18 weeks!! Anna

So I've just returned from the final wire change!! wooo hooo!! Unfortunately it was a wire change and not brace removal :( Ho hum!! However, there's no visible movement (except the gap in my front teeth has closed slightly) in the last 4 weeks-there might be if I took photo's, but as I can't really see it, I haven't bothered to take pictures! The only weird thing I've noticed since getting home is that the upper back left bracket is not there? It's the metal one which I thought kept the wire in place-just isn't there. All 4 back brackets upper and lower are metal. So it's odd that its not there because I thought they would have told me if they were taking it off!! He did tell me he was drilling off some of the ceramic, because where the bracket next to it had come loose, only half the ceramic had come off with it!
Well, I'm pretty sure I'll be back there in the next week or 2 any way, because every time I have a wire change, the pressure causes a bracket to ping off somewhere!!
So, not much to say this last 4 weeks! Not much pain! Am eating everything and anything! Except this week I'm sure will be a soup week due to the wire change!!!
I'm due to go back for another appointment to change the elastics and check the spacing on 1st December! Again, I hope this wire change will work miracles and he'll whip the braces off! However, I'm a little worried that next month will be like this last one and nothing will have change :( Hope that's not the case!! Fingers crossed!!!!!

14 weeks:Anna

So 14 weeks in!! woop wooppp!! Still have the odd few days where the inside of my cheeks are really sore and swollen! I don't really get any tooth pain now, but I can feel that some teeth just feel a bit weird at times-must be when they're moving!!I still wear the mouth guard to sleep a few times a month when the cheeks are sore!!

 I've just returned from another trip to the dentist, as another 2 top brackets came off! I think even the Dentist and Dental Nurse are getting fed up with my visits, let alone me!! Must be at least the tenth time I've been back for a bracket re-stick! I have another appointment in 4 weeks and have been told not to return for a bracket re-stick unless its on one of the teeth that need to move :( Well, I shall not return if one comes off-UNLESS its really annoying or painful! The upper, back left bracket came off and kept pinching my cheek causing an ulcer! So if it annoys me, I'll be back-I'm paying £3,500 for this-so I want the least discomfort possible!!

So how are my teeth doing?
I was at the dentist last week for a general check up and to check the spacing was OK still, so my teeth will still move. I had some very light filing. I told him about the really sensitive bit between my bottom left 2nd and 3rd teeth from centre and so he put de-sensitising agent on before filing! Don't know what that is-but it worked, filing was pain free and I can now get the inter dental brush in between those teeth again without hitting the ceiling and nearly vomiting-phew!! The teeth I was worried about not moving, are moving, its just slow and less obvious now!! But I have photographic evidence!

So, I go back on the 1st of November for THE FINAL WIRE CHANGE!!! yaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy! That will be the 4 month check! The dentist initially said my lower teeth could be done in as little as 4 months, so I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hope I'll get there on the 1st and he'll say my lower teeth are done!! Fingers extra crossed!!!! Still, I can't help hoping my teeth will do some serious moving in the next 4 weeks and will be perfectly straight next month-and the dentist will whip all the braces off!! Once again-day one photo's on the left, week 14 on the right!

These next few pics are 5th sept on the left, 5th October on the right and are the only teeth left to turn!!

First the bottom left teeth-definite movement in the last 4 weeks, the canine (3rd tooth) is not overlapping the 2nd tooth as much-but not that easy to see on the computer pics. But there's still a slight overlap between the 2 front bottom teeth

Then the top left teeth. The tooth next to my front tooth is definitely more in line-again easier to see on the camera, than the computer! But you can definitely see that the next tooth along has finally started to turn, you can see a slight gap between it (3rd upper left) and the next tooth(4th).

10 Weeks-Anna

So, I've survived 10 weeks in total! Honestly, half the time I love the braces, especially when a few teeth feel tender and I know they must be on the move, a quarter of me forgets they're there! The rest of the time I just want to rip them off so I can go out and eat without talking with my lips over my teeth, or doing the lip freeing manoeuvre on my top lip-which gets stuck on the braces when I laugh! I was actually recently asked why I kept doing the lip freeing manoeuvre-I explained my lip gets stuck on the braces, the person replied "oh, I thought you were on drugs!". Charming!! Especially as I had only met this person once before!! I had a bracket stuck back on the day before a holiday 2 weeks ago, woke up the next morning and the one next to it had pinged off-no time for the dentist before the holiday, so had to wait 10 days to have it put on! Horrible feeling!! Not only did I think my tooth (the naughty bottom left canine which needed all that filing!!) wouldn't move (which it's being stubborn about anyway!!) but I was worried it would actually move back! However, I think it just stayed put :(. I'm finding hard to notice much movement now, because they moved so much at the beginning. The easiest way to see what needs to move is my looking at the angles created on the wire from the wonky teeth.  However, my wonky teeth are pretty much straight now-just 2 or three on the bottom right which need to come up-its the only angle visible on the wire now really. The rest is about turning the teeth, so its more difficult to see if they've moved! I had a wire change the other day when I had the bracket re-stuck, it wasn't due to be changed for a week-but he said my teeth were ready-YAY! So I got a thicker, less flexible wire! To me, that means I'm a week ahead in treatment and the teeth will start moving quicker again! The wire is noticeably thicker and more obvious-but hey-I'm over a third of the way there now-so if the thicker wire means the teeth move more, that's fine with me!!! Still have the odd day of the inside of my cheeks being swollen, but I just make sure I wax the odd sharp bit,sleep with the mouth guard on that night and take anti inflammatories and that sorts me right out!! I'm back for a check up at the end of the September,(in 3 weeks time -which will be the half way point!), then the next appointment will be at the end of October for the final wire change!!! Not sure if the next wire is thicker again, or just a new one the same as this one!! Also, the exciting thing about that visit is that the ortho said my bottom teeth should be finished in 4 months and THAT will be the 4 month appointment-fingers crossed this damn tooth moves!! It would be very nice if this last wire change does the job for the top and bottom teeth and it all comes off in October! But we'll see!! Fingers extra crossed for that!! I have taken a few extra pics this week of the teeth that need turning-the bottom left canine and the top left canine plus its neighbour to the left! Want to keep an eye on those in the next few weeks and see how they're doing! Again, Initial photo's left, week 10 on the right!

