3 Months Out

I apologize for not posting for a few weeks, but hey, now I have a lot to update about!

That's me cheesin' on the far left.

I had my LAST WIRE put in yesterday! That means that I'm only a month away from possibly getting my braces off!! The Doc said everything looked really good, a "Grand Slam" in his words. He also had me switch the locations of where I wear my rubber bands, are from my front teeth to the canines. I look a little less crazy now. While I was at the orthodontist office, they pulled up my before pictures and it blew my mind how bad my bite used to be (and my face lol). They told me when I get the braces off, they'll give me copies of all the before and after pictures so you can all laugh and point at the old me.

I'm pretty used to my smile and face now! All the swelling is gone and I'm loving how all my teeth fit together. Chewing is almost normal again. I've eaten tougher meats now, steak, shrimp, sausage and its gone pretty well! I'm eating chips now, which takes a little more effort, but its doable. I'm at the point where there's almost nothing I can't chew except for raw vegetables and nuts.

I have FULL feeling in my face (hallelujah). The only numbness or nerve tingles I still experience are when I'm brushing my teeth. My gums are still in the process of coming back so sometimes I brush a spot and it'll send tingles through my gums. That's fine with me though, I'll take numb gums over numb face any day. The stiffness is also slowly disappearing! I've been practicing whistling and I think its been helping. My lips now close and look relaxed without me having to force them. AND I can successfully do the duck face, so my selfies may once again be fabulous.

You bet I captured this masterpiece.

I hiked down to Havasupai falls (in the Grand Canyon) and my face was 100% fine. No throbbing, no pain issues, nothing! My friends and I hiked close to 30 miles total in 3 days. If nothing happened with that kind of exertion, I think I'm good now. Side note: If you're ever considering a big backpacking trip, I would HIGHLY recommend Havasupai Falls.

I went on a trip with my College Honors Program, and while I was getting to know everyone, I probably told my jaw surgery schpeel at least 20 different times. I have the short explanation on lock now. Other than when people ask me about it, I usually forget that I even had the surgery! Its so freeing, but now I'm just dying to get the braces off. I'm long over these yellow teeth too. The day after I get my braces off, I'm getting a deep clean and then whitening these bad boys. I can't believe I'm already at this point in the grand scheme of this whole process but I'm extremely excited for it to be over. :)