My Braces are OFF! What a Transformation!

My braces are off and I'm in clear retainers for ... well, possibly forever, although after my first year or so, I get to wear them only at night. But ... right now I'm in them except for eating and swimming. That's fine, it's taking me a little bit to get used to it, but it's such a strange and wondrous thing, to have straight teeth. It's something I've never had in my adult life. Let me see if the photos I took actually are something worth showing. 

In this first photo, you can see how very crooked 
my bottom teeth were, and how crowded my 
top teeth were. I was very afraid that the recommendation 
would be to pull teeth, which I wouldn't allow. 
Fortunately, Doc thought he could work a 
miracle, and he did! 

In this first photo are the plaster casts they made of my teeth before they started doing any work. As you can see on the left, which is my bottom teeth, they were SUPER crooked. They bothered me a lot. I didn't smile as often as I should/could have. I was becoming very self-conscious. 

I'm not much for selfies, I really don't take a good 
photo. But, as you can see, my teeth are straight and 
aligned. It's such a shock to me. I've never had straight 
teeth - ever. 

This second photo, although the lighting isn't good, are my teeth now. You're seeing them through the clear retainers, but you get the idea. Nice and straight, aligned, so VERY wonderful. I'm thrilled. So, for the first week, I get to wear my retainers almost 24/7, but after that (and I'll probably extend a day or two longer) it'll be wearing the retainers only at night and I'll look like a "normal" person during the day. My next appointment is in November, then at four months, and finally at six months. That's the end of my paid appointments. Anything more than that will be charged. It's been a super life-changing experience, and if you're on the fence about doing this ... I regret NOTHING and I recommend it highly. 

I regret nothing about the decision to get something 
done about my teeth. And I definitely chose the proper 
orthodontist to accomplish that. What a change!!!

So, since I'm running super late today and my story just isn't coming together and is due tomorrow, I'm going to cut this short. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully much farther along on my story and ready to tackle the end of my week and a week ahead without Chickie. Oh, and Chickie and Chickie Mama were able to get their tickets to "The View". They're thrilled. It's not something I would have gone for, but if they're happy, I'm happy. Have an excellent Thursday - I'm off to the pool, and then ready for a hard workday ahead. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.