3rd Braces Adjustment

Tuesday, August 12, 2014 - Today was my 3rd adjustment appointment.   The assistant took off my powerchains and looked at the progress of my movement.  She was hoping to see a bigger gap and was surprised there wasn't......me too.  She thought for sure the space would have opened up more.  But that's one of the bummers of being an adult in braces versus a child, your teeth don't move as fast.  Of course mine wants to move like a turtle crossing the street on a busy day. Go figure :/.   My ortho came in to take a look.  She was still pleased at the movement even though I'm impatient and wished it was enough to finally start on this snaggle tooth.  But, since it wasn't enough movement she decided to have a crimp put on the coil to reactivate it and leave the same wire on.  She also said to not leave a loop on the powerchain between my left side extraction area.  The assistant suggested to leave one loop on the right side since it was a bigger gap and last time I had 2 loops between the teeth.  My ortho agreed and the assistant put on the crimp and the new powerchians.  Which I chose purple this time.  It was a little uncomfortable but not bad at all.  My teeth aren't too sore right now.  Funny how I really want them to be sore tomorrow so I know they are moving again....hopefully much more this time.  ;)

I also asked about getting my bottom braces started at my next cleaning appointment which is scheduled September 9th since it will be my 6th month mark of having braces.  She said that we could, which I'm very excited about!  Now hopefully the next 4 weeks go by fast!  One thing I am nervous about, is that my back molar is very sensitive where I have a filling on the front side of my tooth..... Right where the bracket will go.   I'm hoping it wont be unbearable when they put braces on that tooth.  I know it hurts when I get my cleaning....ugghhh fingers crossed it wont be that bad. 

Below is a photo showing the progress made so far at each adjustment.  You can see the gap did get a little bigger behind my snaggle tooth, because you can see more space beside my front tooth.  But it's not quite enough yet.....  My next update will be on the 18th, my 5 month progress.  Can't believe next month it will already be 6 months since I got braces!!!  Crazy!

4th Month Update with Braces

Sunday, July 20, 2014

As of July 18th it has now been 4 months since I got braces. This month they are working on making space for my snaggle tooth that sticks out so it can come down into place.  I have seen some difference in that area.  I just hope at my next appointment it will be enough for them to finally put a wire on that tooth and work on it to go into place.  My teeth aren't too sore now.  Some days my molars are a little tender and other days my front teeth are from the movements.  But not bad at all.  I have been able to eat pretty much what I want without it hurting.  Of course I still stay away from the hard crunchy and gummy foods I'm not supposed to eat.  I also still cut up everything with a knife and fork.  Sometimes my teeth feel a little loose and it freaks me out to try to take a bite with my front teeth, so I stick to cutting up my food into smaller pieces.  My next appointment is set on Aug. 12th.  I am hoping I get the answer I want when I ask if she will put my bottom brackets on the next appointment in Sept since it will then be 6 months that I've had braces.  Hopefully she will say yes! So ready to get started on those bottom teeth!!  Below is an updated photo showing the changes from day one to 4 months.  I can see a difference between the 2 teeth surrounding my "snaggle" tooth from last months photo.  There is even a small gap there.  Crossing fingers its making enough room for my next appointment! ;)

Front View - 4 Months

Right Side View - 4 Months

Left Side View - 4 Months

Progress photos Day 1 to 4 Months

2nd Braces Adjustment

Tuesday, July 1, 2014 - Today was my 2nd adjustment appointment.   The assistant took off my elastics and my Ortho came in to take a look.  She was very pleased at how much my front tooth had straightened out.  She decided to stick with the same wire I had on.  She explained to me that I will be getting a coil put on between my front tooth and canine tooth and a power chain going from my far front tooth back to my molar and on the other side a power chain on my canine tooth back to the other side molar. (see pictures below, they clearly can show you better than I can explain ;)).   She said this will help open the gap between my front tooth and canine tooth so we can finally start working on bringing that one (snaggle) tooth down.  The assistant took off my wire and started to work on the coil...ouch!!  The pressure actually made me cringe.  She asked if I was hurting and I said yes but its ok for her to do what she had to do.  She realized it was a lot of pressure and relieved some.  As she continued working on the coil and placing the wire back in it was uncomfortable but tolerable.  She then put on the powerchains which this time I chose a pretty blue color.  She told me she couldn't wait to see me on my next appointment to see how much difference it will be, which I said me too!!  She gave me some more wax just in case I needed it.  I had asked for some because the wax I bought from CVS just didn't seem to stick as well as the one they provide. 

