Update on Incognito braces and Inspire Ice braces

I went to my Orthodontist nearly two weeks ago, but he didn't 'polish' or strip away the extra enamel. I think he's being kind because it's Christmas. For the past six weeks, I've been very lucky, and I can now eat almost anything. I keep telling myself that I can smile. It's so easy to smile with my lips together, that I forget that I've got a lovely smile now! I'm so pleased that I've done this. It's the best thing that I've done since I don't know when. You forget how much having crooked teeth affects your life, and how you think about yourself.

Thicker wire on top Incognito brace

At my appointment yesterday, my orthodontist fixed a thicker wire onto the top Incognito brace and firmly(!) attached my right canine tooth to it. It has been a bit painful today, but I've had some paracetamol and it's helped. I can't take ibuprofen because I have gastritis, and I don't want to upset my tummy. He said that I'm now over the worst and the new thicker wires each time will pull my teeth into shape.
Eating wise, until yesterday,I have been doing very well, but still being careful of foods like crisps and hard crusts. I'm pleased that my teeth look so straight already, and really glad that I've got braces.
You know when you look in the mirror and think my hair's not so good today, I'll wash it, have it trimmed or coloured? Well, you can't do that with your teeth, they look the same every day unless you decide to have braces or have them whitened. So now it's great to look in the mirror and see that they are straight. Fantastic!

Stripping those teeth or Reproximation

I'm at the point now when my Orthodontist may (or may not!) strip my front teeth. I've been reading up about it and it's usually the front six teeth teeth that are done to make room for them to sit straight. It is supposed to be painless! He said that he might use some sandpaper! Not a nice thought! It's actually fine diamond granules which I hope will be on an equally fine piece of paper. The enamel removed is only 0.5 of a millimetre from each side of the tooth, and would be the usual wear and tear if the tooth had been sitting normally beside another tooth instead of being crowded out. I'm not sure when it will be done, maybe at my next appointment? I hope it's not the December one, because I usually go out for a Christmas meal on that evening with my friends. Talking of friends, still not one of them has noticed! Well, I suppose that's what the Incognito system is for. It's certainly worth it not to have a row of wire and brackets in front of my top teeth. ( You can't really see the Inspire Ice brackets on the bottom.) We've just had some new soffits and fascias put on our house. The scaffolding did look rather familiar!

Top Spring Removed and Thicker Wire on Lower Inspire Ice Brace

Look at the difference after less than four weeks! There you go! Yesterday, I had my little top spring removed which was making a space for my canine tooth, and my orthodontist was so pleased with my progress that I've moved up to a thicker wire on my bottom teeth. They felt a little achey yesterday, and it's painful to eat again, but I know it won't last long. I have to keep reminding myself that my teeth look certainly more straight than crooked, and I must smile and show them. I'm so glad that I had the Incognito brace on the top, because it's almost impossible to see it, except on the canine tooth which is still sticking out a little at the moment. None of my friends have made any comment yet. I wonder who'll be the first? I bought some new season Cox's apples today. I don't know how I'm going to eat them. I think that I might bake them!

Bottom spring off today!

Today, my bottom spring was taken off and the middle tooth attached to the wire! Hooray! Since the spring had expanded, the skin inside my bottom lip used to get stuck in it especially during the night. I'm so pleased. Also, my visit to the orthodontist wasn't so uncomfortable as last time. He said it was because my teeth had begun to move more and it was getting easier to adjust them. Well, it's now nearly five hours since my visit and I can feel pressure on my front teeth. Nothing too bad, but they feel a bit itchy around the sockets, if you can imagine what I mean. I feel so much happier than I did last month. He took some photos too for his gallery of my treatment, and said he could see a real difference.
I've had the bottom brace on since May 22nd, that's over three months and the top on since July 1st, so that's two. Hopefully the bottom one can be off before the end of July 2011 - about eleven more months and the top one in about a year or so, if all goes well.
He said that my teeth should be in line in about six months and then the rest of the time would be to stablise them with progressively thicker wires.

I can't wait for that gorgeous smile!

PS I had some Thorntons chocolates today, and couldn't bite them - too painful - so I cut them into four pieces. Lovely, and they lasted much longer too!

Progress with my front teeth!

