BRACES ARE OFF! February 18 2016

This is it! They're off! After 17 months... here we go! 

This was the first proper photo I took for social media. Since this photo I've had some bonding done to correct the small gaps between my top lateral incisors and top front teeth (you can kind of see one of the gaps in the left photo). 

Another great thing about having them off is that I no longer stress how my ID photos look!

I have a permanent wire retainer behind my bottom teeth. In the time between my braces coming off and the bonding being done on two of my top teeth, I had a clear plastic vacuum-formed retainer that I wore 24/7, except when eating/drinking/brushing. Once the bonding was done I was able to get a permanent wire retainer behind my top teeth as well, and now I only have to wear the vacuum-formed retainer overnight most nights of the week for 6 months, and then occasionally (1-2 nights a week) for the rest of my life. VERY small price to pay for beautiful teeth!

So, this is it. Thank you for letting me share my journey with you and I hope that it has been inspirational. 

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February 2016 - 17 months: FINAL MONTH WITH BRACES!

17 months. That was all it took to get my teeth from looking so terrible to so beautiful. This photo was taken the night before my braces came off...

My first day with braces vs my last day with braces. Unbelievable. Like I actually do not believe it. 

Next post will be braces-free!

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January 2016 - 16 months

Little did I know... January 2016 would be my last month with braces! This photo was taken after my last tightening...

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December progress (15 months)

I have been so busy - this is the first chance I've had to be able to go back through all of my deliberate progress shots and selfies to upload some. My blog is almost finished!

So, here is a progress shot from December 2015:

Not the best photo but the swelling has completely gone now. 
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November progress (14 months)

All right! It's taken me a good couple of hours but I am finally back on track with these updates! It's mid-December now, but there is such little change from month to month that I'll post a couple of November shots, including one without my teeth showing so you can see how my jaws fit together now.

This first photo is a classic comparison shot, definitely the most impressive one to date! I cannot believe that my mouth looked like that 14 months ago. I cannot believe it at all. 

And check it out, no swelling! No underbite! Normal face!

Like I said earlier, it's mid-December now. My orthodontist thinks that I could get my braces off late January - March at the latest. I'm not getting my hopes up because I know that orthodontists are infamous for leaving braces on months after they said they'd take them off, and as long as my teeth are beautiful by the end I am happy.

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Progress during October (13 Months!)

Here, have some progress shots for the month of October, 13 months since my braces were put on:

Nothing new to report, recovered from surgery fully and just excited that every day is a day closer to getting them off! 

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ONE YEAR! (September 2015)

In September 2015 I finally hit the one year mark of braces. I say 'finally' but I don't really mean it - it has actually gone so fast! Maybe because the progress was so fast, so much faster than I thought it would be, and I became so happy with my appearance that having braces barely bothered me. In saying that, I'd much rather not have them, of course, and cannot wait to get them off!

I'm so happy with my teeth now! I can still see lots of tiny imperfections if I choose to really scrutinise them but they don't bother me, I'm happy that my teeth close together and are almost perfectly straight! The above photo was taken one month after surgery. 

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Post-operation - I got lucky with the swelling!

So my jaw operation was in mid-August, and these following shots were taken in late August. The first two weeks were the hardest, not being able to eat, talk, really move around much without getting a nosebleed or lightheaded, I couldn't even put a jumper on without help... and I would have multiple bouts of depression, self-hate, I'd feel ugly... no, hideous... but that's all part of it and I expected to feel that way. At no point in time did I regret the operation. 

Okay, so my face didn't change too much. My cheekbones, which were already high, got higher and my top lip is now more pronounced. 

Now that the swelling has gone down completely, I am able to feel some of the titanium in my face when I touch it. Mainly on each side of nose underneath my eyes, and sometimes when I lie on my boyfriend's chest or rest my head against his arm he complains that my earring is sticking into him - I don't wear earrings, so it must be some of the metal in my face. 

It will stay in there forever, the titanium. Unless I start to feel lots of sensitivity, then they can do something about it, but so far it hasn't bothered me whatsoever.

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JAW SURGERY TIME!

