Two Years Post Op Today!!

UNREAL

I can NOT believe two years has passed already since I had my double jaw surgery!!!

This won't be a long post, because nothings really changing anymore...but it's just a really insane milestone. I remember thinking I wasn't going to make it past the week mark and here I am!!

It isn't all perfect but I don't expect it to be. When you had a bite like mine, you pretty much settle for way better rather than perfect. Don't nitpick, just be happy. (However, the right side of my face where the nerve is damaged is rather annoying....and a bit droopier in appearance but maybe that's just me being critical of myself idk)

ANYWAY it's been a crazy two years. I still can't believe the braces are off. The retainer is a pain though, but I've been on top of that adamantly. I will NOT be one of those people. I've come so far, I don't want to ruin it by being lazy. Sure, when I'm taking it out in public (at university) to eat or drink I feel like I'm in middle school again, but hey...I'd rather keep my teeth straight than either not eat or not wear it because I don't want to deal with it in front of people (who actually haven't been too bad about it...at least not in front of me)

That's all I really have to say...all in all I'm incredibly glad I went through with the surgery. Even when I'm feeling down and wondering if the numbness/nerve damage was worth it, I look at picture pre surgery and am just amazed how big a difference it really made.

So yeah, that's me two years later.

Au revoir for now, friend

xx

THEY'RE OFF!!!!

I can't believe I didn't post this yesterday but I'm so excited to say that I HAVE NO BRACES!!!!! There are still some flaws with my teeth and bite in my opinion...like the front teeth aren't perfectly in line, and my teeth still don't really bite together perfectly (will the retainer help with that? I'm getting it tomorrow so we'll see.) But yeah I don't know like it would be nice to fix it all but it's been almost four years and I'm starting school and I'm just so tired of them. Besides my bite is way better than it used to be anyway so it's like whatever.

I'm getting an invisilign (spelling??) retainer so I'm glad that's a thing. A girl I work with has one and I didn't even notice the entire year I worked with her so that goes to show how good they are at the whole invisible thing. I hate this day I had between getting them off and getting the retainer though, I feel like my teeth are shifting already and I know it's probably just psychological but it's freaking me out. 

ANYWAY here are some pictures of me sans braces. Actually I'm starting with the last picture of me with braces I took. 

 

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I also got new glasses o it's a whole bew look (kind of...my new glasses are pretty similar to my old ones so) 

FOUR DAYS

I GET MY BRACES OFF IN FOUR DAYS OH MY GOD this is insane.

I'm currently wearing 'finishing elastics' in order to bring my bite together completely and it's definitely improved the issues I was having (not 100% but hey we still have four days. plus at this point it's good enough and I just want these things out of my mouth) The elastics are in a zig zag pattern and they are such a pain both literally and figuratively. They get realy tight and I can barely even open my mouth. The day after I got them I went to see One Direction and It was so hard to scream. Actually I snapped one of them and had to run out during a song to put in new ones so thats how dedicated I am. Because you have to wear them ALL THE TIME. I was sort of lax with my last ones. I mean I wore them a lot but I didn't rush to get them in after eating etc. These ones are very important though because  leaving them off for 30 minutes requires 10 HOURS of wearing them to adjust it again!! If you don't wear them then they may not let you get them off which is a no from me. 

Anyway, here are what the elastics look like (sorry for the awful phone quality pics though) Like I said I still don't think my bite is absolutely perfect but it's a hell of a lot better than it used to be so I can deal with it! 

countdown til Tuesday!!!

xx 

 

THE BEST NEWS EVER

(I didn't post this right away for who knows why but I'm here now)

SEPTEMBER 1ST I GET MY BRACES OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED?????

My last appointment was a few weeks ago and my ortho said everything is looking pretty near perfect! I've been VERY diligent with elastics lately because I want everything to go as smoothly as possible. Guess it worked out!! He just said "I think we're gonna go ahead and find a date to get these things off of you, how does that sound?" and I had to hold back a scream. "That sounds AMAZING"

SO I have another checkup appointment on August 19th, and then braces off September 1 with a check up on the 3rd. Then I leave for school on the 5th!!!! EVERYTHING IS CHANGING.
The problem with the date, though, is that now I'm wishing summer away!! But I also don't really want summer to end!!

