Smiley Happy People Pt II

They're off! and, boy, does it feel weird. They, of course, being my brackets. I did thing my teeth and tongue would feel too small for my mouth after a couple of years of overlying metal but that isn't the case.

The orthodontist I saw said that the work wasn't finished in that two of my molars are still slightly rotated (I don't know whether it's because the wire had slipped out or the Argentine dentist lied to me about them being ready, but it certainly explains her reluctance to write a referral letter), however at my request and with a signed waiver he took them off.

It was not a pleasant process. I assumed, somewhat naively it seems, that as the brackets were stuck to my teeth with cement, some sort of solvent would be used to unstick them. No. Not as such. The reality is the orthodontist used a pair of pincers (proper dental pincers) and a drill to crack each bracket off each tooth. It isn't painful per se, but it is bloody uncomfortable and can feel like your tooth is being wrenched out of it's socket.

Finally, the orthodontist got rid of the composite with a dental sander (I don't know it's real name), trimmed the edges of my broken front teeth (which is what precipitated the whole teeth-straightening shenanigans) and filled my mouth with putty to take impressions for the retainers.

Again, it shows how naive I am, I thought the whole thing would take about half an hour. It actually took an hour and a half (including a panoramic x-ray) but I now have a beautiful smile. Next week I get the temporary retainers fitted. After that I can arrange a scale and polish and make a decision about the gap in my lower jaw.