lauralea

hey all,
officialy brace free as of now! I know..im really lucky to have been in and out so quickly ( 8 months) when my original treatment plan was for 10-12 months. My ortho was especially surprised at how quickly my teeth moved.
So in saying that...it wasnt the greastest feeling havingthe brackets pried off your teeth...lots of pressure forces to get those puppies off I tell ya, then the good old grind the teeth down. Second step was bonded retainers, top and bottom, this was no problem just feels super weird now..like i have food stuck behind my teeth...egh. I did ask if I could have the canine to canine bonded retainers (like my family dentist recomended) but they apparently do not carry them. Then after that, it was impressions, not a big deal with that. I then had to return in the afternoon to pick up my retainers. I have the clear essex ones, they are pretty cool, except I never realized how tight they are! OUCH! I dont remember that much pressure on my teeth when I had the braces on! Im instructed to wear them for 24 hrs at first, then 12 hrs at night for 1 week, then 10 hrs a night for 3 months, then 8 hrs a night for a year, and then after a year until the end of time..min 3 nights a week. OH joy! although retention is the reason I am back in these same shoes, so I WILL wear this gosh darnet thing! LOL Well I leave for Guatamala this sat...so now I need to keep track of retainers in another country...HELP me! Hahaha Oh well, excited because after Guatamala im off to Houston, scouting out potential hospitals to work at...
Hope all is well, dont mind the pic, this is the actual one taken at the ortho office post debond