Perfect Straight Teeth!

After a total of 13 months I am all finished and very pleased with the results. Since the last blog I have had the elastics changed monthly and the lower Alf removed. Removing the Alf made a big difference from the point of view of my tongue as it felt almost back to normal. The last few months with the fixed (train tracks) was pretty easy, I am now able to clean with the Tepe brush without looking and apart from having to eat everything with a knife & fork – sandwiches included, eating isn’t a problem. I am looking forward to biting into a steak baguette and an apple though!

I had the fixed braces removed on 11^th April and a hygienist appointment straight after for a good clean up to remove all that red wine staining! Hilary our hygienist was very pleased that I had managed to keep everything so clean over the course of treatment, I guess over 20 years in dentistry has made me a clean freak!

I have now got fixed retainers on both the upper & lower teeth at the back. It is a very discreet wire that was made at the laboratory by taking an impression ten days before, that then gets cemented on the back of the front six teeth with small blobs of tooth coloured filling material. You can’t floss between the teeth but can still clean between them with a Tepe brush as when the fixed braces were on. You can have removable retainers – which are generally worn all the time for the first 6 months, then night times only for a minimum of 6 months. You can get clear retainers and they are pretty minimal if you prefer.

I am very pleased that I had the work done; it took some getting used to at the start – the teeth hurt from the movement and it was all a bit of a sore mouthful. But before I knew it I was used to it all and some days I had to check it was all still there!

My teeth were not too bad but I had a narrow arch and one of my front teeth stuck out slightly more that the others. I think whatever your teeth are like, if you want to change them then do it. Lots of people wondered why I was doing it and you will always get opposition, but if you want to improve your smile and are prepared to wear the appliances then go for it! I hope that this blog has shown you what to expect from fixed orthodontics and will help you decide it is worth the effort.