4/29/12 Anxious

My next appointment is on the 11th of May. I'm really anxious to see what he has to say. I've been using the rubberbands all the time like they say. Though at the minute, I have them off. I ate breakfast and am drinking my tea. I'm hoping that they are doing what he wanted them to and that I won't have to get the TAD screws put in. The thought of them screwing the screws into the bone in my mouth and then attaching springs to my braces does not thrill me at all. I may even tell him that I'll take my chances without the springs. If I don't have them put in, it takes $600 off the cost of my braces. It's not really the cost, just the thought of them putting them in!

Time to go finish some more laundry. Take care and have a great day!

4/25/12 More Rubberbands

I don't know of any other kind of doctor that would give you their cell phone number and tell you to call or text them any time you need something or have questions. He had given it to me before I was officially a patient. The other day I realized that I was running out of rubberbands and would need more before to long. I knew there was no way I could make it by their office after work. I sent him a text message and he said just to contact the office and they would take care of it. I did call them and had rubberbands mailed to me. It's not the first time I've sent him a text message. It just dawned on me now how convenient to have this option.

Take care and have a great day!

P.S. Callouses

I forgot to tell you that I can't leave wax on the lower front brackets. If I do, the inside of my mouth wouldn't build up callouses and it would continue to bother me over and over again. I'd like to leave the wax off in hopes that in a few days, it won't bother me as much!

4/21/12 Sand Paper again

Now that I'm wearing rubberbands and my teeth are starting to meet, it forces me to keep my front teeth together. It's made everything sore including my jaws. I thought I was getting canker sores again in the front lower inside of my mouth. However, after putting wax on them last night so I cold sleep without hurting, the spots are going away. I think it was from rubbing on the front brackets. I feel like I'm getting caught in them. And, the whole area feels like sandpaper. It's definitely a weird feeling when you are use to having the inside of your mouth feel smooth!

Take care and have a great weekend!

4/18/12 Crackers and Rubberrbands

I'm posting from my Nook today and hoping I don't make to many mistakes! I am at work, waiting for the students to finish testing. I decided to have a snack of Ritz crackers. I'm so used to just putting them in my mouth whole. Imagine my surprise when I put one in my mouth and it got stuck! I thought what on earth is wrong with me? Oh, that's right I have rubberbands on! I also discovered that the crackers turn to mush and really get stuck in places in my braces that can't be gotten out with my finger. I've often wondered what people think of me when they see me rooting around in my mouth with my finger! Guess I better start carrying a toothbrush in my backpack! Take care and have a great day!!

4/15/12 Braces and Weight Loss

Hello to all,

I hope this finds you all doing well. Last night my husband and I were watching a news show on TV. They were talking about weight loss and that one of the ways to lose weight besides eating less is to eat slowly. I had always thought that the weight I lost after getting my braces was because of the things that I couldn't eat and from my acid reflux. After seeing that it made me realize that with the braces, I eat more slowly. A lot of it is trying to get the food unstuck from my braces. Another part is because I chew more carefully. I don't want to break any part of the braces and have to face my orthodontist. I have gained a few pounds back from the 16 I lost. I'm comfortable where I'm at now and hope I can maintain it. My mom always said the older I get, the harder it will be to lose weight!

I'm off to do the housework and laundry. Take care and have a great day!

4/13/12 Spaghetti and Salad

I found something else besides quinoa that gets stuck in my braces. The first thing is spaghetti noodles. My husband made a wonderful dinner last night that used veggies from our garden sauteed in olive oil mixed with spaghetti noodles and parmesan cheese. It was delicious. I swear I spent half of dinner picking the darn noodles out of my braces. I should have looked in the mirror to see how ridiculous I looked with all the noodles poking out of my wires! The other thing is salad greens. It actually does look funny to see them in there. Brushing my teeth helps, but I have to floss and also use a really small wire brush to go behind the wires and in between the brackets. Having braces really requires a lot of work to help keep my teeth healthy! I should buy stock in those little wire brushes and dental floss!

Take care and have a great weekend!

4/10/12 Beef Jerky

I love beef jerky. When you have braces, you can not eat it without softening it either in your mouth or by cutting it into pieces and pouring boiling water over it for a few minutes and then eating it. It defeats the purpose if you have to do that, it's just not the same! However, my dear, wonderful husband did an experiment yesterday. He ground some round steak mixed it with all the spices he normally does and then put it through a special attachment for our stuffer and then smoked it. Wow is it good! I admit I have to keep it in my mouth for 30 seconds to soften it just a bit. But, I can eat it and it is wonderful. Now if I could think of a way to eat apples without having to cut them into teeny pieces, things would be great!

I'm off to have some more jerky! Take care and have a great day!

4/9/12 More Rubberbands...

It's weird how after just a few hours of wearing the rubberbands, they become loose. They don't feel loose. However, when I take them off and replace them with new ones, the new ones are much tighter. My lower jaw is sore today. I'm sure it's a result of everything moving again. I'm really anxious for my next appointment to see if he still thinks I won't need the T.A.D. screws. I'm ready to tell him that I will go with what I have and really don't want to use the screws. Keep you fingers crossed that I won't need them. My next appointment is not until the 11th of May, still a month away!

I wish that I knew other adults with braces to compare my experiences with theirs.

Time to check my work e mail. I didn't have time to do it while I was there today. Take care and have a great day!

3/6/12 Rubberbands

I am getting better at putting on the rubberbands and feel like they are doing what they are suppose to be doing. However, I think the worst problem with them is that sometimes the inside of my cheek gets caught under the rubberband and it pinches which really hurts. The other thing that I had happen is that I stuck my tongue out to look at it and the underside of my tongue got pinched by the rubberband. That hurts even more!! The rubberbands seem to be doing what they're suppose to. More and more I can feel my upper and lower teeth meeting. This is a good thing. I'm really looking forward to my next appointment to see if he still feels that I won't have to have the T.A.D. screws to help align my jaw.

Here's a link if you don't know what T.A.D. screws are:
http://www.pressrelease365.com/pr/medical/dental/las-vegas-orthodontics-invisalign-orthodontist-4405.htm

Take care and have a great day!

4/2/12 Debacterol & Canker Sores

The spots on the front of my mouth were canker sores. I ended up going to the orthodontists office after work yesterday to have them put some debacterol on them. It stings really bad and tastes like a campfire, but wow does it work. The skin there turned white and is starting to peel off and you can still see the canker sores. However, the pain is minimal today and I haven't had to put wax on that area yet today. While I was there she bent the hook on the band that I attach rubberbands to and it really helped with that area on the inside of my cheek that was getting so chewed up by it.

I think I'm really not going to do posts that I'm doing okay. Seems like every time I do that, things go bad.

Take care and have a great day!

4/1/12 Shouldn't Have Said It!

I guess I have to stop posting that everything is going well. Between the last time I posted and right now, the inside of my right cheek has gotten all chewed up. I can tell my teeth are moving and there is just a little bit of the wire sticking out of the upper right band on the back molar. I'm not sure if that's what is causing the problem or something else. I had to put wax on it last night to sleep because it was bothering me so much! Oh well, this, too, shall pass!

Have a great day!