Retainers

Just when I thought I'm done, I have to wear retainers! I picked up my retainers at the Ortho's today. The plastic parts are fuschia color...no sparkles. When I open my mouth wide, you can see the fuschia color. It's a good thing that I didn't get blue ones!! The retainers basically are these plastic molds with wires across. They are custom-fitted and molded to the curvature of the mouth. I have to wear these little suckers for 20 hours a day, for 6 months! Yep, it's ALL THE TIME except for eating and brushing. I am not used to them because my speech is now "slurred" and I can't pronounce certain words. I think it's worse than braces since I can't speak right with them on. 6 months of this, and then my Ortho will "see from there." I may or may not be downgraded to part time wear after 6 months. There is basically no difference between wearing retainers than braces - it looks a little bit better and there is always an option of taking them off. But other than that, they are pretty much the same... annoying.

Next appt: Feb 12, 2008

Naked Teeth

My moment arrived! I have officially De-banded. No more braces! My teeth feel so "naked" now without those metal brackets and wires. I find myself constantly using my tongue and feeling my smooth teeth. My teeth feel fake. It's a weird feeling. Here is how it went this morning:

The nurse tech took the braces off really fast. I was worried how the bands out of my back molars will come off, but she just clipped, clipped, and clipped and then the entire wire came out with the brackets, the power chains, everything. I never really realized that the brackets could come out so easily. When she yanked the wire/brackets out, certain parts hurt more than others, but it was quick so the pain didn't last long. She told me that with the Ceramic brackets, they could shatter easily so I should keep my eyes closed. So that's what I did so I wasn't able to see anything.

After the wires and brackets came out, the ortho used this machine thingy to "sand" my teeth - primarily to remove the glue residue still stuck on my teeth. There were times when I felt a little pain because my teeth were so sensitive. I don't know for sure, but that machine sounded like those dentists use for fillings. After that, I rinsed. The station I was at didn't have a mirror so at that point, I didn't know how my teeth looked!!

The nurse tech then polished my teeth with toothpaste (same procedure as what dentists do). I then had 4 impressions done (2 upper, 2 lower). I also picked out my retainer color. This is the plastic part of the retainer. The nurse tech said that people only see the wire and not the retainer color so it doesn't matter what color I choose. But there will be a time when I will have to take out my retainers in public. So most people don't pick the light pink or clear color because they look very "dental," and almost resemble dentures! So I picked the Fuschia (hot pink) color just to make it more fun. I now regret now not adding Sparkles to it 'cuz I could have. Oh well... I'm not a teenager anymore!

After that, I was done. Free to go. I finally took out my pocket mirror and looked at my teeth for the first time. My teeth looked great! They are so straight! I am SOOOO happy with it! It's so different looking at my teeth with braces and now without. What a fantastic feeling!!

I couldn't believe that my journey to a perfect smile has somewhat come to an end. I know there are still endless days of retainers, but I am done. I am done with braces. I am still a bit worried about my bite and potential relapse...but I need to just live for this moment now. The future is the future. I'm set to take a set of final Xrays so I'll post those when I get them done...I'll post the Before ones too, just to compare.

Here are some pictures I took today:

12/3/07 Before de-banding

12/3/07 After de-banding

Surgery day remembered

Exactly ONE YEAR ago to this day, I was in the Oakland Kaiser Hospital recovering from my double jaw surgery. Truthfully, I don't remember much about that eventful day... so I am so happy that I've made a good decision to document my entire journey here on Blogger. Now I have the luxury of reading my archives! Read Archive.

I couldn't believe that it has already been 1 full year! So how do I feel? I feel grrreat! My teeth feels "right" - the upper and lower teeth touch each other and they "fit." I am able to bite and break apart food with my front teeth, which I have never been able to do before. I still chew a lot with my back teeth but I think that's normal. I am very happy with my bite.

The titantium plate next to my nose on the left side is still there, although I never ever realize it's there. I can still feel it when I purposely look for it and press on that spot. Otherwise, it has not bothered me at all.

There is still a bit of sensation on my upper left lip. I feel a bit of tingliness and numbness in that area whenever I move my lips to talk, eat, etc. Half the time though, I forget about it and then I don't realize it's there. I've always had this sensation since the surgery and now that it's been a year, I begin to accept that this will be permanent. The OS and research that I've done on my own suggest that there is a risk with permanent numbness associated with a double jaw surgery. I just never thought I would be a statistic?! Maybe one day, it will be gone...but today, I accept that the numbness is here to stay. On a day to day basis, the numbness doesn't bother me all that much. Or maybe I just have so much other bigger things to think about...

