Here is the post you have all been waiting for! :)

Brace free!!! I'm not looking too great due to the fact that I am being lazy today :) But my teeth look pretty! 


One of my front bottom teeth is slightly darker than the rest of my teeth and I think the root of the tooth may have gotten damaged during surgery. I am going to call and talk to my oral surgeon about it tomorrow. It isn't that noticeable to anyone else, but I notice it and it bothers me. After all that I have been through I feel like I should be 100% happy with every tooth in my mouth and this one little tooth is not making me happy. I hope that it is something that can be fixed or maybe it will fix itself over time. 


But here they are, the final brace-free pictures! 

Right after braces were removed :)

Pictures

I finally got time to take some pictures. Last pictures before the evil braces come off!!  

Before Pictures

4 Months After

debracing tomorrow!

I just need to rant a little bit about my braces. I think that because they know they are coming off tomorrow they have decided to completely tear up the inside of my mouth and put in excruciating pain. My top wire is poking the back of my mouth so every time I open my mouth to talk or anything my mouth catches on the wire and it cuts more into my mouth. I can't put wax on it because I can't really reach it and the one time I did manage to get wax on there, I went to open my mouth and it fell off. And every flippin bracket is rubbing all over mouth. It is like my braces are punishing me for taking them off or something! Just a few more hours and they will be gone forever!! Just had to rant a little bit. But other than the pain I could not be more excited that this day has finally come!!! 

1 more week!!

I can't believe that in 1 week from today I will be getting these braces off!! I can't wait to see my final result and to share it with all of you! This final week is extremely busy for me so hopefully it will go by very quickly!! I meet with my oral surgeon last monday and he seemed very excited that I was getting my braces off this early. I thought he might be a little concerned but I was very glad to see that he wasn't! Next time I post I will be brace free!!!!! :)

Finally the end is near!

After being in braces 2 times..... 2 years the first time, and 1 year tomorrow for the 2nd time! I have finally reached the end of my journey! I will be getting my braces off for the last time on October 19th!!! 


Originally he had told me 4 weeks, but since my 22nd birthday is on the 21st of October, I asked him if he could do it a week early. And he was like of course!!! 


He was so impressed with my teeth and said there was absolutely nothing else to do to them! He did put a power chain on top and bottom and I am continuing the same elastic configuration. I assume this is just to make sure my teeth don't decide to move before I get my retainer.


 I am so excited! 3 weeks is going to seem like a lifetime!! This experience has been absolutely amazing and I wouldn't change a single thing about it. I hope that those of you who have just started this journey will find my blog helpful. I know that I still enjoy looking at other people's blogs just to see their before and afters. 


My teeth are absolutely killing me right now, but I know that I won't have much longer of that! I see my oral surgeon on Monday and I can't wait to see what he has to say and tell him the good news!!! 


No pictures unfortunately at this time. I just haven't had time, hopefully I will get a chance to do some before I get my braces of and then of course I will do some after so I can show off my new pearly whites! 




And for anyone who is curious about the price, my surgery was just over $75,000. I had a Lefort 1 osteotomy, septoplasty, and genioplasty (which we had to pay $1,500 for out of pocket).

Day 91!!

Wow I can't believe it has been so long since my surgery! I feel like for the most part I am back to normal. I still pretty much think about my surgery every day. My gums and roof of my mouth are still completely numb. I am basically eating whatever I want with a few exceptions. I find it hard to chew with my mouth closed because I can't open my mouth very far yet so it makes hard to chew big pieces of food and move it from side to side in my mouth with my mouth closed. The joints have been extra sore lately and I think it is because I've been doing some exercises to try and get my mouth to open more. But my oral surgeon told me to be careful and that it could take months for it to get back to normal and that I just need to let it heal and not force it. 


In my last post I think I talked about my most recent visit to my ortho. He told me that I would definitely be getting my braces off in November and maybe earlier. I go back in two weeks and he will decide! I am hoping I can get them off before my 22nd birthday which is October 21st. I am going to beg him! haha He is trying to speed up the process with the power chain so hopefully it is helping! I am still wearing the same elastic configuration, a square on either side on my back four teeth. It is closing my molars. I am pretty sure all my teeth are touching now and it feels amazing! I love just looking at my teeth and seeing how they fit together perfectly! I can't wait to see the final outcome!! 


