Three years of dental purgatory later…
Since I’ve been repeatedly asked to post a picture of myself sans hardware (read: braces and appliances), I’m updating this fancy little blog one last time.
I had a date with my orthodontist earlier this week where she kindly removed my braces for me. The entire process took no more than 5 minutes and was relatively painless. I was shocked that something that was such an inconvenience could be eradicated in mere moments. My teeth felt extremely slimy at first, but I later realized that I’d simply forgotten what smooth teeth actually felt like.
Following that, she made a couple of molds of my new mouth so their lab could fashion me a sporty new retainer! (Note: I’m not actually excited about having a retainer. I’m just making my best effort at staying positive.) I received the retainer a few hours later and learned how to snap it in and take it out. Then, upon shaking the hands of all of the lovely ladies who have taken care of me in that office for the past 3 years, I walked out the door for the last time.
I’ve created a little storyboard intermission for those of you who would rather forego reading altogether and just look at pictures.
Guess what, folks! I have big news!
I got rid of my braces!
Now I’m subjected to wearing this retainer…
…but it’s going to keep my teeth super straight! (Now that’s an unflattering shot!)
Wearing a retainer is frustrating at first because your speech is slightly lispy and you need to take it out every single time you wish to eat. It only took a day or two before I learned how to speak while wearing it and realized that removing it to eat is hardly an inconvenience, considering I can now smile at the table while I eat. It’s quite a brilliant thought! I’m supposed to wear this retainer every day for a year, then every night for two months, and then 1–2 nights per week for the rest of my life.
I wonder what’s waiting out there for me and my new smile…
Following my orthodontist appointment, I went to donate blood with a friend for the first time in my life. Now, despite having 5 years’ worth of tattoos, I’m actually horribly afraid of needles. I finally manned up and committed to donating only to learn that you can’t be a donor if you’ve had dental work performed in the past 24 hours. I still had the privilege of eating free cookies though, so it was a worthwhile trip.
“Would you like another plate of ribs?”
Later that night, a few friends and I went out for unlimited ribs (despite the fact that my orthodontist explicitly told me not to eat ribs for three days until the glue on the permanent wire on the backs of my bottom teeth was fully set). Folks, eating things like ribs and apples again is quite amazing. I felt like a bit of a glutton afterwards, considering I ate 5 plates’ worth. It was a celebration though, so I’m exempting myself for that one night only.
I’ll be driving to New York in a couple of weeks to experience New Year’s Eve in Times Square. I plan on doing something crazy, so look for me on TV! I’ll be the crazy Canadian running around finding cameras in a mad attempt to flash the entire world… with my new smile!
January 9, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Wouldn’t it be cool to see before and after pics of all the people who post here….? I would love to see more pics of before and after pics…. I noticed that my nose and face look so much different…..
January 9, 2011 at 11:33 am
Thanks Rebecca! I just checked your site and your smile already looks fantastic. You’re going to have such white teeth when you finish the braces game!
Any ideas when they come off?
January 9, 2011 at 11:17 am
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! i can’t wait till my braces are off! gosh the more time i spend looking at this post the more jealous i get. =P i’ve loved your blog every step of the way though! feel free to post again someday….just to say hi or something…. 🙂
January 8, 2011 at 10:20 pm
That’s the best part of this entire process: You end up smiling so much in the end!
January 8, 2011 at 10:10 pm
I am on day three and can still feel swollen in my nose. It made such a huge difference. I had an open bite (my teeth didn’t touch in front), which would pull my nose down, and now I have a cute nose. It’s amazing how much things change!
January 8, 2011 at 7:09 am
I was swollen even longer than Graham was – and in fact, I still have some residual swelling in my cheeks that the doc said is still normal, believe it or not. On the outside, you wouldn’t know it…but I can feel it. Your face will match – it took me SO long before I even wanted to look in a mirror. I thought I looked like a freak. Everyone else kept saying that I looked nice and that my face was really shaping well but I didn’t believe them! I still can’t get over the difference.
The nose…yes! OMGosh…I couldn’t get over how different my nose was! My bottom jaw was receding, so it gave me a good sized overbite, which in turn made it look like my nose was sticking out or was “pointier” (for lack of a better word) than it should have been. After bringing everything forward and straightening, all of a sudden, my nose didn’t look so big and pointy! I swore up and down that my doc did something with it – it took him a while to convince me that he didn’t do a thing! LOL
January 7, 2011 at 10:07 pm
I was extremely swollen everywhere for about 2 months. Most of the swelling was gone after 6 weeks, but my face was still a little disproportionate for a few weeks following that.
You shouldn’t be too worried about swelling in general. It will eventually go away. As long as you’re not experiencing any pain, you should be fine. 🙂
January 7, 2011 at 9:43 pm
Thanks Graham……luckily, my kids are being really great… I noticed your surgery cost between 2300-5500…In California, mainly orange county…it costs about 8-14,000$
Yay I get my wires cut Monday but splint come off in 2.5 weeks. I am having a difficult time getting used to how different I look. My face of course is still swollen and my cheeks look like a chipmunks…but my nose is entirely different..it is crazy.
Questions…. did any of you have swelling in your nose? If so..when did it go down..I feel like not only my cheeks are swollen but my nose as well. My face doesn’t match my body right now. It is a little depressing but I am trying to deal.
January 2, 2011 at 10:29 pm
I guess that’s one perk of jaw surgery: guaranteed weight loss. 🙂
I respect the fact that you can be a mother and recover from this ordeal, frankie.
Best of luck!
