11:40 a.m.  Well, today is the day.  I woke up with a very sore throat and I'm not feeling well.  The sore throat can't be helped, but am I not feeling well overall because I'm nervous?  Possibly.  I  don't even feel like I can eat anything.  Why am I so nervous!?  I am also bummed because I took some pictures this morning and don't think my teeth look very good.  I have to be realistic, though, and realize I'm not going to have PERFECT teeth.  Braces as a kid might have made them more perfect, but not now.  You gotta work with what you've got.  Right?  But for all my complaining, I'm sure my teeth will be MUCH prettier than this mouth of junk:

Can you believe that's what my teeth used to look like?!  YIKES!  Here's what they look like today:

So, now I'm off to have one last lunch in braces.  It doesn't really matter what I eat because I've done a pretty good job staining my ligatures this month.  I had curry this weekend, and I've been drinking tea like crazy.  Like Marta from archwired.com said, they look like slimy worms! :)

 I sincerely DO hope they come off today.  I'll post the naked-teeth pictures tomorrow when I'm back at my computer and have access to a digital camera.

December 13, 2004

One more day!  My dreams have been pretty horrible lately.  Last night I dreamt that I had one tooth that wasn't braced and that it would need to be pulled after the braces came off.  Sounds like my ordeal at the beginning of braces!! 

I can't believe I have less than 24 hours to go before my appointment.  I'm getting a little sad that they're coming off.  I know, I'm sick, but I really like my braces and I don't know that I'm ready to give them up.  Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to see my teeth without them.  But when something has been a part of your life for so long, it's sad to see it go.  I'm sure I'll get over it, but tonight I might throw a little "going away" party for my braces.  Ha ha ha ha ha!  No, I probably won't do that.  But I might feel a little sad that it's my last night flossing with braces. Geez, doesn't that sound pathetic?!

December 7, 2004

One more week before naked teeth!  Today I am feeling a little bummed about my teeth.  I knew going into this that my teeth weren't going to be 100% perfect at the end of braces.  My overjet was just too severe to fix with braces alone.  Yes, the elastics helped create an illusion of lessening my overjet, but let's face it, it's still there and it's pretty severe.  So, I'll end up with nice looking teeth and a really good bite, but I'll always have that overbite/overjet.  On the bright side, I don't think people will notice it because I don't tend to talk with my bottom jaw that far back (in my bite position, that is).  So, as I continue to reflect on my time in braces, I don't have any regrets at all because the end result of straight and healthy teeth has been achieved.  But that doesn't mean I have to like my overjet!

I plan on taking/posting a picture of my teeth the morning before I have the braces removed.  On December 15 I will post a picture of my newly naked teeth with and without retainers.  One more week!  7 more days!  168 more hours!

December 1, 2004

Fourteen more days!!  I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about getting my braces off.  The time is flying by, and I know it's going to creep up on me.  All of the sudden it will be December 12 and I'll be getting ready for the office's holiday party and it will be just 2 more days after that!  It's going to go fast.

Dr. Wass told me that I'm going to get Essix retainers.  I've heard decent things about them on www.archwired.com, but I'm worried about their longevity.  I've read that they develop holes after a while due to normal wear and tear, and at least one person on ArchWired said that she is switching to Hawley retainers.  I guess I wasn't thinking about the long-term care of my teeth... I was just concerned about straight teeth and retainers were a natural part of that vision.  But I didn't realize how much they might cost me in the end if I need to get a new one next year or ten years down the road.  However, to keep my teeth like this, I'll do anything!

November 11, 2004

Hooray! Yippee! Yahoo! I'm scheduled to get my braces off on December 14, 2004. A whole month ahead of schedule!

When I went to my (last!) adjustment on Tuesday, Dr. Wass sat down and said something like "So, when are we going to be done?"   He looked at my teeth, did a few "open" and "close" bits, looked at them from the side, looked at them from the front, and then said that my front left central incisor was still a bit out there and he wondered why he even bent the wire in the first place.  So he unbent it again and now my front two teeth are even.  Then he said those glorious words - we can take them off next month!  To be perfectly honest, it didn't really set in until the next day.  I was so tired that I couldn't get all that excited about it, but now - hooray! 

We first scheduled de-bracing for December 13, but I ran into a little glitch with my schedule. It turns out that my office's holiday lunch is that same day, and my appointment was scheduled for 12:30.  Normally I would just leave early, but since I'm on the planning committee, that's probably not a good idea.  So the braces will come off the next day instead.  Have I mentioned how excited I am?! :)

I'm being very perverse, and I'm only telling my husband and my mom that my braces are coming off so soon. I figure if people read/look at my website, they'll find out.  Otherwise, it's going to be a surprise! :)

Above: 16 months!  I have wax on two bottom brackets because of a nasty canker sore that won't go away.  I won't miss the wax!!  Also, I've noticed that the gums above my central incisors are very red and tender - I'll have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse. I have a clear powerchain on top and smoke colored ligatures on bottom.

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