Brace Face Tag: Then and Now

Hi guys,

On the 1st August 2015, I posted the brace face tag. I thought it would be a fun idea to do it again and compare my answers from then to now. Here we go!!

1. When did you get your braces on?

Then: I got my top braces on the 20th October and my bottom braces on the 23rd June. 

Now: I got my top braces on in October 2014 and my bottom braces in June 2015. 

2. How soon after could you feel pressure/aching?

Then: Around a day after getting them on, I began to feel pressure. 

Now: Around a day. I only ever get tenderness now with every wire change but that last's a few hours, if that. 

3. On a pain scale of 1-10 (1 being nothing and 10 being painful) how bad was the pain for you?

Then: I would say a 5-6.

Now: Getting them on a 1. After a day, around a 5. Now with every wire change, its a 3.

4. What food did you eat when you first got braces?

Then: Pasta, mash potato, anything that would melt in my mouth.  

Now: It was foods that I could easily swallow without having to do too much chewing, so pasta, chocolate.

5. How often do you get adjustments?

Then: I visit my orthodontist every 3-4 months but I don't have adjustments everytime I go.  

Now: I visit my orthodontist every 1-3 months for wire changes.

6. Do you wear rubber bands?

Then: I don't. 

Now: I did, but not anymore. I had Gorilla and Butterfly fish bands. 

7. How many times do you brush your teeth? Any tips to prevent the little white squares?

Then: I brush my teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste. To prevent the squares I would recommend not whitening your teeth while you have your braces on as when you get them off, the squares will be more prominent. I would also recommend just keeping care of your teeth and making sure that your oral hygiene is the best it can be and sticking to the same toothpaste you were using before your braces as different brands have different properties. 

Now: Not very often if I'm completely honest, but I do brush my teeth to make sure that squares are prevented. 

8. How often do you get them tightened?

Then: Every 3-4 months I get my braces tightened and new wires fitted. 

Now: Every 1-3 months, I get wires fitted. 

9. Did you get to pick colours?

Then: I don't because my braces are Damon so they are not traditional and do not come with coloured ties. 

Now: I don't get to choose colours. 

10. Did you need jaw surgery?

Then: No however I did need retainer style braces which you can see in previous blog posts. 

Now: Nope. I was meant to have teeth removed, but they never did. 

11. Do you use wax?

Then: When my wires are poking my gums I do but that's usually just after I get them tightened. 

Now: Not any more, however I still have it just in case I need it. 

12. How long did it take to put your braces on?

Then: It took around 15-20 minutes for top and about 20 minutes for my bottom. 

Now:  Around 20 minutes for both. 

13. Do you ever get that metal taste in your mouth?

Then: No it's really weird because you think you would but you don't. 

Now: Nope. 

14. How long do you have your braces on?

Then: I have to have mine on I think for a year? But I'm not 100% because they've not told me a lot, if I'm thinking correct I should get them off around December 2015 or the start of 2016. But don't count me on that!

Now: Clearly I was feeling optimistic last year! I thought I would've got them off last December, but I think that was wishful thinking. I've had my top braces on for 2 years, and my bottom braces on for a year and 3 months. I'm hoping sometime next year. If they aren't off before 2018, I will rip them off myself. I hate them now.  

Orthodontist Appointment Update

Hello,

I recently had my orthodonist appointment on Tuesday 25th October. I went to have wires put on. They were going to put new wires on both the bottom and top. My orthodontist started with the top wire and couldnt even get it off my teeth, it was stuck, so she just left it. She then tried to get the wire off the bottom and also struggled to get that off. After a lot of pushing and shoving and pain, the wire was off and replaced, from copper to stainless steel. I left the orthodontist in a lot of pain and went straight to work. The next day, while brushing my teeth, I realised that in the midst of pulling and pushing, she had popped one of my brackets off. This is the second time a bracket has come loose. Right now, I don't have the money to travel back to my orthodontist, therefore I am going to have to wait until payday to get it put back on. This is the 31st October.

Aside that, my teeth are okay, and I am so fed up of braces.... I want them off more than anything now. I am so beyond done with them and I would do anything to have them off. My next appointment is on the 7th December which seems so far away but it isn't. I will try and post more often but I work 6 days a week now so its difficult.

Bye guys.

What happened to me

Hello,

Feel like I have been a right stranger to my blog since July, so much has happened that I need to fill you in on. So the first thing is that I turned 18 on the 20th July. I had a wonderful 18th birthday with my family and I went out clubbing a few days after my 18th with some close friends to celebrate. We had a lovely evening and it was such a fantastic evening with everyone.

