My latest obsession is finally settled...

So, just in case you didn't know, I had braces for 2 years and 5 months. I had REALLY crooked teeth. And just as an interesting trivia fact, I have no adult lower front first incisors. (Crazy long name, right?) The doctors were all VERY interested in my teeth. (They actually took pictures. That is never comforting...) When I finally got my braces off, the doctors told me, "Have a nice life... oh, and get your wisdom teeth out next summer." Well, "next" summer is now last summer, and I still haven't followed their orders. Fortunately, I only have 3 wisdom teeth. But they have decided to come in. I was hoping they'd just be a memory as little white blobs way down in my jaw on x-rays, but no such luck.

But then I happened to be looking over one of our herb remedy books (yeah, we're health nuts...) and noticed a calcium remedy. "Children with crowded teeth who must get wisdom teeth removed are deficient in Calcium." What?!? I'm deficient in Calcium? It's THAT easy? I went through 2 years and 5 months of braces for $5000 when all I needed was Calcium? *major sigh*

Now I'm taking Calcium. And hoping that at almost 18, I'm not too old for my jaw to get just a little bigger. But whatever happens, I'm NOT getting my wisdom teeth removed... *shudder*

~Lizzie

Inconvenient vanity.

I got my braces off a little more than two years ago (wow, doesn't seem that long) and I went to the dentist with my newly straightened pearly whites only to have him mention "Now with a little whitening treatment..." Yeah. His sales pitch almost worked. I mean, no way could I afford his "one hour" treatment that was guaranteed to make my teeth blindingly white. But after that I was no longer satisfied. Who wants to have wonderful straight teeth (after two and a half years of pain getting them) and only have everyone notice that they're not-so-perfectly white? I got whitening toothpaste, I brushed with hydrogen peroxide and used a whitening mouth wash. Then I finally caved and spent $20 on a box of white-strips. And yes, even as I'm typing I'm wearing those little pieces of plastic that are guaranteed to make my teeth blindingly white... for a year. And then you need another box. It wouldn't be so bad they were at least comfortable. But they slide all around, the "gel" (which feels like goo) seems to get everywhere BUT on my teeth, and I have to wear them over and over... for the rest of my life? Yet, after having this conversation with myself again and again, here I am, frozen with my tongue in an awkward position, finally having the strips plastered to my teeth in the proper position, waiting for my 30 minutes to be up so I can go throw the strips out, rinse, and examine my teeth for any signs of hygienic whiteness.

~Lizzie