It's over

I finally got my braces removed on November 27, 2013!

It was a bit anticlimactic, though.  After two years of ugliness and torture, my teeth didn't really look too much different from when I started.  I looked back through my old Facebook pictures, wedding photos, and other images stored on my computer, and my teeth always looked passably straight.  Now, with my newly-renovated mouth, my smile looks no different from before.

Nobody even noticed.

The whole process started that morning, when I was escorted into the "private suite" where I had first gotten braced in 2011.  I sat in the chair, and the orthodontist assistant started to crimp the metal brackets on the lower arch.  It hurt, although she had assured me it wouldn't.  Soon enough, though, all 13 brackets were off and my bottom teeth felt rough from the leftover adhesive.  The orthodontist then came in to remove the ceramic brackets from my upper arch.  He used a little drill to break the adhesive around each bracket and then used the same little crimper/pliers to pop those brackets off.  Then, he buffed off the adhesive, and left the assistant to polish my teeth and continue on with the rest of the process.  She mixed up the same gloopy molding compound to make an impression of my upper and lower arches, sent those off to their in-house lab, and had me go to the front of the office so she could take photos of my teeth.  While there, I had another Panorex x-ray done, and then she took a bevy of pictures.  Then, I was told that my retainer would be ready that day because they create their Essix molded plastic retainers in-house.  However, since I live 20 miles from the orthodontist's office, I was given the option of either waiting in the city until they were done, or having the orthodontist assistant drop them off at my home (she lives halfway between the two locations).

After my appointment, my husband took me out to eat at my favorite restaurant, and then we bummed around until my retainers were ready to be picked up.  I put those things in right away and had to learn how to talk with a mouthful of plastic.  I have to wear the retainers 24 hours a day, every day for a month (except for eating), and then back off to just wearing them at night for 12 hours.

I'm not really happy with the results.  One of my canine teeth appears to have died during treatment, as it turned a noticeable grey at some point within the past 2 years.  I believe it's because when the premolar was being derotated, both it and the canine tilted so much that their roots were starting to press through the bone.  Both teeth became severely sensitive to cold, to the point where I couldn't even breathe over them without pain.  The orthodontist put an adjustment in the wire to tilt them back, but I think the damage had already been done.  They don't hurt anymore, but the grey tooth barely responds to any stimulus.  I'm $5,500 poorer and look no different. *sigh*

People are strange

Every other Saturday morning, my husband and I go to a small bakery that's been serving the area for over 100 years.  We've been doing this for long enough to be recognized as regulars (though not as regular as some, like Ted, a supremely cantankerous, wheelchair-bound octogenarian who stops by daily for coffee and toast).

My husband and I have constantly joked about never being allowed to go behind the counter, in spite of the numerous people who wind their way around the display cases to get into the back of the store.  Most of them are employees, but some are patrons.  The store's bathroom is somewhere in the back, though in spite of my drinking 4 generous cups of coffee every time we visit, I've never dared seek it out (I almost peed at the carwash because of this, but that's another story for another post).  Last Saturday, the woman working behind the counter said, "Hey, Erin, I want you to come back here for a minute."  I replied, "Really?  I actually get to go back there?"

I walked past two glass cases filled with Easter cookies and walked into the surprisingly generous back of the bakery.  The room was monstrously huge, filled with industrial mixers and huge wooden tables, and illuminated by an old light-up beer clock on the far wall.  There was a fine patina of flour on everything, and the floors were the original 1900s hardwood: long, narrow planks, almost bare in appearance.  The lady who beckoned me back gestured to two black plastic garbage bags on the floor and said, "Do you want to take a look through these?  They're full of expensive clothing."

Visions of Valentino, Missoni, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci filled my head.

She opened the first bag and started pulling out shirt after musty shirt.  Evidently, her idea of "expensive clothing" was St. John's Bay, Lands' End, Arizona, and Merona.  Even more puzzling was the fact that she thought I might be interested in the items in the bag: plain t-shirts in every size from M to XL, enormous bouclé sweaters, maternity jeans, and various items I couldn't get away with wearing unless I was pushing 80.

"Are these things you're taking to Salvation Army?" I asked.

