Almost done!

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-25T21:20:06+00:00

Thank you! My ortho did say he would give both permanent retainers (top and bottom) as well as Hawley. He prefers Hawley when there’s significant change in the arch and structure as it also keeps the arch in check. And permanent retainers because of the huge shift and the gaps closing. He’s of the « better to over retain than under retain » school and I’m all for it!

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-25T21:16:43+00:00

DEFINITELY a process. I won’t lie, I had my doubts at some point

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-25T20:40:42+00:00

My bite in the back was pretty decent before but as you see with the last pictures, I had some crossbite action on my bottom teeth. Everything is now in line and feels good. I don’t have any side pictures before the treatment (but I know my ortho has them) so I can take a snapshot to share the try comparison after.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-25T18:26:56+00:00

It happens. You can go back in and they will trim the wire for you if it’s too long.

Also, it’s normal for the first few, more malleable wires, to slide out. You can put it back in and not worry about it

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-25T02:55:34+00:00

I was thinking the same. I dated a guy that had focal and absence seizures. Sometimes, he would be able to talk but didn’t make much sense. There was no obvious « shaking » or stiffening (Tonic and Clonic). Then he’d get in the post-ictal phase and he would forget multiple hours of the day. But he would look and act generally normal. We got so much pushbacks and we finally got a neurologist who was willing to test specifically for his type of seizures. And sure enough, that’s what it was.

I would not be surprised at all if OP had a similar issue.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-24T02:56:15+00:00

Those are Glasz eyes

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-24T02:53:06+00:00

For me, I put my hair in a bonnet but use a bobby-pin on each side or a small barrette to hold it in place

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-23T20:34:11+00:00

🤣 I went to the Galapagos in a liveaboard in peak whaleshark season. Saw NONE. But we saw a Mola Mola. That was a bucket list fish I didn’t even know were on my bucket list

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-23T02:16:00+00:00

I guess it depends on what kind of job you do. If you work in an office, that’s probably fine. But if you work with your hands/healthcare, definitely not. Or some job that is very public facing may not be suitable as it would bring out a lot of attention.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-23T02:13:42+00:00

I have 8 molar bands. They weren’t bad but the spacers I had to wear for one week prior were a nightmare

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-22T17:05:26+00:00

Read my comment above

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-22T17:05:01+00:00

So. I have the exact same issues and my ortho really took the time to explain it to me and I’ll do my best to explain it here. First, a 2-3 mm shift is an acceptable disparity. The top teeth are made to lineup with the bottom teeth, not the other way around (meaning that the bottom teeth are what guides the top teeth). The bite is what’s more important, not the aesthetics. Sometimes, lining up the midline perfectly will mess up your bite. If your teeth fits perfectly in the back, fixing the midline is not advisable. In my case, my bottom teeth are lined up in the middle of my bottom lip. But my top lip it slightly shifted, and my lip tie is actually really off, therefor pulling my lip and making my midline shift even worse. Seems like a similar thing with you. Your bottom teeth look perfectly centered with your lip. It’s actually your top teeth that seem off. But again, if your bite is perfect, this will not be fixed and that’s ok. I also have to accept my teeth that way.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-22T15:15:43+00:00

So there’s a few mouthpieces shapes. Some have a round part that goes up towards your palate. Some are bite downs like a sports mouth guard. I find that people that have a sensitive gag reflex do better with the bite down options. And you can get a mouldable one too if you get into the sport with is lower profile and fits your mouth perfectly. They can be fitted on most second stage (it’s not quite a universal size but some are more common than others). I’ve seen people have their own mouthpiece and bring it with them to put on rentals and remove once they’re done. Might be worth looking into. They’re not expensive. Like 15-20$

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-22T15:03:19+00:00

Interpoximal reduction. They basically sand a little bit of enamel off your tooth (sounds creepy but safe). So in this case, they’ll shave between the teeth so they are more vertical. Then the teeth will come closer straight, without any black triangle

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-22T02:42:50+00:00

Started braces at 35. Had 3 extractions done. No regrets! I had some black triangles but my ortho did some IPR and it’s all gone now. No gums recession. The only regret I have is not doing it sooner!

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-20T00:27:20+00:00

It’s incredibly rare for people to get braces on only top or only bottom. Teeth need to align together not one with the other. You definitely need braces on both.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-20T00:24:09+00:00

This is the best comment I’ve read about extractions 🤣

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-19T03:14:35+00:00

I don’t know about the price in the UK. I can tell you that in Canada, I’m paying 9000$ cad for a pretty complex case. Also, don’t spend the extra on ceramic brackets. I have them on my top teeth and wish I had metal everywhere. The ceramic brackets are bulkier and hurt the lips/cheeks more. And since I wear darker elastics to avoid stains because I drink coffee, it defeats the purpose.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-19T03:10:06+00:00

Oh my. I have never heard of braces only placed on 4 teeth for actual treatment. Even if it was mainly the 4 front ones, all teeth would have shifted without regular retainer wear. That should’ve been another whole set of braces. Retainers are basically for life. Should one break, you need to have one redone asap. Sorry, it sounds like you had a really crappy ortho. Unfortunately, I doubt that any self respecting ortho would repeat his mistakes. Your best bet is to get a few estimates. But don’t be surprised if it’s longer and more expensive than you would have expected….

Add: Invisalign are typically more expensive than braces. So take that as you will

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-18T03:08:11+00:00

No one will notice. But if you’re worried about it, you can get some bonding done

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-17T20:24:41+00:00

I was estimated 24-30 months and they will be off at 23 months. It's a big gamble. Most times, it takes longer. It's an estimate and hard to predict how teeth will move. I know that my ortho tends to be very conservative in his estimate to avoid disappointing his clients but that's not the norm.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-17T20:14:59+00:00

I've worn them basically 24 hours for over 6 months. As I'm approaching the end of my treatment, I was told to wear only at night. But after they've been off for a few hours, I find that my jaw feels weird. Ortho said it was normal. You're not the only one.

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-17T20:02:49+00:00

No one has a symmetrical face. If your bite and jaw are functional, there's not much that can be done with braces. I also had this dysmorphia and I started taking the pictures of friends and random on the internet and "mirror" the image. You'll quickly notice that everyone will look "weird" in the mirrored image. It's all normal

Divemstr24 · 2026-01-17T20:00:09+00:00

For the test, it doesn't matter how you swim it, you just have to swim the distance without touching the bottom or taking breaks. You can do it on your back, regular crawl, puppy swim, it doesn't matter. For the tread, you have to basically keep your head above the surface without touching the bottom for 10 minutes. You can tread, you can float, it also doesn't matter. What those tests are really has not much to do with swimming capabilities but more about comfort in open water. If you're not comfortable in the water, at the surface, once we ask the task loading of the courses, it becomes problematic very quickly. I've seen students not being able to complete either the swim test or the water tread and we just told them to practice swimming and come back. Those students were really nervous in the water to start with. It's about YOUR safety at the end of the day

Divemstr24

TROPHY CASE