After working through the morning (lots of research for a freelance piece!), I was more than ready for a break.
My break came at 1 p.m., as I headed out the door to College Park Orthodontics to check in with my orthodontist to make sure everything was looking okay with my teeth following my treatment with Invisalign.
I wanted to have new retainers made before we move to Ocala, so I booked an appointment and was really looking forward to seeing my orthodontist again. I love her!
My orthodontist got married about a year before me, so I loved visiting her and chatting about everything wedding related during my Invisalign treatment. Then, a couple of months ago, she had a beautiful baby boy. She emailed me pictures and showed me more today and he is the cutest little guy!
My appointment went really well and I will have brand spankin’ new retainers in less than two weeks… in “passion pink.” Yes, I got to pick the color. And yes, I’m 26-years-old and picking the colors of my retainers and the flavors of the gooey stuff they put in your mouth to take the impressions for retainers still excites me.
If you happen to live in Orlando and are in need of a fantastic orthodontist, I highly recommend Dr. Williams. She has degrees from Boston College, Harvard and the University of Florida and is all-around awesome. She’s also offering a promo right now: If you sign up for Invisalign treatment with her before August 1, you get a $50 gift card to Whole Foods or Sports Authority. Sweet deal, huh?
She also offered to do a little giveaway on the blog!
Two readers will receive their choice of one $50 gift card to Whole Foods or Sports Authority, courtesy of College Park Orthodontics.
To enter this giveaway, simply comment on this post in one of two ways:
- Tell me about your experience with braces. How amazing it felt when you got your braces off, how you looked like a total toolbag in junior high because you picked neon rubber bands… Share!
or
- Tell me which celebrity you think has the best teeth. My vote is for Carrie Underwood.
I will randomly select two winners tomorrow afternoon.
Lunch
Lunch today was enjoyed en route to the orthodontist. I ate a quesadilla with apple slices and Canadian bacon in the car, so no photo was snapped.
I did snap a photo of dessert though!
After my orthodontist appointment, I stopped by a fro yo place and enjoyed a cup of white chocolate mousse, espresso, triple chocolate and Butterbeer frozen yogurt (can’t WAIT for Harry Potter tomorrow!!!) topped with peanut M&Ms, Golden Grahams, Butterfinger crumbles, yogurt pretzels, cookie dough, cheesecake and brownie bits.
The whole thing was resting in my belly within two minutes of me digging in.
And now I’m blogging away in Starbucks where I plan to spend the remainder of my afternoon.
A realtor has been showing our apartment to prospective tenants this whole week and I had to get out of there. The realtor doesn’t have a key, so I’ve had to be there for every showing and today I finally told her I’d hide her a key because I feel like I’m lying by omission as potential tenants come in and I don’t say anything about the mice. She understands how bad the situation is and I can’t believe they’re trying to rent it out when the problem is so immense.
You better believe I am asking EVERY homeowner about a history of mice before we move in somewhere in Ocala!
And I’m off!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway! 
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I never had braces, so the celebrity with the best teeth?? HMMMMMM……. *serious thinking cap* kate bekinsdale!!
I never had braces, fortunately, but I still need some dental work done. My good friend is in dental school and I swear I’ll follow her around the world to get dental care! haha
Oh gosh what dental work HAVEN’T I needed? I’ve had root canals, teeth pulled, a bridge (fake front teeth) because I knocked out my two front teeth at 3, braces for 5 years. And most recently I apparently need gum surgery as I “have the gums of a 70-year-old.” Lovely.
Did anyone else match their rubber bands to holidays? Best and worst idea ever all at the same time!
I had an expander for two years, then braces for two and a half. I can’t decide which was worse- the expander gave me the biggest gap between my two front teeth, and the braces were, well, braces! But the payoff was huge- now i always get compliments on my teeth 🙂
I had braces for two years, but I actually loved the way they brightened up my eyes. It was like jewelry for my face 🙂
I love Britney Spears’ teeth!
I did the braces thing w the expander, too – and it was awful, but SO worth it in the end! There’s nothing better than a great smile! 🙂
that is so funny because I recently started wearing my retainer! I got my braces off over 10 years ago and have been noticing my teeth moving lol!