I made my next appointment for Tuesday, August 12th and it cant get here soon enough.  As I was making my appointment, the assistant who was there at my consultation was setting up my appointment and couldn't believe how much my front tooth straightened out.  She said she was so happy for me, because she knew how much I wanted braces.  I have to say being someone who has always been terrified of the dentist office, this is the first dentist office I actually enjoy going to, because everyone is so friendly and welcoming.  They actually remember who you are personally.  Even though my hands still clam up before each appointment they always make me feel at ease. 

My front tooth is a little throbby, but I don't mind, because when my teeth are sore I know there is movement happening.  I'm sure I will be more sore tomorrow and of course I have a pot luck at work on Thursday and probably wont be able to chew that well.  That's ok it will all be worth it in the end!  Below are the pictures to show you exactly the difference of what was done at this appointment from my last.  As always, the pictures are not the prettiest, but I want people to be able to see exactly what is happening and the progress being made.

3rd Month Update with Braces

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

It has now been 3 months since I got braces.  I'm getting pretty used to them and sometimes I forget I even have them.  Since my last adjustment I really can't tell much of a difference.  Probably because they are focusing on trying to close my extraction gaps.  Which seems like its going to be a very long & slow process.  Only way I do know that my teeth have been moving is that the wires are now poking the back of my cheeks.  I had to buy more wax, because I constantly put it on those last brackets with the wire poking on each side daily.  My Ortho told me at my last adjustment that in about 3 weeks I may want to come in to get them cut. This is now my forth week, but I think I can handle it with the wax for now.  If it gets worse before my next appointment on July 1st then I think I might make a trip there to get them cut.
I still eat everything with a fork and knife. I went to the movies this past weekend and was soooo tempted to eat popcorn.  But I envisioned the pieces getting stuck in between my bands and I knew it would not be worth it, so I did without.  Good thing because when we got home my husband was complaining he had a piece stuck in between his teeth having a hard time getting it out, reminding me I made the right choice.
I finally got a technique down to floss in between my bands on my back molars without the floss shredding.  I also found ACT mouth rinse for braces!!  Awesome!   I usually use Listerine at night and the ACT in the mornings.  I like to still use Listerine because it fights gingivitis and that is definitely something I want to avoid with braces or ever.
I am posting updated photos below.  Like I said there isn't much of a difference that I can really see but it's hard to tell in the extraction gap areas.
My next adjustment is July 1st, I will update again then.

Front view - 3 Months

Left side view - 3 Months

Left side view - 3 Months

Progress photos Day 1 to 3 Months

Extraction Gap 1 month progress photos

Braces Update - The Adjusting Week of Agony With Molar Bands, Thicker Wire & Power Chains

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 -

Eating - Today I am finally able to chew without being in total agony!!  All the way up until Sunday my molars were so sore that I couldn't even chew really soft bread without being in pain.  I mainly ate, soup, ice cream, mashed potatoes & very soft mac n cheese.  The first few days even my front teeth were sore to touch.  But today I was able to eat normal without being in total discomfort.  I am also able to touch my bottom and top teeth together without getting a jolt of pain. 

Inside Cheeks - The first few days, the back of the inside of my cheeks were getting torn up by the molar bands and brackets, so I had to keep putting wax on the far back brackets, which helped a lot!  It is still a little sore on my left side cheek, but now I try not to put wax on it as long as I can, so my cheeks can toughen up and get used to it. 

