Yeah so my friend and I go to one of our favourite watering holes in the middle of the week for no reason. Of course while there we had to get something to nibble. At first we both ordered the crab cakes which i figured was pretty safe.Turns out they were more like carb cakes since it was more flour than anything. Although they tasted good, they did nothing to put a dent in my hunger. So we ordered one of their cheese platters which came with a large basket of Tsum Tsum bread (Arabic crackers). Sigh. My friend had braces as a teen so I questioned her as to the feasibility of eating the damn crackers. She was no help. She said she was good for about the first six months andthen she was eating everything she was not supposed to..nuts, gum etc. With the way I have been going, my track record is progressively worse. After a bit of contemplation I decided to risk it..veeerrry carefully. I picked and chose which pieces I wanted (only the very flat ones) and took my time in breaking them into small pieces before crunching them.
Shortly thereafter some other friends joined us including the girl I met last Friday with ceramic braces. She took one look at the table and was like, "Oh I LOVE Tsum Tsum bread!".She grabbed it up and began to munch away without a second thought.Not a caution in the world! I nearly choked on my Tsum Tsum Bread. Here I was with just BANDS thinking I was going to damage them. STEUPS. I of course wanted to ask her about it but she was some distance away for me to ask without the whole table minding our business.I did not want to put her on show like that since we are not exactly friends.
I hope she did not notice that I was still analysing how the ceramics looked. Being totally preoccupied with the notion I found myself thinking every so often ,"Oh thats how it will look when I talk', 'Oh thats how it will look when I smile". I actually was more concerned with how the bottom looks. I figured out she did not have any brackets on her bottom teeth but I realised it took me forever to figure that out just cause you don't see bottom teeth in general.Observation of the other unbraced people at the table confirmed this. I think I am getting a bit more comfortable with the idea of metal bottoms. I just hope I can hurry up and get this done soon so it will be at the point of no return or before I completely lose my mind. Whichever comes first!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Hanging Tough
Well I am getting kinda bored waiting for my brace day. I have yet to understand what is the reason for the delay. I passed by my ortho the other day to get some forms signed for my (much needed) insurance refund. I hinted to the appointment manager that I would love if my appointment could be moved up. She ignored me. Shortly thereafter she offered me a piece of gum. I thought it was a test to see if I would snatch the bait. FYI you can't eat gum with brackets/bands in your mouth. Apparently it was a 'joke' , I was not amused.
One good thing is that met another adult patient in the waiting room who had full ceramic braces. His set up looked really good, I actually had to ask him if he had anything on his bottom teeth at all, I could hardly see it. Being that I am slightly obsessed with how my brackets will look, I have taken to asking random people about their experience and who was their doctor. I guess once you on the inside you have a tendency to notice people who have brackets whereas you may have over looked it before.
A friend of mine brought his new girl to the club on Friday.He introduced her around outside. I had kinda known her from around since we had attended the same school at a point. She was a couple years ahead of me. The firstthing I noticed was that she had ceramic braces. I guessed it was kinda rude to ask her about them since she had just been intoduced around.... so I waited until we were inside the club.LOL. I am very bold faced. I think I caught her a bit off guard but then explained my situation. She then happily gave me some info once she realised I was not trying to make fun of her. Turns out she has the same ortho as myself and is very happy with the results and the customer care so far. Lucky for her she is getting debraced in two months. Her treatment period was 2.5 years. That was good news as I never really remember her having bad teeth to begin with and my treatment estimate is 2 years. Maybe I will get done even sooner!
The brackets have pretty much settled down more. I no longer feel that maddening poke underneath my tongue. I am still very aware of the contacts between the outer side of teh bands and my cheeks. I cannot imagine that this will ever go away, cause its just THERE ALL THE TIME. I was hoping it would just get numb to the contact.Maybe thats what these extra two weeks are for. I have managed to eliminate use of the wax for now. Which is good cause I'm sure I must have eaten at least two candles. I am toughing it out more because having to reapply the wax everytime you brush your teeth gets annoying as well. It is already a long process to floss ALL my teeth ALL the time.