She replied, "No, the woman who dropped these off, well... she didn't want to give them away, you know?  She gave them to me instead.  They were her mother's, her mother who just died of cancer."

OH GREAT.  I've spent the last 10 minutes rooting around in a bag of a dead woman's clothes.  I found two nicer sweaters, so I folded them and set them on top of one of the bags.  I really had no intention of taking anything, but I wanted to at least make it look like I was kind of interested.  I walked back to my table and my husband noticed my grimace.  I gave him the abbreviated version of the story, while vigorously rubbing hand sanitizer all over my hands.  He said, "Well, they're free clothes, why not just take them?"  So, just before we went to pay, I slipped back and grabbed the two sweaters I had set aside.  We brought them home after our day of running errands had drawn to a close, and I threw them in the hamper.

Yesterday, my husband went to do laundry and while he was emptying out the hamper, I heard him exclaim, "AHH!  Dead woman sweater!" ಠ~ಠ

Good news, everyone!

I had an adjustment this morning and the orthodontist finally gave me a revised estimate of 2-4 months!  As you can imagine, this makes me a happy panda knowing the end is in sight.  To celebrate, I had a hazelnut macchiato and piece of chocolate cinnamon bread from Starbucks (and evidently can't have any more sugar or saturated fat for the rest of the day, but oh well.  They were delicious).

I had to have a double power chain put on this time to help close up my stubborn gap between incisor and premolar, and my teeth haven't yet gotten the message that this is going to hurt, big time.  In case you don't know about doubling up on power chains, they remove the wire, put a power chain on the bare brackets, reinstall the wire, and then put another power chain over that.  If the previous adjustments with a single power chain are any predictor, my teeth will hurt for about a week.  At any rate, the time immediately after the adjustment is good if you're a dieter, since you'll be forced to eat nothing but soft foods (of course, there is the fact that ice cream is soft, and that definitely doesn't help).

Coffee and coffee accessories

My all-time favorite purveyors of goofy stuff, Perpetual Kid, always has a lot of fun coffee-related accessories.  I love this tiny coffee creamer pot, pictured above.  I'm not getting any kickbacks or commission from sharing these things with you -- I honestly just like this company (but, you know, if you wanna buy me anything from Perpetual Kid, I won't complain).


Check out some of the other cute coffee paraphernalia they have to offer:

Black Cat Mug & Spoon Set, $24.99

(also available in panda)

One Lump or Two? Sugar Bowl, $16.99

(my humps, my humps, my little sugar lumps?)

Coffee Bean Soap, $11.49

(also available in circus peanut, but eww)

Donut Coffee Mug, $13.49

(now I want a donut....)

Braces 4EVA

Me

I haven't written anything about my braces since July of 2012 because nothing has really changed.  I've had them on for 16 months now and I suspect I may have them on for the rest of my 20s.  The orthodontist gave me the same estimate of "5 more months" 3 months in a row, and now won't even comment.  They're trying to close a very recalcitrant gap; plus, my midline is waaaay off and my molars don't occlude properly.

I'm just so sick and tired of wearing these stupid things and there's no end in sight.  I think the orthodontist lied to me about the treatment time, too: at my consultation, he said "12-18 months", but put "18-24 months" in my file.  In that case, I'm not even close to the lower end of the treatment time.  I really don't think my teeth are going to look a whole lot better than they did before I got braces, considering they weren't particularly crooked to begin with.

Another wholly unqualified opinion on fashion

Note: I wrote this post during the summer and decided to hold off posting it, since I had been ranting about fashion for several months straight. I was about to delete it when I thought, what the heck, why don't I just post it now?  The pictures and formatting are probably a bit messed up, but I'm not sure how to fix that.  Frankly, I don't really care that much.

I was browsing Forever21's website for spring/summer tops and started commenting to myself how silly some of the models look. They're all sad or surly or bewildered; rarely do you see any of them smile. Half of them have this look on their face that says, "Put that camera down or I will cut you" (especially that Lindsey Lohan-looking chick; she mad).  Plus, some of the garments they're wearing leave you going, "Wha? What does this even mean?"  I'm probably just jealous because I can't wear 75% of the stuff they sell, because a) the clothes are too small, b) the fabric is cheap, poorly-constructed, and vanishingly thin, and c) it looks fudiculous on even the thinnest woman.  OF course, it also gives me a lot of new "trends" to dislike, namely peplum hems, high-low shirts, crop tops, excessive cut-outs, and mustaches on every damn thing.  I'm going to make a high-low, cropped, peplum shirt with no back and a big fat mustache on the front and I will make a fortune.