I've just compared some photos of my front teeth since July 1st when I had the Incognito brace fitted and - I can see that both teeth are already straighter! Of course the left one is still sticking out more than the other, but things are happening! This has made me feel much better, because sometimes I can't wait for it to all be over, and on the other hand, I'm scared about having them taken off!
The food I most enjoy at the moment is a banana sandwich and a fruity yoghurt from Sainsbury's. This is because I can take a big bite of the sandwich and chew it without worrying. There are so many foods that I can't wait to eat again, like crunchy Cox's apples - I'll have to wait until next year to take that big bite. Going to an Harvester today, I did enjoy meatballs with linguine, but I didn't try the grilled gammon incase it was a bit tough. All in all though, I manage quite well, although we have some interesting meals as my husband's on a gluten-free diet at the moment!
I have been watching Rose's progress on YouTube with her Incognito braces. She always cheers me up as she's a few weeks ahead of me, and tells me what to expect next. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpDTSB5qHmk&NR=1

Friday July 30th - 52 weeks to the wedding!

Yesterday, I had my Incognito brace adjusted for the first time. It had been painful having the Inspire Ice one done last time when the Incognito was fitted, so I was a little apprehensive. Well, it felt as if my front teeth were being repositioned by force, which of course they were! I didn't like it and it made me worry what it will be like when they are finally taken off. I feel as if my teeth will just snap off, so I'm not really looking forward to it at all. In comparison, the adjustment of the Inspire Ice bracket was quick and easy this time, even though two tools were used one to loosen and the other to tighten. I've been reading about people's experiences having their braces off on the internet. They say that mostly they just pop off. Well, I hope that they do! It also says that the polishing off of the cement is the worst. Perhaps they haven't had as many fillings as me! But also they say that their teeth feel very sensitive. I'm really not looking forward to it at all. Actually, I feel the worst that I have since I was wondering whether to go ahead and have braces, but I've got them now, so I've just got to go through with it. It's like being pregnant and knowing at the end that somehow you will give birth to the baby, even if you are afraid.
The other thing is that I've been having mouth ulcers because of the rubbing of the braces. The silicon wax was good and the Bonjela to some extent, but when I went to the chemist to get some Adcortisol in Orabase, they said that it had been discontinued!!! What was I to do? Another chemist suggested Iglu with two dots making a smile. It is as good as Orabase and I'm very glad.
Only 52 weeks to the wedding and at this time, 20.39, I hope that I will have had the bottom brace off and my top teeth will be nearly ready, oh, and that I have a beautiful smile!

New Incognito brace on my top teeth!!!

Today I had my new Incognito brace fitted on my top teeth. It was quite scary having my bottom Inspire Ice brace tightened for the first time, but that was nothing to having the new one fitted! First I had my mouth held open with a wide contraption which also held my tongue still to prevent it licking the glue. Then my teeth were 'blasted' to give a 'key' for the glue, washed with water and dried with air. The Incognito 'squares' were then stuck on all at once in a double layer of rubbery stuff. When this was pulled off, I thought my teeth or at least a crown or a filling were going to come away too. Then the squares were joined with the wire. All the time my orthodontist was very careful and thorough, but I did keep having to remind myself just why I was having this done. When he had finished, it all felt fine. But I have got to have this on for at least a year. Phew! What will it feel like to have it removed??? Watch this space!

I cleaned my teeth after dinner of cheese omelette, yoghurt and a banana, but I couldn't get the little brushes behind the new brace. I'll have to ask tomorrow.

Quavers!

As you know, people wearing braces can't eat crisps because they are so hard they might break off a bracket from your tooth. I've found that Quavers are wonderful because they taste like cheesy crisps, but they melt in your mouth, so they are better than nothing at all.

Braces on for three weeks!!

I've had my brace on for three weeks, and most of the time I forget all about it. I'm becoming very ingenious about eating e.g. I grated some cucumber to go in a tuna sandwich, and sometimes when I've had something particularly fiddly to cut up as a main course e.g. a meat pie (!), I have an easy yoghurt or a banana for pudding. I saw a very good description of how braces work on the web. It's interesting that the temperature of your mouth actually activates the metal of the brace to return to its original place. So not too much ice cream then.

http://www.archwired.com/how_braces_work.htm

It's now less than 3 weeks until I get my upper incognito brace, and I'm looking forward to getting started. I can't wait to get those straight teeth!

The other thing is that in the past three weeks, I've lost 3lbs! I needed to really after gaining that amount on holiday, but I better not get any thinner. I can see where the idea of wiring your jaws together for weight loss came from! Now where did I put that chocolate? It's gorgeous melted on your tongue. It makes it last longer. Yum!

Only 4 Weeks to my Upper Brace

Only 4 weeks to my upper Incognito brace being fitted! I want it but I don't. I'm getting used to the lower Inspire Ice one, now I'll have to get used to the upper one too! But, I do want straight teeth - if only it was quicker and easier, but no pain, no gain as they say.

