Operation Braceface: Day 553

Since my next adjustment is coming up next week, I should probably blog about the one from back on May 22nd.

After consulting the x-ray they took last time, the ortho(s) decided to reposition the brackets on my top front teeth. Four brand-new brackets, slightly tilted from where they’d been placed for the past however long, so that my teeth will realign properly. One tooth was kind of tilted funny, and one front tooth was a little farther down than the other, so they weren’t lining up right. They put a lighter wire (14) on the top, and are having me take a vacation from the elastics, since a 14 is too light of a band for use with elastics.

The chains on the bottom are still in effect, as is the heavier wire, as there’s still a tiny gap or two to close up.

This visit, I got to see the other new orthodontist, the woman, Dr. M. She seemed nice enough, competent, and paid close attention to detail. No problems there.

I got a copy of my x-ray from last time. Just for grins, here’s a before-and-during comparison. I got the top x-ray taken shortly before my wisdom tooth extraction back in 2010, and the bottom one was taken in April 2014, after 17 months of ortho treatment.

I’m a little concerned about the bone level, or what I think is the bone level. It seems a little low, but only my periodontist would know for sure. All I can do is keep using my water pick (OK, start using it more regularly) and make sure I don’t incur any additional bone loss.

I’ve been in treatment for almost a year and eight months (as of this writing). My treatment was originally scheduled to take two and a half years, which would make me braces-free by May 2015. I don’t dislike having the braces on — actually, it’s pretty awesome to see the progress over time. I feel like we’re so close to being done, though. I expect that these last several months are going to be full of tiny tweaks and annoyingly slow adjustments.

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