January 1, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Ok….sorry it has been bit since I have checked the posts….Thanks Aimee…some things I pureed are great..but I can’t bring myself to do the others….the sad part about my recovery was I got a bacterial infection and other problems…unfortunately I am having to crush up antibiotics and drink them…I try not to gag and throwup, but it has been quite a crappy ride. 🙁 My kids probably think mommy’s nuts. I feel badly for them. They are too little to understand.I am taking a pill right now that turns my mouth and mouth plate bright orange. pretty huh. not. I have about week until these wires get cut thanks goodness. I have had about 5 cry-fests and bitchy outrages. My poor family….but if you were to ask me if I would go through all this over again. Yes!! I totally would. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel as I am sure Graham feels the same way. It is so worth it. IT does take quite a bit of patience which is difficult and being a parent with young children, you need someone to be of support whether it is your family or a close friend. My husband has really stepped up to the plate. I have had to cook dinner every night for my family and watch as every one ate christmas eve and christmas dinner, but you get over it and get used to everyone eating around you. Like Graham says, smell and enjoy the smells. I am now a size 6 and grateful I made it through the holidays without gaining a pound. 🙂 that was pretty sweet. Everone out there in recovery, hang in there…time will go by and you will feel a little better than you do today. hugs to everyone and good luck!
December 31, 2010 at 11:12 pm
Snice, no prob! I agree, and yes, I was thinking about it some more today while drinking a milkshake and I hope we both get that feeling back! It’s nice to find real-time support and feedback from other people around the world going through the same thing.
I yanked on something which I thought was a piece of pineapple stuck in my teeth after brushing this morning. It actually turned out to be one of the stitches under my upper lip that had come loose. I remember reading one of Graham’s posts, and saying to myself: “ok, that’s good advice, I’ll be careful not to yank on anything in there unless I’m sure…”, and here I yanked on a stitch… 🙂
December 31, 2010 at 6:58 am
Thanks Murat! Feels better knowing I’m not the only one 🙂 Hopefully FULL feeling comes back for both of us!!
December 30, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Hi snice,
I am just under 1 month post-op from double jaw surgery and I have partial numbness in the tip of my tongue. Like Graham said, I don’t think any of the nerves that are related to the tongue should have been touched by this surgery so I can’t really explain this numbness. But I can confirm that I do have a little numbness there.
December 30, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Hmmm ok I guess I’ll ask my surgeon next week, cause the tip and along the left side are numb! 🙁
I wonder if anyone else had that happen??
December 29, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Hi snice,
Glad to hear that your life is returning to normal. Just wait until your braces come off–you won’t be able to stop smiling!
I didn’t experience any numbness in my tongue. I don’t think any of the nerves in your tongue are tampered with, so I’m not sure where that might originate from.
Best of luck (and keep smiling)!
December 29, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Oh ya… Graham, did u experience numbness in ur tongue? If so, did it go away?
December 29, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Hey Graham,
Your smile looks fantastic!!! I’m @ the 2 month post surgery mark and things are gettin back to normal… although my bottom lip and chin are still numb! 🙁 I’m worried about it, but I guess only time will tell.
On the flipside I’ve been complimented on how young I look and how I’m smiling more(almost all the time! LOL) I’m loving it and can’t wait to get the braces off!
Glad that you’ve made it through and you’ve been a true inspiration. THANK YOU!!! 😉
p.s. Aimee u r sooooo right just about anything can be pureed if ur creative! 🙂
December 27, 2010 at 3:07 pm
You CAN have those mashed potatoes! Now, I’m not sure if you’re syringing or if you’re able to open your mouth a bit….but either way, get those potatoes, mix some milk into them to thin them out and voila! Seriously…mashed potatoes were one of my most favorite foods and still are since the surgery!
Here are some tips.
Hamburger:
– Grill or fry your hamburger (with or without cheese) as you would normally do. When done, use condiments as normal, again, as if you were going to sit down and chomp right into the burger.
– Place burger, condiments and bun in food processor
– Add beef broth
– puree
If it’s still too thick, use more beef broth until it’s to a nice consistency that will pour. If you’re syringing, you’ll need to then put this concoction in a strainer. Once done, there you have it….I promise, it’ll taste good!!!
Pizza:
– Make pizza
– Place slice or two in food processor
– Add spaghetti or pizza sauce
– Add beef broth
– Puree
Again, you’ll need to add beef broth as you see fit….then strain for those syringing. Yum!
These are just two of the several things we made for me. You’d be amazed at the stuff you can come up with! 🙂
December 27, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Thanks Aimee….I have had to sit through everyone eating steak during the holidays. but I am getting used to it. I am just getting annoyed. I have two toddlers who don’t understand and are frustrated their mom is not normal right now. That is the hardest thing. I am trying to not throwing a pity party for myself. lol It is a process… I want to know when I can eat kfc mashed potatoes….mmmm
December 27, 2010 at 10:19 am
Frankie…keep your chin up, it WILL get better! You’re a HUGE step up from where I was (and Graham, as well) on day 11 being able to drink from a cup. That took a LONG time. Ugh.
Get your creative juices flowing…at first, I refused to drink (uhhh, syringe) anything other than Ensure and Gatorade and I was hungry all the time. I finally bit the bullet and asked my hubby if he could create some things for me. And boy, did he! Did you know that you can puree a hamburger with all the fixins? Yep…and it’s fantastic! Pizza? Yep! Pasta with chicken and a white sauce? Uh huh. Curry with rice? You got it! You’d be shocked at how wonderful they taste! Try it! You won’t be disappointed!