I didn't magimix my dinner!

I didn't magimix my dinner! We had Sunday lunch this evening because we were too busy yesterday, and I ate it all without mushing it up! My teeth don't hurt anymore, but I'm being careful how I eat and it did take half an hour to eat roast lamb, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli, but I did it! I also had toast at lunch time, but I was careful with the crusts - and my first apple for eight days! I peeled it and cut it up very thinly. It was a Golden Delicious - not too hard and very juicy!

A Week and A Day!

A week and a day! I noticed today that there is no wire between my last tooth on the right and the next one to it. I hope that it was intentional! There's no sign of broken wire or any sharp ends so I suppose it must be. Quite a lot of the wire is taken up at the front where my teeth are very crowded, so I hope that that is it to save having a lot of spare wire left over at the end? Otherwise all is OK. I can definitely eat more without it hurting. However, there's an awful lot of food stuck around my brace when I clean my teeth after meals. I had some squares of Milka chocolate last night and sucked them until they melted. Lovely!

Nearly a week in braces!!!

Nearly a week in braces, well, one brace. It is feeling much more comfortable now. I went out for lunch with a friend and she asked why I wasn't eating my french bread, so I had to come clean about the brace. She said she hadn't noticed it! She's the first person to know outside the family. The sore places where it rubs are feeling better too, thanks to Bonjela. I only used the wax on the second day. It was ok, but I was worried about food getting stuck behind it, so I stopped. I can feel my teeth moving; they feel loose and wobbly, but at least they are attached to the brace!!

429 days to go to the wedding!

429 days to go to the wedding! Today, I didn't need to magimix my dinner. What did I have, I hear you ask? Baked salmon fillet covered with a little pesto - it melted in my mouth! - new Jersey Royal potatoes, asparagus and carrots, followed by a mango and passionfruit yoghurt. The asparagus stalks and the carrots were the hardest, but I ate them! Another friend came round for a cup of tea today, and she didn't notice my brace either, unless she did, but didn't say anything, but I think that if she had noticed, she would have said something!

Friends

I saw my friends today and no one mentioned my brace! I don't know if they were just being polite, though. I even managed to sneak off after lunch and clean my teeth without anyone noticing. I wonder how long it will be before someone says, 'Are you wearing a brace?' Still put my dinner in the magimix - it took too long to cut it all up with my knife and fork. Things I find hard to chew are red pepper and courgette - even when they are cut into tiny pieces, the skin is too tough for my poor teeth.

Day 4. 431 to go!

Four hundred and thirty one days to go to the wedding. Phew! If you have a mouth ulcer normally, it clears up in a few days. With braces, there are literally hundreds of days to go, and the other brace to look forward to. However, when I see people with a perfect smile, I can at last tell myself that I will have one next summer. That means over two birthdays away. I can manage breakfast and lunch, but dinner still hurts and I had to use the old magimix on my sausages and vegetables, but not the mash. Yeh!

You've only had it on for 48 hours!

'You've only had it on for 48 hours!' My daughter reminded me, when I said that it rubbed a bit. Great - 433 days seems such along time. I checked with the nice lady at the orthodontist's about the silicone wax. Basically, wear it if you need to, and remove it before cleaning your teeth, then perhaps put a fresh piece on. Well, after a dinner of blended risotto (don't ask!), I cleaned my teeth and decide to leave the wax off and just put on some Bonjela instead, and so far it doesn't feel so bad. I think that when I sleep, I squash my brace into the inside of my cheeks. This morning, I couldn't manage to put the gel inside at the back, because as fast as I dried it with a tissue, by the time I had the wax all ready, it was all wet again with saliva. Oh, well. I made smooth pate sandwiches for lunch. They were easy to eat. And I cut up a chilled ripe peach into very small pieces that I could almost suck. Delicious!

Day 3 with Braces

Well,I've made it to Day 3! There's another sore place down on the left hand side, and I'm wondering whether to put some more wax on it. It is very effective, but I'm not sure how long to leave it on for, and what to do about cleaning. It is 433 days to the wedding. Just 433 days to go! The bottom brace should be off, but as the top brace is hidden, it won't matter as it won't show. I hope I can eat all the food!!

Let me eat cake!

