Braces After 40

Met a guy in braces

2011-09-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

I met this guy who had braces just as long as I've had :-). 4.5 years! Except that he's out of them on Friday; lucky guy :-).

He says that he switched Ortho and he had them off for a week in between treatment and it was funny as his friends thought he was always smiling as his lips thought that he still had braces on :).

He had silver brackets with silver ligatures. He actually says he does not mind braces and will perhaps miss them once they are off on Friday.

Week 224: 4 years, 3 months, and 18 days or 1,568 days

2011-06-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

Yuppers, its been a long time since I got my braces.

Today, I'm having a slight pain where the now inner molar is meeting the canine on the upper left. I'm still in black ligatures.

I had two mangoes for breakfast and just had some crackers and cheese so that should do it for today.

A girl in braces

2011-06-14T13:53:00.001-05:00

I went out for lunch and the cashier had braces. They were metallic on both the top and the bottom with red ligatures. I did not have a chance to ask about her treatment, but we both smiled at each other. I guess that's the "I feel your pain" smile.

A guy with lingual braces

2011-06-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

I was on the bus and started talking to this guy. It turns out he had braces on the lower arch, well at least what I could see. they were metallic ones with silver ligatures. I did notice that he had a wide space between his two front teeth and wondered why he did not have braces on the top.

We started to talk about his treatment and he opened his mouth and showed me his upper arch; he had lingual braces! I'd never seen anyone with those in person, except for pictures online.

It actually made his speech slur a bit and he'd had them for 2 years he said, and had some issues with his treatment. he said he wanted the lingual braces on the lower as well, but he could not afford it. Apparently its more expensive he says. He's from Mexico and was returning home via bus.

Fillings

2011-05-31T11:54:00.006-05:00

Well as it turns out, I had to have a filling done on my upper right inner molar :-(. Also, the part on the upper outer one had to be fixed as well.

The dentist aslo said that I may have to do a root canal on the outer molar, which does not sound good at all. Grr...

Bummer...

toothache

2011-05-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

I have a toothache; it looks like my upper right molar has a cavity :-(.

a guy in braces at the grocery store

2011-05-23T19:58:00.000-05:00

My check out guy had braces. He had red ligatures and its metallic on both top and bottom.
He's had them for 1.5 years and says he will get them off in August. We chatted a bit about our treatment. He says that he only had pains within the first 3 weeks of his treatment. He does not have any pain from adjustments anymore. Lucky devil :-).

Met a guy in braces

2011-05-22T19:59:00.001-05:00

I met this guy who had ceramic braces on both top and bottom arches. He had a metallic wire on both arches. He's had his braces for 6 months now and will have them for another year and a half he said. He was happy with his treatment so far.

a guy in braces on the bus

2011-05-12T18:10:00.002-05:00

There was a guy on my bus in braces. I did not get a chance to talk with him though. He had metallic brackets on top and bottom. The ligatures colors were silver. He looked like he had a ways to go with his treatment.

Adjustment May 10, 2011

2011-05-12T01:57:00.000-05:00

Latest video at 216 weeks

2011-04-21T23:02:00.006-05:00

New adjustment

2011-04-21T19:36:00.000-05:00

I went for my adjustment today and the office was pretty full. I usually go in the morning so its usually just me and maybe one other person there.

Soon, it was my turn; I had missed my appt from last month so I apologized for it.

Apparently, one of my front tooth got lower than the other one as there was a wire out of place :-(. So the Ortho suspended the treatment to take care of that.

I got a wore change on the top, plus new ligatures; baby blue this time around. Not powerchains though, except just on the upper two molars to help to close the gaps.

next appt. May 10, at 8:45a.

4 years and 4 weeks into this deal

2011-03-30T12:40:00.000-05:00

Well, its 4 years and 1 month since I started the journey.
The inner left cheek is a bit sore from the top wire poking it all the time.
Still wearing my elastics like a good patient. But the re-alignment has a ways to go. The molar is actually moving forward quite quickly. Much quicker than I thought.
I still have issues with putting the elastics on the upper left molar; will see if they can make the hook more accessible on my next visit.

met a lady in braces

2011-03-27T11:43:00.001-05:00

met this girl in braces who also had silver brackets as well as silver powerchains. She says that its been two years now and she will be out of them next month. She says she can't wait to get done. She thought it was odd that I've had mine in for so long.

a guy in braces

2011-03-26T16:41:00.000-05:00

I met a guy in braces today; he had silver brackets on top and both for the last two years. He says that he should have been out of them last month, but his Ortho says it will be this month; next week.

cut in jaw

2011-03-14T08:24:00.002-05:00

Just felt a cut in my right inner jaw :-(. Sometimes braces are a pain in the mouth :-(.

