Update on Life: What’s next? 11/27/18

Hey everyone,

I am typing this on my cellphone, while also half asleep. I apologize in advance!

It has been far too long since I last posted about what’s going on with my dental work, as well as in my life. I now have a job at FoodLion as a cashier! I also graduated from High School and am working towards college! I have braces and have been going every four weeks to tighten them, and see where things need to be moved. I’ve had several contraptions put in so far to work towards having a symmetrical and healthy smile. :) I’ll try to explain the best I can.. My Eyetooth was pulled down with an anchor and then had a sidewinder placed on it to turn it straight. Some of my bottom teeth that were turned inwards had sidewinders places on them to turn them out. Lately, my dentists and I have been working on making my midline even, by shifting my upper teeth over to the right more. A crucial part on my end is making sure I’m putting in my rubber bands when necessary, and changing them when needed. The rubber bands have been helping pull my upper teeth over my bottom so I don’t develop  an overbite. I’ve had braces now for about a year, possibly a year and 6 months. My next visit is on December 18th, and I will be having a 3D Scan done to see what all needs to be done now. I was also told I’ll be finding out if I can have my braces removed and the rest of my teeth put in.

As I’m nearing the end of this whole process, I have noticed drastic changes about myself internally and externally.

 I smile, a lot! I never used to smile.... I would smirk. I would never laugh, either without covering my mouth with my hand. I’ve noticed I constantly smile and laugh now. I still will cover my mouth occasionally or turn away from people, but I’m not so self-conscious about my mouth as I was before. I also have been eating better. 

When I got my braces, I was blending all of my foods. I was afraid to eat many things because of my braces.. I would feel embarrassed and foolish every time I would prepare food in front of my family.. Luckily, my family was/is extremely supportive of my ordeal and my Pseudodysphagiag. Slowly but surely, I wouldn’t blend my foods as much, leaving texture to it. Like an infant, I gradually ate foods with more texture and more to chew.. Now, I’m proud to say I have extended my food options. I can now eat things like Chicken Salad, Fish, Fettuccini, etc.

Now when I look in the mirror, I don’t only look better, but I feel better. 

I’m rather excited to share with all of you, and expose the amazing people who have been helping me and supporting me since I was a child. 

My family raised me on the expressions of family being all you’ve got. That a families love is unconditional and trust is without borders. From all of the bullying and pain I endured as a child; at a young age I was under the impression that kindness was on the brink of extinction. 

I wanted so desperately for someone to prove me wrong, and someone did. 

No one asked my dentists to take over 6 figures out of their own pockets and use it on a 16 year old girl with bad genes and bad luck. No one told them they must make everything perfect and use only the best materials and so on. No one made them take me on as their patient. They did that out of love, out of trust in each other and me and out of the kindness of their hearts. The amount of respect and appreciation I have for them is beyond words or my moral understanding.

I started writing this blog to raise awareness of disorders like mine, and to share a life changing experience with anyone willing to listen.

In some way, I plan to repay them for their dedication and hard work... I just need to figure out HOW.

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll be posting again before Christmas about how it went! Thank you for all of the support throughout this experience, it may not seem like much to you, but it means everything to me! 💕

January 16th, 2018 - I GOT MY BRACES!

I'm awful!
I am completely pitiful at keeping up with these blog posts!
Ah...
I don't know the next date exactly I will be posting again, but I will still be posting as I go through the rest of my appointments no matter how small or insignificant.

I finally got my braces!
I'm so happy, but I'm in so much pain!

In my opinion (because of all of the other things I have gone through), I feel I have a very high pain tolerance...

In the beginning, for the first 10 days, the pain was extremely irritating. It was not unbearable, though. From the brackets rubbing against the inside of my cheek, I developed sores that were almost like holes in my mouth.

The reason this happened was because I hadn't been aware the wax the dentist gave me would work as a barrier to keep from my braces causing sores, cuts, etc. Slowly but surely, I weened myself off of the wax so that my mouth could adjust and create grooves for the braces.

It's been almost a month, and I only have to occasionally use the wax, as my teeth shift, on the wire as it grows longer.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone for being so supportive and for keeping me in their thoughts. January 16th the one year anniversary since all of this has started. I never thought I'd be able to smile confidently

I'm currently a senior now in High school with only 4 months remaining. I'm in the middle of completing my Senior Project, as well as figuring out what I will do after high school.

I'll be attending a community college to do a 2-year transfer (so I can stay for the rest of my appointments) to East Carolina University to study music.