior to my first use so I recommend doing that for anyone considering these. I haven't taken any "before" photos even though I probably should- but I did tell my husband that I wasn't noticing a huge difference yet- but it's because I see them everyday and that if they get so white I could land planes with them, to PLEASE let me know. I don't wanna be THAT girl! lol! Anyway, I will update my whitening progress after the 20 days. I can only assume they'll work great, being that they have RAVE reviews online, and I have one friend who has THE prettiest shade of white teeth EVER. I finally went up to her last week and was like "Okay, do you get your teeth professionally whitened or WHAT!?" She laughed and said no, Crest Whitestrips- and that it was nearly 2 yrs ago when she did it! That's when I was sold. My only complaint is that the upper strip and the lower strips are different lengths. The upper is OK- but the lower only covers my front 6 teeth. I realize these are the 'social six' teeth but when I smile and laugh, you can see way more than than just to the canines. Plus, people are asking me to see them daily- so i smile big- and I don't want half my teeth to be yellowish in comparison. So.... after the first night of using these and realizing this dilemma, I've taken it upon myself to use a secondary pack of strips that I've been cutting up and placing on the teeth it isn't covering. With this approach, I realize I will have to buy a 2nd box since I'm cutting up pieces into the next day's pack, (and at 40 bucks for this box it kinda sucks), but I'm happier knowing my teeth are evenly white from molar to molar when I smile. Thankfully I bought this box with a gift card so it softens the blow LOL.

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Other than that, so far so good! I can definitely live with this new lifestyle! I can't believe I'm already almost a month down, and only 5 to go before I get to go to night-time wear only on my retainers!! I've learned how to speak, how to stop drooling, how to get my uppers and lowers out in about 30 seconds total, and nobody even knows I have them on. They look so great and now that I'm used to them, they're so comfortable and I feel weird when I don't have them on. Definitely worth the year+ of braces because this smile is something I will never get tired of seeing!! :)

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Can ya see my retainer? She's there! :)

Oh and, totally unrelated but BlondeAddiction is now... BrunetteAddiction for the Fall. lol - Click image for larger version.  Name: nomoreblonde.jpg  Views: 59  Size: 45.2 KB  ID: 3530

NEW WHITENING UPDATE with PICS - DEC 15TH- Ok, so last night I did my 11th out of 20th treatment of Crest Whitestrips. It wasn't until this morning when I woke up to brush that I went "whoa- my teeth are freakin WHITE"! I got ready to start my day and snapped a pic so I'm thinking they're working. I haven't been taking before/during/after pics because lighting is such an issue when you're trying to show how white something is. Unless you use the same lighting, the same angle, at the same time of day lol, it's hard to really gauge the difference in my opinion. However, for grins, I will add the pic I took last week next to it. Aside from that, still no sensitivity BUT I WILL say this: When you do your first few days, you'll notice when you remove your strips that your teeth have random white spots on them. The box even warns you of this but don't get freaked out. They last a few hours and then kinda go away on their own. I do mine before I go to bed at night, but if you plan to do these during the day, you might want to do them hours before you're going to be running errands or going on a date LOL, because yeah, it looks kinda bad. By the morning though, you don't hardly even see them anymore. Will update in a few more days!! :)


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11 days into Crest Whitestrips

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5 days into Crest Whitestrips
Attached Thumbnails
]]> BlondeAddiction http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/3-weeks-after-braces-removed-update-essix-retainer-whitening-info-pics-2766/ BRACES ARE OFF!! My detailed step-by-step deband process timeline and photos INSIDE! http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/braces-off-my-detailed-step-step-deband-process-timeline-photos-inside-2746/ Thu, 22 Nov 2012 01:16:46 GMT Attachment 3439 (http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/attachments/f16/3439-ouch-mahnewsmile-.jpg) *UPDATE:* MORE Official Before/After photos will be added... Click image for larger version.  Name: mahnewsmile!.jpg  Views: 115  Size: 52.7 KB  ID: 3439
UPDATE: MORE Official Before/After photos will be added within 24hours!
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My 16 month Braces journey has finally come to an end. Bittersweet.... NOT!!! lol!!
How was it? Did it hurt? How are my results? Was it worth it? I was glued to the clock the whole time and tracked my deband from start to finish. Read my timeline below!

8:29am - Arrival at the office.
It was an eerie feeling being there as soon as they opened their doors. Nobody was at the desk. I sat in silence for about 20 mins before anybody even walked out to the lobby realizing I was there. The calm before the storm if you will. I drank a cup of water, and then another. Took some more photos. Pretended to read a magazine written in another language.