Two guys in braces

2011-03-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

I met a guy in braces who has had them for 6 months. He has silver ligatures on top and bottom as well, just like I do now.

he says he has about another year left.

I met another guy, but did not get a chance to talk about his treatment. He had metal brackets with black ligatures on top and bottom with some extractions.

hard food :-(

2011-03-05T06:48:00.000-06:00

I just had some cereal and a bagel for breakfast. That bagel was so hard :-(.

I'm staring at an apple but can't do it. I also had a grapefruit, whose exterior was really hard to bit even after I'd taken off all the red skin :-(.

These new elastics to put my midline back to where it belongs is really tight on my teeth uugh...

Met a guy in braces

2011-03-04T22:30:00.000-06:00

I just met a guy in braces who has ceramics on top but metallics on the bottom. He says his Ortho told him 1.5 years, but it is taking longer. He also mentioned that two of his family members only took a year. Oh well.

My teeth still hurts but thankfully not as bad.

more pain

2011-03-03T08:22:00.000-06:00

I awoke with teeth pain :-(.
I guess this new elastic combination sucks!

Week 209: My Teeth really hurts :-(

2011-03-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

Its 209 weeks since I got braces. Good grief.

My front teeth are hurting so bad at the moment; This new elastic combination is just bad and will take some time to get used to I guess. My midline is really off so I definitely need them.
I had a chicken sandwich for lunch today as well as two, well three cookies. Yes, I ate too much.
Once home, I had crackers of all things. Well, I was hungry, then some peanuts (I ate them with my molars). Still hurt.

I had my adjustment today

2011-03-01T20:46:00.000-06:00

At 8:30a, I arrived at the Ortho's office.

The asst. took off the elastics and powerchains and then asked me what color I wanted; I'll be dull and have silver I said.

She changed the top and then waited for the Ortho to come over. Once she did, she kept making ohhs and ahhs... Apparently my teeth had changed dramatically as she looked at the impression of my mouth when I'd first come in. It was truly remarkable indeed.

Then she out the powerchains on the bottom. Also, I now needed different elastics. The elastics were now sea lion and heavy ones. In some crazy format so it will now re-align my mid line.
On the left, it goes from lower #3 to upper molar and on the right upper molar to lower #3, canine. The sea lion elastics are on the right.

4 Years in Braces

2011-02-28T20:57:00.007-06:00

So, 4 years ago, I embarked on this braces journey.

It's been a fantastic journey indeed. The results speak for itself. My tooth has moved forward, my smile is awesome and I love it...

Thanks for being with me over the last four years.

this may gross you out

2011-01-26T08:36:00.001-06:00

I often eat my elastics when I eat. This morning I saw one, if you get my drift. I guess my digestive system works :-)...

Having a cold with braces can suck

2010-12-25T00:12:00.000-06:00

So I've had a cold for a few days now, O.K. a week :-(.

I'm taking some anti-biotics which is good.

My throat still hurts though.

I read recently that I should change my teeth brush as it gets infected with bacteria after a cold; just did not really think about that hehe.

So I'll change my teeth brush today. Hot water will have to do for the electric one as I don't have any more new header.

Merry Xmas everyone!

sandwich day

2010-12-10T18:54:00.000-06:00

I had a chicken sandwich for lunch today. It was really good and posed no issues. I ensured I brushed after though.

I also had some iced pretzel, uugh... not sure why I did that as it just made my teeth full of sugar.

I spoke to one of my colleagues who has just gotten braces. She has ceramic brackets with silver wire. She says she had them when she was younger, but has to have them for about a year or so as she need to have lower jaw surgery.

We exchanged stories and then I wished her well with the surgery noting that YoutTube has several videos with the subject. She said that she did not want to se any of them and will just have the surgery and hope to get over it quickly.

Having some crackers and cheese now.

brushing

2010-12-10T08:30:00.000-06:00

Just brushed and all is well, except for the sensitivity to cold on the base of the upper right molar :-(. it is getting less sensitive though.
I did use my electronic toothbrush. Now if I can only get to flossing regularly I'll be set.