Tongue - I am obsessed with feeling my teeth with my tongue, but I now get my tongue snagged between my wire and power chains when I do....ouchh!  Of course I still do it without thinking.  But, I like doing it to see if I feel a difference in gaps or straightening in my teeth.  But yea -ouch-, it does not feel good when the tongue gets cut up from doing so...maybe I will learn not too.... ;)

Flossing - Flossing my teeth has been quite a challenge.  My mouth is small and trying to get the threader with the floss in between the wire and power chains in my far back molars drives me crazy.  Once I do get it through and ready to floss it somehow snags on the brackets or stuck and I have to pull it back out and start all over again.  I'm sure the more I do it, the more I will get used to it or come up with a technique....just haven't mastered it quite yet.  But, I do have to say I LOVE my water pick. Not sure how I would survive getting all the junk out that gets stuck in the braces without it.  Brushing and flossing alone just does not do the trick!

Gaps - I haven't seen much of a difference in my extraction gaps.  I'm sure this is going to be a long process to close them.  I will wait until my 3 months on 6/18/14 to post a before and after pic so we can see if there really has been any movement towards closing them at that time.

1st Adjustment Con't. - Power Chains, Bands & Thicker Wire!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 - Today was my continuation of my1st adjustment appointment.   As you read before, at my original 1st adjustment appointment they realized I needed bands so I had to get spacers put in and come back in 2 weeks.  So today was the day to get my full 1st adjustment made.  The assistant took off my elastics and wire, which like last time was a little pressure but not painful.  She also took out my spacers which didn't bother me at all either.  She then started to put the bands around my molars that needed them.  The first one went in fine but the one around my crown wasn't fitting properly so she had to try 2 other bands until she found the right one that fit.  The band on my opposite side molar went on easy as well.  The orthodontist came in to take out the bands, cement them and place them back in.  It wasn't too bad, just a little pressure when they pushed on them and I had to bite down to secure the bands around my molars.  The assistant then put a blue light on each band to seal the bands to the cement.  Once she was done she let me rinse my mouth...the cement taste wasn't too pleasant.  She then started to put on the thicker wire.  This part is always a lot of pressure but this time my front teeth actually hurt as she was tightening and putting the wire on.  She then put on the elastics and power chains on which were a lot of pressure as well and somewhat uncomfortable.  I chose a dark pink for the elastics and power chains.  Once she was done I made my appointment to come back in 6 weeks. My next appointment is set for July 1, 2014.  When I got to the car and looked in the mirror I couldn't believe I already have a gap straight down between my 2 front teeth.  WOW!!!  That's probably where all the discomfort was coming from, it's already pulling them!  Makes it even more worth it seeing that it's already working.  My husband couldn't believe it either!  I am posting photos below.  The before pics are ones I took right before my appointment and the after ones are of course showing what I just got done today.  You can see the difference in the photos already of the gap that has been made.  :)

2nd Month Update With Braces

Monday, April 19, 2014

It's now been 2 months since I got braces.  I am getting a lot more used to eating and my brushing/flossing routine than before, although after tomorrow it is going to change some.  During these 1st 2 months Ive only had the wire going across the front six teeth due to getting extractions and spacers.  So brushing and flossing my teeth have only been a challenge on those teeth.  After tomorrow I will not only have the brackets and a thicker wire going across all my top teeth, I will also have bands put in and power chains to close the extraction areas.  I am sure this is going to be painful and make it more difficult to eat and brush/floss my teeth than before.  But I am sure I will get used to it and I have to keep remembering it will all be worth it in the end.  I am posting my 2 month photos below.  Sorry for the not so pretty teeth pics, but they are a work in progress.  I can really see that my one front tooth that was turned almost sideways has straightened out quite a bit. You can also see a small space between my front two teeth.   I cant wait until my "snaggle" tooth finally gets a wire on it and can start coming down into place.  Not sure when that will take place though.  My appointment is tomorrow at 2:00pm.  I will post pics showing the difference before my appointment to after.  This way I can show you exactly what they did differently.