8:48am - Called back to the dentist chair.
The assistant called my name and said "are you ready"?? "uhm, I guess" "well you should be, you're gettin em off today!" *happy dance hearing it was REAL* My ortho came in, rooted around and instantly said YES!! We are DONE! He reminded me I would hear a shatter from the brackets and 2 seconds later, CRUNCH! 1 down! Each tooth took only a second or two and my entire upper AND lowers were popped off in about... 90 seconds? I could have held my breath. In fact, I may have as I braced for impact on each one LOL. The only pain I had was on my very last lower molar where he kinda poked my gum with the instrument. Aside from that, nothing. Just pressure but it all happened so fast that I almost don't even count that as 'pain'.

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8:55am - Let the grinding begin.
Without skipping a beat, my ortho went right into removing the glue. Totally and completely pain...LESS! I was expecting this to be the part that I would jump out of the seat. Nope, just a soothing vibration the whole time. I'd say each tooth took maybe 20 seconds to remove the bonding material. By the time I would feel like I was getting sensitive he was already onto the next one. The only discomfort on this was the initial sensitivity from the cold water spraying. I have 2 teeth that are cold sensitive so until they adapted to the sensation, it was kind of uncomfortable.

9:00am - Round 2.
Once all upper and lowers were done, I felt him begin again a 2nd round. Same vibration as before, and I started to really just relax at this point. Maybe I'm weird but I found it pretty comfortable. He never once nicked my gum, or slid off a tooth. It was all steady, seamless and fast-paced.

9:02am - Round 3.
3rd time's a charm! This time he went through and began shaping. I felt the tool around the edges of my teeth as well as in between them. Kind of, giving it indentions in between each one and smoothing it to the next. Filing down any sharp edges. I told my husband he was like an artist making pottery or something in there LOL!

9:09am - The REVEAL.
As I lay back looking up at him, he informs me that we are done.
"run your tongue along your teeth" he says.
"I'm afraid to" I chuckle
*barely runs tongue across the edge*
"Oh come ON! Run it all around! Feel your new smile"! He laughs!
*runs tongue across teeth like a dog eating peanut butter*

*long pause*

*tear*

*full-on breakdown*

I compose myself and look back at him with teary eyes. He smiles and says "THIS is why I do Orthodontics".

He sits me up in the chair and asks if he can video tape my reaction for his website. OF COURSE!!

The camera rolls. "Ok everyone, this is Krissy and she just got her braces off. She hasn't seen them yet so we're going to pass her the mirror now and see her reaction"!

*assistant hands me a mirror*

"Oh my GOD! These are not my teeth. What the... is this a trick mirror. This can't be real. Oh my god." *flips over mirror looking for evidence*

*looks again*

*more tears*

*head in hands*

*surreal*



As funny as it sounds, my teeth looked fake to me. They were so big, so white, so slimey, and just...so beautiful. I would turn my head side-to-side and still laugh like it had to be a joke. I realize it sounds dumb- but for my whole life I've never felt straight teeth with my tongue. They still feel foreign, and like they aren't mine. I was also amazed as just how DIFFERENT they looked without braces. I mean, I stare at them every day; I could imagine them without brackets, right? I've even used photo editing to erase my brackets in pics just to see what I would look like when they were off. It wasn't like ANY of that. These were much larger, more prominent and WHITER! So much whiter! No white spots either!!! These were someone else's teeth. LOL!

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9:14am - Molds for retainers.
I once again composed myself and we started to take molds for my clear Essix retainers. The ortho fills a tray with some very nasty thick goop and shoves it in your mouth, constantly scooping out the overflow while holding it still. It takes about a minute or 2 to set during which time you're trying not to think about gagging, and your tongue starts to tingle from the substance. YACK! "For future reference, can you make these in flavors? Ya know, for the next people". I say. He said he would add it to the suggestion box LOL. Seriously though, they taste absolutely AWFUL!

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9:18am - Strike a POSE.
I then signed a model release form to be featured on the website and I went off to take my AFTER photos while my Ortho printed up my BEFORE's to show me. They printed both and the suspense was killing me! I had never seen these yet!! I took a nice long pause before I flipped over the sheets of paper. Just.. wow. My mid line had reverted 1mm back from these last 4 weeks without wires or elastics, but I was OK with it. These photos are taken at a slight angle so it looks worse than head on. I don't mind one bit! Every one from the office was crowded around to see them- all just as stoked as I was. I didn't even realize they were that bad. :( I can't say it enough... SURREAL!!

