a good pain

I’m thinking that repositioning that bracket did the trick, ‘cause my bottom teeth were sore this weekend!  It’s a “good” pain, though, isn’t it – the awful feeling of progress?  :-#   A slightly tingly sensation…  I was starting to miss that!  Yea for movement!

adjustment

I had an ortho appointment this morning.  They scheduled it for 7:30 a.m., which meant I got to “sleep in” until 7 (it’s within 2 miles of my house).  I’ve starting carpooling to work and have been leaving my house at 5:30 a.m. to get to work at 6.  Eek.  We did not carpool this week, but I’ve been attempting (poorly) to maintain the same schedule.  So far the earliest I’ve made it in to work was 7…  Not so good. 

But I digress.  Back to my appointment – Ortho Asst looked at my teeth and decided Dr. Weber needed to examine me in case he wanted to move a couple of brackets.  Seems my bottom front teeth are stalling and are still too crooked.  Not good.  After waiting for 20-25 minutes in the chair, fortunately with a good book, Dr. Weber approached and declared yes, they would move a bracket.  He first scraped my bottom teeth for a bit, to ensure that there was no extra composite stuck between them, hampering their movement. Then he removed the offending bracket, reglued it in a slightly different position, and sent me on my way.  At my next visit (about 8 weeks), they’ll give me a new (copper?) wire.  Hopefully I’ll have some progress before then… my bottoms do feel a little tighter already.  A little tingly even – a good sign. 

 

Dr. Weber also commented on my somewhat stained front teeth – probably due to coffee.  Oops.  I’ll brush harder, but I’m not giving up the morning joe – it’s too dangerous for all the other unaware drivers that share the morning commute with me! 

 

Hope everyone is doing well is The Land of Adult Orthodontia. 

 

The ortho pity party

Join in the fun!

 

Why is it that you won’t even notice your braces for days on end (well, almost not notice them) and then you’ll wake up with huge sores on your cheeks that last for a week?  It’s like my brackets turned into razor blades overnight and sawed apart the inside of my face.  Ouch! 

 

My teeth must have moved a little bit.  I’m not actually seeing any visual progress as of late; it seems like it happened all at once in the beginning and has now slowed to a crawl.  I have an adjustment next Thursdays, so maybe the ortho will see something I don’t… 

 

Sorry to whine.  I’m just a little glum about the approach of my 6-month point – it feels like it’s been a year already and the end is nowhere in sight! 

 

Anyone want to join my pity party and add your complaints? C’mon, it’s fun! ;)

the braces go jogging

I was out jogging this weekend with my dog, and was passed by another runner.  As she went by I noticed her teeth and said “I like your braces!”  I swear, she shot me the dirtiest look!  Like she thought I was making fun of her or something!  Really, like a non-braced person would even say anything – or notice for that matter, right?  Only us tin-grins are looking for that sort of thing and would be brazen enough to shout at a total stranger. 

 

But while she was glaring at me, I just grinned really big so she could see my braces, too.  She softened and laughed.  We had a quick how-long-are-you-in-for convo and she continued on her way… 

trendsetter

A lady I know at work ran up to me today to show me her new braces.  Yeah, that’s right – I’ve inspired someone. ;)

 

Notice the lack of photos?  I finally got a hold of the photographer about their whereabouts – he said he thought he sent them to me, but mailed out another disc yesterday morning – we should have them tonight. J  Even if I hate them all, I’ll post one for you all to see… :-#

blah

Nothing too exciting going on here...no appointments, no toothaches, just the usual cycle of eat, floss, brush, rinse and repeat. I gave those pix another try today. Nope, still don't like 'em. They don't slide between my teeth as promised...you just can't replace floss...

One bit of news since I last posted - I had some professional photographs taken! A local photographer was looking for belly dancers to pose for a contest entry he's putting together, and I volunteered. I warned him about the braces ahead of time, but he was very enthusiastic nonetheless. It was a lot of fun - I usually hate pictures, but he made me very comfortable; it was easy to smile. I haven't seen them yet, but I can't wait!

But other than that...this whole experience is starting to get old. I'm a bit bored by the braces. I know this is all about patience, but I've lost mine. Blah.

The amazing braced belly dancer

A friend and I got hired for a birthday party gig last night at an Indian restaurant.  I thought it went pretty well - all the diners seems to enjoy watching me...but then it occurred to me that they might just be staring at my braces!  :(  Ugh, even when I'm all dolled-up and feeling pretty, the braces manage to knock me back to reality like THAT!

Oh, well.

Just a quick update on the Tung Brush.  Several people commented on the whole "bleeding" thing.  It's not like it was a ton of bleeding - it was more like I scraped a little too hard.  And it actually only happened the one time.  You know all the little bumps on your tongue?  I basically scraped off one of those, I think...  Hopefully that makes sense... ???  Overall, I'm really enamored by the brush - it feels like it gets a lot more gunk off of my tongue with much less effort that using my regular toothbrush. 

Now, those pix are a different story.  I'm not good with flossing apparatuses, I guess.   I need to stick with my regular floss - Oral-B Super Floss.  I freakin' love this stuff.  I couldn't get the hang of those floss threaders, but these strings come with a stiff end so you don't need a separate threader.  The Oral Pix, oh those damn Oral Pix.  True, I only tried one, but I managed to stab myself in the gum and let me tell you - that was some blood!  Maybe someone else will have an easier time with them, but I just don't think I have the dexterity for poking little plastic swords between my teeth...

Happy Memorial Day weekend, all...