Before braces I had something called an “expander” because my jaw was so small. HORRIBLE! It basically broke my jaw and moved it out. I had a huge gap in between my two front teeth and to this day I have a lisp because of it.
Braces are horrible, but I LOVE my teeth now. I just wish I had kept up with wearing my retainer!
I was lucky and only had braces for a year in 7th/8th grade. It was the last step in years of teeth issues that involved surgeries, permanent retainers, etc. My poor parents shelled out so much money for my teeth to look nice. Also, I’m soo jealous that your orthodontisit has flavored impression stuff! Mine only had one kind and it tasted like chalk.
Angelina Jolie has perfect teeth (and perfect everything). She probably has veneers- I think everyone in Hollywood does!
zac efron has good teeth!
I never had braces but i had some very strange “appliances” to fix a major gap between my two front teeth and a nasty overbite. One of the retainers had a spot where you had to tighten it weekly, and the other one fit on the top and then had a place to slip your bottom teeth into. basically you had to learn to talk with your moth closed! it was ridiculous. that is what i get for having an oral surgeon as a grandfather!! all his orthodotic and dentist buddies used to like to experiment on my sister and I. the good news is, they both worked (somehow!!).
I had porcelain braces in middle school, and to this day I can’t eat cheetos or doritos because of how badly they stained my clear braces when I was an adolescent. Scarred for life! 🙂
I had braces when I was 14 and I always used to get colored bands, especially our school colors b/c I was 14 and a dork. 😉
Then, to my dismay, I had to get braces on AGAIN, right before my senior year of HS! I was not a happy camper. That time around I got the clear braces, so boring white bands for a year.
I do have to say now that it was ALL worth it though. I love these pearly whites! 🙂
I had an “appliance” for two years (sounds similar to an expander?) followed by a retainer for two years, followed by braces. The torture finally ended when I was 13. For some reason I always loved my retainers though, I thought they made me look pretty?!?
I had braces for a year and a half, and it wasn’t TOO bad. It was incredible when they came off though! I remember always picking my band color according to the holiday/season…stylish! 🙂
Oh my gosh, this post hits home because I just started wearing my bottom retainer again! I’ve always had one tooth that sticks out a little, even though I had braces, and it’s always bothered me. Two months ago, I FINALLY went back to the orthho, where they fixed my retainer and told me to wear it 24/7 for six weeks. I hated wearing it again, but now I’m done done done and my tooth looks better. Woohoo!!
I never had braces…but the thought makes me think of a girl at my school who JUST got her braces off and then she had a mishap with the gymnasium doors. As she was pulling forward there was a person on the other side pushing which resulted in her losing her two front teeth!
Agreed on Carrie Underwood. She’s got my vote for the best chompers!
I was lucky to only have braces for a year. The worst part was the mouth guard I had to wear at night for the first few months. That thing was AWFUL! I used to wear it to my neighbors to watch TV at night, apparently I had no shame!
I had mine from 7-9th grade. Hated every moment of them but am soo grateful my parents pushed us into it, I can’t even imagine what I would look like without them!!
I did try the colored bands but hated those because they changed color by the next time you went, so I just stuck with the gray–which I think look better anyway.
What a wonderful day it was when they came off!!
I am one of those people that had braces TWICE! I love everything teeth though! I am 23 & married and still wear my retainers EVERY night!!
Braces wasn’t terribly traumatizing, but I’m getting my wisdom teeth take out in a few weeks and I’m scared!
Im gonna have to agree about Carrie underwood! Such beautiful teeth
I’m hoping to get braces, next year, but we’ll see how that goes. I think the celebrity with the nicest teeth is Reese Witherspoon.
i had braces for about a year and i remember when i got them off i thought my teeth looked huge! i was so embarrassed at first but then after a while i thought they looked pretty good 🙂 i used to wear my retainers…not anymore! i officially have no idea where they are!
I had my braces 5th-6th grade, but I still wear my retainers (I’m on my third set) two to three nights a week. My husband hates it, but my teeth are still perfectly straight 🙂
i think angelina jolie has pretty teeth…but she has a good mouth area in general haha
I had braces in middle school & I remember how my teeth felt so slimy & weird when I got them off.
I had braces for about 8 months in 8th grade — not too bad 🙂 I threw out my retainer somewhere along the way — I’d love to get a new one as I’ve seen some shifting!
