"Brace Face"

So, I have had my braces for just over a week now and this week has certainly been quite the adjustment.

I got them Thursday afternoon and the pressure I felt on my teeth for the first couple of days was just... odd. There really wasn't a lot of pain, just throbbing every so often as my teeth were moving in to position in the trays.
The other main thing I had to get used to for the first few days was the extreme amount of extra saliva that was being produced in my mouth! It was crazy! Whenever I talked I felt like I was spitting all over everyone and everything that was in my path. I actually felt the need to talk with my hand in front of my mouth so I wouldn't spray :) That actually seems to be subsiding now as my mouth gets used to having that foreign object in it 24/7.

My orthodontist impressed me greatly when I got a phone call Friday evening from the doctor himself asking me how I made out my first full day of having them and to answer any questions I might have come up with. It made me feel better to know everything that was happening was normal and I wasn't just a freak of nature LOL.
One problem I did have to ask him about was that the edge of my bottom tray was rather rough and it felt like it was scratching or cutting the inside of my lip. He had an easy solution for that for me: just take a normal, every day emery board and file the edges smooth! I did that and they felt much more comfortable. And now I know how to check and fix that problem with any of my new trays before my lip becomes endangered.

Aside from still having a slight lisp and slur to my speech I think I have been adjusting to them quite well over this past week. I feel like a dork when I drink my coffee through a straw at work but it works. I tried to make it cool at least by getting neon bendy straws :)
I have quickly fallen in to the routine of taking my trays out when I eat and then brushing my teeth before putting them back in. I now even carry a little travel toothbrush and toothpaste in my purse for those times I am not at home. I was given 2 cases to put them in when I take them out so I have one in my purse and one by my bathroom sink. One thing's for sure - by the time this is all done my teeth will be the cleanest they've ever been considering the number of times I end up brushing my teeth in a day!

This coming Thursday I go back to the orthodontist to have "buttons" or "attachments" bonded to a few of my teeth to help with the moving process. They are tooth colored so supposedly they will not be visible very easily either. I will then wear my current tray for another week after that before switching to the next. My orthodontist will give me the next few sets of trays - which are all in their own numbered package so I know which one is next - and I will switch those every 2 weeks.

So far this has been quite the experience and I am interested in seeing how it all plays out over the next 12-18 months... And you get to ride it with me :)

"The Call"

Just got that call from my orthodontist. Tomorrow afternoon at 4:15 I have an appointment to get my first set of Invisalign trays...


-- Posted on the run from my iPhone

A Life with Braces - Step 1

You read that right. At 34 years of age I have to get braces. Now, I had no idea I had teeth problems. My teeth look great - at least I thought they were until my dentist mentioned it. And now I can notice what the issue is.
My top teeth, instead of coming straight down, are coming down at an angle in towards the inside of my mouth. This is putting undue pressure and rubbing of both my bottom and top teeth. This is causing my teeth to wear and crack - to the point I actually have fracture lines on my front teeth.
The braces are going to move my teeth back in to the correct angle and improve my bite so my teeth will stop wearing away. How long is this going to take? About 12-15 months - maybe longer depending on how my teeth respond.

Now, I'm not one to worry about how things look so I didn't have a problem with the possibility of having a mouth full of wires and brackets for a good year and a half. But there are more choices these days aside from the "old fashioned" braces that everyone is used to. The choice I have made is Invisalign.

My orthodontist was really good at explaining out and describing all the choices I had when it came to fixing my teeth. And after listening to them all, I decided that, for the ease of care alone, Invisalign was the best route for me.

This route, if appropriate to use for what you have to have fixed, is the easiest for adults to adjust to. You don't have to worry about the discomfort of having all those wires and brackets in your mouth. And you can take them out for eating and cleaning your teeth. The best part is the ease of still getting your regular teeth cleanings with your dentist. No trip to the orthodontist first to remove the wires, then to the dentist for the cleaning, then back to the orthodontist to have the wires put back on. With Invisalign, you just pop them out for the cleaning and pop them back in when you're done.
Mind you, they are more expensive than "normal" braces but I think that for the ease alone it is worth it!
Today I went for my consultation, paperwork and set up. Of course, since each Invisalign is made for each individual, you don't get them right away.

I had to get "molded" so my orthodontist can then send them to the company to be made just for me. They should receive my personalized set of trays back in 4 weeks. That's when I go back and really get the ball rolling.

Now, the molding experience was a deal in and of itself! They had these special molding trays that they put some nasty tasting stuff in and then stuck to my teeth for 3 minutes! Top and bottom, one at a time. The part that sucked the most was that they had to do the top twice because the first time my back teeth got cut off! So they had to force the tray farther back in my mouth the second time and I had to overextend my jaw and hold it for 3 minutes until the mold set! Very uncomfortable, I tell you! And when they pulled the molds off my teeth, it was stuck to my lips as if I had gum stuck on them and I had to peel it off. And the taste of the stuff lingered!

After that, they had to do another set of molds for their own use. Fortunately, I got to pick a flavor for that one (watermelon!) and it was one mold, my mouth closed around it to get both top and bottom at the same time. But my mouth still hurts, hours later!

But now the first hurdle is done. I should be getting a phone call in about 4 weeks from my orthodontist telling me my Invisalign is ready for me... and that's when the real fun begins!

