all fixed.. again!

Finally got my arse over to the hospital today to get my brackets recemented. I look and feel much better! I hate how i've only had my braces 16 days and i've had to get things fixed twice already!

On a brighter note I love university! I'm really enjoying the freedom and loving all the parties that have been going on!

complications

Posts have been lacking recently because I just moved into university! I got here on Sunday and have been absolutely loving it. I even met a girl on the floor above me with braces! She's the only person i've seen so far with them, we are definitely a minority group here.

Unfortunately one of the brackets on my front teeth has slipped right down and is causing me quite a bit of pain. I'm not really sure what to do about it, I live too far from home to just pop back there. There's a dental hospital in the city near me, I think i'll give them a ring and hopefully they can see me soon. For now i'm just using a lot of wax and trying to forget about it!

Things i've learned after 4 days in braces

1. My teeth are SO SORE in the morning!

Seriously. The pain actually wakes me up in the morning it's that bad. Not fun.

2. Eating is HARD

Due to number 1 my teeth are still only nice to soft food. I would kill for a McD's right now but I can't get one because a) even the phrase 'bite into a burger' makes my teeth scream in pain b) 90% of it will probably end up on my teeth and c) it would take me about 2 hours to eat it.

3. Bonjela becomes your new best friend

Ok, so this only really started yesterday but ULCERS!!!! Oh my goodness! The wax isn't even doing anything anymore which means hello more pain. When I smile/laugh the braces catch on the corners of my mouth so I have two matching ones there, and a huge one on my bottom lip. Nice.

4. Brushing is a pain

Takes me twice as long as it used to, and now it also brings more pain (see 3)

and after all that ranting...

5. It isn't as bad as you think

Because sore teeth = movement, the ulcers will disappear in a day or two, its better to have a clean mouth than to have bits of food stuck in your teeth and who needs to eat anyway?

All patched up :)

Feeling so much better than I did yesterday :) it's 11pm here now and nothing has come loose yet (touch wood!)

Went back to the dental hospital today and got 5 or 6 brackets replaced - I stuck to light blue ligs as they've only been on a day! It was an uncomfortable appointment with more pain than yesterday to be honest, I'm definitely not looking forward to my first adjustment.

I'm taking painkillers right now as my teeth are sore, but I don't really mind because it means something is happening in there! I can't wait to see progress, even if it is the tiniest bit of movement.

I'm also getting more used to my appearance as time goes on - I went out with two of my friends to cheer myself up earlier and I was self-conscious at first because they were the first people outside of my family to see me with braces, but after 10 minutes or so I had forgotten about them and was talking to my friends like normal :) yay!

Frustration

So I was brushing my teeth tonight extra carefully due to the soreness that started a few hours ago and ANOTHER bracket is loose! I've had my braces on for nearly 12 hours and 2 brackets are already loose. Looks like i'm phoning the dental hospital tomorrow for an emergency appointment - I'm moving 150 miles away to university next Sunday and I need this fixed before I go.

It's just not fair. I didn't particularly want braces but I was willing to try them, at this point I'm willing to try ANYTHING to make my teeth look better.

My teeth give me serious confidence issues, like many other bloggers going through this process. I'm conscious of opening my mouth in front of anyone. I haven't smiled with my teeth since I was about 5. I can't eat anything hard/chewy/sticky in fear that I'll lose a tooth.

I'm not complaining about having braces at all, I just wish that they'd stay in place like they would do for anyone with normal, enamel coated teeth. If the braces don't work I have no idea what plan B is, but at the moment I haven't got a good feeling about them sticking like they should.

It just isn't fair.

And so it begins...

They're on!

The appointment took about an hour. It wasn't painful at all, just uncomfortable - I wasn't a fan of the giant plastic device that felt like it was trying to rip my lips apart.

My orthodontist had a bit of trouble with 'lower 1' as she called it - the bracket popped off when she was fitting the ligatures, but she replaced it with no problems.
I went for light blue ligs (on Amanda's advice!) and I'm quite happy with them :) hopefully they'll distract from my yellow teeth.

My OD didn't seem too convinced that the brackets were going to stay put. I think she used a different primer to try and get them to stick better but we'll just have to wait and see! I asked how long she thought I would need braces before I get surgery and she said 18 months, which I was expecting.

Things keep popping and cracking inside my mouth and I jump every time I feel something - did anyone else feel this? I really hope nothing breaks off. Also, my mouth feels absolutely huge and I can't speak properly at all, I keep lisping.

All in all i'm just pleased the journey has begun. My next appointment is 21st October

I'll post more pictures tomorrow, I'm at my dad's at the minute and I don't have my camera with me!

EDIT: one of the brackets is wobbly already. It's been 4 hours.

ahhhhh

Operation Fix Beth's Face officially commences in less than 24 hours.
I'm scared.

pre-braces photos

As promised, the before photos! I must admit, like every other person i've been so apprehensive to take them, simply because I avoid looking at my teeth in all their glory at all costs.
Because I have major self-confidence issues, they're in black and white. Maybe one day i'll have the confidence to show you lot what they look like at present, but that wouldn't be until i'm completely finished and happy with my smile.
Anyway, enough blabbing from me *takes deep breath*, here we go:





Looking straight on. My open overbite casts a shadow over my bottom teeth, that's how bad it is!





Angled slightly upwards, this gives you a better view of my open bite. You can see my brackets peeping out from behind :)





Taken from the side, biting down. Again this shows you the extent of my open bite.





Bottom teeth. Notice how none of them are embedded straight in my gums? All wonky :(
You can also see how thin my incisors are, due to the amelogenesis imperfecta





And the top teeth. Again you can see how thin the incisors are here.





Side profile as of September 2011



And that's me. Horrendous I know, I have a long road ahead of me! I get my braces in 6 days and I don't know whether to feel scared or excited, I suppose I can't really look any worse! It feels strange that the next time I post i'll probably be all braced up.






And for those that were wondering, this is me with my friend :) i'm the blondie!