The Natural Bite

For the past week and a half, I’ve been visiting Seattle, the city where I grew up and where my mom still lives.
Though it’s the biggest metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest outside of Vancouver, BC, it sure feels like a small town.
In my short stay, as during all my previous visits, I’ve bumped into [...]

My video overview of my decision to undergo adult braces and jaw surgery over the past year:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPF-1hdoqz8&hl=en&fs=1]

Susan Got Her Braces Off!, originally uploaded by susanfsu.
I got my braces off TODAY!
It’s been a long process of research, decision-making, insurance, braces, jaw surgery, recovery, and still more braces.
Throughout, the braces were always the hardest part. They were so visible, so constant, and so physically annoying.
BUT… IT WAS SO WORTH IT.
Hooray!!

4.5 Months Post Jaw Surgery - Face, originally uploaded by susanfsu.
And here I am! No smile, so you can see the general structure of my face… no more swelling whatsoever, and a much more narrow lower face overall (eg, no chronic swelling / TMJ from chewing!).
For comparison, remember this photo of me from 3 weeks [...]

4.5 Months Post Jaw Surgery - Teeth, originally uploaded by susanfsu.
Can you tell my teeth are rubber-banded shut?
They are! Completely.

Rubber bands on every tooth, originally uploaded by susanfsu.
For the second-to-last week of braces hell, I’m supposed to wear rubber bands hooked onto every tooth, thus closing my jaw together.
This helps top and bottom teeth to ’seat’ together perfectly.
Though VERY inconvenient, ugly, and painful, I noticed an improvement in the fit of my teeth by [...]

I mentioned in my last post that that my wires would be ’sectioned’ as part of the end of braces.
This means that the back sections of my wires were clipped and taken off of the brackets (and removed from my mouth). What’s remaining is the section of wire attached to my top four teeth, and [...]

I just spoke with my orthodontist’s office and confirmed that my next appointment - in two days - is my second-to-last.
My wires will be cut up into smaller sections (the process is called “wire sectioning”), and I’ll need to start wearing lots of vertical rubber bands, a la that guy in The Silence of the [...]

I receive a lot of comments from readers who give me far too much credit. Am I magical? Is my surgeon a miracle-worker?
Why was my swelling so minimal, and why was my recovery so neat and simple (as opposed to grotesquely bloody and torturous…)?
The answer is far simpler, and less glamorous, than you think.
I’ll even [...]

Lots of you readers who have jaw surgeries coming up like to ask me, “So, what was the hardest part of all? The surgery was really terrible, right?”
My answer? THE BRACES.
You’re largely not present for the surgery (ok, your body - and jaw - are there, but the part of you that feels pain, fear, [...]