Although I was told not to eat sweet things when wearing a brace so it doesn't become trapped around it and damage my teeth, I thought I'd try a couple of the little lemon cup cakes I'd made - and yes, I did leave off the icing on mine and the little crystalized lemon . . . Well, they were soft and I was able to 'chew' them, personally, I think that half the pleasure of eating is in the chewing! I did clean my teeth immediately afterwards though. I also find that having a glass of water handy is useful when I'm eating to swill my teeth (and swallow!) to loosen the bits of food which feel a bit strange. Later on, I felt hungry again, so I braved a banana sandwich made with soft wholemeal bread. I'm pleased to say that I ate the whole thing without too much bother. Perhaps the pain of pressure on my teeth is going off, or I'm getting used to it more. By the way, the pain isn't constant like a toothache, it's just the pressure on the tugged-about teeth.

Eating- First Twenty Four Hours

It was past lunch time yesterday when I got home with my new Inspire Ice brace on my lower teeth, so I thought I'd better have something to eat. I'd already bought a carton of fresh leek and potato soup and some orange and mango smoothie. It all went down very well, and the brace didn't hurt a bit!

Afterwards, I cleaned my teeth as prescribed. All fine. For dinner, I decided to have pasta, although my husband was tucking into a big pepperoni pizza (crust too hard for braces). I boiled some tricolore pasta and added some basil pesto, and tiny bits of chopped red pepper, and sprinkled some parmesan cheese on the top. Yum! Not really. I put just one piece of pasta in my mouth and it hurt to chew it, just like a milk tooth feels when you wiggle it too far. Ouch. I tried to find a place around my mouth where it didn't hurt and managed to eat a few pieces, urged on by my husband, 'Just swallow it!' In the end, I got out my magimix and blended it all into a glorious green pasta mash and ate it, not bothering if some of the pieces were too big to swallow. For pudding, I couldn't face any fruit, so I had a cool raspberry yoghurt. Of course, I cleaned my teeth again, and was amazed to see all the food that had got stuck round the brace.

I don't usually eat anything in the evening, but I did have a glass of red wine with my daughter and her fiance while they all tucked into spare ribs and corn on the cob, things which I'll have to wait until next July to eat again.

At bedtime, I was too tired to read all the instructions on the interdental toothbrush and the silicon brace wax you need to cover any bit that sticks into your lips, so I did the best I could and went to bed. This morning my inside bottom lip was sore where it had been rubbing.

Breakfast was easy, I just crumbled up my usual Oatibix in some soya milk. Fantastic! I usually have a vitamin C tablet each day, but instead I got tried a fizzy one, the others are too hard to bite.

The orthodontist kindly gave me a goody bag of toothbrush, interdental toothbrush, travelling tooth brush, toothpaste, silicon wax etc. I half expected a bag of toffee too, but no. So, after breakfast, I cleaned my teeth , and tried again with the interdental toothbrush. I think it's meant to go up from the gum under the brace, but round the corner at the back of my mouth, there isn't much room. But I did what I could. Then after some mouthwash, I dried the area around the bit of the brace that was rubbing and pushed on some wax, and put some Bonjela on my sore lip. Ahhh! That's better! I'm not sure how long I can leave it on for. Should I take it off when I clean my teeth? Another thing to ask about next week.

Sunday lunch menu: roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, beans, gravy - all lovingly chopped up in the blender and placed around my plate like a colourful palate. They still needed a little chewing, and the meat and vegetables were the easiest. For pudding? Strawberries and ice cream, mashed up together. Lovely! Then off I went to clean my teeth again.

Braces@56

Over the years, I had become more and more aware that my front teeth were getting crowded and my left front tooth was sticking out. Not quite as bad as Nanny McPhee, but you get the idea. On my eighth birthday, I was taken to the dentist to have SEVEN teeth out, so you can imagine that I was not eager to go as a teenager to get them sorted out then, and back in those days, you would have had to have at least four teeth extracted to make room. Noooo way!

In my wedding pictures, I looked ok, but when my daughter got engaged on Christmas Day, and they set a date for July 2011, I began to think that the time had come. If not now When? Time was ticking away and if I did not do it soon, who knows how much time I would have to enjoy my new smile? My husband said it would be 'an improvement', but you know that you should never ask them how you look.

Also, I have written a novel which I've been trying to get published (people helpfully mention how hard it was for JK Rowling), and in the back of my mind I think it would be nice to have a lovely smile for the author's photo inside the back cover.

So I made an appointment to see my local orthodontist last week. He was very kind and patient, and said that no, I was not too old and yes, he could do it without any extractions, and I was booked in for yesterday morning to have x-rays, moulds taken for an Incognito brace to be fitted behind my top teeth and Inspire Ice clear braces fitted to my bottom teeth. I have now had them on for twenty four hours!