Okay. Here we go.
It honestly feels as though my entire life has been building up to this moment. The moment when a bunch of surgeons replace my upper jaw with a piece of titanium which will let my teeth for together.
I wasn't nervous, I was excited. I was a little anxious that my face would change drastically and/or I wouldn't recognise myself (and there were a few days there when I couldn't, not really), but for the most part I was absolutely ready to accept and embrace any facial changes because not being able to close my mouth was Hell. 
So, let's take a look.
We've checked out enough of my 'before' shots so you should know what my underbite and face looked like before this day and I'm not going to bore you and post more of those photos here, so if you like you can always scroll back a bit through my blog to compare.

This first photo was taken the afternoon after my operation that morning. A lot of blood. Like a lot, a lot more than I had anticipated. And a lot less swelling. But a lot of blood. I had a constant nosebleed and the blood would coagulate and dry into solid balls and I would need to clear them to breathe (as my mouth was banded shut), and then the bleeding would start again. This went on for days in hospital and out of hospital.

I was on a lovely combination of morphine, endone and tramadol so my memory of my four-day hospital stay is a bit foggy. 
Luckily I have a great boyfriend (who, at this stage, I'd only been with for three months) who stayed every day and as long as the nurses would allow into the night and cleaned my face every few minutes, as shown below.

From this...

To this <3

The swelling peaked pretty quickly, and I hated my reflection. I was very puffy and my nose was very swollen:

My recovery was fairly quick though. I was even able to give a teensy smile on my third or fourth day in hospital: 

A lot of dried blood on my teeth, as you can see, and very thick rubber bands (that you can also see) prevented me from opening my mouth whatsoever. I was taking all of my pain relief and antibiotics through a drip and on my third and fourth day in hospital I was required to "eat" sustenance (those awful gritty and powdery protein drinks that take like citrus medicine). I had to do this through a syringe which my boyfriend fed through a tiny gap in my teeth like a thread in the eye of a needle. 

About a week following the surgery I was able to take this comparison shot to detail the difference in my bite:

And around the 2 week mark post-surgery, all the bands had snapped and I had free range of movement, even if not full range. I was on a non-chew diet for a month and even now, four months after this operation, I still have difficulty biting into hard things. This is mostly due to my top teeth not being sharp enough yet (as before now my bottom teeth had done all the initial biting), but chewing is no problem. Actually, it's better than it's ever been, even with braces. My mouth is like a blender and I can't wait to see how much easier chewing is when my braces come off (which will be in 1 - 3 months!)

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Progress from July 2015 - One month until Jaw Surgery!

Again, some more 'confident with smiling now' shots. These were taken in July, and jaw surgery is just one month away from this point in time! I had the surgical hooks positioned at this stage. They weren't as uncomfortable as people (my orthodontist and opinions on the internet) had made me believe. They actually didn't bother me at all. You can see one of them (just) in the bottom black and white photo, on my top front tooth - hint: It looks like a little bit of food. 

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Progress during April 2015 (7 Months)!

I'd begun to learn how to position my mouth at this stage to hide my underbite, which is still very much present. The trick, I'd discovered, was to completely hide my bottom row of teeth.

And can I just say, it was around this time that my confidence began to soar through the roof. I left a toxic relationship that I had been previously too scared to abandon and had the self esteem to go out and meet somebody new. I felt attractive enough to do that, even with an underbite and braces on my teeth! That's how much of a profound effect braces have had on my life. 

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6 Months! (Progress from March 18, 2015)

Another fun comparison shot! This one is drastic. 6 months in and my entire top row of teeth have shifted an incredible amount! And this is just 6 months in! Magic!

Jaw surgery is looming at this stage, taking place exactly 5 months from the date that this photo was taken, so stay tuned for more insane progress posts!

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Progress from January 27, 2015 - Day 127!

Right, next progress shot that I've pulled from my very-consistent documenting on Facebook coming right up, and it's a fun little comparison one.

Even though the progress here doesn't compare whatsoever to my current progress there is no doubt that my teeth have shifted a lot from their original position. Especially those sharp canine teeth of mine! 

