Moonlit Narratives Blog

I was excited to get started as soon as possible so I could begin my count-down. On August 21, 2008, after about 1.5 hours of fatiguing dental work, I walked out with a shiny set of metal lowers and uppers. It was a big change for me so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little depressed by the site of my new metal braces. I was also very disappointed that only the uppers had bracket & archwire placement, while the lowers only had brackets. The lower archwire placement and lower front tooth extraction (see tooth without bracket, pic below) is scheduled for September 18, 2008 (the earliest appointment I could get) =(. Oh well, I guess I will have to wait to begin my count-down to beautiful teeth.

I’ve thought about getting braces for many years, but never took action until now. When I was in my teens, my mom didn’t make the most encouraging sales pitch, so for years I ignored my problems. I’ve always known my lower teeth suffered from over-crowding and that I have an overbite that most people always seemed to notice. I also needed to do something before my bone loss worsened (supposedly already at ~20%)! A drastic change was called for.

I was initially interested in Invisalign because of one main reason; I didn’t want to look ridiculously young for my age because of traditional braces. I found my orthodontist in Thornwood, New York through my regular dental office and I scheduled my first consultation. He along with my primary dentist told me that I would not be a candidate for Invisalign because my teeth crowding was too severe and that Invisalign would not help me to achieve the type of results I needed. I was given information and an initial quote for braces. I went home to ponder the pros and cons of having braces.

The orthodontist had said that I would most likely require the extraction of one lower front tooth and that my treatment time would be about 18 months. The thought of having a front tooth extracted was overwhelming. I had preferred having a back tooth pulled instead but the orthodontist said it had to be one in the front =(. A little bit of online research e.g. browsing through people’s blogs really helped me feel better about my decision. My desire to have straight teeth and healthier gums won at the end.

*I am dedicating my braces online journal to Lora B.* (I’m so glad I found her page and I’m hoping that my journal might help someone else in turn).

On May 15, 2008 I went for my full consultation, impressions, and X-rays. The orthodontist confirmed his plan of action, including the extraction of that one lower front tooth. I also enrolled in Care Credit; this would help lower my monthly payments significantly and was better yet, interest free for one year via my dental office! Another big plus- I could make payments conveniently online.