Will have some cereal on the way out.

chicken sandwiches for lunch

2010-12-09T23:26:00.000-06:00

I got up and brushed using my electronic toothbrush. No issues at all. I'm amazed at how well the glue still holds after more than 3.5 years of braces. In closer examination of my teeth though they are discolored due to the glue :-(.

I still have sensitivity to cold on the upper left molar though :-(. it is a little less sensitive though.

I had some cereal on the way out that stuck in my braces so I had to constantly clean my mouth on the way out the door :-(.

Lunch was some mini chicken burgers which was really good and some soggy fries. did not need those fries at all.

Dinner, a cheese sandwich. Then I brushed before bed adding listerine.

I had some chilli today

2010-12-08T23:06:00.000-06:00

My teeth was hurting a bit today and my mouth is a bit sore. So I decided to have some chili as it is actually quite cold as well.

Dinner was a cheese sandwich plus some cold cuts.

I then brushed with the electric toothbrush and washed with the new non-alcoholic Listerine I bought two days ago. So far so good. As you know my dentist advised to stop using normal Listerine about two or so years ago as it was too harsh. I've been using another mouthwash ever since that is non-alcoholic. Recently, I heard that Listerine now had a non-alcoholic version so I decided to try it.

Week 197 in pictures without the elastics

2010-12-08T22:40:00.001-06:00

197 weeks

2010-12-08T08:40:00.001-06:00

It seems like I will have braces forever!

My molars are slowly moving...So I have no idea how much longer it will be. I'm guessing next Christmas I will still be in braces.

My upper left canine hurts and I fear I have an infection again. It usually cost me $45 each time I go for a cleaning and I have an infection :-(...

I used my electric toothbrush this morning, but I need to get back to daily flossing. uugh!

the new wire hurts

2010-12-07T20:26:00.001-06:00

I'm having pain all over my mouth, but especially the lower arch due to the new wire.

I also got clipped by the pliers twice so I have a nips on my inner mouth and my lower lip :-(.

I had some chicken and rice yesterday for lunch which was O.K. although I had preferred soup.

Dinner was a few slices of bread with cold cuts and cheese.

In elastics again

2010-12-06T23:23:00.001-06:00

I had my adjustment today and I'm now back in 24 hour elastics. It was scheduled for tomorrow, but I changed it as it was more convenient for me to do it today.

The lower archwire was changed and then I had new purple powerchains on the top and bottom arches. I still my last upper molar on the right sensitive to cold :-(. No help from the adjustment today. This cold sensitivity has been going on for over a month now :-(.

It does not seem as if the molar is moving on the upper left side at all. I also had a new lingual placed between the two teeth on the upper left. It kept coming off all month, so I'm sure it will no time before it comes off again.

For lunch just prior to the adjustment, I had two slices of pizza so I had to brush carefully before going to the Ortho office. Once home, I had two sandwiches and them some grapes.

Adjustment in Pictures

2010-12-06T17:32:00.003-06:00

My jaw is clicking

2010-10-13T23:15:00.000-05:00

My left jaw is clicking each time I chew. This is really bugging me and I think is giving me headaches a lot!

I see the Ortho tomorrow so I hope she can help me out :-(.

I had a chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato for lunch as well as a beef pastry for dinner with some peanuts. yes, I know I should not be eating nuts, but can't help it at all. I love nuts.

I ensured that I brushed before going to bed.

I met a guy in braces today

2010-10-13T10:12:00.001-05:00

After what's been a long while, I met a guy in braces today. he was on my bus on my way to work this morning.

He had silver brackets with silver metallic ligatures. He has metal on top and bottom. He's had them for one year and has another year to go. He says he wished they were off already. We talked about our treatments for a while until he exited the bus.

A guy on the bus with braces

2010-08-30T17:41:00.001-05:00

I was heading home from work and a guy came on the bus with braces. He had white ligatures with metallic braces. I was unable to ask him about his treatment though

more pain

2010-08-26T18:27:00.000-05:00

Today just sucked with pain. I had a sandwich with chicken, lettuce, tomato and cucumber and a milk shake. My teeth hurt so bad during the process.

At home, I had some mangoes and still they hurt...

teeth ache

2010-08-26T08:39:00.001-05:00

I awoke this morning and my teeth hurts. Especially the ones that anchor the elastics :-(. I'm brushing and it still hurts...
This always happens after my adjustment for a few days. The adjustment was on Tuesday. I'll have some cereal before heading out.

The clicking is back temporarily

2010-07-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

I went out for lunch today and the click came back. It looks like I somehow strained my jaw. The left side is reallly swollen and you can feel a bump where it hinges to the back of my head by my left ear. This is really eerie as I have no idea how it all happened.