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9:20am - The finish line.
That was it. My Ortho told me that 1 set of retainers were included for free, but they they CAN and WILL crack over time. He recommended buying a few additional retainers now, while he was sending the mold in, as it would be much cheaper than having to re-do in the future. Plus, as soon as one does break, I won't have to call him, get an appointment, make a new mold, send it off, wait another 7-10 days, and risk my teeth shifting. He said he could get me 3 more uppers, and 3 more lowers for only $500.00 if I ordered them now sending in this mold. If I got them in the future, it would cost $250.00 PER TRAY to have them re-done at the manufacturer from scratch again. Needless to say, I bought the extras! LOL!

No pain, no sensitivity, just... TEETH!!! Shiny teeth!

9:24am - Sitting in my car staring in my visor mirror.
9:25am - Sitting in my car staring in my visor mirror.
9:26am - Sitting in my car staring in my visor mirror.

I snapped some photos. Is that girl me? :D

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What did I do next?! Drove to Walgreens and went on a Makeup/Hair color shopping spree!! Had lunch at Taco Bell where I ordered my FIRST crunchy taco in 16 months!!! The Doritos one! Kissed my husband in the most passionate way- that I had been missing for so long. He even ran HIS tongue across my teeth! HAHA!!!
He snapped this pic of me at lunch.

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What a crazy 16 months this has been! I'm so thankful for you guys, this site, the encouragement, the answers, and the all-in-all reassurance that I could get through this! I also am thankful for my loving family and my life-changer...my Orthodontist. :)
It isn't goodbye, as I still plan to be here often to help others and track progress. Plus, I plan to do some updates on my retainers, whitening, and my gum contouring I still want to do... and although not perfect, I could not be happier with the results!!

xoxo
Krissy ]]> BlondeAddiction http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/braces-off-my-detailed-step-step-deband-process-timeline-photos-inside-2746/ 7 DAYS TO LIFT-OFF! Er... BRACES-OFF! http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/7-days-lift-off-er-braces-off-2736/ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 01:24:37 GMT Attachment 3404 (http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3404) So it is now 7 days until I get my braces off!! What a crazy... Click image for larger version.  Name: 7days left.jpg  Views: 69  Size: 80.1 KB  ID: 3404

So it is now 7 days until I get my braces off!! What a crazy 16 months! I got so giddy today when I woke up to a text message on my phone asking me to call and confirm my appointment! I called, and spoke to the front desk asking HIM to confirm that I was indeed getting my braces off. After a few moments he comes back and says "It says here you're scheduled for de-band". SCORE!!! Then, after another brief pause, he comes back with "Uh oh, doc won't be in on Tuesday- or Monday either. Can we do it early Wednesday morning at 8am"? - *bummed sigh* - "OKay".

What's 12 more hours, right?

I asked what all the process would be like, and he said it takes about an hour. We'll pop them off, buff, and shine them up- and my ortho will shape them to my liking. YAY. I can't believe it's really happening!

On a side note, since my last appointment I was placed in regular ligatures around each bracket to hold my doors closed since he removed most of my wires. Let me tell you, THESE HURT LIKE A MOFO! I don't know WHY they hurt so much but every part of my lip has been cut up until last week when I finally got used to them. They're like tiny square razor blades so I pity those of you that have these. I had to dust off my pack of wax for these fukkers. I know you get used to them, much like I had to get used to my SL brackets in the beginning but owe, just wanted to make it clear that they suck- and I'm glad I only have a week left in these.

Aside from that, nothing much to report. My next blog will reveal my new shiny naked teeth!!

P.S. FLOSSING KICKS ASS with STRAIGHT TEETH and no wires!!!! ]]> BlondeAddiction http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/7-days-lift-off-er-braces-off-2736/ !!!!!!!* DE-BAND DATE IS BOOKED *!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!! PICS!!!!!!! Emotions! Month #15 http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/de-band-date-booked-omg-pics-emotions-month-15-2701/ Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:04:50 GMT HOLY CRAP!! I literally just finished crying on the way home from my Ortho appointment!! Just finished up my appointment and my Ortho says everything... HOLY CRAP!! I literally just finished crying on the way home from my Ortho appointment!! Just finished up my appointment and my Ortho says everything is perfect!! He removed my powerchains, cut my wires on uppers and lowers from the Canine and removed them so I now only have a wire attached to 6 teeth on top and bottom! He then put white ligatures around each bracket to help hold my new tiny wire in place. I look like I have traditional braces now and it's so funny looking to me. I asked about my black triangle between the front 2 lower teeth and he was like "meh, It fills up with saliva and looks fine- not a big deal". Yeah, I guess so. LOL. He said that he had already done IPR to my lowers when we started, and that he really didn't want to do any more. I'm like... "uh, when did we do IPR?!?" He's like," the day I put on your braces"... Oh yeah, that's what happens when you have 9 hrs of dental work done in 1 day. I was sedated that day so I had no clue he had even done it. Oh well, at this point I don't even CARE I'm so stoked!!!!

