Not much to say

Hey everyone!

I have been making a lot less videos and blog posts the past while as everything has sort of slowed down. The surgery is still far enough away that I don't really feel like its happening. I have to admit I'm sort of forgetting about it which might not be the best thing when the time comes.

Right now I have two teeth at the front that just touch if I push my bottom jaw to the left and as far back as it will go, its a really gross feeling since my teeth haven't touched in years. Feels like they're going to grind each other down or something. Other than that I don't notice any huge changes in my teeth. My jaw does make a horrible cracking noise every time I yawn. I've been really careful not to open it too wide when taking or eating and it's helped me avoid a lot of headaches.

Classes are over now and I have exams in a couple weeks so I feel nice and relaxed just staying home preparing for those. I have to admit I don't feel like Terra since having the braces on, I feel like i'm stuck in this in between time where I sort of don't try my best to look my best because the braces are always right there. Although I like my face to some extent i'm very excited for this surgery. My nose is very narrow and because my top jaw is further back, whenever I force my lips closed, it pulls the tip of my nose downward. I would loveeee for my nose to turn up a little and maybe even widen out a bit.

I had a dream last night that I was in this hospital that looked really old and I was talking to a surgeon who was going to do my jaw surgery. This surgeon wasn't my actual surgeon Dr C, so it was just weird.

Oh heres some news!! We got another dog!
For those of you who don't know this, I love love dogs. I have a really big heart when it comes to animals, part of the reason for my vegan ways. None of my dogs were purchased in pet stores, they were all in need of homes because other families didn't want them anymore. The new dog is 8 months old and hes a shih tzu X coton, he is very hyper compared to my other two who are 10 years old. His name is Bowser and the woman who had him was going to take him to an animal shelter, and no little dog deserves that.

My other two are Tommy and Pookie. Tommy is a shih tzu, we got him at 7 weeks old when someone we knew bought him as a christmas present for her kids and then they didn't want him anymore after a couple days. Tommy is my baby, he's 10 now and I can't imagine my life without this dog. Pookie came about 4 years ago, and was probably about 6 years old at the time. He has lived with two different families and was sent to a shelter both times. He is a miniature shih tzu and is possibly the cutest dog in the universe. He is a fur ball!!! He has become good friends with Tommy and they play together all the time

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Dear World, I now have a very slight but visible underbite

You just weren't kidding when you said expect changes. I can't even imagine where my teeth will be in another few months, let alone in 8 months when I'll be surgery ready!!!

I've been having a very difficult and challenging month so I haven't been as jaw obsessed as I have become this past year because life is just crazy sometimes. I posted a while ago about how my bite no longer appeared as open in the front as it had when I first got the braces put on and that seems to be because my class III malocclusion is now becoming apparent. When I run my finger across my front teeth I can feel my bottom teeth are much more forward than the top, and with my tongue I can only feel the edge of my top teeth when I close my mouth. I'm starting to look like a witch!

 

Since my bottom jaw is more prominent than my top I notice that the bones of my top jaw are really far back compared to my teeth which have been compensated over the years. This could be why my nose looks so damn big from the side! I just hope that resolves, at least slightly!

We did the warrior dash last weekend, its a 5km obstacle race, with a lot of hills!!! I can run 5km like nothing but running up and down steep hills the whole time was a challenge. I'm going to try to get a decent time in 2 years when I am fully recovered and breathing through my nose like a normal person!

I can't remember if there is anything elseeee hmmmmm
Oh yes!! the horrible archwire!!! so on the bottom left my archwire is sticking out about half a centimetre or more and my cheek keeps latching onto it. It really hurts!!! I still have a month until my next adjustment so if it gets any worse I'm going to call them and ask if I can come in and have it snipped. Also, my bottom tooth that was sideways is almost straight now, it looks so nice lined up with all its friends :)

We have almost made contact?

I'm very confused lol. My decompensating bite has decided to stop opening more and start closing up. My bite opened a lot over the first two months in braces and now it has started to at least appear like its closing. I'm not exactly sure whats going on here. My teeth all look much straighter, I'm really happy with it.

A little update on my wisdom teeth
The holes have started to close very nicely. My right side is hardly a hole anymore and the left side is still noticeable but I'm not really losing food in them anymore which is a relief! I also notice that the jaw bone on the top seems to be receding where I had the top wisdom teeth pulled. All in all I'm starting to think that maybe these changes in my jaw bone from having the teeth out are causing my bite to sit differently. It's not bad though, at least it doesn't look as bad and my chin is less stressed than what it was.

I have a lot of messages I need to respond to regarding jaw surgery but its been a busy few weeks. I have a stats test tomorrow and my last stats assignment due soon on hypotheses testing and estimation. Its also been really nice in Toronto and we've been spending a lot of days driving out to the beach and enjoying the short lived summer we get here.

Tongue thrusting
Its improving, I have taken some tips from some great videos I've watched on Meghans blog and I notice that my tongue is slowly getting stronger and resting more naturally where it should. I also am much more aware of when I start thrusting and I stop myself. I usually notice the pressure I put on my teeth which I used to ignore.

Life with braces
I've gotten a lot of comments on my videos from people who are going to get braces asking what its like having braces in your 20's. At first I didn't really mind them, then I didn't really notice them. Now though, they are that horrible thing you don't notice is there until you want to  bite into a sandwich, or you catch yourself in some reflective object. They aren't horrible, but I don't feel like myself. Besides having a stupid open bite and a class III malocclusion, I've always had people comment on how much they like my smile, it was like that thing I had going for me I guess. I still smile just as much, except now I feel like a 12 year old and I don't get those comments anymore. I think a lot of people are hesitant to ask about braces, only a couple people I know have taken notice of them and asked about it, other than that I think a lot of people wonder but don't ask. I don't really care because I know its temporary and I really want to have jaw surgery so the braces will just have to work themselves into my look for the next year or so. Although I do miss being able to eat in public with no worries.

These are some pictures from Canada day, we went to Cobourg which is about an hour away from Toronto, off of Lake Ontario, they were having lots of Canada Days festivities.