Chicken noodle soup.

I went to the orthodontist today and got some good and bad news.

The good news is my metal spacer did not fall off! Woot woot! However, I now understand why people hate them so much -- the spacer was very difficult to remove! It was launched deep into my gums (which is why I didn't feel them) >_< Nonetheless, I got new spacers replaced and they're all plastic this time :)

The bad news. I have to wait three weeks to get my upper jaw expander -- an order was placed today. This meant I had to get another impression of my upper jaw... I nearly gagged (twice).

On another note, the new spacers are making my teeth become very sensitive again, like the first time I got them. No bad pain or anything but I will be eating chicken noodle soup again for the next few days (which I don't really mind).

Project braces ticker.

I found this cool gadget through the archwired forum! This place has awesome information about everything and anything to do with having braces.

On the hand, I've been reading online about people's experiences of metal spacers. According to many, the metal ones are evil and cause much more pain than the plastics ones. For me, it was the opposite such that I can't even see or feel the metal spacer! Which has been getting me thinking that my metal one fell off?? I pray that it has not because the office is closed today and is not open until Monday.

It's recommedended that if your spacer falls off within more than one day before your next appointment then you should go and get it replaced. Here's to praying my metal one didn't fall out (and I ate it? because I didn't even noticed it falling off >_<)

Plastic or metal?

I got spacers (seperators) put in my top molars -- three blue (although they look black in the picture below) plastic ones and a metal one. The experience was not painful but I have very tight teeth such that the assistant had a good workout trying to put the first three in. She gave up on the fourth one after punching me in the face trying to floss it in. The metal one was so much easier and is less painful to have. It's been three days since I had them in and I can feel the soreness when I bite down but it's no biggie (although I had soup for lunch two days in a row).

I've seen many pictures of people who upload pictures of their teeth online. How do they take such good pictures? Tips please? This was my best attempt on an iphone >_< .

I'm due back at the orthodontist in a week so I'll blog more then.

My first blog.

This is the first blog I have ever created. Why?

One, I'm not a good writer and will never be one.

Two, I never knew blogs were free to create.

Three, (the real reason) before (and after) I went to see an orthodontist I tried to do some research about my particular case. I always found that it's nice and reassuring in a certain way to read about other people's experiences about problems that I also have. In other words, it's good to know that there are others out there who are suffering the same faith as me. In trying to do so, I didn't find much. Although do check out this quirky down-to-earth blog Saybraces.

Hence, I started this blog as a way to help create and share my experiences of having braces with those who are looking or have looked into getting braces (particularly those with a class III).

The beginning of my journey.

I should have started this blog two days ago. That was the day my treatment started. But it's better late than never right? Here's my story and the beginning of my braces journey (warning it's a long read):

I'm a 21 years old female entering my last year of my undergraduate studies. What a great time to get braces eh? So, what was my motivation for getting braces? Lack of confidence? Self-consciousness? Boys? The answer is none of the above. I never gave the idea of having braces a chance when I was younger. Though they may have crossed my mind in my teen years when I felt awkward smiling with my teeth. On the other hand, my parents are immigrants from Vietnam, a country where getting food on the plate was more important than cosmetic surgery for your teeth or heck even oral hygiene. Hence, I cannot blame them for not getting me braced up when I was younger.

It was only about a month ago that I did some serious (I was bored) research on ways to fix a gummy smile -- my smile is gummier than a gummy bear. That lead me on the path to finding out that I had a small upper jaw and that the effects included breathing problems (I'm a mad mouth breather!). In normal individuals your upper jaw should be above and slightly forward of your lower jaw. So I decided to visit a few orthodontists to get some opinions about my small jaw and whether I needed braces to fix it (even though I knew the answer was yes).

I went to two. Though the first one was nice, I decided not to go with him because he was just a general dentist who also did braces on the side. In the end, I opted for a real orthodontist near my house. He told me I had a class III underbite. And to my surprise one of my front tooth has been chipping away as it is shorter than the other one due my front teeth sitting right on top of my bottom incisors. And to make matters worst, it would take two years to fix and two extractions along the way. However, in the end I decided to get braces because it would only be a few years compared to the REST OF MY LIFE. I kept telling myself what a friend of mine told me when I asked her about her experiences with braces, "It's all so worth it (in the end)!"

As you can see when I smile, there is two small black gaps on either side of my mouth, which is an indication of a small underdeveloped upper jaw. Not to mention, my two bottom canines are severely rotated.