I had an orthodontist appointment last week. I had my fingers crossed when I went into the office, hoping that I would at least get the "Braces Off" date and/or be able to stop wearing these dang rubber bands! My lips and gums are SO irritated (still) from the rubber bands- they are NOT fun. In order to get the bands where they are suppose to go, I have to open my mouth as wide as possible and stretch one end of the rubber band back to the very top back tooth...while keeping enough slack in the rubber band to zig zag up several teeth. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, when I do that, the rubber band cuts into the very corners of my mouth! Seriously, I have tons of tiny, itty bitty cuts on the corners of my mouth...OUCH.
So I ended up getting good news and bad news. Bad news first- I have to keep wearing the rubber bands. The bands are keeping my bite where it is suppose to be...and they help my jaw learn where it's suppose to be when it's 'resting.' Good news- I only have to wear them for one more week because MY BRACES ARE COMING OFF NEXT MONDAY!! Whoot whoot! I almost cried in the office during my appointment because I was so excited. I knew I was getting close, but I didn't know I was this close! I'm so excited! I'm nervous, mainly because my teeth are still uber sensitive and I'm not sure how much the braces coming off is going hurt, but I can handle anything at this point....I'm ready.
So next Monday at 9am I will go into Dr. Smith's office to have my braces taken off. The Doc is then going to put a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth (behind them to keep them in place- it won't show) and I'll have a regular retainer to wear at night on my top teeth. I can't even imagine what my teeth are going to feel like without all this metal! Seriously...I've forgotten. I'll have some 'after' shots taken at the orthodontist right after they finish up. Then, I'll have to schedule a follow-up with my surgeon so that he can do my 'after' pics as well. I'm curious to put all the pics side by side to see what it looks like....I'll share, don't worry.
I guess what I'm most excited about is NOT being paranoid about my teeth anymore. I've NEVER felt that way. Forever I was constantly hiding my teeth so that no one would notice how crooked they were. Then, when I got braces, I was always paranoid that I had something in my teeth or that I looked like a 15 year old. I've never been comfortable just smiling...ever. I'm thrilled at the thought of just not thinking about my teeth anymore and just living with them! It will definitely make me more willing to smile in pictures...and will make me much more comfortable giving presentations and what-not. Dang, I'm excited.
So yes, that's my big news. One more week, baby. I've already scheduled a cleaning and whitening for the following weeks (couldn't in til June, though). Below is how happy I am right now. =)