My brother is investigating visiting a cosmetic surgeon in Miami to fix his teeth cosmetically for even more minor problems than my own. I have been trying to convince him that whatever they do in Miami can be done here now..for less. Like most Trinis, his faith in the local medical system is nonexistant. He wants to get his teeth levelled and whitened and a gap bonded. I advised him to check on the ortho because fixing it cosmetically isn't going to help the underlying problem if his tooth structure is off. (Don't we all become orthodontists during this process ?lol) I am sure he does not know what they really do to your teeth to place veneers. To me if I am going to pay $2-3grand US ($12-18 grand TT) to fix it cosmetically I might as well pay $19grand TT to fix it PROPERLY. But thats just me..my brother has a tendency to be a bit hasty.
Sorry to say I have been bending the rules a bit.My rationale has been that I have not gotten the brackets on yet so I bite everything thats kinda hard with my front teeth. I had a few kernels of popcorn on Saturday. Of course I made the popcorn as soggy as I could before attempting to chew it.I immeditately felt guilty so I stopped. Thats probably the worst of it. Soggy popcorn is not too different from wet cereal which has been ok'ed. I think its the kernels that supposedly get stuck in the brackets.I don't have brackets and how is that kernel different from boiled corn kernels (which have been a bit troublesome as well)?
I just realised that I have two weddings to attend in May and June. Which means I will be well braced up. I guess I will have to get a really hot dress to overshadow my grill. I will be taking a lot of practice pics beforehand to see how I will come out in the wedding photos.I have no intention of having my braces in for MY wedding. I definitely wanted my teeth perfected before my own wedding instead of after cause I would hate to see the pics and have my twisty teeth or my overbite glaring at me in the pics. Yes vain, I know ,but is my wedding dammit! I have a right to be vain!
I tried to get my b/f to take some 'before' pics for me. He thought I was just being dumb. He did take them however. I have yet to upload them, they're a bit better than the out of focus ones I took!
One good thing is that met another adult patient in the waiting room who had full ceramic braces. His set up looked really good, I actually had to ask him if he had anything on his bottom teeth at all, I could hardly see it. Being that I am slightly obsessed with how my brackets will look, I have taken to asking random people about their experience and who was their doctor. I guess once you on the inside you have a tendency to notice people who have brackets whereas you may have over looked it before.
A friend of mine brought his new girl to the club on Friday.He introduced her around outside. I had kinda known her from around since we had attended the same school at a point. She was a couple years ahead of me. The firstthing I noticed was that she had ceramic braces. I guessed it was kinda rude to ask her about them since she had just been intoduced around.... so I waited until we were inside the club.LOL. I am very bold faced. I think I caught her a bit off guard but then explained my situation. She then happily gave me some info once she realised I was not trying to make fun of her. Turns out she has the same ortho as myself and is very happy with the results and the customer care so far. Lucky for her she is getting debraced in two months. Her treatment period was 2.5 years. That was good news as I never really remember her having bad teeth to begin with and my treatment estimate is 2 years. Maybe I will get done even sooner!
The brackets have pretty much settled down more. I no longer feel that maddening poke underneath my tongue. I am still very aware of the contacts between the outer side of teh bands and my cheeks. I cannot imagine that this will ever go away, cause its just THERE ALL THE TIME. I was hoping it would just get numb to the contact.Maybe thats what these extra two weeks are for. I have managed to eliminate use of the wax for now. Which is good cause I'm sure I must have eaten at least two candles. I am toughing it out more because having to reapply the wax everytime you brush your teeth gets annoying as well. It is already a long process to floss ALL my teeth ALL the time.
My brother is investigating visiting a cosmetic surgeon in Miami to fix his teeth cosmetically for even more minor problems than my own. I have been trying to convince him that whatever they do in Miami can be done here now..for less. Like most Trinis, his faith in the local medical system is nonexistant. He wants to get his teeth levelled and whitened and a gap bonded. I advised him to check on the ortho because fixing it cosmetically isn't going to help the underlying problem if his tooth structure is off. (Don't we all become orthodontists during this process ?lol) I am sure he does not know what they really do to your teeth to place veneers. To me if I am going to pay $2-3grand US ($12-18 grand TT) to fix it cosmetically I might as well pay $19grand TT to fix it PROPERLY. But thats just me..my brother has a tendency to be a bit hasty.