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Progress from January 6, 2015 - 15 weeks with braces

Oh my god. OH MY GOD. 
I am so sorry! I cannot believe that it has almost been a YEAR since I have posted! So much has happened to me in this last year and I just kept putting it off! End of a relationship, beginning of a new relationship, moving, death, University, teaching practicum and, of course, JAW SURGERY... 
But don't worry, I've documented everything on my Facebook so now it's just a matter of going back and uploading all of the progress shots onto this blog!
So let's take a step back in time to January 6, 2015, when I took this progress shot...

This was taken at 15 weeks and now that I have had the jaw surgery and am fully recovered my underbite seems so profound in all of my past photos! I'm going to move right along to the next post now as there is so much progress - A YEAR'S WORTH - to cover! Even though it'll take me all afternoon I think the progress timeline is important - the journey and not the destination sort of thing. 

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Day 84 (Week 12): Second Tightening

Week 12! The second tightening hurt a lot more in the aftermath than the first tightening did. Good news though: I may not have to get any teeth out at all! It's still not 100% certain that I won't get any teeth out (initially I was getting four out) but I'm pleased either way as long as the decision will make my smile better. I kept with my usual pale pink bands because I think they look the most unnoticeable of all of the colours. 

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Day 73!

It's actually not Day 73, it's Day 75 (10.5 weeks) but the image below was taken on Day 73. I've photo collaged it so it's super easy to see the changes that have occurred (and there are a lot of them)! I guess there was such a big gap between blog posts (sorry!) because I am getting so used to my braces and the days are really flying.

Day 73: Before and Now

So the first most obvious change to me is the shift of my lateral incisors (the teeth to either side of my top front teeth). They were very far behind my top front teeth and now they're really moving out, especially the left one (the right in this photo), even though it feels like my right one is moving more. My top front teeth are also considerably straighter, and my canine teeth have really dropped. Although my left lateral incisor, the one that has moved a lot, doesn't appear to be rotated in this photo, it really is and now that it's moving I can really feel the difference in my mouth and my tongue always goes to it because it's different. I also always bite my tongue and my lip on my left canine tooth that has lowered so much (the right in this photo)! My bottom teeth weren't very crooked to begin with but they've still shifted a fair bit and are a little crowded. 

Oh, jaw surgery update: My orthodontist thinks that my teeth will be aligned properly for the surgery in seven or eight months time, so I'm looking at surgery in either July or August 2015 (it's December 2014 at the moment)!

And no, I still can't chew very well but I'm so used to it now that I barely notice that my teeth aren't touching. I kind of just gnaw my food and move it around my mouth a lot.

Here's a pointer as well if you have braces and have trouble remembering your toothbrush/paste/mouthwash etc. In addition to keeping a toothbrush etc. in your handbag (which is difficult for guys obviously), keep one somewhere at your workplace. I work in retail so nobody minds that I brush my teeth at work because it's better than facing customers with a load of lettuce stuck in my brackets!

Next Monday (the 15th) it will be my 12th week and I get them tightened for the second time! Hopefully I find out when I'm getting the teeth I need out removed and which ones they are, because the crowding along the bottom is starting to become uncomfortable. 

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Day 48?! How Did That Happen?!

Yeah, you've read correctly... it's Day 48! I've had braces for 7 weeks tomorrow, and time has really begun to speed up. Sorry for the huge gap between posts, I had exams and was flat-out with them and with work, but it's summer break now thank goodness! I'm getting extremely used to being limited to soft foods, with pasta being the most common occurrence in my diet. And here comes the progress shot...

Day 48

Ignore my chapped lips! My teeth have really shifted a lot! I also have pale pink bands on most of my brackets now, which are very unnoticeable. I had them changed when I had my first tightening on the Monday just gone (Week 6). I didn't think having them tightened would hurt as much as it did! I felt like my teeth were going to be ripped clean out of my mouth, it was horrifying. But the pain didn't last for very long at all, just a dull ache for two or three days but not bad enough to need any pain relief. My canine teeth have come down a lot, especially the left one (the right in this photo). I can feel the difference! I can't wait until the teeth that are slightly behind my top front teeth move some more!

My orthodontist says that I'll be ready for surgery on his end in eight or nine months, which is very exciting. It's just up to the waiting list at the hospital for when I can actually be admitted, because I'm on the public health system being a student.

