Photos

Sorry about the poor lighting, been busy and the clocks have gone back so its darker quicker.

Day 1:

 

Day 21 (and a bit):

 

Day 21: Progress, Achiness and Stress

Hi guys,

I have took some photos, however I'm going to do a separate blog on Wednesday, which will just contain photos and no chit chat. I would do it tomorrow, however I'm not going to be in to upload them. But basically, you can kind of see that my teeth are beginning to straighten out. I do feel like I've made a lot of progress. I've been looking at old photos of my teeth and I've been gobsmacked at the sheer difference in my teeth.

I have been experiencing a tiny amount of achiness in my teeth, mainly in my molars. I have no idea why this is, but its not been extremely painful that I've needed to take ibuprofen.

Recently, I've been under a lot of stress with coursework. I've been suffering with frequent bursts of headaches, which have been going on for a couple of weeks now. I wake up with them and I've gone to bed with them. Taking Paracetomol doesn't work, and I've also tired to drink some more water, because I thought I was dehydrated but it turns out that's not the case. I think its because most of the subjects which I have chosen to take for A-levels are mainly focused on using a computer and involve spending a good 4-5 hours a day in front of a computer screen and that's taking a toll on my eyes.

Anyway, enough of me rambling! If anyone has any questions, feel free to direct message me on my twitter which is @dehrhiaaan or email me at bracefacemyjourney@gmail.com

Bye guys

Day 14:Hectic half term, work and progression

Hi guys,

There's not going to be photos until next week and yes I do have reasons for this. On Wednesday I was in hospital. NOT FOR ME, IM FINE. Basically there was a bit of an incident involving fingers and scissors and I did it, so I went to the hospital with the person I accidentally did it to. Then, I went to the fireworks on Saturday and then I had work and the fireworks on Sunday. I also went ice skating on Tuesday so its been a bit of a hectic half term and I've just not had the time to take photos with work and coursework and all of that.

My teeth have started to slow down a bit now and aren't moving as fast as they were on the first week. They are moving, but the progress is slow. I'm hoping to find time this weekend to take some photos for next weeks blog to show you what they look like at 3 weeks.

So yeah sorry its short and sweet and not exactly exciting but there's not enough going on for me to talk about in detail.

Bye guys

Day 7: Eating, Brushing, and Bad Habits

Hi guys,

So its been one week since I've had my braces. There isn't going to be photos because the only difference between last week and this week is that my front two teeth are now straight. The other front teeth are still crooked.

The hardest part of this week has probably been eating. Because my front teeth were tender, I had to use my molars to bite and chew. On the first day it took me around 20 minutes to eat a small galaxy bar. As I've got used to it my speed has increased and I'm now back to eating tougher foods again, for example potatoes, crispy chips, etc.

Brushing has been weird as well. My new toothbrush is a life saver to get in-between the brackets and nooks and cranny's of my teeth. It works a treat. Mouthwash is also a life  saver for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Another life saver was the little interdental brushes which have been handy for getting out little bits of food which I can feel in my braces.

Bad habits have been the death of me this week. My worst habit and addiction is chewing gum. I love chewing gum and even with braces, I've been chewing gum. But  I have a sugar free one so its not packed with sugar and its minty. Another bad habit is fizzy drinks. I love fizzy drinks so drinking them through a straw has been difficult and really weird. I'm sure in time I'll get rid of my bad habits but for now its tough.

So yeah, next week I will probably have some photos for you, but its' purely because not a lot is happening right now. They have moved a considerable amount and for that I am happy, but they haven't moved enough to talk about them in detail.

Bye guys.

Day 1: Braces on and teeth pack

Hi guys,

So I got my brace on today. I got them put on just over two hours ago and I can only feel a slight bit of pressure but its not as bad as everyone made it out to be. I haven't had to take any pain killers yet so fingers crossed it doesn't get too bad. I've took some photos of my teeth now and the pack which we bought for my braces.

The first thing that came in my braces pack was disclosing tablets. What disclosing tablets are tablets which you chew and move around your mouth. Then once you've done that, the disclosing tablets stick to the plaque on your teeth and you are left with purple stains on your teeth which show your where you have not been brushing. Then you brush it all off and the idea is that you have done an effective brush and you can see which areas you miss on a regular basis.