Front View - 2 Months

Left Side View - 2 Months

Right Side View - 2 Months

Progress photos Day 1 to 2 Months

Spacers Update

Sunday, May 11, 2014 -  First, Happy Mothers Day to all you moms reading my blog.:)  It's been almost a week since I got the spacers put in.  My teeth aren't that sore anymore and I am able to chew better now with them in.  I was worried at first the throbbing would last for awhile especially since I was running a 5K today.  But luckily they feel fine and I completed my Mothers Day 5K with my son this morning without any issues. My front tooth is actually more sore than my molars with the spacers.  I think it is starting to move again which is great!  I will update again on the 18th when it will be 2 months since I got braces.

1st Adjustment

Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - Today was my 1st adjustment appointment. The assistant took off my elastics and wire which was a lot of pressure but not painful, just uncomfortable.  The orthodontist looked over my teeth. I let the orthodontist know that my bracket popped off my crown the very next day after my braces were put on.  She took a look and decided I needed to get spacers put in for bands.    The assistant put the rubber spacers between both sides of my crown molar and also on the other side of my mouth between the last 2 molars. Holy moly ouchhhh!!  My teeth next to my crown molar were so tight she had to use floss to help her get the spacers in between and boy was that painful! The orthodontist said that my teeth were very clean and for me to keep up the great work.  She said that I will need to take Motrin and rinse with salt water to help with the discomfort.  I was also told to make sure to not take the spacers out, but if they fell out a couple days before my next appointment that it's ok.  They made an appointment for me in 2 weeks on Tuesday, May 20th to get the spacers taken out and the bands put on.  She said at that time they will put on a thicker wire and put on power chains to start closing the gaps.  They put the wire back on the same front teeth I previously had them on and I picked out dark hot pink elastics.  It's been about 5 hours since my appointment and my teeth are throbbing from the spacers.  After doing my usual brushing routine I rinsed my mouth out with salt water and took some ibuprofen.  Hoping it wont bother me too much when I go to sleep.  Please excuse the not so attractive picture below, but I wanted to actually show you what was done today.  Pictures seem to help me get a better understanding when I am looking through others blogs regarding braces. ;)

1st Month Experience with Braces

Friday, April 18, 2014
The changes I have made this 1st month from having braces:

Eating

Well I definitely eat totally different now.  Pretty much everything I eat I use a fork and knife to cut up my food into small pieces before eating. This also includes sandwiches & hamburgers.   I stay away from all the "do not eat" foods.  Anything that is too hard or too sticky I don't even attempt.  On the plus side.........I lost weight!!! :)  Because of cutting everything I eat up and eating/chewing slower, I get full faster.  Plus a lot of my favorite "junk foods" are now too hard or too sticky to eat and are on the forbidden food list.  Also, having my extractions done and mouth too sore to eat a lot, played a big part.  But hey no complaints, because I went down a size and now wear size 5 which I havent worn since my 20's ;-).  My husband calls it the braces diet! lol

Brushing & Flossing

Brushing my teeth is completely different.  I went from spending maybe 2-3 minutes brushing my teeth to now spending 10-15 minutes.  I have a routine down.  First I brush the bottoms for 2 minutes,  then the tops for 2-3 minutes focusing on all sides of the brackets, teeth and gums. I use an Oral B electric toothbrush.   I also make sure I brush the roof of my mouth and tongue.  I then use the small spiral brush to go under each wire and brush parts of my teeth there, as well as around each bracket.  Then I floss between every tooth which is tricky for the ones with the brackets and wire.  I have threaders that help get the floss under the wires and make it easier to floss.  Then I use plackers to scrap between my teeth to make sure I got all the plaque off and food particles.  Then I use a water pik and lastly I rinse with mouth wash.  I do this in the morning and at night.  After snacks or meals during the day, I just brush or rinse my mouth out really good to make sure I don't have any food on my brackets or wires.

