Quick Hello

Hey guys. Not a lot going on Ortho-wise so I thought I’d respond to a few of your comments.

Mary – you know, it is the small things, the getting back to “normal” things, that make me realize how far along in this whole process I’ve come. It seems like only a little while ago that the braces were first put on when, in reality, it’s been two and a half years already.

Kristen – yup, I still have a bit of numbness but it’s pretty much relegated to the left side of my lower lip and chin area. It’s weird too … I’ll be sitting there and then my lip and chin will feel like they’re jumping and jerking due to the nerves coming back. I keep looking in the mirror to make sure I’m not making any weird faces :) . The diet is getting better – lately I’ve been branching out a bit to various restaurants (Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que and a couple of Italian ones in the area). And it’s funny – I have absolutely no desire to hit the fast food drive-thru. Hopefully I can stick with that!

Aixa – Hey! I’m not sure on the time-line for the elastic bands … it could be that the Orthodontist will have me stop wearing them after my next appointment or I could wear them until I have the braces removed. The good thing is that I can take the elastic bands off when eating and then put them back on after brushing/flossing.

Mrs Shanton - :) It’s funny (now) but I could only find one or two pictures of me smiling pre-surgery. It’s not something I consciously thought about – I just developed a habit of not smiling when cameras were pointed in my direction. It feels good knowing there’s now a natural symmetry to the lower third of my face.

One last thing … If you haven’t done so already, please check out Brandy’s Blog . She underwent both upper and lower jaw surgery just over a week ago and is making a fantastic recovery.