upcoming

I am bummed that I have to get the rest of my braces on Monday.

• I can hide my current braced state from the public, as long as I eat the right foods and don't smile very big.
• Playing the clarinet is finally getting better! And now, it will get worse.
• I enjoy that when my bottom teeth hurt, I can still eat because I can just push the food against my top teeth instead of really chewing.
• Good grief, brushing my teeth already takes way too much time away from my life. I assume it will now double.
• I do believe that stuff like apples and carrots (which I can now kind of chew as long as they are in small pieces and I use my back teeth) will be pretty impossible.

Okay, that's enough complaining for one day. Now, for the good stuff (otherwise known as progress pictures). My teeth continue to amaze me. My lower arch is giant, now, and my teeth are starting to line up in the front! They have a long way to go, but they are progressing faster than I even dreamed. I mean, look at the new pictures, when compared to the first day pictures.

See you on the flipside, with more bling!

running

Oddly enough, the braces don't like to run. I was running with a friend this morning (we're doing a 5k in mid-May) and the wind was blowing, and all of a sudden my teeth started to ache. Burn, really.... and I realized it was because they were so cold from the wind blowing and my mouth hanging open like a doofus.

Ouch. Is this weird?

On a happier note, the musical I was playing for is now over, and my last concert for a while is next week, so my lips will have plenty of time to adjust to the new wire/ new top braces before I have many more gigs. And playing is getting easier and easier now that my teeth are so straight. Pictures soon.

Happy Easter, everyone who celebrates!

starbucks guy, I loathe you

Forgot to mention this in the blog yesterday due to the wire-clipping excitement. You guys will understand.

So I walked into the Starbucks by my school this past Monday, like I always do. I'm an addict, err, a regular, so they all know my name, my drink, etc. There was a new guy that I had seen only once the week before, and as I came up the register he said (loudly) "Hey, Stephanie!" and I was surprised he had remembered my name so fast - go new barista guy!

He should have stopped while he was ahead - because he continued by saying "Hey, Stephanie! Guess how I remembered your name?" I know that all of you see this coming, but in my befuddled, pre-coffee stupor I said crankily "I don't know, how?" and he said (loudly still) "The braces! You're the only adult I've ever seen in braces!"

Thanks, Captain Obvious. Because had you failed to point out the masses of metal sticking out of my face, I might have forgotten they were there.

Blegh.

clipped

Last weekend while the braces were dancing in Portland, I broke down, brought out the nail clippers, and asked Nick to play orthodontist to my back wires (yes, I called my orthodontist first). But he couldn't get his big hands in my mouth, and I couldn't see with MY hands in my mouth, so I reluctantly gave up to call on Monday.

But Monday passed with a school-wide field trip to the skating rink and a rehearsal, Tuesday passed with an all-day music field trip and a 4.5 hour rehearsal, and by yesterday morning I was about ready to pluck the whole darned wire out of there. Luckily, they had a "comfort" appointment open Wednesday evening, and I got to go in and get it clipped.

Ahh, relief. My tongue is no longer getting cut every time I swallow, and I don't get spontaneous migraine headaches from the wire getting stuck between my two back teeth, or wedged in a weird way in back of the back tooth.

My teeth are continuing to get more and more straight, which makes EVERYTHING easier! I can talk for longer, I can play my clarinet for longer, it is easier to understand me.... Just as I'm getting used to everything, it's edging on time to get those top braces on - March 31st (and don't worry, I made an afternoon appointment this time).

PS. I tried the orajel discs... you know, the discs for mouth sores that you stick on and give you hours and hours of relief? To put it lightly, they are a waste of your 5 dollars. It was great for the first 30 seconds or so, but then it snagged on one of the brackets, and instead of coming off lightly, it pulled and pulled and made the sore worse than it started out. Good idea in theory, not so good in practice.

Just thought I'd save y'all some pain.

look! look!

My teeth are so straight! All of the pain last week (that continues into this week) is worth it! Look at them! On last Friday, I was teaching my last period of choir, I was in the middle of warm-ups when all of a sudden a huge POP came from my lower teeth. It sent lightening bolts through my head, per usual, and I thought I had snapped another bracket off, so I excused myself from the class (my eyes watering from the pain), and grabbed my compact from my purse. Lo and behold, all of my brackets were firmly planted, but my teeth were considerably straighter. I have no idea what the pop would have been, other than pressure from some of the teeth finally given way.

And since then, they have been movin' and shakin' like crazy, which is painful in the short run, but much easier on my lip in the long run. Before our marathon rehearsal last night (almost 4 hours!), I took a bunch of tylenol and ibuprofin, and it kept the teeth themselves from hurting. And now that the teeth are in a straighter line, the wax works better and my lip is cut less.

So, things are looking up. Thanks, all of you, for your supportive comments. It lifted my spirits and got me thinking positive again.

One more time.... look at these teeth!