I did not hear it for the rest of the day, but when I open my mouth wide, it really hurts and there is a bulge on the left side of my face :-(.

the clicking is gone

2010-07-30T08:11:00.001-05:00

I awoke this morning with the clicking. I brushed my teeth then took a shower.

Now the clicking is gone! That is good, but what the heck caused it?

my jaw is clicking

2010-07-29T22:07:00.000-05:00

I awoke this morning and brushed without any issues.

On my way to work, I was eating a banana and I heard my left jaw click at the point just infront of my ears. It was eerie and loud. I called my Ortho and the Asst. says just to watch it and see if it stops.

All day it was awful when I ate. It was so loud!!!!

Good grief what is going on. My greatest fear is to have my mouth frozen open :-(.

I had a protein shake and a muffin as that would minimize the chewing, but i did have a Subway egg sandwich for lunch. That was really hard with the chewing.

For dinner, I had some leftovers from the night before and the chewing was bad.

I hope this goes away...Will I need a headgear to correct it?

An adjustment at Week 175

2010-07-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

I had my adjustment today. Now my teeth hurts. No word when I'll be out of braces at all. So the saga continues.

bleeding while brushing

2010-05-23T23:57:00.000-05:00

The pain of my tongue hitting against the buttons continue. I use wax on both of them all day. I am wearing my elastics and that is hurting the anchor points of the elastics.

Braces has not been any fun the last week :-(

I did brush before bed so that is a good thing. There is some amount of bleeding while brushing and I'm not sure why this is the case.

two guys in braces

2010-05-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

I saw two guys in braces today. One was with red ligatures and the other with green. I did not get a chance to ask about their treatments.

no brushing

2010-05-22T23:51:00.000-05:00

I did not get a chance to brush tonight and I really needed to do so. I had eaten a lot of seat items and they had all stuck in my teeth so a brushing was really needed.

I continue to use wax on both buttons as well as getting pain from the positions where the elastics are anchored.

drooling a lot now and still tongue pain.

2010-05-21T22:48:00.003-05:00

Aargh...

My tongue is just in pain all day today. To top it off, I ate a Vietnames sandwich which had pepper in it. The bread was a bit hard too, so that did not help at all.

Dinner was some meat and rice but still the pain continues. I had wax on the two buttons all day today and my mouth actually waters when I speak now. It is a bit embarrassing as I can feel the spit coming at the corners of my mouth when I speak to anyone.

Yes I am wearing my elastics. Lower canine to last top molar on the left and lower canine to second to last molar on the top right.

this button on my teeth is not fun at all

2010-05-21T08:03:00.003-05:00

My tongue continues to feel crappy. I fell asleep last night without brushing :-(. When I awoke this morning, I had some teeth pain where the elastics are anchored. I then removed them and brushed and had some cereal with milk.

It will not be a fun day as I feel a headache coming on...

my tongue is in pain

2010-05-20T08:55:00.001-05:00

My tongue is quite sore from the button.

I brushed last night and this morning, but it still hurts. I awoke with pain...

I am having some cereal now and have to eat slowly :-(

still waxing

2010-05-19T10:07:00.002-05:00

I brushed last night without issues; removed the elastics as they were a pain and headed to bed.

This morning, the button is not too bad. I brushed without issues, but my tongue is sore at that point and eating is not fun.

After brushing, I had some cereal as well as a banana. I'll have to add wax again...

wax once more

2010-05-18T23:08:00.002-05:00

I've broken out the wax again. That inner button on the molar is really a pain on my tongue so I have to wax it.

every other loop

2010-05-18T18:19:00.002-05:00

I just noticed that my Ortho only put the bracket across every other powerchain loop across the front. Anyone knows why she did

that? I guess it does not need as much tension, but who knows...

Ortho appt. today uugh :-( and pictures

2010-05-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

Today is Ortho day and they are never fun at all.

I arrived a bit late and she had started working on the young man who was her 8:30a. No worries since I was late. I had called to advise of such.

I sat down and did the usual pleasantries catching up on her last month and mine. She looked at my mouth and determined that the molar was moving but it was turning as it moved so that means I need two buttons on the inside so its rotation can be controlled.

She then proceeded to prepare the two teeth so that the buttons can be added. Once this was done, she then changed the ligatures to dark blue as requested and then added a powerchain across the cuspid and the molar anchoring to where the buttons were placed. I did have to put a mouth guard in so that the glue could dry. That caused me to drool quite a bit.