Take, for example, these "gems":

Look at the wrists on this girl. Someone needs to administer a 150cc bolus of HAM SANDWICH, STAT

Shucks, I just rolled in from the farm. Mah daddy won't let me work outside or nothin', what 'cause of them melanomers and all. But I shore is purty, ain't I?

"Can someone please bring me some pants? I seem to be wearing just my undies again."

After an unsuccessful repair of her torn hip flexor, Lady Gaga was forced to give up music and become a 4th grade homeroom teacher.

 

Apparently, she's wearing a porcupine on her head and the front of her nightgown got caught in a combine.

My mouth cheeks hurt

Me this morning

I woke up this morning looking like a chipmunk with its mouth full, but considerably less adorable.  The bare wire that goes across the gap where I'm missing a molar has gouged a thick crevasse in the inside of my right cheek and IT REALLY HURTS.  My mouth cheeks are sore.

I think I'm going to compile a list of foods and recipes for people with braces, mainly for my own reference, but also because there seems to be a paucity of similar lists out there.  Maybe my compilation will help someone else with braces eat a little more comfortably.

Glow.com GC winner!

Congratulations to Danielle, the winner of my Glow.com GC giveaway!

I also want to thank everyone who entered for their great suggestions: there were a lot of calls for me to post recipes.  I think I can handle that!  Your comments about the "most despised" current trends made me laugh.  It's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks shortie-shorts, crop tops, and printed grandma slacks are fudiculous.

Berry crumble bars recipe

I will admit, I do like Martha Stewart.  She's a little prickly, but there's something about her I enjoy.  So, when I was looking for dessert recipes to use up some of the surplus berries we bought at the grocery store, I decided to try Martha's blackberry crumb bar recipe.  They're some of the best bars I've eaten, and naturally, I was thinking, "hey, that would make a good blog post!"

I made a half batch of these the first time and there was an enormous amount of topping, but I was ok with that; the second time I made them, I made a half recipe again but poured the batter into muffin cups and halved the amount of topping.  The muffins were better-received than the bars: my husband, who is a vehement sweets-disliker, ate two of them.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to take any pictures of the bars or the muffins, so you'll just have to imagine their berry-studded goodness.

Suggestion: omit the berries and add lots of cinnamon (and possibly nuts) to turn this into a traditional coffee cake.

Berry crumble bars
Serves 9, maybe more if you're stingy

Ingredients

Cake base:

3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c confectioner's sugar
1 stick of butter (we're doing it Paula Deen-style here)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 pint of berries (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are good choices)

Topping:
6 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 c flour


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line bottom of an 8-in square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.  The original recipe says to butter and flour the parchment paper, but that kinda defeats the paper's purpose.  The batter is very thick and sticky, though, so butter at your own discretion.

2. In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients.  Mix with a fork until large, moist crumbs form.  Refrigerate until ready to use (this ensures the topping will be firm and crumbly after baking; if you skip this step, the topping will be sticky and not quite as pretty, but still very tasty).

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add dry ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms.  Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with berries, pressing them down slightly.  Add the chilled topping.

4. Bake until golden brown and delicious and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares.

Inspiration?

I'm pretty sure I need to get this shirt from Woot!  Apparently, the shirt's designer and I are both geniuses, though I think the t-shirt came out before my blog did.  To be fair, I started blogging in 2001, when I was a prickly youngster... though I guess that doesn't have anything to do with my current blog.  It was nice then, because not everyone on Earth had a blog.  Now, it seems the only way to get people to even give this blog a passing glance is to give away prizes.