I think the thing that bothers me most of all is my wrinkly chin. It's possibly because it's the one thing that other people can see (the plate & the numbness - no one can see it!) Yes, call me VAIN. I can't close my mouth and have my lips touch without using additional muscles. And the additional muscles cause my chin to get wrinkly. Maybe I'm just being overly critical or paranoid that people will notice my wrinkly chin. Chances are that they actually don't notice, or don't even care.

BUT (and it's A BIG BUT) despite of all the things that didn't necessarily go right, I AM SO HAPPY THAT I WENT THROUGH WITH BRACES & THE SURGERY. IT IS THE BEST DECISION I'VE MADE. I really can't stress this message enough so I had to put the words in Caps and Bold. The surgery has really changed my life for the better because now I can finally feel normal and confident. Self-esteem is so important to a person...as it has for me. I don't remember how many days and weeks and months I felt so horrible because of my teeth.

So if you're contemplating about having this surgery and/or afraid of the risks, please feel free to email me. I'm so happy to share my journey with you!

Anyhoo, here is a picture of my teeth and bite 1 year after surgery.... 2 days before my braces come out...

The Countdown Begins!

801 days. That would be the exact numbers of days I've had my braces on, since Sept 16, 2005. It seems like such a long time, but yet it also seems like it was just yesterday. So in 7 more days...I get to take my braces OFF!! Yep, Dec 3 is the magic day. 1 week from TODAY! Jeez, it has been so long, I don't even remember how my teeth feels without braces. Just when I'm getting used to my braces, it's time to take them off! In one way, I am so glad that I can finally take off my braces because I so look forward to this day. But in a different way, there is a part of me that fear my teeth and bite will shift once I remove my braces. These braces served as my security blanket. So what happens if they take my security blanket away?
Note to self: Always wear retainers.

DB

DB - it stands for De-brace! I went to my ortho's yesterday and he said I can be de-braced!! YAHOOOOOOOOO!!! I can officially "graduate" from my braces. The official date: December 3rd! It couldn't have been earlier, but with my hectic work schedule and the fact that my ortho's office will be closed during the Thanksgiving week, my official debracing day will be December 3rd. It's fine. It's nice to have an "end date." There is light at the end of the tunnel!

On one end, I am happy that I will be done...but on the other side, I'm scared that my teeth will start to shift. I must wear my retainers religiously!

Next plan: get teeth whiten! :D

Test phase - 2nd Try

I went to the ortho today. It is the first time I went to the othro's office on a Saturday. And boy was it busy!! They are only open 1 Saturday a month, from 8 to 2, and it was jam packed there today. Thank goodness it was fully staffed. I guess people always prefer Saturday appointments. Anyhoo, my ortho was busy as always - probably spent less than 2 mins with me. He checked my teeth and said the bite is exactly where it needs to be now. So I will have to go through the Test phase again - which means no rubber bands - and see if my bite will hold. He said he'll see me again in 6 weeks. I bargained and said if I can come back in 4 weeks instead. I mean, if my bite isn't holding, I want to re-start the treatment rather than wait. He was a bit hesitant at first, but he ended up saying OK.

I have confidence that my bite will hold this time because it just feels right. My back teeth are touching each other and they fit nicely when I bite close. Actually, for the past 2 weeks, I have secretly been only wearing my rubber bands at night. During the day, I haven't been wearing the rubber bands although the ortho's prescription was to wear them all day. *hush* Regardless though, my teeth's midline didn't move. Before, if I don't wear my rubber bands for only a few hours, I could see my teeth midline move already. I could tell that the bite wasn't correct because without the bands, I have to use a lot of effort to make my upper and lower teeth align. But now, nope! So I'm crossing my fingers that my bite will hold this time! Then maybe, I can eventually get discharged from these braces!

Next appt time: Sat, Nov 10, 2007.

Here is a picture of my teeth today : Oct 13.

2 year anniversary

September 16 marks my 2 years in braces. What a journey! Not quite done yet, but awfully close. The other day while cleaning up, I came across some old pictures of mine. It struck me how far I have gone and come along in this process. It's actually quite amazing to see the drastic change and progress.

Happy 2 year anniversary!