This surgery was worth every ounce of discomfort and pain that I had to go through. Because all that is temporary and the outcome is forever. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. 


Today when I was at work I had this older man ask me how tall I was.... I was like I am 5'8... and he was like you know models start at about 5'8 and I was like yeah I know they do..... and he goes but they have to be at least a size four or smaller and I was like yeah I definitely am.... and he goes you are absolutely stunning and have beautiful skin. It made me feel so good because sometimes I took at myself and I feel like I look weird. But then sometimes I feel like I look so much better than I did before and it feels good to have somebody notice and I bet he would have never guessed that I just had surgery 3 months ago. Not to mention that I am IN LOVE with my profile now :)


Here are some updated pictures of me just hanging out in the bed so they aren't that great but oh well. 

9 weeks post-op

I know I haven't posted in a while but I have been keeping up with everyone else! 
I thought I would update on my visit with my ortho today. Basically he said everything was beautiful. He had originally told me that I would have to wear my braces until December, but my oral surgeon told me that he didn't think that I would need them that long. So today I asked my ortho what he thought. He said he definitely didn't think I would need them until December!! which made me so happy! but what made me happier was...... that he said when I come back in 6 weeks if everything looks perfect then he will go ahead and take impressions that day for my retainer! I am so excited!!! So I am hoping to have my braced off by October, but he told me to aim for November so I wouldn't get my hopes up. But it just seems like since I had the surgery that everything has gone perfectly, better than we could have ever imagined, so I would really like to hope that next time I go in he will tell me everything is perfect! I just had to let everyone know that because it absolutely made my day! 


Oh and he put a power chain on my top teeth to make everything move a little faster, it is not so comfortable and I am continuing the same elastic configuration that he gave me last time. It is a square around my back teeth. 


I am pretty much eating anything I want, except hard crusts and chips are a little difficult. I have finally gotten used to my new bite which makes eating so much easier. All the numbness has pretty much gone. The tip of my nose is still a little bit numb and I feel like I still have some swelling in my cheeks. 


I hope that everyone is doing well! I don't have pictures to post today but I will definitely try and get some posted tomorrow!!! 

Day 50

Yesterday I saw my oral surgeon. He didn't really have much to say other than everything still looks amazing! And he told me to come back in 2 months and then after that he won't see me again until after I get my braces off! He also cleared me to begin eating whatever I would like within reason obviously no raw carrots or corn on the cob, but I can handle that. I told him that I still feel unsure about chewing sometimes because I can't feel my gums or the roof of my mouth, but he said that was completely normal. 


Oh and also I noticed that my mouth feels so much smaller than I remember it being! I feel like my braces are taking up so much space in my mouth and it is extremely aggravating. I really hope I don't have to keep my braces on until December because I might go insane! I keep biting my tongue but I think that may have something to do with not being able to really feel any other parts of my mouth. 


Everyday just seems so much easier, especially eating! I am so much more comfortable going out. Although everyone at work seems to still be getting used to my new look. I am still working on getting my smile just right, it still bugs me because I feel like my lips look crooked! and I am hoping that it is still because it still slightly numb and maybe still have some swelling.


Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures.... I took them on my laptop and it doesn't take the best pictures! 

Day 43- 6 weeks post op!

I have reached the 6 week mark!! I am still not very secure with how I look yet. I finally was able to go out with friends this past weekend. I still have some swelling that I can notice but other people can't really tell. 


Chewing seems to be getting easier everyday. Although my muscles are very sore after I eat. I noticed today that some of my teeth are becoming very sensitive. It is very uncomfortable. 


I noticed that my two front teeth are starting to make a little gap.... and it is kind of concerning me. I would hope that my orthodontist is doing it for a reason. I don't see him again for 3 weeks. But my back teeth are all touching and it makes me excited! I am still wearing 2 bands, one on either side in a square. 


My stitches seem to like being in my mouth because they are not going away!! I think my mouth and face look a little crooked in some of my pictures. I hope that it is just some of the swelling that is lingering. 

Day 40

Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in quite a few days! I have been ridiculously busy with school and starting back at work this weekend! I was sick yesterday as well and just didn't feel like taking pictures. 


I am feeling great! Everyone at work was so surprised at how different I look. But luckily everything they said was very positive. My lips still burn and it is quite frustrating. My gums are all still completely numb, so even though I am allowed to chew it is kind of difficult. I am scared of putting too much pressure on my jaw and teeth. I guess I am having to learn how to chew again with this new bite as well. 