UPDATE (7/9/12): I bought the shirt and it will be shipped on 7/18. *party horns*

Cookie Monster coffee mug

see more My Food Looks Funny

Someone on Facebook posted this image, so I had to track down its origin.  Turns out, the Etsy seller apiecebydenise sold the original version on May 1, 2011.  According to her Facebook page, she's supposed to be making and shipping more of them soon!  So, um.... if anyone wants to buy me a cup of coffee... or a coffee cup....

Glow.com giveaway!

In my Farm Rich coupon giveaway, a lot of you suggested I run more giveaways.  Whether that was an honest response or not, I've decided to post another one here.

Last year, I signed up for an account with JustFab, one of the myriad "shoe clubs" out there.  I had nothing but problems since my first order, and the JustFab team decided to compensate me with a $20 gift card for Glow.com.  Since I don't wear makeup (yep, it's true), I would like to offer one of my readers the opportunity to use this gift card.  I did check to see that the code is still valid, so the winner shouldn't have any problem using it.

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now my outsides hurt as much as the insides

I had another adjustment yesterday, where they put in a square wire.  Anyone who has worn braces can tell you that this kind of change will make you look and feel like you went 10 rounds with Manny Pacquiao (I'm pretty sure I've used this metaphor once already, but it's just so fitting).  The square wire is used more for making adjustments to the roots of the teeth once they've been mostly straightened with the round wire.  It's about as thick as a paperclip, which makes it very conspicuous against the clear brackets.  My mouth hurts almost as much now as when I first got my braces in November 2011.

It only seems fitting, though, to make me hurt as much on the outside as I do on the inside.  Actually, I would much rather hurt on the outside -- I would take the exquisitely tender achiness of being newly braced, the immobilizing agony of herniated discs, and heck, the nausea-inducing, incapacitating dizziness of labyrinthitis, over the heartbreaking anguish of losing a pet.  In spite of everything, it was comforting to know that among my brother, mom, and I, we have almost 500 pictures and 3 videos of Cooper, and I was able to assemble a nice tribute to him in the form of a Shutterfly photo book.

My little buddy is gone

R.I.P. Cooper, 2003-2012

Last night, my Mom called to tell me that Cooper had died in her arms at about 7 PM.  He had been a healthy, if not rather overweight, miniature dachshund with big brown eyes and the softest, smoothest fur I've ever felt.  She said he had gotten sick after my brother's birthday party the previous evening, throwing up and peeing everywhere.  She stayed up with him all night and he seemed to be doing a little better in the morning, but that evening, he went to the Rainbow Bridge.  They're planning to have him cremated today or tomorrow, and it pains me that I will never get to see him again on this Earth, whole and intact.  The next time I go home, he will be nothing more than ashes in a box on the mantel: no dog will run to greet me when I walk through the door.

I will never again get to sit with Cooper outside in the morning; when I still lived at home, we would sit out on the back steps while I had my coffee and Cooper stood guard beside me.  I'll never get to touch his velvety ears or the soft patch of fur just before his nose, never get to look into those big brown eyes, never get to kiss him on his little blackberry nose.  I'll never get to hear him grumbling and ranting because he wasn't allowed outside while the lawn was being mowed (he sure loved to ride along on the riding mower, though!).  I'll never get to lint roll his fur off my shirt again.  Dachshunds are notoriously stubborn, but I taught him "sit" and "dance" and "go get it" and he wouldn't respond to the commands unless I gave them.  I was hoping that he would get to ramble around our new house and give his sniff of approval to everything; we don't close until next month.

I'm grateful that I was able to see him a little less than a month ago.  I visited my family around the end of May and when I left, I told Cooper, "Bye bye, puppy. Be good! I'll miss you."  That's the last memory I'll have of him.  Is it morbid to want to see his body at the vet?  To see him one last time in the flesh, even if it's cold and lifeless, before he is gone forever?  My Mom said he died with a smile on his face, a smile I've seen thousands of times but only remains in pictures.  All I have left are pictures, memories, and paw prints all over my heart.

I love you, little guy.

