Presenting . . . my new look for the next 12-14 months!
And a close-up for you! Now, I know you’re thinking Sarah, what is UP with that brace placement? It looks like the orthodontist was drunk when they put them on!
Yes, indeed. They are pretty bizarre looking with the front ones so high and the bottom ones all over the place. This is because I opted to go with the orthodontist the focuses on creating an “ideal smile arc”, meaning that they try to widen the smile as much as possible and create a curvature in the upper teeth that mirrors the curve of my lower lip. Here’s an interesting article that explains a bit more about this philosophy.
When treatment is all said and done, I should have a smile that looks something like this
Photo Credit: https://bracesbysullivan.com/
The first step in my treatment is to get my upper jaw to shift forward so that when I bite down my upper jaw comes down a bit in front of my lower jaw. To cause that shift, I need to wear rubber bands throughout the day that go from pegs on the inside of my jaw to the front of my lower jaw. My tongue keeps catching on the inner pegs, which is annoying the bejeezus out of me, so I’m hoping this phase moves quickly. Once that shift takes place, I’ll wear rubber bands the remainder of the time on the outside going from top to bottom on the right and left side. Yes, you read that right. Rubber bands will be here for the entirety of my treatment. Booooo. Here’s what my daytime set-up looks like:
At night, I take off the inside bands but have to do what they call the “rainbow” formation. This band winds from top to bottom and is meant to control torque, meaning that because of the high bracket placement, they need to ensure that the top teeth don’t flare outward. I’m not a fan of this either, but my guess is I’ll be doing this the entire time. I actually dislike it more than the inside bands, if you can believe it.
My orthodontist uses Pitts PRO self-litigating brackets, which are a newer type of bracket that don’t require the use of elastics. The orthodontist has a key that twists open the bracket to allow placement of the wire within. Here’s what it looks like:
The benefits of this style are:
- More comfort from less friction because the wire is loose instead of being pinned to the teeth with a rubber band.
- Less plaque build-up around the bracket because there are no bands used.
- The bracket is smaller than the traditional bracket (debatable, they feel pretty darn big to me!)
- Requires fewer appointments because there are no elastics to replace.
- This design also supposedly speeds up treatment time (we shall see…)
The wire will be pulling my bracketed teeth outward, causing more room for all my teeth to fit (as well as bringing my one rogue tooth back in line). Over time, my upper center teeth should also begin to descend, creating a curvature where there had previously been a flat line. Perhaps I’ll take monthly photos to monitor the progression. That could be interesting to observe!
Nia thinks it’s hilarious that we both have braces at the same time and is glad I finally know the “torture” that we put her through. To be honest, I always thought that she was being wimpy about the pain, but I now understand just how terrible the constant ache is and have since apologized for not being as compassionate as I should have been when she started out.
Everyone says you get used to braces, but no lie, the first 48 hours have been rough. They hurt constantly, but even worse is when I have to eat (or floss, I hate flossing braces!). They put a spacer in both sides of my upper jaw so that I don’t bite down on the high-placed brackets. What I didn’t realize is that my jaw no longer fully closes (see rainbow band picture), so I’m not sure how I’m supposed to chew food. Right now it’s too painful to even attempt that, but in a few weeks I wonder if I’ll just be gnawing at my food, unable to bite through it fully. Oh well, a problem for another day. For now I’m subsisting on oatmeal, protein shakes, and soup. The more liquid-y, the better! I feel cranky and whiny all the time right now. I remember one orthodontist telling me at a consult that adults don’t handle braces as well as kids, that they tend to complain more. I can totally see that being true! :) It’s gonna be a long year ahead . . .
