Braces off!

It's old news now, but back in March I got my braces off.  Braces has taught me one thing, the difference between sympathy and empathy.  I had always sympathized with my ortho patients, I really did feel badly that they had to wear them.  And I "understood" that they were painful, and annoying, and hard to clean.  Wrong.  I did NOT understand. 

 Braces are terrible, they are just the worst.  I remember the weekend I got them on, it was the day after we got back from Europe...and it was terrible.  I couldn't talk, eat, or sleep for days. 

I am obviously a religious brusher and flosser.  This posed a huge problem with braces.  Basically, nothing was worth eating.  No matter what I ate, it would get lodged underneath the brackets and be a huge pain to get out.  I became best friends with Glide threader floss.

Only now do I understand why ortho patients complain about braces so much.  Even though I was diligent (excellent) at keeping them clean, I can now emphasize and understand why patients don't.  Essentially, this is a public (well for whoever reads my blog..aka no one) apology to all the patients with braces I have harassed throughout the years with nasty crap stuck in your braces.  Sorry guys, I literally feel your pain.

The last picture I took in my operatory before I got my braces off.  Hooooooray!

P.S. I was really tan for Paige's wedding/post Florida trip, and I was tanner than my hispanic co-worker. Hahaha!  It clearly had to be documented!

Some horrific pictures from the day I got my braces put on back in May.  Only God knows why I subjected myself to that kind of embarrassment....

They're off!  Huzzzzzzah!  Look at my beautiful pearly whites.  I know you're checking out my pefectly aligned midline and my amazing class I bite.  Try not to be jealous...

People wondered why I got braces to begin with, because my teeth have always been straight.  Hygienists are known as being meticulous and perfectionists...to a fault.  And it's the same with our own teeth.  Not every single tooth was perfect, and now they are!  I only had to have them on for 10 months, and I pretty much complained every day.  I don't even know how some people deal with them for years.  I wouldn't survive!  A huge Thank you to Dr. Hill and his amazing staff for making my smile PERFECT!  You guys are the best! :)