Sorry to say I have been bending the rules a bit.My rationale has been that I have not gotten the brackets on yet so I bite everything thats kinda hard with my front teeth. I had a few kernels of popcorn on Saturday. Of course I made the popcorn as soggy as I could before attempting to chew it.I immeditately felt guilty so I stopped. Thats probably the worst of it. Soggy popcorn is not too different from wet cereal which has been ok'ed. I think its the kernels that supposedly get stuck in the brackets.I don't have brackets and how is that kernel different from boiled corn kernels (which have been a bit troublesome as well)?
I just realised that I have two weddings to attend in May and June. Which means I will be well braced up. I guess I will have to get a really hot dress to overshadow my grill. I will be taking a lot of practice pics beforehand to see how I will come out in the wedding photos.I have no intention of having my braces in for MY wedding. I definitely wanted my teeth perfected before my own wedding instead of after cause I would hate to see the pics and have my twisty teeth or my overbite glaring at me in the pics. Yes vain, I know ,but is my wedding dammit! I have a right to be vain!
I tried to get my b/f to take some 'before' pics for me. He thought I was just being dumb. He did take them however. I have yet to upload them, they're a bit better than the out of focus ones I took!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Band of the Year
My bands are driving me insane. I guess sometime in the distant future I will get used to it. At present I fail to see how that is even possible. The sensation of the hardware in my mouth is constant. There is one spot in particular one the right side of my mouth that is jooking into the underside of my tongue. I think that one spot alone is what has me so uncomfortable. I have been using the dental wax constantly in that one spot and one spot alone. If I don't have wax on it, I feel like I want to rip out my teeth. It all does not change the fact that my tongue is already sore. I am not sure if its because my tongue might be swollen or the strange way my mouth is still learning to navigate around the extra volume in my mouth but I feel like I am already starting to speak with a slight lisp (that I never had before).
Wednesday found me staring at the corn on the cob that my mom cooked for lunch in a very resentfull manner. I was having an internal dialogue as to how to eat the corn. On one side I justified it by saying I only had bands on the back so I could still bite the kernels off with my front teeth. On the other hand I heard the dental assistant's voice in my head saying "Broken band=3 extra months +$300". Eventually I cut off the kernels with a knife...my mom thought it was hilarious. She is being suprisingly suppportive. Suprisingly cause I thought she would have hounded me about the expense considering I pay no rent at home. Instead she seems very interested in the process and is glad that I am finally going through with it. I don't know if teeth can be hereditary but my mom, my sister and myself all have the same incisor rotated in the same way.I guess it is something she would fix if she could be bothered but is glad that at least one of us is doing something about our trademark tooth. It does not stop her however form telling me every so often , " Who told you to suck your thumb?!" My brother is getting ideas as well after noticing that he now has a space between his front teeth that he never had before.
I also have a tongue piercing that I am strangely attached too and did not want to take out for the treatment. I managed to beat down my ortho to let me put in a plastic tongue ring for the period. The whole dynamic between the tongue ring and the bands are still trying to sort itself out. The bands itself make me feel like I need to stretch my mouth all the time like how you would stretch your back when you sit in one spot for too long.
I'm starting to get a little concerned as to how I am going to survive when the actual brackets ar on...for two years!!! I don't know if I ever get used to this.