So then August hit, and I was pretty much full time at work and was constantly working to earn my money. I then had enough money to buy a car, so I bought a lovely black Volkswagen Polo on the 1st August, which I kept on the driveway until I passed my test, which I had booked for the 24th August. Before my test, I had my A Level results day. For people who don't live in the UK, AS and A Levels are something that is done when you are between the ages of 16-18 years of age. AS Levels are done in the first year, and A Levels are done in the second and final year. I recieved 3 A* and one C. I was very happy, however didn't do anything to celebrate as I didn't want to.

So a week later was my driving test. I had a really awful examinor who I absolutely hated and I just knew from the moment we set off it was going to be the worst 45 minutes of my life. At the same time as me, 3 other students were going out to do their test. So out of all of the students that went out (me and 3 others) I was the only one who passed. Yes, I passed my driving test, therefore I am able to drive a car on the UK roads. So, I then insured my car and waited for paperwork to come through, and my car was able to drive on the 1st September.

In the mids of passing my driving test and insuring my car, I also quit my old job and got a new job. I now work for David Lloyd Clubs. I absolutely love it and I'm so glad I no longer work where I used to work. So anyway, back to driving. I drove my car home from work on the 1st September (my mum drove the car up to my work so I could then drive it home). Long story short, the car broke down, completely shut itself off, me and my mum had to push the car up a hill and around a corner into a little side part of the road and wait for my dad to come and jump start it. My dad jump started it and my mum drove it home. As we got home, the car shut itself down again. The car is now on the driveway, up for sale. The car that I bought with my own money and loved dearly, is up for sale. Part of me is absolutely distraught, but I know its for the best.

So, I then went for my second option of car, which is a Hyundai i10 S. This car was cheap, affordable, however the only issue was that you had to get confirmation with finance. For new drivers, this can be so difficult to do, as you have no credit history etc. I was meant to pick the car up today however it wasn't quite ready for me as the company wanted me to have a guarantor. A guarantor is basically where you sign your parents up so if you can't make a payment one month, then the money then comes out of your parents account. I signed my dad up for it and the guarantor was unsuccessful. The only option left was for the finance to look at my last 3 previous bank statements to see if I can afford the car without a guarantor. Thankfully, I recieved the good news that I don't need a guarantor. All I need to do is send them my annual salary and get that checked off, and the car is mine. I should have it by this weekend.

My orthodontist appointment is on the 13th September, so I shall fill you in on how that goes. But yes, I have been extremely busy so hopefully this clears things up.

See you soon
Bye guys. 

Ask Me a Question!

Hello,

I wanted to upload something for you to read but I didn't have any teeth updates for you, so I looked through google and thought I would do a tag called 'Ask Me a Question'.  This tag is split into 6 categories and each category has a set of questions. Lets do this!

Have you ever...

1. Skipped Class? - Not when I was in primary school or in secondary school, but once I had reached sixth form, there was a lot more independence therefore skipping class could be done if you had reasons.
2. Done Drugs? - I have never done drugs no, and I do not intend on ever doing drugs.
3. Self-Harmed? - I have never self-harmed.
4. Drank? - I have occassionally had an alcoholic beverage but I am not someone who drinks all the time.
5. Shop-Lifted? - I have never shop lifted.
6. Got a tattoo? - As of right now, I do not have a tattoo however there are many that I would like to get in the future.
7. Broken up with someone? - I have broken up with someone but I haven't on my terms ended a relationship. I have come out of a relationship on other peoples terms, but I have never ended a relationship. I just don't think I have had the guts to and also, all of the relationships I have been in were lovely.

Whats your favourite...

1. Show? - My favourite TV show/programme would have to be either Geordie Shore or Love Island. I also love Ibiza Weekender when thats on TV.
2. Movie? - By far, Step Brothers. Or Pearl Harbor. If I need a film that I want to cry at, then Marley and Me is a classic. 
3. Song? - At the moment, it would have to be All My Love by Watermat, Becky Hill and Tai, but I also love Ariana Grande's new album a lot. 
4. Singer/Band?- Ariana Grande. I also love Rihanna and Beyonce, I just feel as though they are absolute classics.
5. Memory? - The whole of summer 2014. That was by far the best year of my life and also the best time of my life. I just have so many memories of that year and also so many different songs that take me back to that year.
6. Book? - It would have to be The Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns, both by the author John Green. He just has such a magical way of writing and I always find myself lost in the first page.

