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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