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.

This Post Isn't About Anything and Neither is its Title (I hate making titles anyway)

1. Product recommendation!

I'm ashamed to admit -- I only started flossing my teeth in the last few months. I have bridges that had always been very hard for me to floss around, even with the threaders that I got from the dentist. The threaders were very thick, and they hurt my gums, which are quite sensitive around the bridges. The last time I went to the dentist, he gave me a sample of individually packed pieces of floss with a very thin threader at the end of each one. I loved them, but when I looked them up, I found them to be quite expensive. Then I found Oral-B Superfloss, which is the same idea, but comes in a box of 50 for only 2 or 3 dollars. They are incredibly convenient, and work very well around braces. I know a lot of you braces-wearers use Waterpics. I actually own one, and should give it a try.

2. Things I Can't Do

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of things I can't do with my current bite. I can't bite my nails, eat an artichoke, open a package, or hold anything in my teeth. I'm lucky I guess that most of these things are actually bad for your teeth. My dentist actually told me that my 4-year-old temporary bridges would have had to have been replaced by now if not for the fact that I never use them to bite!

3. A Question

Whenever I have to bite down completely (for example, if the orthodontist asks me to), it takes me a few moments. I have to rearrange my jaw around (?) to make it so I can close my mouth. I guess that's because my teeth don't really fit together properly? Does anyone else experience this?