Ladies and Gentlemen… they’re off!

Friday morning I awoke early, slightly nervous yet very excited. I’d slept poorly Thursday night, due to a combination of too much lactose and an intense desire for Friday to arrive. It was. after all, the day I had been waiting for.

Let me take you back 2 years, 1 month and 28 days. The last ever day I was braces free with crooked teeth. I looked a little something like this:

On the crooked teeth scale, 7 is the level used to signify ‘severe over crowding’. I placed level 14 on that scale. I received 4 extractions and I discovered I was the proud owner of 7 wisdom teeth. I did not miss-type just then.. I literally have 7 wisdom teeth.

The next morning, September 3rd 2007 I set off to the Orthodontist, where a man named David Vautin proceeded to glue brackets onto my remaining teeth and then fit a wire and a plate. The result looked a little something like this:

The above photo was taken the day I got my braces on. After seeing this photo I decided there was no way I was smiling with my mouth open and so for the next 4 weeks remained quite firmly tight lipped and covered my mouth with my hand while talking. This got a little old, and by the end of the month I was smiling open mouthed:

This is me on the family holiday to Sydney. Still very crowded looking in there but boy were things straightening out. Looking back now, I realise the initial movement was very fast and obvious. Exactly one year later those teeth were starting to look good:

If you look closely, you can see my bands, which were my constant companions for about a year. When David finally told me I wouldn’t have to wear them anymore I nearly cried with relief. Not even kidding. They are a pain in the bum and you should pity anyone who has to wear them. Although I am glad I didn’t have to wear headgear. By the end of 2008 my mouth looked like this:

I was very comfortable now and had the strong belief that I suited braces. In fact I liked them. Well, I didn't like the pain and the cut up lips or pokey bits of wire but I liked the look of them. And so 2009 came bringing with it great expectations. This would be the year that the braces would be removed. I held great hopes for the month of March, as I was originally quoted 18 months. However, March came and went and by June the braces were still on. This distressed me a little as in June I played Dorothy in the school Musical ‘The Wiz’ and would have loved to have them off for this. It didn't happen:

Looking at this photo I realise my teeth were not straight. The frustrated rants (about how there was nothing wrong with my teeth anymore and the braces should be off) given to my friends during this month were.. lets face it, immature and not warranted. By late July I looked a little like this:

And finally, FINALLY, in early September David announced that the braces were coming off! Friday the 30th of October 2009, at 9am my braces were removed at a lovely, albeit slightly painful, appointment. This my friends, is the result we’ve all been waiting for:

Please excuse the hideous make up job – it was fluro bowling night at Youth and these are the only pictures I have at the moment… expect more. I’m a little proud of my new smile.

One last picture… my new cheesy grin!