Brace Face Part 3

Wow, I just realized I haven't posted any braces pictures or updates since mid-July!  Sorry, grasshoppers. 

For those of you who don't know, I've had my top braces on for 5 months.  (My 75% overbite had to be fixed before the bottom ones could be put on.)  So for comparison, here is a pic from Day 1, June 2, 2010:

And a pic from October 6, 2010:

And here, my dears, is a picture from yesterday, November 9, 2010, when my overbite had finally been corrected enough to put the bottoms on:

My orthodontist was originally going to use all metal brackets on the bottom, but since there was enough room, they were able to fulfill my request for those snazzy clear ceramic ones.  But man, I didn't realize my lower teeth were such a mess.  They had to temporarily skip 3 teeth until the other ones get out of the way!  I have molars that are jutting out to the side, and others are rotated so badly that some of my brackets will have to be removed and repositioned later.  The good news is that my ortho predicts I will not need a permanent retainer after the braces come off in approximately one year.

I'm glad that this will all one day look very pretty, like so:

But FYI: Bottom braces hurt WAAAYYY worse than top ones.  I'm moaning and groaning and pouting as I write this, despite the fact that I've been popping ibuprofen like peanuts.  What I need is an IV drip with some narcotics, the kind with the little dose-yourself dial.  I feel like I've been kicked in the face.  Repeatedly.  By the Jolly Green Giant.  Who may not have been feeling very jolly. 

Yeah.  I can't wait for these bottom teeth to loosen up a little and acclimate to the pressure, because applesauce isn't really satisfying my Swedish Fish cravings.  And because I have to pucker my lips outward like a horse in order to not feel pain when I smile.