She also adjusted my right elastics so that it is from the second molar to the bottom canine as opposed to the left side which has it from the upper last molar to the lower left canine. She said that would straighten it all out.

So this is what lingual braces feels like :-(. Now my tongue is rubbing against the inside of that button all the time. I will have to add some wax soon as when I ate some cereal earlier my tongue hit up against it all the time and it is slowly becoming sore.

I know the next month will not be fun at all. Already I'm having a tooth ache on that upper left canine :-(t

Week 167 in pictures

2010-05-12T19:04:00.002-05:00

Week 166 in pictures

2010-05-05T18:01:00.007-05:00

no brushing last night :-(

2010-04-27T11:16:00.003-05:00

Last night, I fell asleep without brushing. When I awoke this morning, I had wads of food stuck between the wires, the brackets and my teeth ;-(. Especially since I ate some hard food last night.

It took a while to brush all that stuff out. After which I had some cereal, which just put stuff right back in there.

no food for a few hours today

2010-04-26T20:39:00.004-05:00

I awoke this morning and then brushed first thing. I've been fasting on Mondays so I did not have anything to eat for most of the day.

Last night, I did brush before bed, but awoke and felt a slight pain where the elastics anchored to both my upper and lower arches.

I did not have any breakfast. I added elastic on my way out the door.

Later once home, I had some almonds and a cheese sandwich.

the checkout guy has braces

2010-04-25T18:26:00.001-05:00

I went to my local grocery store and the checkout guy had braces on his top arch only. I asked him how long he's had it he says about a year and about 1.5 years to go. They were metallic braces with silver ligatures.

I met three guys in braces

2010-04-24T23:28:00.000-05:00

The first guy had braces on his lower arch only. They were fully metallic with silver ligatures. He's had them since Feb. 2010 and will have them for 11 months. He says he's had braces before but did not wear his retainers and now he has to wear them again.

The second guy had ceramic braces on both top and bottom. He had them with a metallic wire. Once we spoke he said that he is thinking of getting gold ligatures. He's had his braces for one and a half year and has another year to go.

The third guy had metallic braces and has had them for a year with about three months left in his treatment. He had black ligatures on both top and bottom. I was the only one with powerchains and elastics.

a lady in braces

2010-04-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

I met a lady in braces who has had them since the beginning of the month. She only has her top braces at the moment and will get the bottoms in a month. She says she has a lot of initial pain as her mouth gets used to them. She has blue ligatures at the moment.

a lady in braces

2010-04-18T08:03:00.001-05:00

I met a lady in braces who actually had elastics in the same positions as I do; from rear upper molar to lower canines. I did not get a chance to ask her about her treatment. She does have metallic brackets with silver ligatures, no powerchains.

New pictures after my adjustment

2010-04-08T11:07:00.001-05:00

I visited my Ortho finally after being absent for a few weeks. It was a quick one. The removed my elastics, removed the powerchains and then adjusted the upper spring and adjusted the upper wire. Then placed the black ligatures on top and red ligatures on the bottom. Next appt. Apr. 29. Check out the pictures below.

Week 162 in braces pictures

2010-04-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the cornflakes.

long wire

2010-03-29T09:12:00.002-05:00

the wire on the lower arch is really protruding beyond the last bracket. it does need to be cut now. i guess missing my appts. does not help.i awoke and brushed this morning.no issues, just

Week 160 is here and a guy in braces

2010-03-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

It's week 160! Yeah, I think. So that gap between the molars is really big now. Will add pictures later.

I had no breakfast today and just had something to drink for lunch; famished now.

On my way home the driver had braces. They were metallic with red ligatures. He's had them for 15 years he says as he has not gone back to get them off since he has moved. His teeth are straight he says, he just needs to get them off. Really, he's removed the wires and only has like three brackets on his front teeth. He's taken off a few of the brackets. He says he has no money yet to find an Ortho. It was too expensive to finish it up in his country.

I wished him luck with his treatment when he re-starts it.

Check out the pictures at week 159

2010-03-22T00:17:00.000-05:00

http://bracesafter40.blogspot.com/2010/03/159-weeks-in-braces-geez.html

I hate beef and three guys in braces

2010-03-21T19:48:00.003-05:00

I hate having beef as all it does it just sticks in the gaps between my braces and behind the wires and brackets :-(. This is really annoying, but I really love beef :-). I'll spend the next few minutes trying to get it from my teeh now, grr...