My teeth/braces cleaning essentials ;)

Sleeping

Sleeping with braces on so far only is disturbed when my teeth are feeling sore due to movements.  I have noticed I wake up during the night feeling like I am clenching my teeth.  Sometimes it suddenly wakes me up with a jolt of pain but goes away very fast.  Like I was pressing my bottom teeth hard against the back of my top teeth.   Weird...

Movement of teeth

Not too big of a difference so far.  Although I can now see that my top front tooth, that was turned almost sideways, has straightened out some.  It still has a ways to go. I can feel soreness when there is movement and I even see a small space between the top of my two front teeth.  It's weird, one day when I floss my teeth will be really tight and then another day the floss glides right through.  Then back to being tight again in some places.  But at least it shows me they are actually moving even if I dont see much of a difference right away. 

Peoples reactions of me having braces

Ive had a lot of support from family and friends when they found out I got braces.  I don't feel like I get strange looks from anyone that I don't know, so I am not embarrassed at all.  When people at work first noticed I got braces, they were all positive reactions.  If anything, having them on has helped build my confidence more to smile without hiding my teeth.  Even though they aren't straight yet and have a lot more work to go, I feel better about myself with them on.

Front view - 1 Month

Left side view - 1 Month

Right side view - 1 Month

Progress photos Day 1 to 1 Month

Extractions update

Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - 1 week after extractions -  Since my extractions, I ate nothing but ice cream, pudding and mashed potatoes.  I don't think I want to see any of those foods for awhile.  I finally felt ok enough to eat something a little more solid but still soft yesterday.  I was craving Red Lobsters chicken alfredo and cheesy biscuits, yummm!  Of course I had to get it to go, because I had to cut everything into tiny pieces and eat very slowly.  But OMG it was so great to taste something different for a change.  It felt weird, a little tender but didn't hurt, in my extraction areas when I was chewing and food would slip into those areas.  After eating I made sure to rinse my mouth with warm salt water, brush my teeth and floss (which takes even longer now, go figure).  I still rinse my mouth out with warm salt water at least 4 times a day.  My right side where I got my stitches is still a bit tender but my left extraction area doesn't really bother me anymore. The stitches are still there, not too sure how long they take to dissolve.   My top front teeth have been feeling a little sore lately, so I am guessing they are going through movements when this happens.  Very small movements, because I cant really tell much of a difference.  Although, my husband says it does look like my one front tooth has turned a bit.  But of course it's only been 3 weeks since I got the braces put on, ;).  Now only 3 weeks and 6 days until my next Ortho appointment...cant wait so I can get the rest of the brackets and wires on all my top teeth and hopefully start seeing more changes. ;)  On April 18th I will post updated pics since it will be exactly 1 month since I got the front braces put on.  Maybe then we can see if there actually was some kind of movement so far.

1st picture of me (since I was a child) actually smiling showing my teeth!!  This was taken Saturday, April 5, 2014 at the Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Game with my husband <3.

Day of Extractions

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 - Day of extractions.  I was completely nervous all day, I'm not good with dental procedures.  My husband took me to my appointment and when they called me back I got even more anxious.  The dental assistant saw the nervousness in my eyes and asked if I would like to take a Valium to ease my nerves.  She also let my husband come back to help me feel more comfortable.  After taking the Valium they gave me gas and put the shots to numb the areas.  The dentist was extremely nice.  The first tooth came out but part of the root broke off because of how tight my teeth were around it.  He went to the next tooth and that one came out in one piece.  He had to use other tools to get the remaining root out and then had to stitch the area.  He used dissolving stitches so I wont have to go back to get them removed.  He said because of that happening that I would be in more pain than usual.  So he prescribed me a pain medication.  They packed my areas with gauze and gave me instructions on how to care for the area.  After getting home the areas of the extractions were throbbing bad.  There was a 30 min wait on my prescription fill.  I put ice packs on both sides of my mouth which helped some.  Once I took the pain medication about 20-30 mins later the pain went away.  I had to keep packing the areas with gauze every 30 mins.  I am now leaving the area free of gauze so hopefully the bleeding has officially stopped.  Its been 5 hours since my appointment.  Getting the teeth pulled didn't hurt, just felt a lot of pressure.  It didn't take long at all other than the mishap with my one tooth.  I hope for a quick recovery and keeping my fingers crossed I don't get dry socket.  I posted pictures below.  Sorry if you get grossed out by the teeth but I wanted to show you what happened.  I don't see much difference in my teeth yet now that its been 2 weeks since I got the braces on.  Only thing I notice is that my front teeth are easier to floss because they have moved a little from each other so they aren't so tight.  My next appointment for the rest of my brackets and wire on my top teeth is May 6th.  Hopefully after they do that I will start seeing more changes.

