Two years and 20 days I’ve had these braces. We’re coming to the final adjustments, where the little things will make a big difference.
Last time, the orthodontist said that, this time, we’d be looking at my bite. As it happens, my molars stopped touching a couple of weeks ago, so my bite was the first thing on my mind when I went in for this adjustment. The assistant suggested that I bring my issues up with the doctor when she came in — but the doctor noticed as soon as she looked at my bite, with no prompting from me.
We kept the same wires and chains as last time, and only changed the elastics… to triangles. My left side has a triangle that goes from the front brackets to the top rear bracket, and my right side has a triangle that goes from the front brackets to the bottom rear bracket — adjusting my bite and my midline at the same time.
Since the elastics are the only changes this time around, I have to be extra sure to wear them all the time when I’m not eating or brushing my teeth. (I have a tendency to forget to put them back in.) It’s not just aesthetic now; it’s functional. I can’t eat properly. I can’t chew well. These elastics will help me get to a point where my teeth touch again; knowing that will help me be more vigilant about it.
The orthodontist said that, in future visits, she’ll be repositioning my brackets to do some more fine-tuning to my alignment. I’m actually looking forward to that, even if it extends my treatment beyond the original estimate of 2½ years.