Do you have issues with beef?

I ate quite a bit today as well, but some of that was fruits so that is a good thing.

I did also see three guys in braces, but did not get a chance to talk to anyone of them. They all had metallic braces with colored ligatures. One was dark blue, green and aqua.

Would you rather have bad teeth or wear braces?

2010-03-21T01:11:00.000-05:00

As a guy in braces, you end up noticing people's teeth all the time. Now some people can't afford to get braces and other others ou know definitely can, but don't. So it got me thinking that it seems that people would rather have a crappy smile than get braces as there is so much stigma associated with braces. What are your thoughts?

159 Weeks in braces - geez

2010-03-17T12:10:00.003-05:00

Fasting and a guy in braces

2010-03-08T18:40:00.000-06:00

I'm in a dieting mode. So for the last 18 hours or so, I have not eaten anything. My aim at improving my life and losing some weight. So fasting once a week on a Sunday for 24 hours.

I did brush this morning once I was awake and then put in some elastics.

On my way to work I saw a guy in braces sleeping on the bus. I had seen him once before, but did not have a chance to talk to him about his treatment. He has black ligatures with metallic brackets on both top and bottom. He says that he's had them for a year now and was not sure how much longer to go, but he thinks about another two months or so.

Will eat something in a bit.

I ate curry again, oops

2010-03-07T11:00:00.000-06:00

I just had some curry, my favorite food, but I forget that I should nto do that with braces as it stains them. So my baby blue ligautures are now yellowish green :-(. uugh.

I had awoken this morning and removed my elastics and brushed without issues. I had also brushed last night before bed so that was good. I need to put the elastics back in soon. Hopefully I remember to do so. I also had some nuts after teh curry. I need to brush again though.

two guys in braces

2010-03-06T23:09:00.001-06:00

The guy at the door of a local club had braces tonight. I'd talked to him before about it. He still has a ways to go. He gave me a full metallic smile tonight as I walked in. We then caught up on our treatments.

There was also another guy there in braces too. He had full metal top and bottom with one elastics each on the upper to lower canines on both sides. I did not get a chance to talk with him about his treatment.

I met a guy my age in braces

2010-03-06T14:12:00.000-06:00

I was in a line today and the guy behind me said hello. He pointed to his lower arches and said "Hey, we both have braces, I can't believe I'm 44 and have braces." I said, so am I so you are not alone.

He only has braces on the bottoms as he said his bottoms were very crooked. He actually had one extraction done. He's had braces since August of last year and has two more months to go. Lucky guy. He had metallic brackets with metallic wire and a clear powerchain going from molar to molar.

Week 157

2010-03-03T08:20:00.000-06:00

So another week has passed now. It is 3 years and one week. Aargh.

No end in sight. This morning I got up with pain in my lower molars. That new wire is really tough and causing issues as it continues to move my teeth. It is a rectangular wire.

Brushing was no issues, except for the molar pain. Brushing last night was fine as well. Yes, I did not fall asleep without brushing again.

The gap on the upper left is quite large now and I have quite an overbite, but that is what the Ortho says should happen. I will ensure I place in elastics this morning as I took them out before bed since I was in pain :-(.

I'll have some cereal before exiting for work.

hurting teeth

2010-03-02T22:21:00.000-06:00

I awoke and brushed having forgotten to brush last night as I fell asleep.

I ran out of the house as I was late so no breakfast. At work I had none either until lunch which was catfish and rice and a roll. Not bad. Later, I brushed at work and then at home I had a slice of bread with cheese and some cashew nuts. Yes I know I should not eat that, but I was hungry. My teeth are really hurting. This lower new wire is putting the hurt on me :-(.

headache and pain today

2010-03-01T23:28:00.004-06:00

I fell asleep last night and did not get a chance to brush. This morning, I did so once I got up. I did out in elastics before heading out.

For breakfast, I had some cereal before heading out to work. later I had some cake then fish for lunch.

I did brush after lunch as my mouth was full of fish and rice particles. Dinner was actualyl jsut a cheese sandwich with some grapes later.

I have such an headache and my teeth are hurting so bad :-(

3 years in braces

2010-02-28T23:56:00.001-06:00

Today marks exactly 3 years since I've had braces. A lot of changes since then. I was supposed to onyl have braces for 2.5 years, but even after three years it looks like I will have them for another year or so.

I am in teeth ache hell since I had the lower wire changed last Tuesday. I have massive molar pain sadly. But it is for the best I guess.