Wednesday found me staring at the corn on the cob that my mom cooked for lunch in a very resentfull manner. I was having an internal dialogue as to how to eat the corn. On one side I justified it by saying I only had bands on the back so I could still bite the kernels off with my front teeth. On the other hand I heard the dental assistant's voice in my head saying "Broken band=3 extra months +$300". Eventually I cut off the kernels with a knife...my mom thought it was hilarious. She is being suprisingly suppportive. Suprisingly cause I thought she would have hounded me about the expense considering I pay no rent at home. Instead she seems very interested in the process and is glad that I am finally going through with it. I don't know if teeth can be hereditary but my mom, my sister and myself all have the same incisor rotated in the same way.I guess it is something she would fix if she could be bothered but is glad that at least one of us is doing something about our trademark tooth. It does not stop her however form telling me every so often , " Who told you to suck your thumb?!" My brother is getting ideas as well after noticing that he now has a space between his front teeth that he never had before.
I also have a tongue piercing that I am strangely attached too and did not want to take out for the treatment. I managed to beat down my ortho to let me put in a plastic tongue ring for the period. The whole dynamic between the tongue ring and the bands are still trying to sort itself out. The bands itself make me feel like I need to stretch my mouth all the time like how you would stretch your back when you sit in one spot for too long.
I'm starting to get a little concerned as to how I am going to survive when the actual brackets ar on...for two years!!! I don't know if I ever get used to this.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Banded not Braced
Well I thought I would have my braces today. Apparently I was a bit over anxious. Today I got my molar bands put on. These are the metal rings that anchor the braces on your rear teeth.
When I got to the ortho I met with my treatment coordinator who showed me my panoramic x rays and the plaster moulds. The moulds really showed up every flaw in my teeth. I noticed that one of my upper front teeth was actually rotating. The ortho said this is because of the twisted bottom teeth. The bottom teeth looked even more crowded than I thought. I can't wait until they're fixed.
The treatment coordinator went over my contract with me which basically listed all their rules and regulations and what expenses I will incur if I don't follow their instructions. I also got a list of all the foods I can and cannot eat. The actual list is pretty amusing and I am sure it is exclusive to Trinidad. So I can't eat Plums, Kurma, Chennette, Channa or Pommecythere. However I can eat pelau,roti and coo coo. LOLOL Them foods are a different language to people not from Trinidad! If I drop the ball and partake of such banned delicacies I will suffer the pain of paying $300 for replacement brackets. I also have to maintain a rigid dental hygiene so that I won't get decalcification (those yucky brown/white spots on teeth) or cavities.
Once I got into the chair they pulled out the separators. These popped out pretty easily although one required some extra force. I was asked to floss where the separators had been and were amazed to see how big the gap was between the teeth. Back in the seat they sized up my molars to see which was the correct sized band. Just my luck, all four of my banding teeth were different sizes. Even the dental assistant was a bit surprised. After she sized them she had to take them back out to put on the glue. I was given a heads up that this was NASTY. Fortunately she had but some spong ein my mouth to dry up the area and I kept my mouth as wide as possible so I was able to go thru the procedure without tasting it at all.
The bands themselves are not painful. But I can already tell why it causes discomfort. The metal just starts to rub against the inside of your mouth and just irritates it constantly. .After getting read the riot act again about what I can and cannot eat. I was given my own "Dentakit" by the Ortho. They have their own branded pencil cases with everything a person with braces would need. There was dental wax, dental floss, floss threaders, toothbrush (with cover) and a full instruction booklet on how to use all the nifty stuff.Fortunately for my bands seem to be settling in fairly quickly. I used some of the dental wax to buffer the rubbing against the underneath of my tongue but it was more of a pre-emptive strike as I felt that the area was the most likely to get irritated.
The receptionist gave me my next appointment and I was not impressed when she told me that it would be in April!! I asked if its usually so long between banding and bracing and she advised that the ortho decided that was when I should come back. Ok then...What pissed me off was not so much the fact that I have to wait an entire month with these bands chillin in my mouth it was the fact that I told her I would have preferred to wait until april to brace and SHE was the one who advised that since I had the separators in already, I had to do schedule for this week. Seeing that I STILL won't get braced till April any way why rush to put in the bands? Even if the bands have to settle in for a two weeks, I would have been in a better financial position if I had to pay the downpayment in April and not this week. STEUPS. After agonising on the whole braces issue for so long I am a bit disappointed that I did not get the party started today. Just seeing those dental records made me more eager to get started asap. SO....one month till braces.