# 1 Rule of Thumb

Orthos tell you that the #1 rule thumb is NOT to eat corn of the cob or anything hard for that matter. Ok, I admit it - this weekend I broke the #1 rule of thumb!! You see, I LOOOOOVE corn of the cob. Those corn you get from cans, or even fresh corn sliced into kernels are simply NOT the same. It's the process of holding the corn, smothered with butter and a sprinkled with salt, and sinking your teeth into it bite by bite that make eating corn more enjoyable than anything else!! I've been rather good, actually, listening to ortho and OS for the past 2 years. Despite how much I craved it, I didn't eat corn on the cob. But the temptation has been just too great this weekend .... not to mention that they were selling them dirt cheap -- 6 for $1 at the supermarket. The experience of eating the freah ear of corn after 2 years of deprivation is just as wonderful as I remembered it to be. I just hope I didn't break any of my brackets! :)

I actually feel very good about my teeth lately. I could see that they are really straight and align nicely in all sides (from left to right, from top to bottom). I think I am getting close to having these braces removed!! Oh, I can't wait!

Adjustment

For the past 2 weeks I have been closely watching my mid-line to see if they moved. Sure enough they did. So rather than waiting another 2 weeks before my Sept 14 appointment, I called in to my ortho's office today and was lucky to be able to schedule a same-day appointment.

The ortho made some adjustments to the archwires and I am also back on rubber bands. My teeth a bit tight and sore of course... but I feel a lot better now just because at least now I'm not wasting time. I can move along with my treatment.

Passport photo

My back teeth are a little sore today, which is odd. I haven't felt soreness after an adjustment in a long time. Maybe it's because I haven't had c-chains put on for a while now...and this time, the chain went all the way to my back teeth. Whenever I bite, I feel that the top of my back teeth hurt. Oh well. I got the regular silver colored ligs again although the tech thinks that I should try Pink next time. I don't think I'm adventurous enough to try another color. I just want to make it as subtle as possible.

So, my passport expired this month... and I need to get a new one. I've been dragging my feet in renewing it for a while mainly because of the passport photo. I will have to take a new one, with my braces on. The worst thing though, is that the photo will be on my passport for 10 years!! But my job requires me to have an active passport at all times -- since I need to travel internationally and usually in very short notice. So what to do? What to do? I can possibly smile without my teeth, but that's just not me. Plus, I have a wrinkly chin, remember? Sucks. Never thought this would create so much drama.

My teeth as of Aug 16, 2007:

"Test Phase"

Just came back from the ortho's office this morning. Good news is that my bite is quite good at this point and my teeth are aligning correctly. Bad news is that I still have to wait 4 more weeks before anything can happen. The ortho calls this the "test phase," which means I will be OFF rubber bands for the next 4 weeks to see if my bite can hold its current position naturally. If 4 weeks later, my bite and teeth are still in their same position, then it means that my teeth are stable and I can get my braces removed!! However, on the flip side, if my teeth shift and move, I will be back on rubber bands and get more adjustments... Hence, the next 4 week period is deemed as the "test phase." As much as I hope to have my braces removed ASAP, I have a feeling that my teeth are not ready and they will shift within these 4 weeks. Just a gut feeling. I've gone this far -- I want to get things right and don't want to remove my braces prematurely.

A blog reader emailed me and asked me the ultimate question -- if I were to rethink and given another chance to remake my decision, would I still go forward with the surgery? I replied, "Absolutely YES." There is no reason why I wouldn't have. The only regret I had was why I didn't and couldn't do it earlier. Although the results have not been all perfect, the advantages definitely outweigh the bad. When I say that the "results have not been perfect," I mean that I still have numbness of my upper left lip, and I can still feel lthe plate under my eye (read previous blogs). But these are minor things. I have a great bite now and my profile really changed for the better. I know that the process after the surgery can be a bit brutal, but you just live throught it day by day. The progress may seem slow, but when you look back, you don't really remember much about it. Time passes by fast!

So if you're reading this, and thinking about having jaw surgery, you should do it! There is nothing scary about it! Believe me -- the pain, the discomfort, the inconvenience -- these are all temporary!! You will eventually be OK and can reap the benefits of the surgery and enjoy a perfect smile. It is worth it!!