This or that...

1. Invisibility or the ability to fly? - It would have to be invisibility, just imagine what you could get away with.
2. Cookies or cake? - Cake all the way. My favourite cake has to be red velvet or chocolate cake.
3. Twitter or Facebook? - This is so hard because I love both social media apps for different reasons but it would have to be Facebook.
4. Coke or Sprite? - I love both so it depends on what mood I'm in. Right this moment, I don't fancy either.
5. Blind or dead? - I really don't know. I think I would rather be dead than blind. I struggle to see anyway without the help of glasses at times but I can't imagine walking on an earth where you can't see anything and have to rely on others to get you around. Its a lack of independence which is something I am fond of. I love to be independent and I feel as though independence is something you would lack if you were blind. 

What's your...

1.  Age? - I am 17, and will be 18 in 6 days from now.
2. Height? - I believe I am 5ft 3.
3. Star Sign? - I am a Cancer.
4. Sexual Orientation? - I am straight, however whatever your sexual orientation, you are still beautiful and amazing.
5. Longest Relationship? - 5 years.

What's your opinion on...

1.  Gay rights? - If you are gay, you are just as amazing and just as worthy as everyone else. My cousin is gay and two of my bestest friends are gay and I love them both equally even if they were straight. No matter who you love, as long as you stay true to you and don't try to be something you aren't, then you are amazing and you are perfect and people will still love you just as much.
2. Second Chances? - I am a big believer of second chances and am always giving people a second chance to prove themselves. I sometimes can be quite forgiving however and give more than the second chance, which is very common.
3. Long Distance Relationships? - I don't feel as though there is nothing wrong with long distance relationships. Obviously, love is love, however far away the other person may be. As long as you make sure to keep in contact and give the other person independence when they need it, then I think long distance relationships can work.
4. Abortion? - This takes me right back to when I was studying Religious Studies in year 11. Personally, I don't think abortion is wrong as long as the mother has reasons and is strong with her reasoning. For example, if the mother of the child had been raped, and doesn't feel as though she can continue to support and provide for that child because of the horrific past she has been through, then this is understandable and abortion should be respected. 
5. Love? - Love is love, whoever you love. I believe that love is a strong feeling that happens between two people and amazing things can come from being in love such as memories made and sometimes a future. 

Do you...

1.  Believe in Ghosts? - Yes, I believe in ghosts.
2. Sleep with the door open or closed? - Door closed, 100%.
3. Have a significant other? - I do not have a significant other.
4. Like yourself? - I went through a long period of time where I did not like myself and my self-esteem was very low. But as time has gone on, I now feel as though I can love myself and I can finally respect me and love who I am and what I look like.

 Thats it!

Bye guys

Driving Test Disaster

Hello,

Hope you are all well. So on Monday, I had my first ever driving test at 9:37am. If you haven't guessed by the title of this blog, I sadly did not pass. I thought however it would be beneficial for me to do a blog talking about the driving test experience and how it went so that any of you who are maybe having lessons or have a test booked can know what happens and how my experience went.

So, my driving instructor did an hours lesson with me before my test begun to go over the manoveures and just do a few test routes to refresh my mind. For those of you who aren't aware, you get asked on your driving test to complete one manoveure. It used to be two but they recently changed this so that you now only have to do one, however this may be different if you aren't from the UK. You will get either a bay park, parallel park, reverse around a corner or a turn in a road. You could also get asked to perform an emergency stop. I will get to what one I had in a second. I also went over all of the show me tell me questions. These can be found online if you google them (link here) and your instructor will usually talk you through these once you have passed your driving theory test. This is something we do in the UK, so don't be alarmed if you are not from the UK and you don't do show me, tell me questions. The show me, tell me questions are asked before you drive and you get asked two questions. This could be one show me and one tell me or two tell me questions or two show me questions.

So anyway, my driving instructor picked me up from my house at 8:20am. I would recommend a morning test as the roads are less busy therefore you stand a better chance of driving better. I had to pay for a two hour lesson as I was using my instructors car for 2 hours. This cost me £44 plus the driving test fee which was £62. If you are from the UK and would prefer a weekend or evening test, you have to pay £75. To your test, you have to bring your provisional licence, and your theory certificate (if your test centre asks for it, mine did not). I also brought a bottle of water and some Kalms tablets to settle my nerves beforehand and my mobile which I turned off before my lesson begun.