He looks at me one last time and says "So, how about we book your braces to come off in 2 months"? I was like, "That's fine". (not really happy that I was going to miss my personal goal of Thanksgiving- but I still acted happy- I mean it WAS still a deband date!). He kept looking around and pushing on teeth and goes "You know what, you're actually done. Everything is settled so we don't even need to wait 2 months- lets book her for next month".

I didn't even flinch - just was like "ok, thats cool". *super happy-about to explode-inside*!!! I waited a full 2 minutes before I looked him dead in the eye and said it.

"Are you playing with me?" *heightened excitement*
"NOPE"
"Are we really booking my appointment for next month to take these OFF for SURE"?? *even more so*
"YUP"!
*12-yr-old-girl-at-a-Justin-Beiber-concert -squeeeeeel*

No more wires in the back catching food, no more elastics to wear, I can brush and floss with ease now- OMG! SURREAL!

So when is the big day?!? NOVEMBER 20TH!!!! Exactly 4 weeks from today... ANNND... it's 2 days before THANKSGIVING!!!!!! He told me again that he's gonna shave and shape them next month when we get them off so all my lowers and uppers will be beautifully straight!! I will then get a lower and upper clear Essix retainer the week following.

Now time for some pics! :)
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My smile and new ligitures to hold my wire in place- look at that midline-she's spot-on after having that HELLA f*ked up 5-elastic configuration these last few weeks. It's worth it! WEAR YOUR ELASTICS!!

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No more wires! (I can't say the same about the mustache hairs though LOL!)

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Upper Arch

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Lower Arch ]]> BlondeAddiction http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/de-band-date-booked-omg-pics-emotions-month-15-2701/ Snuck in an appointment! NEW: Elastic configuration, Shaved teeth, Before/After PICS! http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/snuck-appointment-new-elastic-configuration-shaved-teeth-before-after-pics-2680/ Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:03:06 GMT Yippers!!! Finally I'm a happy girl!!

I snuck in an appointment today even though my actual date is Oct 24th. I had mentioned in my last Blog I was going to do this to talk to my Ortho regarding my "off" front central incisor. I'm TONS happier after this afternoon's drop-in with him!!!

He explained to me that what I'm seeing is just the way my arch is. That's how it's gonna stay, and he told me we're a million times better than when we started out. I got a grasp on reality and took a moment to pull out my cell phone to remind myself.

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Well...This is it. This is the end. This is as far as we go and as good as we get without pulling teeth and/or surgery... and you know what? I'm OK with this!! I'm done with the nit-picking. I'm done with focusing on zoomed in photos of each tooth because, quite frankly, nobody cares because nobody's perfect. I mean really...who is gonna be underneath me looking up at my bite and will say one of my front teeth is slightly off. I'm not 13 yrs old and my jaw stopped growing years ago so for being an adult and only 1.5 yrs into braces, I'm a pretty darn lucky girl. :) BUT because I AM a girl, I want my teeth to LOOK pretty too. His job is to make them straight in a scientific sort-of-way- aligning things like they should be- even when that means (to me) seeing visual imperfections. We're working on the visual ones now. He loves me. Hehee.

He pulled out his tools and started shaving my teeth. I was like whoa! The smell was gross. Like feet mixed with stale corn chips. The taste? Well, the taste was what I believe feet to taste like after running across a sea of corn chips. LOL. It was completely painless. He shaved down my upper incisor and said he was gonna match it with the other. He also shaved a bit of my lowers which had a pretty rough point on it from the wear and tear I had done on it. He said he would finish them at the end, and that this was just a tiny preview of how they will look once we're all done and he shapes them. I looked in the mirror and was in shock. It was so subtle yet SO beautiful!! I've always ran my tongue across my lowers and feeling the sharp chips and edges was just 'normal' to me. Feeling them so smooth right now is surreal. Absolutely surreal.

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I went to a party Saturday night in California. A sort of- "bombshell" theme- so I dressed the part. I think I got half a dozen comments on my beautiful smile alone- all from strangers. It felt pretty darn good :)

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Here's a photo from it. It was taken 5 days ago so it doesn't show the new shaved teeth. Even still, I think they look nice. Remove the brackets and whiten them and I should be golden. We've definitely come a long way with my smile and I'm glad the end is near! I still have some open spaces to close up on my bite, so I'm now wearing "Chimpanzees" Elastics in - not 1, but TWO triangle configurations on each side. I also STILL have to wear the cross elastic to re-align my midline. 5 in my mouth at once. Boy is he testing me! LOL!