Ortho visit - 6/26

I don't think I ever posted my last visit to the ortho office. Anyways, I just went yesterday so thought I would give you an update. My appt was at 8:30 in the morning and I got dropped off there early and they always are good at taking me in early if they have time, which they did. I got my lower wires replaced to a stronger one (16/22). I've had this wire before, but since my brackets were re-aligned last time, I was downgraded to a weaker wire so my teeth can adjust. I got a loose bracket on one of my upper teeth so that had to be repaired. I was once again prescribed a rubber band on my right side because my mid-line was drifted off to the left.

My overbite has noticeably subsided these few weeks. My upper and lower teeth are in much better positions than before. My bite is still not perfect but at least my upper teeth moved back a bit. My facial structure has also changed, because 3 people commented on how skinny my face looked. I didn't lose any weight per se but I think it's all because my teeth are moving and my face is changing with it.

I asked the ortho when will I be done and he still quoted me September... which is only 3 months away!! Is that right? Would I really be done in 3 months? It seems like I still have a long way to go when I look at my bite! Oh well, I'm telling myself that it will be December, just in case. And if it happens to be really September, I would be thrilled!

Expect the worst, hope for the best.

I just came back from a business trip to Hawaii. I was able to extend my trip through the weekend so I can enjoy some of that aloha sun! Here is a picture of a self-portrait of my side profile...

But remember this one below??? This is my ugly side profile before the surgery.

In the scheme of things, despite all the miserable days of recovery and 3 weeks of liquid diet, the 2 years of metal mouth, this is all well worth it!! The pictures are worth a thousand words. And no, I don't think the beautiful sun and beach made the difference.

5 months after surgery

Today is my 5 month anniversary after my Dec 1 double jaw surgery. For the most part, I feel fine although 20% of my upper left lip is still numb. I notice the numbness maybe about 2-3 times a day. Otherwise, it doesn't bother me much. I sure hope it won't be permanent! I wondering if it is will just go away out of the blue.

Eating-wise -- I can eat most things now, including burgers and even peanuts (with my back teeth, of course!) I'm still very cautious of biting hard with my front teeth. My bite is not perfected yet, so I don't want to risk mis-aligning my jaw. By the way, my midline shifted again...since I'm off rubberbands.

Ortho Visit

I had my ortho visit today. He had to re-set my lower brackets. 7 in total. As the nurse assistant yanked off the brackets, some of them hurt because my teeth are still so sensitive. She then used a scraper to remove the residual glue. My teeth looked so naked without the brackets. I asked her if it is the same procedure when I remove my braces all-together. She said yes and that seldomly people would feel anything, let alone complain about being in pain during the process. It definitely hurts for me! After the removal, she cleaned the teeth and then applied the lemony-sour liquid on a brush that looks like a nail polish brush. The ortho then applied brackets into their new position. My teeth are so sore now!! I was barely able to eat anything today -- only soft foods. It reminds me every much of the first days I had the braces on. The archwire is a bit crooked right now but it should straighten out very fast. After my teeth reposition themselves, I will go on rubber bands again, to correct my bite. My ortho said my overbite improved slightly. I didn't notice any changes.

Next Appointment: May 25, 2007

Sick Again!

I got sick again! This is the second time this year. I was Ok up until Thursday night, and then Friday morning - BAM!! Sore throat, runny nose, headache. How fast those virus suckers can get to you... It's crazy. I hardly get sick before my surgery so I am beginning to suspect that me getting sick twice already is largely due to my weaker immune system after the surgery. I wonder if it's my diet as well. Maybe I'm not eating foods with the right vitamins and proteins? But I've been taking daily multi-vitamin which I have not done before. So WTH?

Next ortho appointment: Tuesday, April 10, 2007.

Rubber-band free

The last appointment I had with my ortho, he took me off rubber bands for 5 weeks. I'm not exactly sure why, but I don't have to put on any rubber bands now. He did mention that some of my teeth have shifted and he would have to re-position some of the brackets on the next appointment. He said that when he originally put the brackets on, it was before the surgery and he had to "guess" where they should go based on how the teeth would be after the surgery. Now that I am done with the surgery, I can begin "traditional" orthodontics. I still think I have a huge overbite. I also recently noticed that whenever I laugh my mouth exposes a lot of upper gums, which I hate. It reminds me of what they call a "gummy" smile. Yuck.

I guess I'll never be satisfied.

