Braces are coming off!

[Courtney]

YAY! YAY! YAY! I got braces last year, in June. I opted for an accelerated process to ensure that my teeth would be good and ready before my wedding in September. That meant more pain at times, which was fine by me. I got news today that they're coming off on August 5... exactly ONE month before my wedding.

My teeth weren't horrible, but my bite was. I had lots of space between my front teeth, a 4mm overbite, a cross bite, and a pinched nerve due to the placement of my lower jaw - it was actually crooked and one side was about 4mm back from the other, and both sides were too far back which led to the overbite.

It took 14 months, but my teeth/bite are perfect. I no longer have a clicking jaw, shoulder pain or stomach problems. Turns out, my uneven bite was to blame for all of that. My teeth moved a lot more quickly than he anticipated, so he's spent the better part of 6 months just fine tuning. One tooth came down way too fast, so he had to push it back up. That was way more painful than everything else!

My face also changed shape. My jawline became more pronounced, my nose became narrower and my chin became a little more noticeable. My face went from round to oval, and my cheekbones moved higher and higher. Now, I actually get stopped on the streets because of my cheekbones, of all things.

I'm so excited! I can nearly TASTE the corn on the cob and ribs!

 

[Chinniechantel]

Wow, how exciting! I hope we get before and after pictures, as well as wedding pics too! And corn on the cob is so yummy, and having apples without cuting them, what perfect timing!

 

[Courtney]

This might be the only "before" picture you'll see with me smiling. I hated my smile so much.

I'm not a very photogenic person, and I hate cameras.

Ooh... apples! I'm already dreaming about sliced apples with caramel sauce. Yum!

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

Congrats.

Braces always got on my nerves. lol

 

[Courtney]

I didn't mind them too much, to be honest. The health benefits I found along the way made the process much easier to bear. My bite was so messed up that I couldn't chew my food properly and it was affecting my digestion. I just missed certain foods, like ribs, corn on the cob and gum. LOL.

 

[Tiatrack]

Congratulations! I've had my braces off for about a year now, and I got them off 3 days before my wedding. Like you, my teeth moved really fast and I only had them on for a year. Unfortunately, taking them off before the roots have time to firm up again makes it so you're very likely to have crooked teeth again. I learned that one the hard way, even though I wore my retainers religiously. My top teeth are still great, which is all I really cared about. I can get the bottoms realigned with a metal retainer, but I now live 3,000 miles away from my ortho and I don't want to pay any more money!

The first thing I ate was a bunch of popcorn

 

[jmdebb]

:dance3:

yah... that's great, and it was quick.. i remember when i had them, i was bad and still ate things i wasn't suppose to...ooppsss....lol

congrats and enjoy your corn on the cob, gum... and everything else you can start eating again..

jean

 

[Jenn]

I wore braces for 4 years, so you're lucky to have them off so early! I'm glad they were able to help you out in so many different ways! But now, to be able to eat whatever you want without any problems, that is a worthwhile moment! If you have a retainer you're supposed to wear afterward, make sure you do. I only had to wear mine at night but I stopped wearing it after I met my future husband. My teeth shifted and are slightly crooked again. I've been told I would have to wear braces again to straighten them again. Also, teeth continue to shift as we get older, especially the lower teeth which tend to crowd together. Don't make the mistake I did, keep your teeth from crowding again. But, Congrats, you made it through the ordeal!

 

[Courtney]

Tiatrack - my teeth have been in position since January and they could have come off then. He chose to "fine tune" imperfections I couldn't even see, and let the roots settle.

Jenn - my retainer will be permanently bonded in my mouth, so i can't forget to wear it. Hehe. They will bond a metal bar behind the first 6 teeth on the top and bottom.

 

[Jenn]

Tiatrack - my teeth have been in position since January and they could have come off then. He chose to "fine tune" imperfections I couldn't even see, and let the roots settle.

