Picture! (Finally)

So here is my promised picture.  I apologize that it is kind of gross (hair in my face, yellow teeth--I really do brush them!).  But anyway, I am so very happy looking at this because not only is my space at LEAST 95% closed, my bite is perfect!  And that is after forgetting rubber bands not one, but two nights in a row.  It is kind of amazing.

So Much Progress!

    I do believe that I am probably the worst blogger ever.  I am so so sorry that it has been so long.  So sorry.
    Anyway, I just found out that I am 8 months and 4 weeks into this crazy braces thing.  Which means I probably have only a few more months to go!  My space is closed.  If there is any more closing to be done, it really is not noticeable.  Isn't that crazy?!  My bite is almost fixed!  (After about eight weeks of having a rubber band on the right side, I am now only wearing it at night.)  I am still working on my tongue thrust, but I think that that matter is close to being resolved.  My goal is to be only wearing my retainer at night by the middle of July.  I do not know how realistic that is, but it is definitely a goal of mine.
    As far as colors, I have had a chain on top since either my 1st or 2nd adjustment.  It has always been light blue, since after a couple days it fades and blends in.  But I have gotten more daring on the bottom.  Last time I got purple, and this time I got a bright, but not bubblegum, pink.  I like the color on the bottom because it is fun for me, but it is not really noticeable.  (I promise a photo within the week.)
    A few months ago, a bracket fell off.  I cannot understand to this day how I did not notice until literally about 15 minutes before I left for my appointment.  Thankfully, it was all the way in the back and straight, so they did not even bother to put one back on until a couple of days ago.  The empty space in the wire did cause the wire to bend, however.
   Also a few months ago, my chain broke.  It only broke in the back, though, so they snipped most of the broken part off and put singles where it broke.  The problem that I realized with that is that chains lose their elasticity after a while, so for all of that time, I knew that my chain was doing nothing but disguising my wire.
     I am so excited at the prospect of my braces being removed soon!  Crossing my fingers!

I'm late, but my space is almost closed!

    I don't have a photo, but maybe soon I will.  Anyway, my big gap between my two front teeth is nearly closed!  How amazing is that?!  I have lived with that big space for so many years, and it will soon be gone!  That is one thing from my childhood that I will not miss.
    When I went to the orthodontist, I got light blue (chain on top, regular ligature bands on bottom).  I love it! It is not nearly as noticeable as the teal, and over time, it just seems to fade into the background I call my teeth.  But it does fade.  A lot.  So if you're the kind of person to want a pretty light blue color, do not get it.  When I had to get the chain replaced a few days after my appointment (I will elaborate below.), there was a noticeable difference between my top and bottom.
    I think it was less than a week after my appointment when my chain snapped.  I did not feel it snap, but I did feel that there was something out of place, that there was slightly less pressure, and that there was something that felt like a weird noodle-y thing on my back teeth.  I looked in the mirror and saw my broken chain.  My orthodontist was really great about it.  I was able to get in just about an hour later, I think, and the nurse put on a new chain.  All fixed!
   

1st Adjustment

    My teeth don't really look different since all they did was change the wire, but they area bit straighter.
    I am working on my tongue thrust as I just found out I had one, and I'm hoping the thicker wire will help with my being able to bite down fully.
    But I have made progress, and every day is one closer to having straight teeth!

Braces!

    Okay, I'm late.  Very late.  Whoops.
    I got my braces on July 3rd, and I have to say the spacers hurt way more.  I guess it's different for everyone, but by my fourth day with braces, I was already breaking the 'rules' about food.  The spacers hurt until I got them off (about two weeks).  And they were very difficult to get used to.
    I have noticed some major differences already.  There was one tooth on the bottom that the spacers caused to be crooked.  After about a week, that tooth was perfectly straight.
    And I just keep reminding myself that every day is one day closer to a straight, un-braced smile!

Spacers Update

    This is day 4 with spacers, and I feel much better.  I can now mostly chew and fully brush and floss my teeth.  I still can't eat anything really chewy, crunchy, or hard, but I'm making progress.
    And soon, I'll be on my way to a beautiful smile!

Spacers

    The first step in getting braces is spacers.  For some people, they are easily forgotten.  For me, they are pretty painful and pretty annoying.  I think it depends on how much your teeth have to move.  My teeth are very tight in the back, so they have a long way to go.  

   It hurts to to eat hard things, or do anything with my molars, but this pain has started to subside.  

    I don't want to complain, since these spacers make room for my braces, which will make my smile beautiful and flawless.