 Upper Left

 Lower Left

6 weeks! Anna

So, I'm 6 weeks in and the difference in my teeth is amazing!! I've realised I'm much less self conscious about having the braces-just have to be bold and smile a lot, then people can see them, they have a quick look and thats it!!My top lip still gets stuck on them when I smile, so I still have to do the weird lip freeing manouvre-but it doesn't bother me much now! I've been on a few nights out and no one really seems to notice them much-or they've had too many drinks to notice!!  I'm still getting lots of questions about braces-how much they cost, how long will it take and can people have the number of the clinic I go to!! I'm managing to eat whatever I like really, but still consuming things that don't require much chewing at work and when out-to avoid the mess of half a meal being caught in them!! I went on holiday 3 days after my wire change-haven't had much tooth pain-a bit weird and numb at times and a tiny bit tender-but it's no where near like when you first have them put on-phew!! The only thing was on the 2nd day of holiday, the insides of my cheeks and lips got a bit swollen and the braces started to rub again, but obviously I travel everywhere with wax now-so it was easy to avoid the ulcers. Seemed to settle down after a nights sleep with the mouth gaurd in! Apart from that day, I haven't needed the wax at all this week! I think its because my teeth have moved so much, no one particular tooth is sticking out to cause rubbing. 3 teeth still need to move in a bit-but they don't stick out so obviously! Most of the movement left to go is moving the teeth left or right, and 3 need to turn to face forward! I have to say I still like the pressure you get on your teeth because you know they're moving! I feel like the time is flying by now, but I'm still eager to get them off and am still counting down the weeks! This really helps though-as does looking at the pics regularly!
Once again, day 1 on the left, 6 weeks on the right
Again my snaggle tooth next my front upper middle tooth has moved in a bit!!
The same tooth on the other side has straightened a bit! But I think the biggest change in the last 2 weeks is the 3rd from centre, lower right tooth-which I didn't realise how misplaced it was until seeing this weeks pics! It's really moved back and up into its proper place, so there is much less of an angle on that bottom wire! and it's turned slightly!
My two front bottom teeth are very nearly not overlapping and a gap has opened between them at the gum line-so ready to be straighter once they're not overlapping-yay!
 I think the 2 teeth I have yet to see much movement in are the bottom, left 3rd from centre-which is pretty much side ways and required all that filing last time! And the top, left, 3rd from centre-next to the snaggle tooth!! Come on you 3 teeth-keep moving!!!

One month!! YAY!!: Anna

So, I've survived my first month in braces!! Through ulcers, numb teeth, tender teeth and feeling like I've been teething at times!! But here I am, having resisted the urge to rip them off!! My main complaint is that I AM HUNGRY!!! No time for a quick bite or snack because it means taking all the wax blobs off (although usually there are only 1 or 2 now), brushing, picking bits of food out and re-waxing. So you can only really eat quick things in public or at work-thus a lot of soup and cereal has been consumed at work and when out to dinner!! And endless drinking, I seem to be thirsty ALL the time! I've had 2 further brackets come off this week, a bit annoying, but they can be re stuck! Next week I'm off on holiday, so we'll see how I hold up there! Especially as I had my first wire change today!! Not sure how I'll be able to eat having only had my wire changed 3 days before, but we'll see!! So he took the elastics off, then the wires, a bottom bracket also popped off with the wire, so the 3 escaped brackets had to be re stuck again first. Then filing-eek! It was all going fine until my twisted bottom tooth!! He couldn't get the file between it (again), so had to kind of drill it (again)!! It was fine to begin with, but was suddenly VERY sensitive-not nice-but he had to carry on and get it done, as that tooth hasn't really moved. Although it must have moved a bit because it was filed manually and with the electric thing the day they were put on. Certainly not looking forward to that again next time (think I'll be using sensodyne A LOT the week I go back!!) Luckily the next wire change isn't for 2 months-phew! I have got the hygienist next month though.
So to sum this month up, significantly straighter teeth and a smaller waist line!!! I think you can see that again my top teeth are moving beautifully, but the bottom ones don't seem to have moved much! It's strange because the ortho said my bottom teeth will be done in about 4 months and my top ones in 5-6.  I'd love to get the tops off first, but I'm guessing the bottoms will move all of a sudden and over take the tops, especially after all that filing :(
Again, day 1 pics on the left, day 28 on the right.

Above you can see that pesky twisted tooth that needs so much filing! Hopefully it will really move now!!!!