I can finally see enough of a change in my teeth and smile to start believing that this is actually going to work! I mean, I know that braces work, but it's hard to imagine something that you've always hated about yourself being able to be fixed. I especially cannot wait until after my surgery, so I can smile like this with my mouth closed! All in good time.

I still don't know how long I'll have braces for (I can't bring myself to ask!) but if the surgery is in eight or nine months, that brings us to July/August 2015, and there is a 6 month recovery period which brings us to February 2016, so I'm looking at 2 - 2.5 or even 3 years, which I've already figured. 

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Milestone: One Month!

One month down! Thanks to uni and work keeping me on my toes, it's gone fairly quickly. Slowly progressing to soft foods but at a very slow rate as my teeth still don't touch and I keep having to swallow things whole which obviously is not good for my belly. Weight loss is fairly consistent, and I'm hovering just under the 50kg mark. I feel like my left canine (the right in this photo) has moved down just a fraction compared with my other photos and that the tooth that is partly behind my top right tooth (the left in this photo) is slowly moving out.

Progress shot: One month!

Just a quick post today because it's exam time and I'm getting slammed.

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Day 20: Post-Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Day 20! I will have had braces for three weeks tomorrow. Now that I think about it, it's moved pretty quickly. The first two weeks dragged but I don't even notice my braces anymore, except when I see myself in a reflection or look in a mirror - then I'm all up in my own grill examining them for issues!
So I got my wisdom tooth out as scheduled yesterday, pretty awful time but it's out now and that's all that matters. My last remaining wisdom tooth (I thought I had two left to get out, both the top ones, but apparently I only have one) is so far up, underneath my eye socket, that it will probably never cause me any worry and they may not even be able to take it out in the surgery because it's so inaccessible, so that's good (I guess)!
Anyway, I had my first wisdom tooth out earlier this year and while the pain was pretty terrible, I didn't have any swelling. This time, though, it took them a lot longer to get the tooth out (about half an hour) so I have a bit of swelling this time...

Post-wisdom tooth extraction swelling

It looks like I'm puffing one of my cheeks up with air! Or that I have a golf ball hidden in my mouth. I also look about 14 in this photo because I'm not wearing any makeup and I haven't brushed my hair (I'm 22), so just ignore that. But anyway, it's not as painful as it looks because I'm on 1-2x panadeine forte, 1-2x nurofen zavance and 1x antibiotic (metronidazole) every six hours, so I'm a bit numbed up! I can't open my mouth very wide (I have to eat my soup with a teaspoon, tablespoons and soup spoons are too big and I can't open my mouth enough). 

Apparently after jaw surgery, older patients swell less and bruise more, and younger patients swell more and bruise less. I think I'm on the cusp of being an older patient so I don't know if I'll swell more or less or bruise more or less. If this is anything to go by, I think I'll swell a fair amount!

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Day 17: It Just Takes Some Time.

Day 17. I'd like to think that time is going quickly - after all, it's been almost three weeks -  but I just can't see much change. I know, I know. I'm not even supposed to see any change yet. I can't really explain it, it just feels like there's so much going on in my mouth that something should be happening. Oh well, early days. Very early days, actually. When I get my braces tightened for the first time on November 3rd, 2014, I'll ask my orthodontist how long he predicts that I'll have braces before having my jaw surgery. I am far too scared to ask in case he says, like, over 2 years! Because after the surgery I'll still have braces for awhile, so I have got it into my head that I'll have them for like 3 years and I wouldn't be surprised at all if that's the case. I keep trying to compare my progress shots to each other and I think I can see a slight difference between then and now?

Day 1

Day 17 (today)

I don't know, it's hard for me to tell. I really want to say "YES! ALL THE CHANGE!" But I really cannot decide if there is much, or any. Also, the photos are quite different to each other (Day 1 is of a partly closed mouth... well, as much as I can close my mouth, anyway; Day 17 is a partly open mouth). Have some of those teeth moved forward from behind my top front teeth? I cannot tell! Argh!

Anyway, that's enough for now. My wisdom tooth comes out tomorrow so eating will be even more fun, I didn't think that was possible.

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