When I got to the ortho I met with my treatment coordinator who showed me my panoramic x rays and the plaster moulds. The moulds really showed up every flaw in my teeth. I noticed that one of my upper front teeth was actually rotating. The ortho said this is because of the twisted bottom teeth. The bottom teeth looked even more crowded than I thought. I can't wait until they're fixed.
The treatment coordinator went over my contract with me which basically listed all their rules and regulations and what expenses I will incur if I don't follow their instructions. I also got a list of all the foods I can and cannot eat. The actual list is pretty amusing and I am sure it is exclusive to Trinidad. So I can't eat Plums, Kurma, Chennette, Channa or Pommecythere. However I can eat pelau,roti and coo coo. LOLOL Them foods are a different language to people not from Trinidad! If I drop the ball and partake of such banned delicacies I will suffer the pain of paying $300 for replacement brackets. I also have to maintain a rigid dental hygiene so that I won't get decalcification (those yucky brown/white spots on teeth) or cavities.
Once I got into the chair they pulled out the separators. These popped out pretty easily although one required some extra force. I was asked to floss where the separators had been and were amazed to see how big the gap was between the teeth. Back in the seat they sized up my molars to see which was the correct sized band. Just my luck, all four of my banding teeth were different sizes. Even the dental assistant was a bit surprised. After she sized them she had to take them back out to put on the glue. I was given a heads up that this was NASTY. Fortunately she had but some spong ein my mouth to dry up the area and I kept my mouth as wide as possible so I was able to go thru the procedure without tasting it at all.
The bands themselves are not painful. But I can already tell why it causes discomfort. The metal just starts to rub against the inside of your mouth and just irritates it constantly. .After getting read the riot act again about what I can and cannot eat. I was given my own "Dentakit" by the Ortho. They have their own branded pencil cases with everything a person with braces would need. There was dental wax, dental floss, floss threaders, toothbrush (with cover) and a full instruction booklet on how to use all the nifty stuff.Fortunately for my bands seem to be settling in fairly quickly. I used some of the dental wax to buffer the rubbing against the underneath of my tongue but it was more of a pre-emptive strike as I felt that the area was the most likely to get irritated.
The receptionist gave me my next appointment and I was not impressed when she told me that it would be in April!! I asked if its usually so long between banding and bracing and she advised that the ortho decided that was when I should come back. Ok then...What pissed me off was not so much the fact that I have to wait an entire month with these bands chillin in my mouth it was the fact that I told her I would have preferred to wait until april to brace and SHE was the one who advised that since I had the separators in already, I had to do schedule for this week. Seeing that I STILL won't get braced till April any way why rush to put in the bands? Even if the bands have to settle in for a two weeks, I would have been in a better financial position if I had to pay the downpayment in April and not this week. STEUPS. After agonising on the whole braces issue for so long I am a bit disappointed that I did not get the party started today. Just seeing those dental records made me more eager to get started asap. SO....one month till braces.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
T-Minus 1 day
The night before I am to get my brackets put on I still can't make up my mind whether to get the combo or all ceramic braces. The ortho's staff called me again today and after a moment or two of dead silence on the phone (ok you called me because...), they asked what I had decided. I was like ..ummmm ....I already had this conversation with the other girl on Saturday, by calling me and asking again all I will do is flip flop around.
I spent most of this evening reading brace stories (good and bad) and watching pictures on www.archwired.com. It really has been a good resource , especially when you want to get feedback from those who have already been through the process.
My bank finally got their act together and I actually overpaid the credit card.So I am good to go for payment tomorrow.
Funny story..when I first went in for my consultation the ortho asked me 'Darling,No ne came with you today?'. I said...why would they? I'm 26! She was actually surprised when she checked my sheet and saw that I was indeed 26. I guess I look even younger than I thought. Hmm..again braces aren't going to help. People might start id-ing me in clubs now lololol!
I spent most of this evening reading brace stories (good and bad) and watching pictures on www.archwired.com. It really has been a good resource , especially when you want to get feedback from those who have already been through the process.