So anyway, we drove around for an hour and did my manoveures and learnt how to do an emergency stop and then I drove us to the test centre. I parked up, and got out of the car and sat in the test centre. My examiner then came out and I can't tell you how happy I was that it was a man. His name was Mark and he seemed so lovely and sweet and made me feel at ease. I showed him my licence and he asked me to sign the double declaration. The double declaration is a little box that you sign that states that you are insured on the vehicle and that you have lived in the UK for over 185 days or 12 months. Once that was signed, we went outside and did the eye test. This is something that every student is made to do. You have to be able, as a driver, to read a number plate that is 20m away. You get three attempts on your test and if you fail to read the number plates on the attempts given, you fail straight away. Luckily, I had my glasses on and was able to successfully read the number plate.

We then approached my car, where I was asked to open the bonnet. I opened the bonnet and was asked 'Open the bonnet, identify where you would check the engine oil level and tell me how you would check that the engine has sufficient oil'. This was the tell me question. I replied with the corect answer and then we moved onto the next question. The next question was 'Tell me how you would check the tyres to ensure that they have sufficient tread depth and that their general condition is safe to use on the road.' This was another tell me question, to which I replied with the correct answer. I was then asked to get into my side of the car and make myself comfortable. Once I was comfortable the examiner gave me my first set of directions and I was on my way. 

Luckily, the route that I had gone on when I had my hour lesson beforehand was the route that I got for my driving test, so I was very familiar with all the roads. All was going well and I was checking all mirrors and really concentrating, making sure to impress the examinor. I then had a set of instructions to follow which was to take the next road on the left. This road on the left couldn't have been anymore tighter or horrible. It was so tight and to make matters worse the road I was about to go up was an uphill road and some young lad in his white polo was tailgaiting me the whole way up to the turning. Because of this, I panicked and didn't get my gear in time so I ended up going around this tight bend in third gear. Because I was in third gear, I then stalled and was stuck facing uphill and on a slight angle with the polo still tailgaiting me the whole way. I got first gear and tried to get my clutch control correct but when I took my foot off the brake, I rolled and almost hit the car behind me. As soon as I had done that, I knew I had failed so I just continued the test just doing the best I could. 

When it came to manoveures, I was given a parallel park. Luckily these are one of my favourites so I was confident when doing the manoveure. I got no minors for my parallel park. I also recieved an emergency stop, for which I also recieved no minors. I then had my independent drive. This is 10 minutes that you are given to show what you can do without being told directions etc. This went fine and I recieved no minors for that. I then drove us back to the test centre, knowing I had failed and he told me just that. I knew I had failed so luckily I didn't feel too bad about it, but it still hurt that the one thing that I'm usually really good at, I failed on because I let my nerves get the better of me. Even the examiner was disappointed and said that my drive was excellent and that I was a really confident driver but because of that one little mistake, he had to fail me. 

So there you have it. That was my first driving test experience. Some words of wisdom for people planning to book or putting off booking; Just do it. Honestly, if I hadn't have put it off, I would've passed by now but where I put it off for months, I had to wait ages. Also, all UK drivers, the current earliest test that I can find avaliable is September, so book it now and practice up until the day of your test. Also, if there is anything you want to practice with your instructor, ask them. They are there to help you out. Another word of advice is that the test is only 38-40 minutes long and the test flies by. The examiners are all human, just like you and I, so you don't need to be scared of them. They are just there to see what you know and what you've been taught. 

My next test is in August, but I'm constantly refreshing the cancellations page to see if I can get an earlier test and do my driving test sooner. See you all soon

Bye guys

No more elastics!

Hi guys,

I had an orthodontic appointment today and I no longer have to have my elastic bands on! I am really happy that I don't have to wear them anymore as they were really annoying and inconvenient and painful at times but now I just have braces! They replaced the wire on my bottom jaw but aside that, I was done.

I have two appointments, one in September and the other in October so that's exciting! I'll let you know more about them soon. I'll try and blog between now and them appointments so keep your eyes peeled,

Bye guys,

Long Awaited Photos

Hello guys,

Here are some long, LONG awaited photos of my current mouth situation. I feel like its been a very long time since I've sat down and took photos of my teeth and other bits and bobs, so it feels good to be finally showing you whats going on.

As I am typing this, I have been awake for about 6 hours and a few odd minutes. I overslept this morning and woke up at half 12, so please ignore the hoodie and pj top you can see in these photos. Its been a slouchy morning and I have loved every second of it.

