The Post in Which Allison Hangs her Head Repeatedly

I haven't posted in a really. really. long. time. I kind of have an excuse. I've been so busy writing college applications that I use any extra time to do fun stuff like sleep. And, you know, do my homework. In fact, I think I've had two orthodontist appointments since my last post. For shame, Allison, for shameeeeee.

I had a day off from school on Tuesday (I have no idea why we had election day off), and an orthodontist appointment in the morning. I was planning on getting stuff (read: college application essays) done, so I had scheduled the appointment in the morning, at 9:30. Quick and uneventful appointment in which I received a new bottom wire (OMG it's like Christmas!!!!!) and he instructed me to bite (I couldn't. No surprise there). I asked if he thought I was on schedule to have surgery in February, and he gave me a vague and quite unhelpful answer. Then I ran home for breakfast before I had to stop at the library and take my sister to her friend's house. My choice of breakfast? Some crackers and a frozen Snickers bar from Halloween. For shame, Allison, for... just hold on, it gets worse. So I take a bite of the Snickers, hit some delicious frozen caramelly nut, and some.... something isn't right. Sure enough, that wonderful peanut of goodness had knocked off one of my top brackets. I had to call the orthodontist and confess to my misdeed. He didn't ask what I had been eating, but he did notice how curious it was that he hadn't touched my top braces and suddenly, they were broken. The moral of the story is: never accept Allison's advice concerning what to eat with braces. Okay, you can say it now. For shame, Allison, for shameeeeee.

Speaking of advice -- lately I've been noticing that when I wake up, my jaw is clenched very tightly. This is almost funny, considering I can't even demonstrate this when I'm awake. But, the question is: do you think this is screwy-jaw related? Or stress related (see above, and add to that the fact that, for some reason, I am apply to 15 &%*# colleges)? I've never noticed myself doing this before. What do yall think?

A Different Sort of Visual

Look what I found on Indexed today!


If you're unfamiliar with Indexed, I really recommend checking it out. Some of the graphs are very funny (and true)!

Avoiding Bad Photos and Gossip

Though my ETS (estimated time of surgery) is still pretty far away, maybe even 5 months, I'm starting to think about the logistics. How long will I be out of school? How will I keep up with my work? Mostly, what am I going to tell people when I get back? A girl I know was out for a week last year to get a nose job and the rumors and gossip about her procedure continue to this day. While my situation is different, there are many similarities: I will be out for a while, and when I come back, I will look different. I know there will be a lot of questions about both of these things, and I want to give an answer that is quick, honest, and not too personal. Something along the lines of "my jaws didn't fit together properly so I needed surgery to correct it." Any suggestions/ideas? Am I being silly for being concerned about this?


I went out with some friends last night and we had a great time (as always). We also took a lot of pictures (as always), and as I was looking through them, I found one that made me absolutely cringe. It's a picture of me losing a staring contest with a friend... in perfect profile.


Can I just say "ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"?

Braced and Back to School

Today was my first day back to school, which means new clothes, new textbooks, new pencils, and new wires! I had my first adjustment on the top yesterday -- I got a stronger wire. I also had a spring put in the bottom to make room for a tooth that's a little behind the others. No indication of progress from my orthodontist, but I'm starting to notice changes myself!

It was interesting to see people I haven't seen since last year (before I got braces) and hear their reaction to my orthodontia. I was actually surprised how few people noticed it, and the ones who did notice just commented and didn't ask questions.

Still Alive

A series of wonderful comments from Shontell in my inbox reminded me that maybe an update would be a good idea.

So, hi! I'm still alive, just really busy getting ready to start my senior year (!!) of high school. Looking at colleges, doing some summer reading, essay writing. Orthodontically, (that's not a word, btw. Spell check doesn't like it. I do.) I am bottom braced and not suffering as much as I thought I would be. More adjustments next week, so I will try to update then.

This is Me...

...being brave, so please be kind. I have no doubt that you will, because yall have been nothing but kind.



This is my senior portrait, taken at the end of my junior year. The irony, of course, is that the year between when this picture was taken and when it will be published will probably include a greater change in my face's appearance than any other year in my life.



This picture was taken on my vacation this July, post braces installment. My sister was also in the picture, but I've cropped her out for her privacy. Click and you'll get a (MUCH!) bigger picture if you're interested in a closer look at my bite.

(pictures removed on 11/06/2007)

The Waterpik Changed My Life?

Okay, maybe not yet. But it was pretty good! I couldn't find the instruction manual, but ended up finding it online. In the end, I found the best way for me to use it through experimentation, as I'm sure all of you Pik users have. For non-Pik users, this is what worked for me:

At first, I made a huge mess. Water everywhere. Put down towels! Put away appliances!

Even though the instructions suggested that I lean over the sink, I found it perfectly okay to stand upright so long as I held the "pause" button until I had the tip in my closed mouth. Then I let the water flow, and adjusted the stream until it was comfortable. I ran it through my mouth until my cheeks were full of water, and then I held the pause button while I spat. Rinse, repeat. It was definitly a little frustrating that I couldn't see where I was going, but I think I'll get a better feeling for it after a few more tries.

I still felt the need to floss after I Pik-ed. Maybe next time I will floss first, and then Pik (which would make the Waterpik a replacement for my mouthwash step instead of for my flossing step). I just didn't feel like the water was really getting between my teeth, etc.