THIRTY DAYS!

My teeth have been wired for thirty days now. I've got twenty-three months to go.  From time to time I'm thinking....."I'm doing this, why?"

OBSERVATIONS SO FAR

I've got little interest in food. Maybe I'll eat one proper meal a day and the rest of the time I'm drinking my meals. 

I found a superfood smoothie powder using pea protein based mixed in an unsweetened vanilla flavored hemp milk with a teaspoon of cod liver oil. Sometimes I'll juice up a bunch of veggies and spike the juice with the cod liver oil.  I also take a "fist full" of other supplements every morning to further fill in my nutritional gaps.

Like it or not, my husband is also on this new diet. I'd hate to think I'm not feeding him well enough.  He's okay with it as long as he can crunch away on nuts and other things I can't eat!

When I do cook a "proper meal", I end up eating it , my teeth complain loudly and soon I have a headache.

Next post:  "Are We Pottenger's Cats?"

Why I Got Braces Well Into Middle Age

Here is a "before" shot of my smile that pushed me over the edge and helped me make the decision to get my smile wired. My left front central incisor has shifted backwards and to the right making my smile look like I'm missing that tooth in some photos!

My smile did NOT look like this when I was in my teens or twenties! 

Although it is just that one central incisor that has gone astray, all my teeth have to be realigned. 

My lower teeth are also very crooked and will be dealt with later this year.

Braces On My Teeth, Well Past 40?

As a teen and young adult my teeth looked okay, a bit uneven, but nothing horrendous. My mother took my sister and me to the University of Washington School of Dentistry for orthodontic evaluations, and we were told our teen were fine. Now that I am considerably older my teeth are not fine.  I've taken good care of my teeth, and never got cavities.  Over the years dentists would joke, "I'm not making any money on your mouth.....again!"  So all I'd ever have done would get the tea stains sandblasted off and I'd be on my way.

When I was in my early twenties I had my wisdom teeth dug out. The uppers were coming in all crooked and turning the back of my mouth into hamburger. The oral surgeon also dug out the lowers because there was a chance they'd come in crooked as well.  

About three years ago I had to have a lower twelve-year molar extracted. At some point in time I cracked it and the crack escaped detection until it was too far gone to save.  

Now, many years later and I'm well past young adulthood and what have my teeth done to reward me with all the good care I've given them?  They have shifted backwards!  My left central incisor has been shifting backwards to the right so much so that  in some photos of my smile it looks like I have no left front central incisor!  

On January 15, 2013 I got my upper teeth wired with ceramic brackets in hopes my overbite and shifting left front central incisor will get back in line.  I've been told it will take about two years.

Sometime later this year my lower teeth will also get wired.

So my adventure begins.  Stay tuned for my before photos.