End of the road!

Once upon a time there was a girl who didn’t have braces.

Then she got them.

Now she doesn’t have them anymore and is oh  so very happy about that!

Coming soon: Look out for my posts on: 

1.       Braces removal: The ordeal

2.       Retainers

3.       Getting used to my new look; reactions et al.

4.       Thinking about how I’ll layout my blog ; no more timelines!

Many thanks to many of my anonymous readers from all over the world who have cheered me on. (Latest entrants being from Russia; most committed— Kenya; A surprising number from the United states and a determined Germany! Not to mention Latvia, Netherlands, Philippines, Thailand, Ireland and of course my next door neighbour Tanzania!

Many thanks! Merci Beaucoup! Danke! Gracias! Asante sana :)

Look out for these (listed above) exciting stories and more (now..doesn’t that sound like a commercial!)

Yay!

The road less travelled

1 year 12 days

This is a quick post, to say...in a few hours, God willing, I'll be without braces!

Anticipation is at fever pitch.

The title is much too strong for this post, (if not completely inappropriate)  but it does feel like this is the road less travelled.  (Sorry, I was trained using British English! My spellings and the computer's suggestion don't match :( ) 

I know there's so many who have gone before me, some have taken years with braces. But this is my race and it feels special and at this point I realise now that I am rumbling on.

So I end this post with these words....Here comes the beginning of a metal free mouth.

And the moment I have been waiting for.....

Less than 4 hours to go!

Almost counts!!

11 Months 22 days

In less than two weeks I will have had my braces for one year! One whole rock-solid year.

Hard to believe.

I am so used to them they have become part of my identity. I have embraced them totally, warts and all…and by warts here I mean the sores, the discomfort, the works. (I think I say this a lot: Hopefully not too too much!)

During what was hopefully my second last appointment, my dentist asked me to wear my rubber bands 24/7 for one month. He says that it is better to ‘over treat’ .

 In the one month I have not worn rubber bands my bite has opened somewhat and he’d rather take my braces off when it is as closed as possible, so I’ll do that.

The only challenge is that I have an assortment of different size rubber bands and he gave me freedom to wear them as I deem fit.

Much as that may sound liberating, there’s always some security in knowing that what you do, is as directed by the doctor/dentist and not from your own mac-jua ujuaji.

Anyway..so let’s see how this month goes.

ION and totally unrelated: I crave for milk…

Would somebody please remind me to blog about retainers? I’ve learned an awful lot thus far….

Here we are …almost done….yes, almost does count, especially when I have

Less than one month to go

YAY!!

–

Valentine special:........................... Homestretch..................

10 Months 14 days

I went for my usual appointment yesterday with no expectations. If they said I have to wear braces for another years I would bear with it.

The dentist then came with two wires. I got excited. Every time my wires are changed I know there’s progress…or at least there will be. 

Then he said the most memorable words. “These are the last wires I am putting on you!”

I couldn’t believe it!

“So we’re taking them out in March?” I gasped.

“April,” he said.

“Oh wow, finally.”

After the excitement had died down. “Will you put for me permanent retainers?”

“Yes.”

My wires were changed. The cutting of the wires is a bit scary coz he uses this pliers-like contraption. The snapping sound is quite nerve wracking. Sometimes I got scared that if I moved, he could snap my tooth out.

He removed the wire splinters after trimming the wires.

“If you feel the open bite coming back you can put the rubber-bands on.”

There was the dentist- assistant. She also had braces. They were four days old. She was asking all kinds of questions.

The pain? The hooks? how do you eat? …."I’ve never had braces,” the dentist declared.

Since I have been there done it, (will  get the T-shirt);  I tried to help where I could. But my helping was interrupting the dentist progress coz I had to keep my mouth open. And you know how hard it is to talk with an open mouth especially when there’s a lot of work going on on your teeth.

Afterwards I booked for my second last appointment in March. For a fleeting second; I felt 
a tiny wave of felt sadness. Just for a second.

The soreness in my mouth began to kick in. The wires had been put quite tight. It almost felt like the very first time I had braces on. But somehow it feels bearable…Especially because this time…I only have…

2 MORE MONTHS TO GO …YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

P.s. Sorry that there’s nothing lovey dovey in this post as the title (Valentine special) may have implied….hey..but getting my braces out soon is pretty lovey dovey too, right?

There is a race I must run!!

9 Months 23 Days

It’s been more than a month since I blogged, which is a shame coz there have been some significant developments.

Please don’t get me wrong. When I say significant, I don’t necessarily mean my braces are getting taken out…(Oh how I would love that!!)

What has happened in the past month is that I haven’t worn the rubber bands. Not out of rebellion, but because the dentist told me not to. They want to see how my teeth behave this month and then make predictions about how much longer.

The dentist seems impressed that he has closed my bite, but for some reason he doesn’t seem in a big hurry to get these metals out of my mouth!!!!!!!!!!!

I asked him how much longer, he said, till August…That means I have another 7 months.

That said, it doesn’t really feel like the end of the world :) . I’m already in my 10th month. Another 7 seems bearable. Perhaps I will do the promised 18 months that I really longed to escape.

Yesterday I ran into one girl, she is about 12 maybe. She’s  had her braces for 3 YEARS…She said, they told her she’d do 2 years but kept extending. I have to say, it’s not the most encouraging news, but...I have to focus on my own race….and that race, I must run.

7 more months to go (If my dentist is to be believed.)

One side to go!!

8 months 16 Days

In another 15 days I’ll have done 9 months! If this was a pregnancy I’d be due on January 2012.

I am pleased to report that my bite is almost completely closed.

My dentist had said repeatedly, as this blog will testify, that he may not be able to close my bite completely, but to his pleasant surprise yesterday the right side is all done. He was so jazzed he even called another doctor to come see the progress. 

The left side still has a bit of distance to go.

On my left side, I have a rubber band in a square formation holding the inside hooks to those of the canines. I have another tiny band holding the canines together. The pressure applied is immense. It is quite painful, I have to say. 

The memory of the rubber band I wore the past two months is what keeps me going.

I remember when I first put on the ones that attach the bottom canines to my two front teeth, it was so so so painful the first night, I was planning to call the doc and ask for something looser. Two months down the line, the pain was gone and the bands were actually loose because my front teeth had moved.

That keeps me going even as I struggle with the pain. I am drinking a lot of water, it somehow washes the pain away or at least soothes the soreness.

I am hoping, praying, oh dear Lord, at most let me do just one year… and not the one and a half anticipated.

Meanwhile, despite the rubber bands and braces I have been able to do pretty much everything. 

Meanwhile…Christmas!! Can’t wait to sing :) ...

(Still not sure how much longer) to go…but tell you what, I am confident it won’t be too too long from now.

I don't have an Orthodontist LOL!!

6 months 28 days

This is going to be a short one.

It turns out the poor guy I’ve been referring to— blog after blog— as my orthodontist is actually a general dental surgeon. 

I understand there’s probably just three orthodontists  in the whole republic…

And all this time I assumed orthodontist and dentist meant the same thing…*shaking head*!

It’s ok, you can laugh too!

My teeth are doing ok so far…no breaking news to report….

Oh oh...just this one tiny thing....I went for a hike on the 20th...and then one guy takes a look at me and says:

"You are the one who had funny teeth!" Like he had spotted me earlier or something.

"Still am," I said, baring my metals for emphasis. I assumed he was put off.

It was such a surprise when after the hike he came to 'get to know a little more about me.' And a much bigger shocker when he showed up at my  church the following Sunday.

No..he didn't ask for my number..

And good Lord, no! I don't fancy him.

Not too long to go….( I speak by faith)