I'm officially DONE with braces!

Goodbye braces! They are, officially, GONE! I'm so happy and relieved. I was getting really sick of them these last few months. I would have gotten them off sooner, but I decided to go on vacation for 3 months this summer so that set it all back a bit.

Keep on reading to hear about how my final appointments went and to possibly learn a little bit about retainers.

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So since my last post, I said I had 3 final appointments. Those went as planned, basically, but my mom asked if they could get my retainer ready faster so I could fly out to help my grandmother who recently had knee surgery.

At the first of those appointments they took a mold of my bottom teeth so they could make my permanent retainer. I wasn't given an option on what retainer I would get. I'm assuming my orthodontist just doesn't do any other kind. Not really sure but it would have been nice to know beforehand what they were going to do to me.

Excuse the awkward picture. It's an awkward place to take a picture of! Haha

I'm very happy with the permanent retainer. I got it put on at the second appointment. It's a wire cemented onto my 2 canines. I can floss under it easily. I only have to thread the floss once, so it's much, much easier than braces. I barely flossed when I had braces. Big no no. They always complained at me, but whatever. I can floss all day long now that it isn't such an ordeal. Wish there was a better solution to flossing with braces on!

At my second appointment, they also took all my braces off and took a mold for the removable upper retainer. The orthodontist filed my teeth a bit so they would fit together better, and he filed off the 'glue' that held my braces on. None of it hurt except for a few spots where my teeth are sensitive. I hate the drilling sounds. I have dental phobia, and so it really makes me anxious. I'm often shaking in the chair. But I already knew what he would be doing since he had to remove my old braces, which you can read more about in my previous braces post.

They also had me choose a color for my retainer. The assistant gave me a bunch of large discs with the patterns. I could have gotten various colors: camo, rainbow stripes, glitters, solid colors, and some others I think I'm forgetting. But one stood out to me, the holographic rainbow glitter. She said it was a very popular choice, and it's no wonder! It's just stunning! Of course, no one sees the color while it's in your mouth, but it makes it fun, and if anyone wants to see it they can be amazed at the gorgeous color I chose, haha!

At the end of my appointment, they let me choose a pack of gum and a 'fancy' toothbrush (as opposed to the little ones they give you during treatment. I suppose they don't want to bother with the fancy ones since the braces ruin the brushes so quickly.). I was so excited! I had no idea they did that, and the gum was a great idea for them to give out. They had all kinds of flavors: fruity, spearmint, regular mint, and wintermint which is what I chose.

The third, and last, appointment were supposed to be a whole week later, but as I mentioned my mom got them to do it sooner, at just 3 days after my second appointment. At this appointment, they gave me my retainer and showed me how to use it, told me what to do and what not to do. It was a very short appointment.

My next appointment will be in 6 months. Right now, I'm to wear the retainer as much as possible. He said at my next appointment they will take a look and might decide I only need to wear it at night, but it all depends on me and how my teeth are.

So here's what they told me not to do with my retainer:

• Don't throw it away. Seems easy enough, right? It's actually the most common way to lose your retainer. Leaving it on a plate, on a table in a restaurant, in a napkin that gets tossed, on your school lunch tray, are huge no no's. It's best to keep the case around, though even I'll admit I don't use it at home. It's a big clunky case that does not fit well in a pocket.
• Don't play with it. This one cracked me up. What am I, 5 years old? Aha. But I suppose they have to say it just to be sure.
• Don't remove it by pulling on the front wire. My retainer has little edges on the part that goes onto the molars. They are there to make it easy to remove, and so you don't bend your wire.
• Don't let your animals near it. Apparently pets may want to chew on your retainer.
• Don't rinse it with hot water. I use cold water only just to be safe.
• Don't leave it in a hot car, or, especially on the dash. It can melt or warp, I'm guessing. Either way, this thing seems sensitive to heat.

But how about the upkeep? Very simple. Whenever you brush your teeth, simply use a little toothpaste and your toothbrush to brush the retainer. Then rinse it and put it back in.

I've been brushing the plastic part as well as the back part of the wires, as I seem to get a build up back there.

Keep in mind that I had 4 premolars extracted (2 on top, 2 on bottom). My mom was surprised how tiny my retainer is, but that is why. I have a tiny mouth.

The big clunky case, as mentioned in my list, has a sticker for contact information inside in case it gets lost. Really handy!

Tried my best to recreate the before picture, but it was kinda difficult! I ended up with this goofy picture instead, but you can see how much my smile has changed!

Isn't my before and after just insane?! Gosh, I can't believe my teeth used to be like that. My mouth feels so much better.

I suspect some of you reading this may be considering braces for yourselves. Yes, they are annoying. Yes, it's hard to floss. However, they were not nearly as bad as I thought they would be. You get so used to them, I barely even noticed them after a few weeks. My extractions, premolars and wisdom teeth, were also no big deal. I have horrible anxiety when it comes to dental work. But after everything I've gone through I see now that it was no big deal, I made it out just fine, and I could not be happier with my new smile! Now I can floss and eat properly. I was having some issues with hygiene, and my teeth were causing me some pain, so braces were really necessary for me!

Oh yeah, did I mention I can do a proper fish face now?! Ah, it's so amazing! I love to make this face so much!

I hope you all enjoyed this post! Hope it was helpful to anyone considering braces, or curious about retainers. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to leave them in the comments below, or shoot me an email!

Expect another post in about 6 months or so, after my follow up appointment.