 Here are some front profile photos of my teeth. You can see that my teeth are still quite straight and looking really lovely. I'm so excited because I am hoping that because they are straight and my bite has improved that they can come off soon. The day my braces come off and I can smile with lovely straight teeth will be the best day ever! I know I won't be able to stop smiling and I'm going to be taking tonnes of selfies! One thing that does make me a little consious about my teeth is the chip that is on my front tooth. I'm not sure if you can notice it in the top image but you can see it more evidently in the bottom image.

 I'm really not sure what can be done about the chip. Maybe when I get my braces off, it won't bother me as much as it does now. Maybe it could get filled so that it is not as noticeable but I'm really not sure. I remember reading someone else's blog ages ago and they filed the tooth down so that they were all in alignment but I dont really know how I feel about that because the base of my front two teeth are so weak so I'm worried that filing them down will just make it worse. We will have to see but I will see what they look like when they come off and then decide (or if they even come off!).

 Now for the close ups. This is a very close up image of the inside of my mouth and its kind of creepy, so I'm hoping all of you aren't too put off by seeing the inside of my mouth. Anyway, you can see the band situation that is going on in my mouth. I have a band around my top molar and it allows a band to be hooked from the inside to the outside of the bottom molar. In this photo, I have a Gorilla band however, I am meant to try the Butterfly Fish bands (if you have never had braces or never experienced the elastic bands, then you are probably very confused at the moment).

Here are some photos of the elastic bands. As you can see, I've turned into a right little blogger and made this look as fancy as possible and tried to get some good lighting. I hope you appreciate it. Anyway, to the bands. The bands to the left are my Gorilla bands. They have latex in them and are a lot bigger and stretchier than compared to the bands on the right. The bands that can be seen on the right are the Butterfly Fish bands. These bands do not have any latex in them and are smaller and less stretchier than compared to the Gorilla bands. The yellow thing that you can see in this image is a tool that I used for the first week when I had the bands to help me hook the bands to the inside of my mouth. The tool helped so thats good, but I'm not reliant on it anymore.


So thats a quick photo update for you all! I hope all of you are well. I'm not at school anymore which is amazing. I have one exam in June but aside that, I am a finished student! I don't think its really sunk in that I've finished, but we can wait until prom for that to sink in. Its going to be weird getting to next Monday and not having to get up to get the bus and go to school.

Another update; I've booked my driving test! Eeek! It's at the end of June and I'm excited and nervous all at once. Fingers crossed that I pass so that I can drive and have so much freedom and go wherever I want to. If it gets to July though and I haven't mentioned anything about it, just assume that I failed. I turn 18 in July which is also exciting. I think I'm going clubbing which will be cool, I'm a little worried though because I'm a lightweight so it won't take me long to be drunk and if we stay out for a long time, I hate to think what I'll be like at the end of it.

Anyway, see you soon!
Bye guys. 

The life of elastics..

Hey guys,

I haven't spoke in a very long time. The last blog post I did was a dentist appointment I had which was in February. It's now April... I am really sorry for the recent disappearance, school has been busy and I've been working all weekend of March so I've not had any free time.  I had 2 orthodontist appointments recently in March were I got given a metal ring which has an appliance on the side. It allows me to hook elastics from the inside of my top jaw to the outside of my bottom jaw, in the hope to move my top jaw one way and the bottom jaw the other way. I'll get some images up soon, but seeing as I'm writing this at half 9 in the evening, the lighting will not allow me to show it with justice.

The elastics I have been given are Gorilla elastics for the start, however when I get used to them, I am supposed to move onto the Butterly Fish elastics. I will also take pictures of these when I have better lighting so you are able to see the different elastics. The Gorilla elastics are more flexible and stretchy and can stretch a lot further than compared to the Butterfly Fish elastics which are thicker and not as stretchy and flexible which makes them harder to hook to the appliances. I am trying to get on with the Butterfly Fish but they are not easy to work with.

My next orthodontist appointment is in May I believe, so hopefully that'll be good news. I will try and get a blog with photos up in the next week but I have a lot of different coursework pieces to get in before the end of May as well as an exam in June to revise for. Lots of pressure in a small amount of time.

Bye guys

Dentist Appointment

Hi guys,

I recently had a dentist appointment on the 2nd February. The appointment was only a checkup to make sure that my teeth are healthy. The appointment went really well, I have no holes in my teeth and the only issue is slight staining that they want to sort out in my next appointment which is on the 18th July (which happens to be 2 days before my 18th birthday!)

My next orthodontist appointments are at the start of March so be prepared to have a blog on them soon, but everything is a-okay!

Bye guys