My bank finally got their act together and I actually overpaid the credit card.So I am good to go for payment tomorrow.
Funny story..when I first went in for my consultation the ortho asked me 'Darling,No ne came with you today?'. I said...why would they? I'm 26! She was actually surprised when she checked my sheet and saw that I was indeed 26. I guess I look even younger than I thought. Hmm..again braces aren't going to help. People might start id-ing me in clubs now lololol!
Monday, March 5, 2007
T-Minus 2 days
So I am preparing myself for what is to come on Wednesday. I thought I would have a conflict with work because of some deadlines that I had but luckily I got it taken off my hands and am a little less stressed generally.
I am not even impressed right now with my bank. I dragged myself out my bed on Friday (after having too much fun at my birthday celebrations) to go pay my credit card. This is credit card which will unfortunately be used to pay the downpayment on my braces this Wednesday.I wanted to pay cash but the cost of the extra dental work and the accelerated treatment schedule has put me in a bit of a bind. The line in the bank was of course ridiculous. I wanted to pay on Friday so that it would be safely posted to the account for Wednesday. The only way I would be able to afford the downpayment is if I cleared the outstanding balance on the card. First off I got pissed when their ATM limited my withdrawl amount because I was using another bank's card. On seeing the line, I asked a CSR if I could pay at the atm. She said I could but the fast deposit box was "just as fast as going to a teller". Great! So I fixed up and dropped the (short) payment in the box.Why is it that when I went to the bank today to pay the difference outstanding...my payment from Friday morning has not yet posted? I paid cash , how is that possible if its 'just as fast as the teller'. I happened to go to a different branch and was told by the teller there that the branch I went to on Friday closes later and usually they only clear the box once a day after closing. How on EARTH could that be just like a teller???Obviously if I knew there would be a delay I would have waited in line! Anyhow you take it why does a cash payment take so long to post??They alledge that the payment will certainly be there by tomorrow.If its not , or if they lost it I am screwed. They would not like to hear my mouth tomorrow.
In the midst of this I have been on a mission to eat all of the things that I will not be able to eat while in braces. Lunch today was a lovely Hott Shoppe Beef roti with lots of curry mango. I had a great snack of nachos later on. I really should have thought of this sooner cause I am pretty far behind in terms of eating all the banned foods. No way I can squeeze them into these two days. I also went and stocked up on ramen noodle cups and mac and cheese which may the only thing I may be able to eat on Wednesday. I don't even want to think how my teeth will keep me back from eating. I love my belly too much!
Well I'm going to eat some more chips..I'll let you know how it goes.
I am not even impressed right now with my bank. I dragged myself out my bed on Friday (after having too much fun at my birthday celebrations) to go pay my credit card. This is credit card which will unfortunately be used to pay the downpayment on my braces this Wednesday.I wanted to pay cash but the cost of the extra dental work and the accelerated treatment schedule has put me in a bit of a bind. The line in the bank was of course ridiculous. I wanted to pay on Friday so that it would be safely posted to the account for Wednesday. The only way I would be able to afford the downpayment is if I cleared the outstanding balance on the card. First off I got pissed when their ATM limited my withdrawl amount because I was using another bank's card. On seeing the line, I asked a CSR if I could pay at the atm. She said I could but the fast deposit box was "just as fast as going to a teller". Great! So I fixed up and dropped the (short) payment in the box.Why is it that when I went to the bank today to pay the difference outstanding...my payment from Friday morning has not yet posted? I paid cash , how is that possible if its 'just as fast as the teller'. I happened to go to a different branch and was told by the teller there that the branch I went to on Friday closes later and usually they only clear the box once a day after closing. How on EARTH could that be just like a teller???Obviously if I knew there would be a delay I would have waited in line! Anyhow you take it why does a cash payment take so long to post??They alledge that the payment will certainly be there by tomorrow.If its not , or if they lost it I am screwed. They would not like to hear my mouth tomorrow.
