Frizzworld

Yesterday, this part, which is made of some kind of composite plastic came off a bracket on one of my top front teeth. It was a bit wobbly at first and I couldn’t resist seeing just how wobbly, until it broke off. It’s just about the most visible place it could have happened and it doesn’t look too good as now there’s nothing hiding the metal top. I can’t see how it could be mended so the only option would be to replace the whole bracket… which is a bit worrying. OK and I might have had a toffee recently… but really it can’t just have been that.

I’m the number one search on google for braces bite turbos… but it doesn’t make them any better, they are still a pain, not literally you understand, they don’t actually hurt, but take this example; when I phoned the guy at the tax office he couldn’t understand the numbers I was reading out to him… I had to apologize and say I had a brace, but really it’s the bite turbos. And my tongue is forever rubbing them; I think it thinks it will wear them down. Sadly, it’s mistaken.

on 2006. So this is what I came up with for my year in 24 words:

Techno leap. Braces. Finally a digital camera. Bad wrist; no exercise. Bleak House continued. Film zombie. An answer? New ancestry. Berlin. More grounded. Friends.

Just rereading it now I could start adding to it, but on the whole I think it sums up my year. The techno leap refers to all the stuff I’ve had to learn for Frizz, which has been a step into the complete unknown. The braces, well they are now a part of me and I flaunt them gleefully, I’m not sure me a year ago would have believed that, I was still so reticent about getting them. A digital camera has just been a joy, but the bad wrist has not. Eight years of yoga slowly going down the drain, I can feel the whole way I move is different. Bleak House might be ‘over’, I don’t want to go there until it’s in writing, it would be such a relief though. Film zombie is a reference to the film festival where I outdid myself, I’m still too embarrassed to say exactly how many films I saw and I never did do a best of, but I’ll mention them as and when they come out. Even though it got a bit much at the end (as it always does) I had a great time. An answer, well that’s something personal and not for here, at least not right now. I discovered that one branch (or at least one branch) of my family came from Portugal way back when and I’m now in contact with at least five new relations, some of them as close as second cousins and some as distant as sixth cousins. I finally made it to Germany as an adult and was moved and home and alienated and met one of the new relations and I’m still getting my head around it all. I do feel more grounded and if I’d had space I would have added that I’m learning to trust my instincts more as well. And friends, because they are wonderful and keep me sane.

Yes, I still have the bite turbos – there is no consolation on this occasion in being right. I had a glimmer of hope when I persuaded the Ortho to test whether my teeth were actually touching them and of course one tooth was touching, I could even feel it before he put the blue paper between my teeth, which was enough for him to say they had to stay. Same wire with different kinks in it. Same elastics at the front. At the moment I have various sore bits, especially the front teeth, which need bringing forward. But all looking good. He asked me if I was enjoying it and I wouldn’t say enjoying is the right word, but it’s definitely interesting to see how things are changing and not having jaw ache and having better looking teeth is of course something to smile about, (sorry couldn’t resist).

Wire change tomorrow, I think everything has moved quite a lot, except for the deep bite, which doesn’t seem to change, so I think I’ll be keeping the bite turbos.

A Festival free post. A belated update on the braces and my last Ortho appointment. So I’m still lisping cos he almost took out the bite turbos, but then decided not too, such a tease. I have new wires which are made of different material which he can manipulate, so they both have bends in them at different places; on the top wire to bring my front teeth forward and on the bottom one to lift my back teeth up. Apparently my whole jaw is going to lift up which sounds dramatic. As usual though hardly any pain and I’m already back to eating most things. I did have one stopper (a separate piece of metal on the archwire) that was really rough and after a few hours had destroyed my gum, I resorted to drastic measures and got out a nail file, which actually worked. I’ve still got the elastic band to close the gap on my bottom front teeth, thankfully a nice new one, so absolutely no curries, well at least until just before my next appointment, the last one did get a bit yucky. He said it was all going well, he even showed me the photos he took before I started and there is quite a difference already. I’m now thinking the braces have become so much a part of me it will be strange not to have them, not that they are coming off anytime soon, but it’s just strange to be thinking that.

I had an Ortho appointment yesterday, two and a half months having whizzed by. I had both wires changed and an elastic band to close a gap that’s opened up between my bottom two front teeth. I resisted the elastic band to the point of saying that I didn’t mind the gap, but what do I know, the Ortho said it didn’t look good and it should go! I was relieved to discover that with my type of braces the elastics go behind the brackets, so its hardly noticeable or irritating, although the curry staining still applies – so no visits to Geeta’s. The wire is pretty thick now, but I’ve had less pain today than last time – except for the teeth with the elastic band that are very sore, on this occasion pain equals gain as the gap is already about half the size it was yesterday. He said it was all going well, and it’s really quite exciting to see all the changes. Disappointingly, the bite turbos are still there, at my last appointment he said he’d probably take them out when he saw me again, but having read other people’s stories about having them in for most of the time, I wasn’t holding out that much hope and he ended up saying he’d probably remove them next time. However, I did get an opportunity to say that I hated them, which I still do. I don’t know whether I didn’t notice yesterday or my teeth have just moved enough today to leave one of the end wires poking out for the first time (not bad for six months in) – not a pleasant experience and I think the Ortho might be seeing me rather sooner than he expects, for a bit of wire cutting.

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After a little pleading, I got an appointment with the Ortho. I now have a new piece of metal to show off. He banded my crown and attached the bracket to the band, literally a piece of metal surrounding my tooth. [N, more metal - a new circuit!] It was a little painful, but mostly because my gum was sore from having the loose bracket rubbing against it, now it’s fine. According to the Ortho the bracket came off, because at some point the force from the archwire would have been more than the force attaching the bracket to the tooth, which seems like I should have felt something, but I didn’t.

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Hey, I don’t know where the week went. I haven’t done that much and maybe that’s why I haven’t posted. Had my period with awful pain in just about every form there is… not fun.

Sitting in the garden, eating mango the way Ofer in Israel taught me how.

Cycling in the park, I got a little sunburnt… everyone out cycling, kids paddling, dogs barking, swans hissing… people eating and enjoying the blue sky and hot sun.

Taking lots of photo’s, loving the camera.

I have a loose bracket… on my crown, right at the back… not sure how they fix that. I think I get one bracket replaced for free, after that they charge, is a loose bracket, a broken bracket?

Big Love kinda creepy – in not a good way.

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Camera is ready and waiting, but the memory stick still hasn’t arrived, which is very very frustrating.

I have two of the biggest ulcers, one on either side of my mouth – ouch! No one could understand me today, it hurt too much to speak properly.

Started reading “The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss (I’ve never had so many people recommend a book) and am really enjoying it – thanks Kat.