The tablets I have are purple, however they can come in different colours. Some disclosing tablets come in pink or blue. The colour is usually vivid so that the areas of plaque can be seen. They are round and there are 10 in my pack.

 The next thing in my pack is this toothbrush which is specially designed for people with orthodontic appliances. The bristles on the brush are of different lengths and sizes in order to fit in the tight and tough bits of the braces. I don't know if I will use this or just sit with my electric one that I have now, but I'm not 100%. Below is photos of the top of the toothbrush from the sides.

 

 The next thing in my pack was 5 interdental brushes. I got 4 ones which are of different sizes and colours, and then I have one travel set one which I can bring to school and different places.

The interdental brushes are designed to fit between the brackets and clean the wires and the sides of the brackets. Also the tiny little interdental brushes can fit in between my teeth and almost floss them which saves me time.

 I then got some mouthwash, which is specially designed for orthodontic appliances. Its called swirl plus, I don't know if you can get it at your local store, but I just got given it from my orthodontist. I don't know if your orthodontist gives you mouthwash which is similar, but just using a fluoride free toothpaste and mouthwash is fine.

 The final two things in my orthodontic pack was a 2 minute timer and some orthodontic wax.

The timer is designed to help me to brush my teeth for the correct amount of time and it also will help to ensure that my oral hygiene is kept on tip top condition.

The wax is designed to cover over areas which are causing pain and discomfort. As you can see I have used a little on the back of my braces as I have these hooks which are cutting my gums. I don't know why my wax is red, normally orthodontic wax is white, but its not a problem.

The final part of this blog, and probably the part you've been waiting for... my teeth. Here you are. I only got my top braces on for now but in time I will get my bottom braces. I don't have colours because I have these special ones which pull back your teeth at a very fast pace. I don't have hooks on my brackets but I have hooks on the bit which holds the wire in place.

So that's everything! Hope you enjoyed this update. I think I'm going to do weekly updates every Monday with photos and stuff she you can see the difference in my teeth as the weeks go by.

Bye guys

Bit of Bad News.

Hi guys

So today I was meant to be getting my braces put on at 9:45am.... well that didn't pan out how I expected. I got to the orthodontist and the orthodontist had a power cut. They said to wait, so we did and then I got told at quarter past 10 this morning that I would need to re-book my appointment. I did cry a lot because I really built myself up for it and then I got dropped at the last part.

I do have a new appointment on Monday at 9:15 so I don't have a long time to wait for my next appointment but it was really annoying to travel all that way there and be told I would have to re-book. And it didn't help that on the way back we decided to stop at McDonalds but we couldn't get in because there was road works. BUMMER.

Sorry if I have disappointed anyone but there will be photos on Monday.

Bye guys

Long awaited photos!

Hi guys,

Two posts in one day, you lucky readers! So far I am savouring my last day before I get my braces. I've had coke, galaxy, chewing gum, and éclairs! But here are some photos of my teeth today.

 This is currently what my teeth look like. If you go back to the blog post linked below, then you can see what my teeth looked like last august. This is what they look like now. They have definitely got whiter and they look much healthier. I still have a very long way to go before I have nice straight pearly whites but they will come in time. I think after getting my braces off I'm going to whiten my teeth, just to make me feel really confident in my smile.
http://bracefacemyjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/photos.html

 

 This is what my teeth look like from both sides. Again I still have a long way to go with getting my straight teeth but I am very happy with how much they have improved since last year.

I don't think its sunk in yet that I am getting braces tomorrow, but I am sure tomorrow morning it will seem real. All my friends have been telling me about them and how much they hate their braces. I've always dreamt of having braces ever since I was 11 because all my life my teeth have been the biggest insecurity and I've never felt comfortable smiling or talking to people, so to finally be told I'm getting them is like a gods send.

I'm now going to go and get loads of bad food which I can't eat tomorrow and I think I am going to have a bath with lots of bubbles and lots of sweet smelling scents. There will be another blog tomorrow with more photos of my teeth with braces and I'll tell you what I get given (if they give me anything) and I'll let you know how I'm feeling and any advice which I would give you about getting your braces put on.

Bye guys