In the midst of this I have been on a mission to eat all of the things that I will not be able to eat while in braces. Lunch today was a lovely Hott Shoppe Beef roti with lots of curry mango. I had a great snack of nachos later on. I really should have thought of this sooner cause I am pretty far behind in terms of eating all the banned foods. No way I can squeeze them into these two days. I also went and stocked up on ramen noodle cups and mac and cheese which may the only thing I may be able to eat on Wednesday. I don't even want to think how my teeth will keep me back from eating. I love my belly too much!
Well I'm going to eat some more chips..I'll let you know how it goes.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Ceramic vs Metal Mouth Jumbie
Much to my dismay I recieved a phone call today from the orthodontist's office. Last week I called them to confirm my appointment to start putting on my brackets next week. I still had not made up my mind whether I wanted to get ceramic or metal brackets. I asked what was the absolute last day to make up my mind. I was told that Tuesday (day before appt) was my deadline cause they were doing up my contract on that day. Contract!! Is all that bacchanal to get braces???
So when I got the call today I was surprised when I was told I had to make up my mind...NOW! ARGGGHHH! I coud not even make up my mind what section to play mas in. I literally changed my mind like 5 times standing in the registration line. They actually crossed out my section on my registration card and rewrote it.If I can't decide dthat , how I am supposed to decide on teh spot something I will have to live with for the next two years or so? That I can't change after the fact at that!!
So here are my options.....I crossed out the idea of getting full metal brackets from the get go.(see pics) I DEFINITELY did not want that. I am still a bit self conscious about how the braces will actually look (on a big woman like me). So it was down to all ceramic braces or half and half (ceramic on top,metal below).
Obviously the reason I am interested in the ceramic braces is that it is less "noticeable" than metal braces. I say that with a grain of salt because really and truly you are not going to fool anyone standing right in front of you that you don't have braces on your teeth. I just think its a bit easier on the eyes, especially as an adult. You still see the metal archwire (wire across teeth) and you still see the actual bracket although it belnds into your teeth more. However one of the downfalls of ceramic braces is that it is more expensive, in my case $1500 more per arch. I was also advised by the ortho. that because the ceramic is not as rigid as the metal that the adjustments are more gradual.For this reason the ceramic may take 2-6 months longer for treatment than having metal braces.
In my case, my bottom teeth are the problem area. I also happen to smile with my top teeth because of my overbite. The plan is to put braces on the top for a few months to decrease the overbite and reduce a slight flare (aka slight buck teeth from my thumb sucking days) so that I won't bite off braces on the bottom. When this has been corrected I will place braces on my bottom teeth to fix the crowding. Seeing that the bottom are my real problem it might make sense to put ceramic on top (for aesthetics) and metal on the bottom (for efficiency) seeing that they would be partially hidden .
So its between all ceramic for looks or the combo for looks and efficiency. And I had to decide on the spot! Well I still had to compromise..I told her I would pay down for the combo since I DEFINITELY want ceramic uppers. And since I would have to have those for a few months I would decide what to do with the bottom. I think I would have better idea if the ceramics are really worth the xtra expense aesthetically once I see the ceramics on my teeth. If they don't impress me at all I guess I might bite the bullet (no pun intended) and put metal on the bottom just to be done with it faster. My main concern is that I deal with a lot of prominent (older) ppl in my business and I already feel like I don't always get the respect I deserve being both younger and female. I already look young for my age so adding braces to the mix probably won't help my image.
Funnily enough I met a client recently that had the worst teeth I had ever seen in my life.Correction....what was LEFT of his teeth was the worse teeth I had ever seen in my life. Yeah, they were that bad. His front teeth both upper and lower were missing. What was left was yellow, twisted and filled with metal. You would think that being a professional he would take his nice fat paycheck and fix that shit. My teeth aren't that bad and I am certainly not swimming in money yet I will find a way to fix them. It boggled my mind how he even LET it get to that stage and how he could look in the mirror everyday and not be concerned. It hard not to stare at them as he spoke. I think thats when I told myself that I would be damned if my teeth ever got like that. It softened the blow of paying for those fillings. I so wanted to give him my ortho's number.Would that be rude?Maybe if I meet with him again and he sees me with braces he would be inclined to ask himself. While visiting the ortho I saw a grey haired woman who had to be in her 50s/60s who had a full ceramic set.I was suprised that someone at her age would even bother, but then again, I never saw her 'before' pics. If her before looked like his, I would definitely understand why!
