Removal was AWFUL, guys. Holy crap. You forget that those brackets are GLUUUUUUUUED on to each individual tooth. And by glue, I mean dental cement. CEMENT. So, when it comes to their removal, do they just sliiiiiide right off easy as pie? Or is there some sort of solvent that the orthodontist can use to magically dissolve the stuff, or some other bit of fiction??? NO.
THEY USE PLIERS, GUYS. ***PLIERS***
There is cracking and shrapnel. CRACKING. And SHRAPNEL. You have to wear safety glasses. There is also yanking and pulling. It is *excruciating*. I started to wonder if I was being interrogated. I suggested to my orthodontist that they rename their practice to "Guantanamo." And then if that wasn't enough, they file the remainder of the glue off of your teeth with what feels like the dental drill from your worst nightmare. Be prepared for this. Treat it like an adjustment and take some pain meds before you go in because you'll want them long before you get out.
But then they told me I could go floss and brush so they could do a quick polish before they applied the dental mold they needed to make my retainer, so the putty didn't stick. And I saw myself in the mirror. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was everything I wanted and more!
They took the mold they needed and I was cut loose to return later that afternoon after the retainer was made. The retainer looks like what Invisalign would look like - it's a clear plastic thing that fits over my teeth. (I can also imagine, now, why Invisalign would not have worked very well for my treatment - I also think it would have been far more uncomfortable.) I have to wear it full time til the end of the year, then all of next year I wear it while I'm sleeping. I obviously have to remove it before eating, and after I'm done drinking anything that isn't water, without a straw, I have to rinse both the retainer and my mouth. The first thing I noticed was that I had to say goodbye to mindless snacking in the evenings, which is actually good for me. I should maybe see some weight loss come out of these next few weeks - especially with the holiday coming. Food has to be sort of scheduled, because the point is to wear the retainer as full-time as possible. The retainer, at first, was pretty snug and taking it off was NOT comfortable at all - in fact, it was really painful. But the lady there told me that over time the retainer would loosen up, and the discomfort would lessen - it had to be "broken in," not at all unlike a pair of shoes or jeans. I can say, less than 24hrs later, that she's very correct. It's already starting to give me less trouble.
To end it all, though, I need to make an apt with the orthodontist sometime in June to take a look at everything to evaluate my progress. I also got a coupon for a free photo shoot to show off my pretty new teeth, so I'll be scheduling that for sure. Freebies, yay! I also got the turkey & swiss sandwich from Goodcents that I've been craving for nearly a year, and I will be grabbing a cheeseburger this week as well. Only thing left is to find some salt water taffy! Ooo, or tootsie rolls! Yeah!!!!
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