Thursday, April 3, 2014 - Yesterday I took off work because of my mouth throbbing so much, mainly the right side from where they had the issue of the root breaking off and I have stitches.  I took pain medicine with Ibuprofen as the dentist suggested which helped a lot.  I stayed in bed most of the day and kept ice packs on it.  Today I went to work.  My face was a little swollen where the teeth were extracted.  I put ice packs on it when I could.  I made it through the day without medicine but by the time I got home it throbbed so bad I took some medicine which helped a lot.  I also started rinsing my mouth out with warm salt water which helps.  I hope tomorrow is a better day with the pain.

Getting ready for the extractions

Extracted teeth.  You can see how the root broke off on the right tooth :(

Front view with extractions

left side view with extractions

right side view with extractions

Braces as an adult - The Beginning

3-21-14 Day 3 update.    The following day the bracket that was on my crown (back molar) popped off.  The ortho asst said it may and if it did not to worry about it.  I guess because it isn't one of the teeth that has a wire through it right now.  So I will make sure to let her know my next appointment.  First few days teeth were too sore to chew.  Ate ice cream, pudding, potato soup and mashed potatoes.  Feeling like I may be able to chew a little tonight for dinner, going to try.  Front tooth is still pretty sore to touch but since the wires and brackets aren't on my back teeth so those aren't too sore.  Brushing and flossing takes a lot longer than without braces.  Flossing really hurts.  A lot of the teeth are really tight and its hard to get the floss between them and afterwards my teeth are pretty sore. The inside of my mouth, there are a few spots that are really sore because of the brackets hitting there.  I have been putting wax on the brackets that bother me.  I also have made sure to continue putting chap stick on all day.  Night time my braces haven't bothered me.   So far my teeth haven't bothered me enough to take pain medicine or Motrin.  I'm someone who wont take it until I absolutely need to.  I'm sure my next appointment when the full wire goes on including my back teeth, I may need to then.  Made my appointment for my extractions, it's set for 4/1/14 at 2:00pm.  I am getting two of my top teeth pulled, the first tiny molar on the right and the 2nd on the left.  Insurance wont cover extractions for braces so I am going to a different dentist that charges $160 per tooth.  Hopefully my next ortho appointment I remember to ask them if they can show me my before pics and I will take a pic of them and put them on here as well.  Which will have a better view of how crooked my teeth really are.  My next update will be when I get the extractions, hopefully that goes well......


3-18-2014 Day of getting braces on top teeth.    Today I got my top braces on.  First they took an x-ray, then took pictures of my teeth and of my profile.  Then they made a mold of my top and lower teeth.  It was gooey and I started to bite down and the orthodontist assistant told me not to because I was biting her finger..oppss lol.  Once they were all done they put a conditioner on my teeth and put the brackets on.  Then they put a wire only on my front 7 teeth leaving the snaggle tooth without wire because I have to wait to get my extractions so I have room for that tooth to go down.  Plus they want to focus on my front tooth that's turned almost sideways to straighten out.  They also didn't put the wire on my back teeth yet, she said they will do that at my next appointment.  She let me choose what color bands I wanted on the brackets.  I got really pretty light pink bands to go around my braces.   It didn't hurt at all getting the braces put on.  Just felt weird and I could feel pressure on my front teeth.  They went over everything I can't eat and how I need to brush and floss my teeth.  They gave me a travel kit with everything needed to clean my teeth on the go.