Sorry for the crappy hair in these pictures. It has just been one of those lay around days.

Day 35-5 weeks post-op

Today I am 5 weeks post-op! I went to see my OS and my OD today! I got my splint out! It feels so much better to have it out. I do have to say it was the worst thing I have smelled in a long time. It was very unpleasant. He did let me rinse my mouth out with mouthwash and brush my teeth. He said that everything still looked great! AND he gave me the okay to begin chewing again! Although, he said I still need to be careful and not chew on anything hard, like carrots or hard bread or candy. I go back in 2 weeks! 


Next was my trip to see my OD. This was the first time I have seen him since before surgery. I waved at him when I got there and he immediately stopped what he was doing to come see me and see my new bite. He was so excited. All the nurses stopped and came over to look at me. They all seem to think I look so much younger. One of them thought I was still in high school. She asked me where my mom was and I told her I drove myself and she said "You can drive?" and I said "Yes ma'am, I am 21." She had this shocked look on her face.  


So my doctor goes on to continue looking. He took my wires out and let me floss and brush my teeth. He said my bite was the best he has seen in a long time from any of his surgical patients. I have a few smalls gaps on my back teeth that I am now wearing rubber bands for. I have rubberbands in a box formation on both sides of my mouth around the last 4 teeth. I go back and see my OD again in 4 weeks. 


Before my surgery when my OS showed me the models he had told me that my OD pretty much had my bite perfect. So I told that to my OD today and he said well I guess that means we don't much work left to do. Maybe that means I'll get braces off earlier than December, but I suppose I should not get my hopes up. I can't believe how happy I am right now. I am really starting to feel normal again. Although I do still have some stiffness and swelling, but that will all go away with time. 


Sorry I could only get 1 profile picture before my camera died. 
And my smile looks sooooo goofy.... I am really hoping that changes. I think I was used to only showing my top teeth when I had my old bite so I guess I need to work on a new smile. haha

Day 33

Nothing new to post today except only 1 more day until I get my splint out and go back to the orthodontist. 

Day 32

Sorry guys I haven't posted in a couple of days. I have been extremely busy with school and I went to the lake this weekend with my boyfriend. I get my splint off in 3 days! yay!! I had a little bit of a melt down this weekend. I am very paranoid about anything getting too close to my face. So anytime I say something like "your getting too close to my face" he rolls his eyes. He says that I am being ridiculous and that nothing is going to hurt my face. It is just annoying because he doesn't understand the crap I have been through. 


But anyways.... nothing new to really update. My lips still burn. I can't wait to brush and floss my top teeth. And I can't wait to see my orthodontist. I go and see him right after I get my splint off! I know that my teeth are going to hurt but I just want this splint off. 

Day 28- 1 month post-op

I can't believe I am a month post-op. It seems like just yesterday that I had surgery. I am so happy to be on this side of the surgery. I will be getting my splint out in a week :)  It seems like everyday I get more and more aggravated with my splint. I want so badly to be able to chew and be normal again. It seems like I am getting to the point where nothing that I can eat seems appetizing. 


My lips still burn. I guess I am addicted to chapstick/ vaseline now. I hope it doesn't stay this way. My stitches are still quite annoying. They seem to make moving my lips a little difficult because it feels stiff. As anyone else had this problem? and know when I can expect this feeling to go away? It seems like my stiffness everywhere else is getting better everyday. The right half of my bottom lip is still very numb. Oh and the roof of my mouth is still sore. But hopefully this will go away when I get my splint off and can chew. My teeth are sore too. I think my mouth is telling me that it is time for this splint to get out. 


I start back work next Saturday. I am kind of excited to see all my co-workers again. I haven't seen any of them since before my surgery. I am glad I took the extra time off work and was able to enjoy my summer a little bit. I am going to the lake this weekend one last time before I become consumed with work and school again. 


I compare my pictures every time I take new ones, and sometimes I feel like the swelling increases from day to day. Like comparing today's pictures to yesterday's pictures. I feel like I look more swollen today. That is kind of frustrating. I take all my pictures at night so I assume the swelling would go down from morning to night. ugh. 


Here is a picture of my splint just in case anybody is curious.

Day 27

I don't have much to update on today.Tomorrow I will be 1 month post-op and I will post more!