Corn on the Cob

For the first time in at least 15 months, I had corn on the *cob*. What a treat! Don't know what you got till it's gone.... And even better when it's back!


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I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

AND THEY'RE OFF!!!!!!

My braces were removed today.  What an ordeal that was...

First, the pop the brackets off.  This literally took no more than 10 minutes.  When she popped the brackets off of my very back molars and my bottom front teeth, she had to really yank.  It didn't hurt, but it wasn't comfortable.

Next, she scraped off the epoxy or whatever the stuff is that they use to bond the bracket to your teeth.  And she scraped.  And she scraped some more.  More.  More.  More.  She used both a scraping tool, and a small power sander.  She'd pick at the teeth with a fine pick, find a spot, and sand some more.  By the time she was done, it probably took an hour.  And then the orthodontist checked her work, too.

In the middle of that, the orthodontist smoothed out the ridges on the edges of my front teeth, both top and bottom.  I haven't had that happen since I chipped my tooth in the bathtub when I was younger.

The technician then took an impression of my top palette/teeth which would be used to make my top retainer.  Rinse.  Lots of rinsing, actually.

Then she cleaned my teeth.  More rinsing.

Now it was time to install the permanent bottom retainer.  It's bonded to the backs of my bottom front teeth, between the cuspids.  It's a really thin wire, so it's really not invasive, but my tongue naturally goes right to it.  That probably took about 15 minutes to install.  It's the same process as putting a bracket on your teeth.

Then she took a 3 dimensional x-ray of my teeth, and pictures of my mouth from various angles, including palette shots. 

The orthodontist fit my top retainer, they handed me a bag FULL of candy and gum, and said, "See you in 10 weeks!  And don't forget to bring your retainer with you!" 

WOOHOO!!!!

My permanent bottom retainer only places one restriction on me; I should not bite into a whole apple.  Totally cool with that.  Keep it clean with good brushing and floss with a floss threader.  I will have that retainer the rest of my life.

My top retainer is like a mouthguard like I used to wear for playing field hockey/lacrosse, except it's truly clear/colorless, it's light years thinner, and it's far more comfortable because it's an exact fit!  I am to wear it 10-12 hours per day, especially at night when sleeping.  Since I don't get 10-12 hours of sleep at night, I'll probably put it in after dinner.  But until I figure out a routine that maximizes wear time, I'll take it to work with me (fluorescent green case!), and wear it a few hours there.  Maybe it'll keep me from snacking.... ok, I'll keep dreaming.  I am to wash it with a toothbrush, paste, and water, probably drop it in denture cleaner once every couple of weeks for 15 minutes.  All in all, not bad, considering I have friends who had braces as an adult and they had to wear their retainers 24-7 except when eating for the first 3 months, minimum....

When I got to work, my manager had a King Size Twix bar and two packs of Bubblicious waiting for me on my desk.  The Twix didn't survive 2 minutes.  And a piece of Watermelon Bubblicious is gone.  :-)

I've been running my tongue over my teeth incessently, and checking out everything in the mirror frequently.  Other people have said, doesn't it feel weird?  And I can honestly say no... it's freeing.

However, I'm still getting used to eating... and not having to think about it.  I don't have to worry about a rubber band.  I don't have to worry about breaking a bracket.  I can eat!!  Huh... I'd better stick to my workout routine!!!!

It took 15 months, exactly what was estimated, but that's ok.  I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!