8 a.m. Monday, June 15, 2009

I arrive before my appointment time and have a Chai green tea. How exciting, I'm getting my braces off! Off the top teeth anyway... Here's what they do:

1. Clip tiny wires tying main wire to braces.
2. Remove main "C" wire at the same time squeezing back-tooth metal braces - they come off easily and then Meryl starts to explain what she's doing...
3. The porcelain braces are more rigid so she says beware... it may feel uncomfortable. She has to grip and twist each one to snap them off. It's fine but it feels like if she were to apply more pressure, or in reality was gripping the tooth instead, that it would twist and pop right out! Instead, only 1 or 2 braces actually "break" and a couple pieces land on my face.
4. There is thicker residue where the back metal braces were as they required more "stick" to stay put - and they were the anchors for the others.
5. To scrape off the 3M-made glue for the metal and porcelain braces, she uses a rinse and a hard polish to get it off.
6. With a finer polish, my top teeth are smoothed out to resemble a baby's bottom :)
7. I rinse and the orthodontist takes a look - I haven't even seen them yet.

Finally, Meryl gave me a mirror and wow! I can't believe how big my teeth are. She also showed me the before photos - what a difference. We hug one another - joyous occasion!

Now for the bottom ones; Meryl has removed the wire to have Willy make artistic bends. The eye teeth shifted too much so the bottom front 4 are now overlapping a bit. Grrr! He is very busy though, and needs to do a consultation first so I have 2 green teas and read a magazine. It's a comfortable office and I could stay there as long as they need me to. :)

I end up staying nearly 90 minutes to get everything done but hopefully the bottom will be working over the next week before I go in again and I will be closer to actually getting the bottom braces off too! Meryl said maybe another month. Prior to today, I was thinking 8 weeks, so it's good news. Unfortunately with the top teeth straight (I'm a movie star!) and the bottom right (position 4-3) being too twisted, my jaws don't fit together like they have been (the eye tooth prevents my teeth from entirely coming together) and it's slightly uncomfortable and unnerving.

I also feel like I still have somewhat of a narrow "horse" mouth when I look at a photo I take of myself smiling "big". Are they really straight?? I can't be sure until the bottoms are also straightened fully and the braces removed... I am paranoid. I calculate that the cost of these braces equal out to nearly $300 per tooth! They had better be perfect! I have to ask when I go in next week. The teeth on the top right, i.e. 1-2, 1-3 and 1-4 should be "out" more, I think. 1-5 looks to be out far enough and both front teeth are fine, it's just the 3 in between.

I get a mold done using raspberry-flavoured "guck" they put in a steel-looking mouth guard tray then insert in my mouth to make my retainer. It's gagging but brief and I cannot wait until next week to get it to further help my straight teeth and prevent them from returning to the way they were. The assistant that did that task told me a couple of things: (1) I will continually run my tongue over my new, smooth teeth obsessively; (2) not as many people will notice as I expect - and it turns out to be the truth!

I am wearing elastics in front to shift the bottoms but 2 hours after the end of my appointment, one "figure 8" elastic comes half off. I try a couple of times but it won't secure. I make an appointment for tomorrow to get it fixed. Later in the evening, I try until the elastic breaks so I snip it off completely as it is really irritating the inside of my mouth.

The new artistic bends are working though as both 'eye' teeth are quite sore. It feels tender to bite into things so I'm hoping there's a lot of progress in 7 days which is the main reason I prefer not to wait to get this elastic looked at (the only thing attaching the wire to the brace).

I return to the ortho office the next day Tuesday, June 16th at 10:10 a.m. (I got to sleep in a little at least) to get the elastic replaced and was given more in case it comes off/breaks again. It doesn't but a piece sticks out like a pin and I am forced to use the wax I was given months ago.... Oh, how I cannot WAIT until I get ALL these braces and wires out of my mouth!!

I get a cookie and a send-off, "Your first bite is on us." :) How nice!