3 months Post Surgery

Can't believe that I've finally reached my 3 month mark. I'm feeling fine, although I still can't say that I've fully recovered. There is still tightness around my upper lip which I think is a function of some awkward sutures. I went to see the ortho on the 20th and I told him several things that I've noticed that I think is abnormal. We discussed several options that I can consider to "correct" if they continue to bother me:

1. The solid lump right next to my nose - which is one of the titanium plates. The OS told me that I can have that removed. The procedure which take about 15 minutes in the office, but would require me to be sedated. There will be swelling for about a week. The plate doesn't really bother me all that much, only when I press on it. It doesn't really hurt otherwise so I'm not sure if I am willing to go through another surgery again.

2. I can't close my mouth naturally - this can be corrected by have the genioplasty (chin augmentation). The OS will have to move my chin forward 4 mm to force my lower lip to touch my upper lip. Again, another surgery?! I don't know if I can take it.

3. Because I can't close my lips naturally, I have to use my muscles to force them to close. As a result, my chin gets "wrinkly." The solution - Botox!! I was quite surprised to hear this, but apparently, this is used to relax the muscles. It is the same way used to eliminate fine lines and wrinkles on the face. Each injection lasts 4 months -- and I will have to do it at least 3 times.

Any procedure I choose will be covered by the insurance since they consider this the "whole package" in making my jaws both functional and enhancing my appearance. I haven't really decided what to do yet... I guess the bottom line is what bothers me most and how far am I going to go to correct it. I think I most likely lean towards the Botox injections because my chin does get really wrinkly and I hate it. I have a picture of my "wrinkly" chin! This picture doesn't really show the wrinkles that well, but I see it every time I close my mouth. The pictures I've posted previously actually show the wrinkles more. Maybe I'm just being overly critical of my appearance, but I guess when you go through surgery, you expect everything to be perfect.

Don't get me wrong, I am still very happy with my overall results. I look different and better, I think. I just have to get used to my new face. The emotional aspect of it gets better each day. I took a picture of myself today to mark my 12-week progress... I am beginning to like my new smile! Just can't wait until I get my braces off!! 7 more months I think.
I CAN'T WAIT!!

Sick during Recovery

I got very sick this past few days - I think I have the flu. I had three days of fevers ranging 101-102 degrees, congestion, dry cough causing burning chest pain, and a loss of appetite. My world literally turn upside down. Being sick is already bad enough, but being sick during recovery is worse. I am trying hard to regain back my pre-surgery weight with my restricted diet but the loss of appetite these few days has set me back 10 steps and more. I lost another 3-5 lbs and am really skinny beyond my liking. I don't know when this will end. On a positive note, I am happy that I didn't get sick during the first few weeks post-op. I can't imagine how it would have been.

I ended up postponing my surgeon appointment to the 20th of this month. This is just a follow-up appointment. The solid lump besides my nose is still there, but I haven't paid too much attention to it lately. I guess I'm just used to it now, or have learned to accept it. The only thing I need to tell my OS is that my upper lip is still tight when I open my mouth. I don't know is this is what people call numbness... whatever it is, I just know it is not normal and it has to go away over time. Recounting the weeks since my surgery, I've reached my 10-week mark! I wonder at what point should I feel 100% recovered?

8 weeks post-op

I'm now 8 weeks post-op and would like to give you a progress update.

Appearance:

I have about 5% swelling left. It's really minor - primarily on my left side of my face (right on the picture) near my nose where the titanium plate is. The solid lump I mentioned on my previous blogs is still there and will probably be there to stay. It doesn't hurt and doesn't bother me much unless I press on that area. Even with the pressing, it doesn't hurt so I don't think I will get it removed (although it was an option). For the most part, it's unnoticeable. I really don't want to go through another surgery again!

Diet:

I've been eating a lot more foods now. I've moved up to chewable foods although I try to be careful of extremely tough foods. Just recently, I am able to eat chicken, fish balls, thin potato chips, etc. It's a lot of work to chew these foods... but I figure, if I always take the easy way out by eating only soft foods, then my jaws will never learn to chew and bite. So I'm forcing myself to work a bit -- of course, I know my limits. No calamari and beef for me yet! I've gained back about 3 lbs I think. I don't pay much attention about my weight. I just want to eat at this point!