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Anyway- next appointment is still Oct 24th so we shall see what progress I have made. ]]> BlondeAddiction http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/snuck-appointment-new-elastic-configuration-shaved-teeth-before-after-pics-2680/ NEW: Powerchains, Cleaning, Elastic config, RANT, Pics! Month #14? http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/new-powerchains-cleaning-elastic-config-rant-pics-month-14-2668/ Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:35:12 GMT Where the hell has BlondeAddiction been?? LOL! Yeah I know- smack me! I started the awesome schooling and sport of Solo Skydiving which has drained... Where the hell has BlondeAddiction been?? LOL!
Yeah I know- smack me! I started the awesome schooling and sport of Solo Skydiving which has drained me mentally as well as physically. I also got a new Phone AND Laptop (The keyboard had broken so I had no way to update LOL) so NONE of my old photos and stuff have been transferred over to this one. I feel 'empty' regarding my progression photos. I haven't even TAKEN a photo in about a month so yeah, slacking tremendously. School started up for my son, have a new circle of friends, and of course, there is that whole 'slow process' thing I'm going through at the end of my treatment too so not too much to talk about I guess. I'm getting back into the routine again though.

Since my last blog, I've literally been doing nothing but waiting. My next appointment was 5 weeks out- which I was totally bummed about. My ortho was busy so I had to push my date back and let me tell you, 5 weeks felt like an eternity. I finally went back, uh, last Wednesday I think. It was the same day I was scheduled for my routine cleaning so I went ahead and knocked that out along with my Ortho check. Pretty standard stuff with the cleaning. It's definitely nice to have a professional clean your teeth every 3 months because it is sooo hard to get in some of those tight spaces. My hygienist also removes SO much staining that I didn't even REALIZE I had. I HIGHLY recommend you guys still in braces to get a good cleaning while you're still in them- you'd be surprised how many tiny gaps are visible once the plaque and tartar is scraped from between them. It sounds gross I know, but I'm serious. I really like seeing my ortho minutes after my cleaning because he can really see everything that is going on in there. I've come to find out that I have a pretty bad black triangle between my 2 lower centrals which I am NOT happy about. I'm gonna tell him next appointment to PLEASE do some IPR between those to get rid of that bugger. I'm back in the same size wires I have had forever now, and we put a clear powerchain across the whole uppers AND the whole lowers to hold everything in place. He then looked at my smile and determined my midline was off (which it IS- I don't deny that) - so he put me in a freakin (what's it called) cross anterior configuration? It goes diagonally across my face from upper canine down to lower canine. It sucks. I can't speak because you can't move your tongue. I'm supposed to wear it at night only as well as my class II still. No big deal. I don't care. I'll upload a picture here.

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THE RANT:

The problem I have with it though is... I don't think it's what I need.

I know, I know, I'm not an Orthodontist but I'm actually refusing to wear this because I think my Ortho may be wrong on this one. My midline is off, yes. But the reason behind it (I think) is because my upper central is STILL angled wrong. I've brought this to his attention TWICE now in the past and he just doesn't see it. HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THIS?! Granted, with my mouth open it IS hard to see- and he keeps saying that we'll just shave the angle / wear mark down to match the other...Ok, I get that- but I feel like that's NOT WHAT'S WRONG with THIS. I feel like if he would fix this tooth, by bringin it out and tilting it where it needs to go, that it'll correct my midline. That tooth is literally banging against my lower bracket from it. I'm flat-out refusing to wear these elastics which will bring my lowers to match it when my uppers are clearly not in its correct position. I don't know, maybe I'm tripping. Do you guys see it? I want to cry. How can he fix what he cannot see? Maybe I just need to take a photo and show him. Sigh. Oh and I am NOT condoning going against your Ortho's instructions! Listen to your Orthodontist and wear your elastics!!! (There, covered my butt lol)

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See, and you guys were excited to see my update, huh? LOL. Rant city. I'm sorry. I've decided that next week I am going to call the office and make an appointment to specifically talk about this issue. I realize he has many patients to deal with and that each scheduled checkup is pretty much routine stuff. I want to drop in and discuss this matter with him so hopefully we can fix it. I'm losing valuable days here hah!

On a semi-brighter note, he says I have a month left- 2 months max. Then again, that's what he said at the last appointment as well. One step forward, 2 steps back.

Did I mention I wanna cry? I need some encouragement here. My next appointment is on the 26th this month. I think. ]]> BlondeAddiction http://www.bracesreview.com/forums/blogs/blondeaddiction/new-powerchains-cleaning-elastic-config-rant-pics-month-14-2668/