Its now been 3 hours since I got them on and so far they don't hurt.  But I was told they will start to hurt and to take Motrin as much as needed.  She said that I will only want to eat soft foods for about a week that my teeth will let me know if chewing hurts.  The braces feel weird on the back of my lips, definitely got to get used to that.  She said to make sure I wear lots of chapped stick.  When my orthodontist said for me to smile after the braces were on, I covered my mouth as I was smiling....bad habit.  She said how they make me look younger, which is a plus ;).  I told her I promise I wont cry this time.  She said that I made her and the ortho asst. tear up on my last appointment and that it's people like me they enjoy doing what they do.  Which made me feel good.  My next appointment isn't until Tues, May 6th at 3:30pm (7weeks later).  Below are the photos of my top braces Day 1.  Again, sorry my teeth aren't pretty, but I am overly excited I am finally on my way to having straight teeth and a beautiful smile ;).

Front view braces - Day 1

Left side view braces - Day 1

Right side view braces - Day 1

Well here it goes, I am a 41 year old mom, finally deciding to get braces. I thought maybe by posting a blog of my journey it will help another adult thinking of getting braces too. Growing up as a child my parents never took me to get braces even though I really needed them badly.  Once I became an adult I had my first child the day after my 21st Birthday and my 2nd 4 1/2 years later.  I always put my kids needs in front of mine and always thought braces were too expensive to get when I had other things such as bills to pay for.  Recently when I went to get some dental work done my husband told me to "just do it" when I mentioned it would be nice to get braces, to actually smile in pictures.  I spoke to the dentist during my appointment and they told me after I get my cleaning done to make an appointment for a free consultation with the Orthodontist.  So this is where my journey begins.... 

3-11-204   Day of consultation.  I was very nervous and unsure if I would have a lot of work needed done 1st in order to get braces. In my mind I thought I was going to leave my appointment upset because it was going to be a challenge, since I'm an adult, to get braces on soon.  I had panoramic x-rays done.  I actually started laughing while having it done because this thing spinning around my head like a UFO was pretty funny to me.  Only took about 10 secs.  They asked me questions about my concerns and went over my teeth.  The orthodontist was very nice and easy to talk to.  She said my gums were healthy and hygiene was good.  I have an overbite so she said I will need to have my top braces on first then the bottoms on 6 months later.  She also said I would need to have 2 top teeth extracted and one bottom tooth.  As soon as she told me I will get started on my braces on my next appointment I busted out crying.  Very emotional because this is something I have wanted to do for so long but always felt like it was a burden financially to the family so I put it aside.  Felt like a big baby though lol.  But my husband reassured me saying that its something I've always wanted and its a big deal to me, and that it was understandable why I would be so emotional. Which made me feel better.  I made my appointment and it is set for Tues 3-18-2014.  Not for sure yet what all is going to happen on that visit.  But she did say she will put the braces on my top teeth before I get the extractions.  Then 6 months later she will do the same with the bottom.  Still excited and scared, but very anxious that I am finally getting this done for myself.  Next Tuesday cant get here quick enough!  I took pictures today of my front view and sides.  Yuck...cannot wait until I never have to see those crooked teeth again! :)  The cost of my braces is $7261.54, my insurance gives a discount of $2541.54 so my total cost is $4720.00.  I am on a payment plan.  I will pay $99 down and then 154.03 will be directly withdrawn from my checking account the 18th of every month starting 4/18/14.  My last payment should be 9/18/2016.  Both me and my husband were both like, if we knew it would be that easy we wold have done this a long time ago.  But all along I always thought you had to pay for it all upfront or at least a big chunk of it.  Which I never wanted to do, because I always felt there were more important things to pay for.  I am going to post the before pictures below.  Sorry they aren't pretty  :(   Never ever would I post pictures of my teeth, but since these should be the last ones that will ever be taken before braces and maybe telling my journey will help someone else, then here it goes.....

Front view without braces

Left side view without braces

Right side view without braces