So few days left till the big day!We'll se how it goes!Please visit archwired.com for more inmformation on the process.Its a very good site for adults who have or want braces. Pics and all!
So when I got the call today I was surprised when I was told I had to make up my mind...NOW! ARGGGHHH! I coud not even make up my mind what section to play mas in. I literally changed my mind like 5 times standing in the registration line. They actually crossed out my section on my registration card and rewrote it.If I can't decide dthat , how I am supposed to decide on teh spot something I will have to live with for the next two years or so? That I can't change after the fact at that!!
So here are my options.....I crossed out the idea of getting full metal brackets from the get go.(see pics) I DEFINITELY did not want that. I am still a bit self conscious about how the braces will actually look (on a big woman like me). So it was down to all ceramic braces or half and half (ceramic on top,metal below).
Obviously the reason I am interested in the ceramic braces is that it is less "noticeable" than metal braces. I say that with a grain of salt because really and truly you are not going to fool anyone standing right in front of you that you don't have braces on your teeth. I just think its a bit easier on the eyes, especially as an adult. You still see the metal archwire (wire across teeth) and you still see the actual bracket although it belnds into your teeth more. However one of the downfalls of ceramic braces is that it is more expensive, in my case $1500 more per arch. I was also advised by the ortho. that because the ceramic is not as rigid as the metal that the adjustments are more gradual.For this reason the ceramic may take 2-6 months longer for treatment than having metal braces.
In my case, my bottom teeth are the problem area. I also happen to smile with my top teeth because of my overbite. The plan is to put braces on the top for a few months to decrease the overbite and reduce a slight flare (aka slight buck teeth from my thumb sucking days) so that I won't bite off braces on the bottom. When this has been corrected I will place braces on my bottom teeth to fix the crowding. Seeing that the bottom are my real problem it might make sense to put ceramic on top (for aesthetics) and metal on the bottom (for efficiency) seeing that they would be partially hidden .
So its between all ceramic for looks or the combo for looks and efficiency. And I had to decide on the spot! Well I still had to compromise..I told her I would pay down for the combo since I DEFINITELY want ceramic uppers. And since I would have to have those for a few months I would decide what to do with the bottom. I think I would have better idea if the ceramics are really worth the xtra expense aesthetically once I see the ceramics on my teeth. If they don't impress me at all I guess I might bite the bullet (no pun intended) and put metal on the bottom just to be done with it faster. My main concern is that I deal with a lot of prominent (older) ppl in my business and I already feel like I don't always get the respect I deserve being both younger and female. I already look young for my age so adding braces to the mix probably won't help my image.
Funnily enough I met a client recently that had the worst teeth I had ever seen in my life.Correction....what was LEFT of his teeth was the worse teeth I had ever seen in my life. Yeah, they were that bad. His front teeth both upper and lower were missing. What was left was yellow, twisted and filled with metal. You would think that being a professional he would take his nice fat paycheck and fix that shit. My teeth aren't that bad and I am certainly not swimming in money yet I will find a way to fix them. It boggled my mind how he even LET it get to that stage and how he could look in the mirror everyday and not be concerned. It hard not to stare at them as he spoke. I think thats when I told myself that I would be damned if my teeth ever got like that. It softened the blow of paying for those fillings. I so wanted to give him my ortho's number.Would that be rude?Maybe if I meet with him again and he sees me with braces he would be inclined to ask himself. While visiting the ortho I saw a grey haired woman who had to be in her 50s/60s who had a full ceramic set.I was suprised that someone at her age would even bother, but then again, I never saw her 'before' pics. If her before looked like his, I would definitely understand why!
So few days left till the big day!We'll se how it goes!Please visit archwired.com for more inmformation on the process.Its a very good site for adults who have or want braces. Pics and all!
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