Emotion:

I feel better now in accepting my new look although I won't say I'm 100% happy yet...maybe because I still have my braces on and they are looking more noticeable than before. The rubber bands only make it worse. I am OK with my face when my mouth is closed (i.e. the picture above). But when I talk and smile with my mouth open, it's a different story. Last week, I felt so depressed about my nose, which is now more tilted up and flatter than before. My nostrils are more noticeable, which makes my nose looks like Ms. Piggy. I think this is the one change that I HATE THE MOST. I tell myself this is not the final product yet. I'm still improving every day and will see the subtle changes in the months to come.

16 months anniversary

16 months ago, on the 16th of September, I went into the ortho's office to put on my braces. Now, fast forward 16 months. I still have braces, but am close to being done. I've completed my surgery (which was the turning point of course) and have 9 more months of braces left. Oh, I just can't wait!

Right now, I still look funny. My swelling hasn't gone down completely yet and I have an overbite that is all too noticeable! I went back to work today after 6 weeks of medical leave. Everyone thought I looked different. Some said that I looked great. Could they have said that just for politeness? courtesy? kindness? I don't know for sure. It's hard to tell. No one will tell you the truth in these kinds of situations. I talked so much today. Many people came by to say Hi. One of my collegues got me flowers, which was really nice. I kept on talking and talking, because people tend to ask about the surgery, the recovery, etc. By the end of the day, I talked so much that my rear brackets probably scraped off some skin along the walls of my mouth. I started to bleed. The bleeding was a bit painful so at the very end of the day, I refused to talk at all. I tried putting on some wax yesterday because I knew this would happen, but it was hard to get the wax all the way in to the rear... I'm sure there will be more talking tomorrow. I'll just try to be careful.

Ouch!

I went to see my ortho today and received some good news. I got clearance from my OS to resume orthodontic treatment! I actually feel a lot better nowadays -- I can open my mouth freely and my swelling has gone down a little bit (although I still look chubby than pre-surgery). The first step was to remove all my lig ties, which took a while. The nurse assistant had to do this one by one. I got my archwire removed for the first time since surgery. I did a really good brushing and floss. To be honest, I didn't floss once after my surgery. I know it's bad but I had other problems to deal with!

I got the same archwires put in and c-chains. I haven't had c-chains for a while, so my teeth felt a bit tight. I had the silver ones on both upper and lower. Then I got the rubberbands. I've been wearing rubberbands after-surgery already, but they weren't that tight. They were used just to give added support to my jaws and not meant to create major movement. But today's rubberbands are something different!! They hurt!! My teeth are so sore right now. I can barely open my teeth.

My upper and lower mid-lines are beginning to drift so I had to wear these rubberbands to move the teeth to their proper alignment. I have to change them 2 to 3 times a day. Different variations of the rubber bands will be prescribed to me for the next few months. This is the only way to perfect my bite.

Next OS appointment: Feb 8, 2007.
Next Ortho appointment: Feb 27, 2007

5 weeks Post-op

Today is 5-weeks since my jaw surgery. I've included a picture I took today to mark the occasion. I'm still tight and a bit swollen on my left side (right side on the picture). I've been staring at the mirror at least 10 times a day. I don't know if I've learned to like my new look yet. I don't hate it, but I don't know if I like it yet. Believe me, I get my valleys and peaks once in a while when I look at myself. It's hard on the psyche. Maybe because I'm still swollen and part of my face look lop-sided. I think I look OK if I have my mouth closed. But once I open my mouth, I look weird...especially when I try to smile with my teeth. I look like I'm putting on a "fake" smile. It's hard to explain it but it doesn't look good. Even my husband made comments that I don't have my old "smile" anymore, which I really liked. Even though I had a huge underbite, I smiled showing only my upper teeth and was able to conceal my protruding lower jaw.

So far everyone I've seen told me that I look totally different. They all said that if they saw me on the street unexpectedly, they would not have recognized me. I know I look different. I'm actually nervous to go back to work to see everyone in my office. They will be so surprised.

2 weeks after being unwired. I am able to open my mouth quite widely now. I measure the opening very un-scientifically by seeing how far my tongue can stick out. :) I try to take it slow on the chewing. For the most part, I don't chew. I can chew noodles and soft rice if necessary. Otherwise, I don't attempt to over-exert my jaws. My bite is not the best right now either because I know many of upper and lower teeth don't fit together (hence 9 more months of braces)....

My next ortho appointment is next Thursday, Jan 11. My ortho was going to check with my OS to see if I'm ready to continue my orthodontic treatment. I would sure hope so. The earlier I re-start, the earlier I'll be done. That day will definitely be a beautiful day.