Last Wednesday, I had my fourth orthodontic adjustment. You may have noticed (but probably not) that I didn't write about the third one; all it involved was a very routine changing out of the ligatures and power chain. This time, I got new wires AND no power chain.
My teeth are moving pretty fast, considering I'm an adult. The orthodontist was even surprised at how much my premolars had rotated. He originally estimated 3-4 months before anything noticeable would happen, but one of the teeth was almost completely rotated after a month. The other one is moving more slowly because the bracket was not placed in an "optimal position", which means the orthodontist will be removing and repositioning the bracket at my next appointment.
Unfortunately, I'm no longer able to eat on the right side of my mouth because they bridged the wire across the gap where I'm missing a molar in my bottom jaw. The orthodontist assistant who placed the new wires left about 3/8 inch of wire sticking out of the back end of the molar tube as a sort of failsafe, in case I eat a small boulder and bend the wire across the gap. There were wires poking out everywhere, and I had to go back two times since my last appointment to have them trimmed. Why leave the huge amount of overhang? Why not trim it and ask me to avoid chewing on that side of my mouth? They spend so much time caring for children, they treat me like one, as though I can't be trusted to follow their instructions. When I had my first adjustment, they marveled at how clean my teeth were. I brush my teeth after every meal, floss at night, use fluoride mouthwash, don't eat taffy and apples and any of the other "forbidden foods", don't open beer bottles with my teeth, etc.: everything they told me to do from the get-go. I understand the responsibility (and cost) of having braces, and I'm not one to take that sort of thing lightly.
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