16 months later....

Just a little update. Not much to share, my teeth are straightening up beautifully. I have one gap on my right side which is still open and a powerchain across the front of my teeth to assist in closing it up, it's still taking its time. My son is almost 10 months now and i have been back to work for 6 of those months (he is enrolled at my service) so this explains my lack of updates other than the 'not much to say' factor.
No further cavities detected and i am doing a 'good job' at keeping my mouth clean so my dentist advises me at visits. Although i have just had a slight bout of gingivitis at the front evident through bleeding when brushing but easily fixed with the right size Pikster and mouth wash. A dental hygienist is great at tips and tricks...
Piksters are brilliant little lifesavers that i frequently use to remove bits of food stuck between bands, brush under the wire or to floss between teeth. But i was not using the right size, now i am.
http://piksters.com
i will also remind you about the trusty waterpik!! Get one!
And while i am at it, Colgate triple stripe is my favourite toothpaste..... i just use a soft bristle brush (not fussed on brands of brushes)

Any who, the whole point of my blog was to document the journey of my teeth which i am over the moon about! I have spent many hours wondering what i would look like with nice teeth, now i daydream about what i would look like with no braces, my teeth are great now. But mostly i want to share with others about the likelihood of Adult palate expansion being successful, i am proof of this. I had no surgery, just removal of teeth which did not negatively alter my facial structure.
If you're wondering if you should try it, I would seriously reccomend you do.
I will update again when i have something substantial to add.
:) <------- thats my new smile! ;)

Progress shot

Not too much to report other than how much better my teeth are looking. 

I can only complain about the wire poking me at the back of my mouth but that's a good thing because the wire is only long because my teeth have moved so much. 

I recently had a filling on my upper left lateral incisor, I had a cavity which had been hidden as my teeth were so crooked and hard to clean. Anyway it's fixed now.

It roughly 6 weeks between orthodontist visits where I have adjustments made and 6 months between dentist visits at which I have a check up, clean and flouride treatment each time. 

That's it for now. :) 

9 months later....

So I've had my braces on for around 9 months now. I've also had a baby in this time. A son, he is three weeks old tomorrow! 

Obviously I don't have a lot of time to write a long post as I usually do. I'm preoccupied with breast feeding someone who is quite impatient! 

Dealing with my braces and being pregnant was no big deal at all. The few things I noticed which I'm not sure if they happen to everyone becaus I only ever had my braces whilst I was pregnant. 

- bleeding gums, at some points it was a lot! 

- inability to take pain medication in the first trimester. 

- not being able to eat certain foods that I really, really wanted to eat! Like taffy, caramels, biting into an apple. 

General braceface stuff. 

One thing I have found that has nothing to do with pregnancy, but everything to do with ceramic braces is the staining. 

I miss eating curry! 

I sometimes still do if I am really close to my next appointment and I know that the little ligatures will be changed asap. They are quite yellow at the moment with no curry! 

I haven't had an apointment in close to six weeks due to having a baby and all. 

Here's a progress pic, as per the norm it's blurry as....

update when I get a chance. 

5 months on...

So I've had my braces for almost 5 months, it's gone really fast for me as I am focused on other things at the moment.... 

In a previous post I mentioned my inability to take pain medication, well this was due to the advice of my obstetrician, as I am pregnant! 

6 1/2 months along now actually! 

I had just found out about it before I had my braces put on. 

We (dear husband and I) are pretty over the moon about it! I wasn't planning on being pregnant before braces went on but definitely wanted to be soon after. 

:) 

No complications arise from it in the dental area, it just hinders the x-rays being done. Hygiene is a bigger deal though as pregnant women are prone to gingivitis. 

Pregnancy actually helps with the movement of teeth as a hormone is produed to help move hips and well, all bones in preparation of baby getting bigger and being delivered. My teeth look so different to me now! 

Anywhooo!

I have all teeth in the wire now, 3 power chains and just got rid of my springs at my last appointment. 

I'm sure I will post again soon! I will share all the ins and outs of being a wired pregnant woman then.... 

Here's a progress pic. As usual, not the best quality, but good enough. 

Picture Showing where Extracted teeth were.

1 month in....

So I have had my braces on for a month now, due for an adjustment in 5 days time which I am looking forward to. 

The changes have been amazing so far! 

I am so happy with the results.... 

I had a lower central incisor removed in place of a first premolar due to receding gums and I was so unhappy with the gap left and the way it looked... 

But no worries now because only a month in with my trusty braces, it is nearly fully closed up. You wouldn't even be able to tell I had it removed. :) 

I have a lot going on in there though. 

Powerchain on one side and springs up the top. I have three teeth which are so out of line they are currently not attached to the wire as it was impossible to get them in! 

Hopefully this Friday I will have at least one of them attached so it can start moving also. 

The first week was braces was quite a shock, I didn't expect to have that amount of 'pain' or feel the looseness of my teeth so quickly.... 

I also have some other things going on which have affected my ability to take pain medication but that is for a later post!  

Any who, if you have read any of my blog prior to now you'll know I have severe crowding which I needed a palate expander over 4 months for (time was about 2-4 months less than expected)  and now a guesstimated two years of braces so of you can handle it, I shall post a pic! 

Excuse the poor quality, the lower shot is taken on a phone and is just to show the difference from the very beginning to now. The top shot was taken before extractions. 

Extractions for braces.

Finally had my extractions done. 

5 teeth in total, due to one of the back molars being 90% filling. The dentist decided to take that one too.

I was originally told that my four first premolars would be taken. Instead I've had 3 first premolars (bicuspid), one lower central tooth and a lower molar. 

The lower central was taken due to receding   gums. Ew. 

Anyway two were taken last week, three today. 

It wasn't painful in the chair, but now it's a bit uncomfortable. I asked my dentist and he said due to the sheer crowding of my teeth, some have moved a little already. 

Yay! 

In three weeks I will have a filling and a clean, spacers in ready for my ceramic braces to go on the following week!

So excited to see the changes in the next few months!!