I had some nuts today, plus a cheese sandwich as well as a mango plus a banana.

PS: I have lots of new pictures to add.

guys in braces

2010-02-27T23:58:00.000-06:00

I met a few guys in braces but did not get a chance to talk to them about their treatment. One of them had silver brackets another with blue.

a lady in braces

2010-02-20T23:59:00.002-06:00

I met a lady with braces. She had them for 1 year and 4 months and have just about a year to go. She says that they were due off a few months earlier, but she had not had a chance to do as she had not been visiting her Orthodontist regularly.

How long have you been in braces?

2010-02-03T23:10:00.001-06:00

If you have braces, how long have you been in braces? When did you get them and when do you get them off?

Week 153 and no end in sight at all

2010-02-03T08:59:00.000-06:00

Today makes 153 weeks since I got my braces installed. It's been a long road so far as I approach three years being a metal mouth.

The space between the molars continues to increase slowly and I have the occasional pain. But I press on with no end in sight. The Ortho mentioned that she is going to change the wires on the lower arch at the lats visit so I know there is more time to go.

Oh well.

My molars hurt

2010-02-01T00:15:00.001-06:00

My molar is really hurting. It does not help that I just ate some beef on a piece of bone either :-(,

a guy in braces

2010-01-31T22:04:00.002-06:00

I met a guy today who was in metallic braces. He says that his partner got him to get braces and is actually paying for them. He has metallic on top and bottom and have had them for four months now. He is scheduled to have them for 1.5 years in all.

He says that his first month was the worst as he could not each much at all. Now he is much better. He has silver brackets and no rubber bands as yet and also does not have to wear a headgear. It was fun talking to him about his treatment.

a guy in braces

2010-01-30T19:14:00.000-06:00

I was in the store and met a guy in braces. he had black ligatures with silver metallic brackets. he says that he's had them for 1.5 years and will get them off in two months. Lucky him.

Week 152 and no end in sight

2010-01-27T16:52:00.000-06:00

I awoke this morning to a bit of molar pain. I had fallen asleep last night without brushing sadly. I did have my elastics in though, which is a good thing.

I'm still aching from my adjustment yesterday :-(. This braces thing is interesting.

I then brushed and added elastics, took my normal weekly pictures and had some cereal and then banana.

Later, I had a cheese sandwich with some turkey and some juice. The molar pain continues sadly.

Week 151 in braces

2010-01-20T14:55:00.002-06:00

It is week 151 in braces. I have a huge space between the upper left molars. Now everything I eat and I mean everything gets stuck in there!

I fell asleep last night so I did not get a chance to brush before bed. I did do so this morning when I awoke though. I've gotten a bit laxed on taking proper brushing, flossing, etc. care lately. Imust get back on track. It is just that some nights I'm so tired I can't take teh time to do it.

Breakfast was some Honey nut cheerios and a banana, then lunch was some soup which was really good!

a sleeping guy in braces

2010-01-19T21:46:00.002-06:00

I was on the bus today and there was a guy in braces sleeping. It was funny as his mouth was open as he slept. He had metallic braces on top and bottom with black ligatures. As he was asleep I did not get an opportunity to ask him about his treatment.

A friend in braces

2010-01-17T17:22:00.000-06:00

I've been chatting with a friend in the U.K. ever since I got braces. His wife was in braces at the time, so we had something in common. She got her braces off late last year I think.

Today, he IMed me and advised that early last week he got braces to fix a crooked bottom and also to close a gap on his upper arch. He opted for clear ceramics with a metal wire on top and had to get metallic brckets on the bottom with silver ligatures I think. It will be great to share experiences with him now that we are both in the same predicament. No headgear or any additional appliances is needed he says.

His treatment should last about a year he says, so that means he will perhaps be out of braces before I get done. Geez...

wearing those elastics

2010-01-17T10:23:00.001-06:00

I awoke this morning and brushed. I had my elastics in so I changed them. There was not much in the house to eat so I went out by a nearby Kentucky and had two snackers. of course they stuck in my spaces and between the brackets.

Later, I had a cheese sandwich, a mango and a banana. Trying to stay healthy.

A friend had texted me to go to breakfast, but I'd been up too late so I could not make it.

a guy in braces

2010-01-14T06:43:00.002-06:00

I met a guy in braces who has two more months to go. He was quite excited. This is his second time in braces as he never wore his retainers on the lat trip down this road. He has clear brackets with silver wires. He's had braces since August 2008.