Anyway, I'm SO happy that I'll have them off for school. I had to take my student card picture with them on, but it's all good....I'll have a new one in a year, anyway.

I also FINALLY got my full G license today!! I asked about getting a new picture because the one I have on my license AND health card are both pre surgery!!! No one has asked about it yet when I show them ID, but I DO look pretty different so I'm always nervous. It's $25 for a new drivers picture, and I have to wait until 2017 for the health card. I think I can live with it...for now.

ANYWAYS, just thought I'd share the news!!! See you in September with some brace free pictures!!!!


x ellen

Three and a half years......and counting

SOS THE BRACES ARE STILL ON

I had my ortho appointment about a week ago but failed to actually post about it. Anyway, I'm here now if any one still cares to hear about my jaw related woes.
The woman taking my wires off was talking to me about where I'm going to school and then came to the realization that I have FOUR MONTHS before I leave (what!! Too soon! I'm not ready to adult yet!!!) Anyway, she slipped the information to my orthodontist who promptly replied with something along the lines of "Well then, I guess we'd better see what we can do about getting them off" (internal cheering)

I've been wearing elastics to fix my crossbite and so far so good it seems!! My orthodontist thinks so, which matters more than what I can actually tell but I personally say it's peachy. Anyway, I'm down to one elastic now to close some gaps that I can't actually see myself but that seem to be there regardless, and my next appointment was booked for May 20 (which is 5 weeks from my last appointment instead of like...two or three months!)

IF I DON'T HAVE THESE THINGS OFF BEFORE I START UNIVERSITY I SWEAR tO GOD. THAT WILL BE FOUR YEARS.

I can't even remember what it feels like to NOT have a mouth full of metal. A coworker of mine just got his braces on and was so excited about them and I had to laugh. I remember when I got my braces on..the excitement, the future of straight teeth that lay ahead. Alas, the feelings are fleeting. Now, I want to rip them out. This feeling is mixed with the "Yes, buttttttttt I also want straight teeth". Sigh.

Anyway, that is my current situation. Tomorrow I' m going to a luncheon for the top students accepted into my program (art) so everyone will meet me with braces on which I guess isn't a huge deal, but I mean...it would be nice to start this new chapter completely NEW. Leave the braces in the past with high school.

Oh! In unrelated news I have dreadlocks now! My friend put three in my hair back in October but I never got around to finishing them until the end of January. So the majority are only about 3 months old and look awful (baby dreads suck) but hey, it's a new look and I'm excited for them to mature!!

Well, until May 20 arrives I have no other important news to share!!  Hope all is well, and thank you to anyone who reads my blog at all, making this typing worthwhile for me and, hopefully, you or your child.

xx

ellen

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

I'm not going to go into detail again about my year because I already did that, but I hope anyone reading this had a great Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or (insert whatever holiday you celebrate here)!!! I personally had a wonderful time and I'm looking forward to 2015!! As of now I'm planning to make some big changes to my life!!

Anyway, I recreated a picture I took last year (back when I was only 2 months post op) and put them side by side. I never realized just how swollen I was!!!

Hope everyone has a great (and safe!) New Years Eve, and here's hoping my braces come off soon!!!

xxx

Postponed...again

Not that I was at all surprised, but I had another orthodontist appointment and yet again am without a date. It's kind of funny because the young boy next to me mentioned his two year mark would be in May...his dad says "Yep, it's been a long time!" and I was sitting in my chair wanting to say "If you thought THAT was long, try three years (and three months!!)". And THEN he proceeded to book an appointment in April....to get them off!!! Oh the cruel cruel world.

I have a crossbite now, I guess. I noticed it of course, I think I mentioned it my last post. On the right side either my front teeth moved back or my bottom teeth moved forward I can't tell but it's annoying and now I have "buttons" on the backs of two of my top teeth (I was imagining actual buttons being on my teeth while they glued them on) and now I'm wearing an elastic on the right side, and if this doesn't fix it them I'm tempted to just say screw it!! Rip them off right now I'm sick of this!! (I probably won't do that)

Anyway, that's me and my issue plagued jaw for you. It's never going to come easy for me, is it?? Anyway, here are some pictures I took before my work Christmas party. Hopefully when you next hear from me it will be because I'm really excited about having a date to get this damned metal out of my mouth!!!