Brace Face

I'm not technically new to the whole braces scene, but then again I am. 

Throughout my life I have had braces for about five years total.  So you could say I have had over my fair share of braces, which I would agree with you.  This time it is different though.  I got these on by choice and they are leading up to jaw surgery. I'm not sure how many of you have noticed but I have an open bite. Meaning my front teeth don't close when my back teeth are touching.  This was caused by my jaw joint flattening.  Let's just say that isn't the most comfortable feeling in the world. So that is why I am a almost 20 year old with a brace face.

I remembered a lot of the discomfort and inconveniences that come with having braces, but remembering them is a lot different than experiencing them.  My lips look puffy all the time now and the inside of my mouth is all scraped and raw from rubbing on the metal.  The pain from the teeth being moved is the thing that is the easiest for me to handle.  It does make me laugh though when eating an apple that is cut into bite sized pieces is my proud feat of the day though.  I have eaten a lot of soft foods this week, mashed potatoes were definitely the highlight. Oh and my favorite thing is when people (my mom and lovely roommates) tell me I look 5 years younger.  *Joy I look like I'm in Jr. High again when I'm actually a sophomore in college*

Braces have changed my life in a few different ways that kind of make me laugh.  For instance, the amount of time I spend brushing my teeth has probably tripled, I don't know how long the little timer they gave me is but I always take longer than it. Instead of brushing my teeth 2 or 3 times a day like I use to I now brush my teeth closer to 5 times a day. Which means I spend about 25 minutes just brushing my teeth a day.  This does not include flossing, which is a lovely event, or applying wax so the braces don't rip apart my mouth while I'm sleeping.  My getting ready for bed ritual now takes a very long time. I have made a system where I floss the upper teeth in the morning and lower teeth at night which is nice so that I don't have to do it all at the same time. The eating habits aren't that hard for me to handle.  But I do rinse out my mouth with water several times after every time I eat. 

Well I am officially a brace face for about 14 month.

A Month Gone By

So I know it's pretty pathetic that a whole month has gone by since I have been on here and updated.  I'm a busy woman what can I say?  And this last month has been quite a crazy one. Since it is hard to sum everything up I think I will just make a list, and try to keep it in chronological order. But I make no guarantees.  :)

• Trained my replacement at work
• Got a bone scan
• Had my last day of work
• Enjoyed the High School Homecoming scene vicariously by doing hair, going shopping, taking pictures, and co-hosting a dinner
• I sent off my dearest Alane to New Mexico
• Moved back to Rexburg
• Started my 3rd semester at BYU-I
• Started the tradition of Bread Night. (it's been a success)
• I've been social every weekend!
• Painted my roommates, literally
• Put a purple streak in my hair
• Started to plan a wedding (no my own but my roommates)
• Went home for Conference weekend
• Took Tracy and Brad's engagement pictures
• Got braces (yes I am on my third round of braces, it's a long story)

Well that's my last month in a nutshell I guess. Hope you enjoyed.