Operation Braceface: Day 141

It’s been nearly five months since I first got my braces on, and there’s already a remarkable difference.

My top teeth are just about in alignment now, apart from a couple of them still needing to be rotated a smidge and my overbite adjusted. Well, and the gaps from my extractions still need closed. OK, I guess they’re just a lot more in line than they used to be. And that poor little bottom tooth that came up behind the rest is finally going to be tied into the archwire with the rest of them next time.

I already had chains on the bottom teeth to help close the gaps, and I had a coil in front of my reclusive bottom incisor to help open up that space. Today we added chains to the top teeth and rubber bands. The plan is to start moving those eyeteeth and not so much close the gaps entirely as shift them around. The spaces between my teeth will be a lot more visible from the front as the gaps close, but, as my orthodontist said, it’s temporary.

Anyone who’s had rubber bands knows how they work: I’ll be wearing them all the time, except when I eat and brush my teeth. My configuration is Class II — hooking the upper canine to the lower second molar.

I’m super stoked about my bottom incisor coming up to join the gang, though:

That tooth. That damned tooth. I have oddly vivid memories of biting into a hot dog as a child, then looking at the imprint my chomp had made on the end of the dog — a little square wave, a butte, a sticky-outie part where a normal person would have just seen a bite mark.

No more.

You can see from the pictures (sorry for the poor focus, but I was taking them while wrangling a small child) that I opted to go back to the normal silver color for my o-rings. Colors were fun, and perhaps I’ll do them again for the holidays, but I don’t need to have a technicolor mouth year-round.

My friends and co-workers have continued to notice my teeth moving into position, which feels good. I mean, all I’m doing is paying money to a professional and letting him do things to my mouth that make it hurt, but it feels good to have it noticed, all the same.

I might feel differently tomorrow when I’m eating soup for lunch, but for now… braces are awesome.

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