Single-serving coffee cake

I like my sweets, but it's a rare day when my husband asks, "What's for dessert?".  So, I've had to resort to figuring out single-serving sweets.  A half batch of Tollhouse cookies is a good option, since the dough can be rolled into balls and frozen for consumption at a later date, but I want variety.  I found a website with some recipes for single-serving cakes and was intrigued. After making a couple of her recipes, I decided I would share with you my adaptation of her single-serving coffee cake.  It looks complicated, but isn't too time-consuming, and if you play your cards right, you'll only dirty up a custard cup, a shot glass, and two measuring spoons.  The flavor of this cake is not remarkable or award-winningly good, but it hits the spot when you're jonesing for a little bit of sweetness.  It's also nice for those days leading up to a grocery shopping trip, when you have no other food -- it's quick, easy, microwavable, and eggless.

Single-serving Coffee Cake
Serves 1, obviously

Ingredients
Cake:

3 T flour
1 heaping T brown sugar
A scant 1/4 tsp baking powder
A tiny sprinkling of salt
1 1/2 T water
1-2 tsp oil or applesauce

Topping:
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered sugar
A few drops of water

Directions
1. In a Pyrex custard cup, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well to combine.  Add water and oil and mix thoroughly.
2. In another small vessel (I used a shot glass), combine brown sugar and cinnamon.  Scoop about half the batter out of the custard cup, sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar over the portion in the bowl, and drop the batter back into the bowl.  Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar on top.
3. Microwave the coffee cake for 45-60 seconds, or until set.  In the container used for the brown sugar, mix powdered sugar with just enough water to make a thin drizzle and pour over the top of the cake.

Farm Rich review and giveaway!

Overview

Have you ever been totally overwhelmed, so much that you barely have time to eat?  If you answered "yes", you need to check out the Farm Rich line of products.  With everything from meatballs to Philly cheese steaks, they have plenty of quick and tasty items to fit into a hectic life.

Farm Rich is a Buffalo, New York-based company that offers a bevy of easy-to-prepare snack foods, including:

• Cheese Sticks
• Marinara Stuffed Mozzarella Sticks
• Mozzarella Bites
• Mini Stuffed Pizza Slices
• Mini Philly Cheese Steaks
• Stuffed Pretzel Bites
• Mini Quesadillas
• Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers
• Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers
• Meatballs (Turkey, Original and Italian Style)
• Mushrooms
• French Toast Sticks

Everything from Farm Rich is made with ingredients like 100% real mozzarella cheese and high-quality meats, and contain no high fructose corn syrup, fillers, artificial flavors, or other questionable components.  Not only are they quick and easy, they're pretty darned good!

Review

I was sent a couple of coupons to try out some Farm Rich products.  The stores around here tend not to have the greatest selection, so my husband and I ended up making two stops.  First, we went to Target and picked up a bag of the Original Meatballs.  Second, we went to the local grocery store and got the Mini Pizza Slices.  The grocery store here is really picky about what coupons they will accept: on my first trip through the check lane, the cashier told me they wouldn't accept the free product coupon unless I bought an additional $10 worth of merchandise!  After explaining to the lady at the customer service desk that I was getting the products so I could write a blog review, she let me get the bag of pizza slices.


We made the pizza slices first, since we were hungry and the meatballs took a lot longer to cook.  The slices are a pretty decent size -- not so small that you have to eat the whole bag to be satisfied, but not so big that you recoil at the thought of what they're doing to your waistline.  These baked up pretty quickly, in about 12 minutes.  According to the Farm Rich press kit, their dough-based products are baked, not fried.  A four-piece serving of these pizza slices has 250 calories, 12g fat, 5g saturated fat, and 470mg sodium.  They are a little sparse on the pepperoni, but still a very good snack, especially when served with a side of marinara.  I'd say these are perfect for when you're craving pizza, but want a considerably lighter alternative.  They cook fast in the microwave, too, if you're really in a hurry (they'll be floppy and extraordinarily hot, but still very tasty).

Next on the menu was the meatballs.  The package directions say they take 35-40 minutes to bake in the oven, so they're not really a quick option (though microwaving them takes about a minute).  I cooked them according to the directions, but they ended up being dried out and hard -- not sure what happened.  Since they were dessicated, I made a sauce out of leftover grape jelly and BBQ sauce (something my Dad always makes for the Lil Smokies on New Year's Eve) and they were ok.  The next day, I made a few in the microwave and they were a lot better -- one of the few times something tasted better microwaved than baked!  The flavor of these meatballs is outstanding for something prepackaged.  For a 6 meatball serving, you'll take in 240 calories, 20g fat, 8g saturated fat, and 400mg sodium.

