No more metal mouth!!!! 6/17/2009

Well folks looks like my journey is nearing its end...I was debraced at 9:45am on Wednesday June 17th, 2009. I was braced for approximately 26.5 months. The ortho popped the brackets off pretty fast and the only thing that bothered me was the awful smell of the glue being "dremel'd" off. The sound was pretty bad too--the kind that a drill makes and it made my whole body shiver at the sound of it. After fixing some uneven edges and polishing, I had 6 molds done. I waited an hour for my wrap around retainers and the entire process took about 2.5 hours. I am waiting for my Essex retainers that will be ready in 3 weeks.

I am soooo happy with the results!! It was a long and emotional road but I made it and I have no regrets. So here are the pics, although I still need a cleaning and whitening. Enjoy!


With wrap around retainer in

Teeth pics before I get the braces removed!

So--Wednesday June 17th is my debond date! Wooooooohoooooooo!
The first pic is to make up for the one with no make-up (hehehe). Enjoy!!! :0)

4 months!

No make-up, but you get the idea.

This has been a very hard and long journey, but I made it. I'm glad it's all said and done. I was wired shut for 6 weeks. Unfortunately the swelling flared back up after the unwiring, but I guess that is pretty normal. The wafer that I had in after the surgery was taken out about two months after the surgery. I have feeling everywhere but a small area on the right side of my chin. It is slowly returning--I can feel it tingle. I had my final follow up on May 18th and the OS said everything looked great. I can open pretty wide now--finally. I am also back to a regular diet--I gained back all but 5 lbs that I had lost. I am hitting the gym pretty hard again--running, lifting, the norm.

I am still glad I went through it. My bite and teeth look AMAZING! Pics coming soon.

3 months

2 months

One month after

2 wk update!

Went in yesterday for a follow up with my surgeon and everything is looking good so far. Gums are doing well and I'm starting to feel more parts of my face tingle. I'm still about the same as far as the swelling goes, but I guess it's a gradual process. I lost 10 pounds initially and I haven't lost anymore. I am eating well and I've been testing out just how far I can go. I can now drink through a straw and sip from a cup. I only feel about half of my lips, but it's enough to make these small steps possible. My muscles in my jaw feel a lot less tense than last week. I am still on liquid Motrin, but that's it. I have my next appt on March 6. Time is going by much faster now that I am working and going to the gym. I only do the stationary bike and walk as far as cardio goes. I am also lifting light weights at high reps to try to get my muscle back. So far, so good. Enjoy the pics! :0)