Week 150 has arrived

2010-01-13T06:41:00.001-06:00

Week 150 is here and I'm still in braces. Now with tooth colored ligatures, geez...The space between the molars is quite large now and closing the other space

a guy in braces

2010-01-09T15:39:00.000-06:00

I met a guy in braces. He has metallic brackets on top and bottom with silver ligatures. We chatted for quite some time about our treatments as well. He's had them for two years and has about another 6 months to go. He does not mind wearing them at all, he says.

Week 149 - geez

2010-01-06T08:30:00.001-06:00

I awoke this morning at week 149. I was in a little pain as I had my adjustment yesterday, aargh. Not too much though.

I brushed, then had some cereal. later, I had some bread, a banana and a mango. The mango was crap so I did not get to eat much of it.

Later I weighed and weighed in at 119lbs. A little high, I need to stop eating crap.

I did not put any elastics, my Ortho will be mad. That space between the two molars is realyl increasing it is so large now.

Happy 2010

2010-01-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

So, it is yet another year and I'm still in braces. Not that it bothers me, that I've completed two full years in braces (2008 and 2009). In two months (Feb. 28, 2010), it will be exactly three years in braces. That is 6 months more than projected and I feel I have further yet to go.

But not to worry, Happy New Year, life continues.

three people in braces

2009-12-22T13:59:00.000-06:00

I met three person in braces at lunch:

1). I had noticed this lady in braces as I waited for my table. As it turns out, I got a seat next to her. As I sat down, she commented that I had braces so we started talking. She said that she's had them since July 2009 and will have them for another two years. She had one tooth that did not have the wire attached to it. Her ligatures were bright green for the Holidays. She was quite pleasant and also asked about my treatment.

2). As I was leaving, I met a guy who was also in braces. He had metallic braces with gold ligatures. His metallic ligatures were really pronounced. He said it's been a year and he has another year and a half to go.

3). Then I saw another lady who had blue ligatures on metallic braces, but did not get a chance to talk with here.

two guys in braces at the club

2009-12-18T22:54:00.000-06:00

There were two guys in braces at the club tonight. They both had metallic brackets and were in different phases. Neither had powerchains. One had dark blue ligatures and has two extractions on the top and has a protruding upper arch so it will take some time for him. Would not be surprised if he had to wear a headgear as well. The other had blue ligatures. Neither had elastics. I had no opportunity to chat with either of them.
I usually don't see guys in braces at the Club, except for once.

Another colleague in braces

2009-12-15T10:51:00.000-06:00

My female co-worker now has braces. Metallic on top and bottom with what looks like black ligatures. She is having a hard time with it and can't really eat anything. She also sound funny when she talks ;-). I remember those days all too clearly. She will have them for 2.5 years. She also has kids that have braces so that makes it funnier :-).

I had my adjustment today

2009-12-08T23:38:00.000-06:00

I had an early morning appt. with the Ortho and then an appt. for a cleaning.

The Ortho appt. went well with the Asst. suggesting I get some festive Christmas colors. So I got red. I was only going to get dark blue, but ended up doing dark blue on top and red on the bottom. I also have a new spring between the two upper left molard.

Then it was off to the dentist after paying $109.00 towards my $400 retainers. I already paid $100 so I'm almost done. Don't know when I will see those as it is very slow going with this molar movement.

The cleaning went well, although the hygenist says that I need to use fluoride more as my teeth is getting white in areas due to the braces. I do have fluoride but I've been delinquent. She also says that I should floss and use my electronic toothbrush, two things I've been delinquent about. Geez, how do they know these things?

I ended up paying $45 for a fluoride treatment after having my mouth prodded. I felt really bad as I have a blister on my upper left lip and between my two lips on the left side. :-(. It was funny to hear my dentist talk about my Ortho's work. I have to place a bridge or an implant where that missing space is when this is all over, so we talked about that a bit.

Here are some pictures of the Ortho appt.

Comments from a lady about my braces

2009-12-08T10:42:00.000-06:00

I went looking for glasses today and the lady commented on my braces. She was genuinely interested as she had just taken hers off 6 months ago. Although I did think that she needed braces when I saw her first. As she has her "eye" teeth still way up, but I guess that is as far as it will come down.

We had a really good conversation about treatment, etc. She wished me luck as I left the store and wowed when I told her it had already been 2 years and 9 months and I still have at least anotehr 6 months to a year to go.

A video of my Adjustment at the end of week 144

2009-12-08T10:33:00.002-06:00