This was not part of the plan.

Hey everyone! It's has been a little over a month since my last post. Done to a crazy final exam schedule I could not find the time to blog but I wanted to so bad because A LOT of things have happened in the last month.

First off, I got my first wire changed. Contrary to the common belief, which I myself was a victim of, one's wire does not get "tighten" when you go to the orthodontist for a readjustment. Rather, the whole wire gets replaced with a new and thicker one. What essentially is happening is that the wires are constantly exerting pressure onto the teeth, which causes them to move and be straighten. Thicken wire means more exertion of force onto the teeth. Check out this animation to know what I mean. Similar to the first placement of the wire, there was initial pain that lasted for about 2-3 days then my teeth didn't hurt at all. Here's a picture of my new "thicker" wire.

1 month 1 week

So far, there has been some movement (see below) and I have felt it. For instance, the two adjacent teeth to my front teeth used to be turned but they have started to straighten up. You can't really tell in the above picture but they are starting to. Remember the left side of my mouth that hasn't had as much movement as the right? Well, it's finally moving rapidly too. The orthodontist was right when he said I didn't need to turn the RPE anymore.

However, remember when I was excited to find out that I didn't have to turn the RPE anymore? Also remember when I mentioned how lucky I was to have my upper molars move out so far with just the RPE? Well, it seems like there is a negative side to all of this. When I was at the orthodontist changing my wire, they noticed that the RPE had dislodged itself into my upper gums (the metal bottom piece) --- so much as to have left many imprints in them when it was removed! This was definitely not part of the plan. The current RPE that I am wearing now was made into a removable one until I get a new device. I was advised to only remove it during meals and brushing my teeth, if I wanted. So far I have only removed it twice, which felt good but it can take a while to orient the device when placing it back on. For this reason, I don't remove it much. On the other hand, I was fitted for another RPE-like device that has a nicer design that would help keep my teeth from retracting but at the same time not dislodge itself into my gums. Yup, that meant I had to get another impression (I nearly gauged...twice). The order was placed so I will be getting it next week.

Next week is also when I get both of my first pre-molars removed! I'm a little scared to be honest but they are being removed in the office and I will be getting anaesthesia so it's going to be okay....I hope.


Last off, here are two pictures to compare my progress so far. It's hard to decipher the little changes that have happened from these pictures but there are nonetheless changes, which makes me happy. I find that it helps to flip between these two pictures to really notice the changes.

Day 6

1 month 1 week

Progress trackers.

Officially a brace face!

I finally got my top braces on a few days ago (see below). It's currently metal braces but I'm only wearing it for about a month.  I did not get to inquire the assistant but I think I will be getting ceramic braces in the upcoming months. Also note from the first picture how much my teeth have moved. I'm still very shocked and happy how much they have moved outwards! Goodbye underbite!

Pre-braces (5 months with RPE)

Day 6

So how are they? The first three days they really made my teeth ache. I forgot to take a tylenol (or any other painkiller) 30 minutes before my appointment, which I read online helps with the initial pain. I plan to do so for my next appointment. The pain was worst than when I had spacers. However, it got better.

During those three days, I stuck with soft foods such as soup and ice cream. I was told to stay away from hard and sticky food. After that, I ate a lot of stuff I usually eat: sushi, pizza (no crust though) chicken wings, fruits, fish, etc. You can eat pretty much a lot of foods but you have to be mindful to cut them into small pieces. For one, it's requires less chewing (which can hurt). And two, less of the food will get stick in the brackets.

The worst thing about braces so far is having to clean it after eating. My routine is usually rinsing my mouth with water a few times to clean out any big chucks of food. Then I brush my teeth for a few minutes (there's a timer on the automatic toothbrush). Then I rinse a few more time and use a small brush with a bristle to get any remaining food stick on the brackets. After that I floss, which is a pain in the butt. The following picture are the supplies I was given to take care of my braces. It includes: waxes, automatic brush, floss, travel toothbrush, etc.

Braces kit

P.S. Just realized how yellow my teeth look in the previous photos I've uploaded. Note to self: take pictures during the day with natural lighting and not at night with artificial lighting!

Braces in a week!

No more turning! No more turning! I can finally stop turning my RPE!

I went into my appointment today expecting to be fitted for another RPE. Currently, the underbites on both my right and left sides are gone BUT the left side is at a cross bite right now. I beyond maxed out my RPE because it's currently measured at 11.5mm! Everyone was so surprised that the screw didn't fall apart since 10mm is usually considered the maximum. However, when my orthodontist checked my progress he said that I could stop turning. The braces will be able to finish the job by pushing the teeth on the left side out, which would fix the cross bite. Hence, I won't be turning my RPE anymore and will be getting my top braces on next week! After more than 5 months, this is really BIG news.

I really want to show you guys pictures of my teeth right now but I don't have my camera on me at the moment and won't have it for another week or so. Don't worry though I promise I will post tons of pictures when I get it back.