Whirlwind!

So I'm looking at my blog today after adding a new widget and I realize the last time I posted was to ring in the new year!
In that post I wanted the new year to be better than 2010... and, by my lack of posting, it has certainly been a whirlwind of a year so far.

January I spent out of work. Shortly after the holidays, I was suddenly no longer working at the Clinic I had worked at for almost 6 years. A new company had come aboard and took over and it was suddenly not the same place to work as it had been for all those years. It felt like I was never home with my family and I didn't have a free weekend anymore. I just wasn't happy there anymore and it carried over in to my personal life as well. So I closed the door on that aspect of my life and hoped another door would be open soon.
It took a month, but I was able to find another job that fit much better with what I wanted for my family. A Monday-Friday, 9-5 job that meant I was home every evening, every weekend, and every holiday. It did mean having to give up some of the other things that I had enjoyed over the years - volunteering at Sweetpea's school, getting together with friends during the days I wasn't scheduled to work , and just plain old having some time to myself on my days off - but overall those were little compared to the bigger payoff of having a more regular work schedule where I knew when I was working and I could be home in the evenings to give Sweetpea, and the family, a proper evening routine. I also had to get used to a 30 min drive to work compared to a 5 minute drive, but, again, in the long run the pay off is worth it.
I've been there a month and a half now and it's been wonderful! I'm still trying to get over the fact that there really are things called weekends :) And I can go to work every day and know that I am appreciated for what I am doing - and am told so on a regular basis. That definitely makes for a more enjoyable work environment!

February went fast for us. January-March is Girl Scout Cookie season and, being the troop Cookie Mom, I have a big hand in the pot on that one! February and March just flew by before I knew it. Cookies come in the end of February and then March is cookie booth month. It seemed every weekend in March was accounted for with Girl Scouts in one form or another.

March was also a tough month for my family - marking the year anniversary of that black day in my life when my Dad suddenly passed away. But we got through it as a family. And from here I'm hoping it just starts to get easier. Of course, there will always be those moments, but I think it's getting a little easier for me to handle every day. We have been trying to get together more often as a family and I think that helps Mom out more too. You really don't know how lucky you are to have such a close-knit family until something like this happens and you need to lean on each other a little more. We are certainly blessed.

And now it's April already - with no sign of a slow down in activities. April 17th marks hubby and my 12th Anniversary. We also have family and friends coming down to visit the end of the month. And then, of course, we have Easter... it just seems like it's never ending!

But even with all this going on, I am going to try to bring this blog back to live again. I will keep my eyes open for interesting things. I will try to have some witty and insightful posts on those quiet days :)
I'm still trying to come up with a "theme" for my blog. Some topic to focus on. But as of yet I haven't been able to think of anything exciting. If you have any ideas for me, feel free to let me know! But, for now, you'll all just have to deal with my ramblings on life.

That's it for my ramblings for now. I will try to post a little more often from this point forward :)
It's a beautiful day outside! I'm off to enjoy my weekend!

Rebirth

So it's been just over 3 months since my last post. Obviously, I haven't been in the right place to do any blogging - it's been pretty rough for me these past few months and for a long time I wasn't really in a good place.

The time has gone fast and it's hard to believe it's been 3 months already since that black day in my life. Although it's still not all sunshiny, I think it's time for a rebirth, so to speak, of my blog.

Time to get back to the book reviews, movie reviews and whatever else I find entertaining enough to talk about.

Hopefully it'll be something worth reading :)

Another Year Has Gone By

Although a lot has happened this year, it still seems like it flew by.

2009 brought the birth of my third niece as well as the daughter of one of my bestest friends (who I still can't believe will be turning 1 in a few short days - love you Little B! Now stop growing!)

2009 marked my 10th Wedding Anniversary. I still can't believe that one! Talk about time flying by! A lot has happened these past 10 years and after it all I still feel like I definitely married the one guy I was meant to be with.

2009 was the year Sweetpea had her first major injury - her broken finger. It was the year she started 1st Grade and rode a bike without training wheels for the first time. She went to her first major league baseball game (one of many for the season) and attended a few live shows.

For me, 2009 really wasn't a bad year. There was definitely more good than bad. I made some new friendships and strengthened others. I was able to spend some quality time with Sweetpea between Girl Scouts and volunteering at her school. We were able to spend some quality time as a family when we spent the weekend at Disney. And although we didn't get away for our annual Annivesary trip, hubby and I were still able to have some quality time together throughout the year.

It was also a year for me to discover some things about myself and come to some revelations. For now, I am happy with where my life is. No more fretting about another baby. I am enjoying spending time with the adorable little girl that I have and she's certainly not "suffering" being an only child. That may change down the line, but for now I'm going to stop wasting so much time worrying about it. If it's meant to be, it will happen.

Resolutions for the New Year? I never make any. Why? Because I would be too busy worrying about keeping them instead of just letting things happen. The only "resolution", of sorts, I make for myself is to enjoy the year to the best of my ability and just "go with the flow" with whatever may come my way. Yes, that is difficult at times but I do what I can.

So, as 2009 comes to a close and 2010 knocks on our door, I just want to wish everybody out there a Happy New Year! May 2010 be safe, happy and healthy for you and yours! *cheers*