Jenn - my retainer will be permanently bonded in my mouth, so i can't forget to wear it. Hehe. They will bond a metal bar behind the first 6 teeth on the top and bottom.

My sisters had the same thing done, I wish that mine had been bonded as well, then my teeth would be straight today! Again, congrats!

 

[Tiatrack]

Tiatrack - my teeth have been in position since January and they could have come off then. He chose to "fine tune" imperfections I couldn't even see, and let the roots settle.

Jenn - my retainer will be permanently bonded in my mouth, so i can't forget to wear it. Hehe. They will bond a metal bar behind the first 6 teeth on the top and bottom.

My ortho said it is at least 9 months to 1 year for roots to settle. Who knows! I completely forgot to say that the answer though is to get the bonded retainer! You're really smart for doing that. They offered it to me, but scared me away by saying if you aren't a dedicated flosser (i.e twice a day) than you risk rotting your teeth with the bonded retainer. I totally should have gone with that. Mine only did bonded on the bottom, so I figured if I had to wear the clear retainer on top I might as well wear one on the bottom.

 

[suzi1780]

I have a bonded retainer on my bottom teeth, had it since 1996... okay I just made myself feel old! Anyway, flossing is a little more annoying but no big deal, you either need a floss treader or "Super Floss" - that is what I use

 

[mishellyshel]

i had braces when i was in college (20 years ago!) they were clear ones just on top to pull my space together, i only had to wear them less than a year and when i got them off it was worth it! your wedding pictures will be amazing! yay for you.

 

[Courtney]

My ortho said it is at least 9 months to 1 year for roots to settle. Who knows! I completely forgot to say that the answer though is to get the bonded retainer! You're really smart for doing that. They offered it to me, but scared me away by saying if you aren't a dedicated flosser (i.e twice a day) than you risk rotting your teeth with the bonded retainer. I totally should have gone with that. Mine only did bonded on the bottom, so I figured if I had to wear the clear retainer on top I might as well wear one on the bottom.

I didn't really get a choice in the matter. The ortho just said that's what he was doing, and it seemed easier than having a retainer that I could possibly lose. LOL.

 

[Spoof]

Grats! I had mine for four years, got them off and used my retainer for 4. They never 'settled' as soon as it wore out they went back to a crowded state. Never heard of nor got offered a bonded retainer. Had a tooth die too, that was over 10 years ago.

Dentist claimed that sometimes teeth die like that, I'm thinking I was the only 15 year old I'd ever heard of that needed a root canal (which I never got).

 

[eroomlorac]

Great job. My daughter's face changed, too, when she had braces. Her top jaw was too narrow and she had a palate expander that changed the shape of her face. It was an awesome transformation. Isn't it interesting how much a poor bite and misplaced teeth can affect so much like digestion, etc? It's true. Your mouth really can change so much.

 

[Courtney]

It's absolutely amazing how something that seems so minor can have such a huge effect. I didn't know that a poor bite would cause pinched nerves in one's neck and shoulder. For my entire life, simply touching my shoulder would cause numbness in my arms and legs and doctors had no idea. I got braces on and when my bite corrected itself, the shoulder pain went away too. That alone was well worth the price.

 

[Chinniechantel]

It's absolutely amazing how something that seems so minor can have such a huge effect. I didn't know that a poor bite would cause pinched nerves in one's neck and shoulder. For my entire life, simply touching my shoulder would cause numbness in my arms and legs and doctors had no idea. I got braces on and when my bite corrected itself, the shoulder pain went away too. That alone was well worth the price.

Wow, that is amazing, I am so glad you got it fixed and feel better. I can't wait to see after pictures, your cheek bones are gorgeous btw in you before picture, so I imagine how pretty they will be after!

 

[Courtney]

Thank you, Chantel. That photo was taken in January, so about midway through everything. My cheekbones have actually moved a bit higher since then. One of the makeup artists at Sephora made a point of commenting on them a few weeks ago.