Oi Brace Face... Wheres your Brace?

So today was D-Day... Dentist Day and the first day I can smile with confidence.


I got to the orthodontist a little early as I was excited to get my braces off. I was quoted 18-24 months and its only been 14 so I am really pleased.

For the last few visits Ive had the bar bent and put back in to move one or two teeth slightly until the orthodontist was happy with them. The gap has filled in, and this has been helped along by overties. Its like fishing wire thats wound round the brackets and twisted tighter, along with  power chains which are little elastic bands that are joined together.

Then I had to decide whether or not to have the fixed retainer or not, I spoke to a lot of people, its surprising the amount of people who have them, and the orthodontist has guaranteed it for a year, if anything goes wrong its free to fix. So I went with them and had the mould taken for the wire on my last visit four weeks ago.

Today the first Job was to attach the fixed retainer behind the top and bottom teeth. this was done while my Damon All Clear Brace was still in place. It feels a little odd essentially its a metal bar glued to the back of your front teeth and its feels like the brackets and bar thats on the front, I am sure you just get used to it.

Next came the removal of the Damon system. this took a while and was a little painful at times when the brace was tightly bonded on and the tooth a little sensitive to being bitten down on. but I survived! The teeth were then cleaned and polished and the big reveal was nigh.


I am so Happy!!!! I am no longer a girl in her Thirties with a brace! (well one you can see!) I can smile!


They are straight... The overbite is reduced to a normal gap and the bottom teeth are amazing!

Last of all I had the moulds taken for the Vivera retainers from Invisalign. I collect these in a couple of weeks and start the teeth whitening process.

I have this man to thank. http://www.kissdental.co.uk/manchester-cosmetic-dentist-brahma.html

Promising Progress

So I've had the Damon clear brace on a for nearly a year. They have moved so much it's unbelievable.

Every 4-6 weeks I visit the Dentist and have something added or changed and I think I am nearing the end of the treatment.

I am not going to lie it hurts. Not as bad as the Old NHS metal train tracks I had 20 years ago, but still it hurts. It rubs less on your gums and so I have not needed the dental wax and is defiantly less noticeable. It is a consistent pain though. Your teeth are constantly moving and this is what aches, eating food is a pain as there is only so much soft food out there! I can't wait for a blue steak with stilton sauces and new potatoes and asparagus!

Bottom jaw now straight

Within three months my bottom teeth had straighten, a feat that my previous dentist had given up on and said couldn't be done! I wish I could show him now! His incompetence and unwillingness to try has cost me a lot of money and a lot of my life being unconfident about my smile.

Soon the only thing I will have to worry about in pictures is whether my eyes are open or not!

Power chain fitted

I think the last thing left is to level the teeth which the dentist said he was going to start to do on the bottom next visit, and now that the gaps are filled on the top to spread the arc of the teeth wider so that my bite is aligned, currently if I bite together on the left side my teeth on the right side don't connect and visa versa, which makes chewing food difficult.

Christmas dinner

I did lose weight over Christmas which is amazing as everyone usually puts on a few pounds! Having a brace has its advantages sometimes! You have to get used to all your food looking like a brown runny poo, and choking like a cat if a piece of spinach leaf hasn't blended properly, and it gets stuck on your brace and half gets swallowed leaving it stuck down you throat, you look like a cat coughing up a hairball as you fish it out our mouth and then sit there in shock that you survived the ordeal. I have lived off soup and pasta  dishes for nearly a year, being able to bite a biscuit without it first being dipped in tea will be heaven!

I've been really happy with how quick everything has progressed with this Damon Clear Brace system. Friends can't believe how different my teeth look and some people ask if I still have the brace on as they can't even see it.

Fixed Brace behind the teeth

I still haven't yet decided what to do at the end of the treatment regarding a fixed brace to the back of the teeth to keep them there, or just the night time Invisalign trays. I had these a few years back and while I wore them constantly during the treatment I didn't keep it up once they had moved to where the needed to be. I get the Invisalign trays anyway as part of my treatment as they also double as teeth whitening trays, but will I wear them at night after a few months? Its an extra £400 for the fixed brace to be added at the back of the teeth so no one sees them, but I have asked a few people with them and they have had them break, do I have time to make emergency deal trips to have it fixed? the hygienist I visit also isn't a fan, as it makes flossing and cleaning more difficult. But I still have time to decide on this so will keep asking peoples opinions.