I am now one month into wearing my new grill!  I am already seeing my teeth move which is equally weird and interesting, and will most likely be in these for 1 1/2 to 2 years.  

I spent over a year wearing my plastic splint 24/7, so learning how to eat and talk with it in was a challenge, and often my jaw got tired and sore from strained muscles.  It was like walking around with a plastic boat in my mouth for a year.  Though it was a great diet plan in the beginning!

Now that my jaw is re-aligned, it is now about a 1/2 inch forward from where if used to be, my bite is off in the back, so the braces will fix that, and when I'm done I should have a big beautiful new smile!  At least that's what my orthodontist says.  

Overall, though it's been expensive and painful, it has been really worth it.  Before treatment my jaw was popping all the time, even just talking, and would often get locked open or closed.  If I didn't move on it, I was facing surgery, which is less successful than the splint and braces.  My TMJ doctor seems to think it was caused by an injury, but it's been going on for  so long that I can recollect what might have caused it.  

While a debated a while on getting silver or gold, I went with silver, since I wear more silver, and pretty turquoise bands, which supposedly make my teeth look whiter, says our babysitter!  Clear wasn't an option, though I did think about it, but it's more expensive and doesn't work as well as metal, and I want it to work in the least amount of time possible!  

For now, I can eat most things, though I have had some tooth pain as they move around a bit, so no crunchy carrots.  I cut up most of my food like an infant, which in the end makes me eat less, which is ok!  Flossing takes me about a half an hour, but I'll get the hang of it.  And sometimes I just might chew with my mouth open so if no one wants to hang out with me over eating out for a while, I'll understand.  The kids make sure to always tell me if something is too crunchy for me to eat, and they decided that they'd like to get them too.  

Thankful to be fixing my bite, but fear there is not much to be done

for my eyes.....sigh......