Pizza slices ready to go in the oven

Tasty meatballs!

Overall, I was delighted with my first Farm Rich experience, and my husband enjoyed having snacks that we don't typically buy.  I wish our grocery store carried a wider variety of Farm Rich products (see what your stores carry), but I liked what I was able to find.  In fact, I liked them so much, I want to offer two of my lovely readers (and people who just stop by to enter contests) each a coupon for a free Farm Rich product.


Giveaway

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Contest ends Friday, June 29th.

Coffee mug swap!

Last month, I decided to participate in the Coffee Mug Swap hosted on a blog that has since been renamed he, me & them.  I got paired up with the lovely Kayla from Close Encounters, a fellow dachshund-lover and all-around fun artistic gal.  I sent her this "Stubborn Dachshund Tricks" mug, which I thought was so cute I got one for my mom too.

Kayla sent me a mug with this design on it:

I'd take a picture of the actual mug, but my camera has decided to misbehave.  Needless to say, this mug is pretty awesome (and true, because I do spend a majority of my time being fantastic).  Thanks, Kayla!!

I would probably consider doing something like this again, but coffee mugs are pretty expensive.  However, it's a REALLY good way to get you to read someone's blog -- how else would you find out what the perfect mug would be?

The demented zebra triangle affair

At my most recent adjustment, I had the brackets on my upper premolars removed and repositioned to persuade them to continue derotating. I also got a powerchain on the uppers again, which is also supposed to help. The combination of the repositioned brackets, the stronger wire, and the powerchain made my mouth hurt like I went 10 rounds with Manny Pacquiao without a mouthguard. The worst part of the entire ordeal?  The little baggies of 3/16" elastics emblazoned with a demented-looking zebra.  I have to wear them in a triangle configuration to help close the open bite I developed on the right side of my mouth.

So, now I have about 1/8" inch of wire that needs to be trimmed because it's tearing the bejeebus out of my cheek (either my teeth are moving fast, or the ortho assistant jammed the wires into the molar tubes haphazardly).  Getting an emergency appointment at my ortho's office is, pardon the pun, like pulling teeth.  They only work at that particular location on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday mornings, and apparently were closed yesterday (or took an extremely long lunch break).

In the extremely unlikely event I have kids and they need braces, I will make sure they get them right away.  It's pretty demoralizing to be an adult wearing these things.  Everyone says, "Oh, I didn't even notice them!" but seriously, it's pretty hard to miss the huge, gleaming mass of metal inside my mouth.  The ceramic brackets on my upper teeth are supposed to be nigh-on invisible, but the wire sure isn't.  From the side, the ceramic brackets just look like I have hugely dirty, deformed teeth -- and yes, I have gotten weird looks from people because of this.  Overall, I'm glad my teeth will eventually be "nice", but I would have never done this voluntarily.

Free Schick Hydro Silk Razor

I'm a "Schick Hydro Silk Influencer", which means I get to give away 6 razors. Just click here to sign up.



From the product page...
It's specifically designed for women and goes beyond the basics to deliver a shaving experience that hydrates skin like no other razor.

Benefits of the Schick Hydro Silk Razor:

• A special water-activated Moisturizing Serum hydrates to replenish skin’s natural moisture throughout each shave. It's infused with nourishing marine extracts and rich shea butter.
• 5 Curve Sensing Blades deliver an incredibly close shave for silky smooth skin.
• Skin Guards are added to each blade, doubling the points of contact between the blades and the skin. The blades and Skin Guards work together to smooth your skin as you shave and to reduce irritation.
• The Compact Oval Cartridge is designed exclusively for the contours and curves of a woman's body including those hard to reach places. (I'm not sure I want to know what those places are -- upper back?)
• Aqueous Soft Touch Handle is ergonomic by design with a soft rubber grip and is inspired by water for a beautiful look. The patent-pending duck bill feature enables the razor to be placed on a flat surface while holding the cartridge head away from that surface.

Getting adjusted again

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.