And celeb? I’d have to go with Julia Roberts, you can’t beat that smile.
Oh my gosh (about the mice thing)! I almost feel like you should hang a sign in your kitchen or something that says, “we have a mouse problem don’t rent this house.” I have a neighbor whose apartment has a mold problem, and they have a sign that warns potential renters hanging in their window. I have no clue if that is legal. But I feel like what the house owner is doing can’t be legal either!!
I was lucky to get my braces off before high school. There were even a few months where I had glasses and braces together, ah!
I have invisalign right now! I had braces when I was younger but stopped wearing my retainer and one tooth became out of line again and I hated it! I’m almost done too – I have my follow up appointment tomorrow and hopefully I’ll just have to wear a retainer at night now instead of all day! YAY!
I had braces for a year and a half, and while I don’t regret if for a second (now!) at the time they definitely made life a little more awkward during my already awkward adolescent years! As far a teeth go, I’ve always thought that Britney Spears had a nice set of teeth, but when it comes to Hollywood I find it hard to believe that any of their teeth are completely natural!
I had braces in high school, honestly I didn’t mind them. Only had them for like 2 years, if that. I always got colors to match my school, especially when we had track & CC meets..I had to show off my school pride- HAHA 😀 Worst part is that our colors were GREEN & ORANGE. Ew! Looked like I always had stuff stuck in my teeth…the things I did for school spirit 😉
i had braces on when i was 10 and off by 12. made my awkward years a lot more awkward but 12 years later i’m still very happy with my straight pearly whites : )
Love love your blog!
I don’t have braces but I definitely have a story… I had yet to lose all my baby teeth as I was entering my sophomore year in high school. My mom made an appointment for me and unfortunately it was in the same month that my beloved grandfather was dying. I didn’t want to go after spending a day sitting by his bedside but my mom assured me it would be okay. So I went. My mom warned everyone that I had been through a lot and to go easy on me. They went to take my baby tooth out and I spent 45 with general anesthesia because the dentist broke my tooth and couldn’t get the root out. (mind you: GA wears out like every 20 minutes so I felt a lot of this until my crying became too much). When all done, I was swollen, black and blue, on one whole side of my face with 5 stitches in my mouth. The dentist then took me and my mom into his office and told me that I “definitely needed braces, probably for many years. You can expect to go to prom in them as well as graduate HS and maybe college”. I was hysterical crying. I never thought my smile was that horrible!!! My mom screamed and cursed out the dentist in Italian before rushing me out. I was brought to my best friends house were I collapsed in her bed and cried about how “jacked” up my teeth were. Mind you, my teeth were perfectly straight and I just had one space were the baby tooth had been taken out !!!!!! TWO WORDS: BUTT.. HEADD. I refused to go to the doctor for the next 5 years. I finally went last thanksgiving after suffering from gum problems. Two days before Christmas I had all four molars taken out in an emergency surgery. FML. Hopefully nothing else traumatic is in store for me and my mouth. I am Still terrified of the dentist but have serious dreams of going back and getting Invisalign like you. I couldn’t imagine graduating college with braces or even be a student-teacher with metal braces(Those 3rd graders are brutal and I don’t want to give them any more fuel). Therefore, I am going to be like you and wait for my perfect smile 🙂
I was actually an adult when I got braces. I got them a few months before I turned 20. At first I was hesitant to get them as an adult but I am so glad I did! I was always self conscious about my teeth growing up but my parent’s health insurance didn’t cover orthodontics and money was too tight to swing it. As an adult it was one of my first big purchases on my own. I got my braces off a year and a half later right before my Christmas trip to Hawaii. My teeth were so straight and beautiful in all my Hawaii pictures! It felt great to be a metal free adult 🙂
I NEVER had braces!!! I always wanted them though, and even pushed on one of my teeth until I wiggled it loose before it was ready hoping that would make me need braces (I don’t know where the logic was in that one)…anyways…I think that the celeb with the best teeth is Kate Beckinsale. It’s hard to choose though! I fee like almost all celebs have great teeth!
I’ve always thought Tom Cruise had the best teeth. I can’t stop staring at them. 🙂
I got braces in 4th grade, so at the point, they were pretty cool, especially when you got to choose your rubber band colors 🙂 Now that I’m a junior high teacher, I feel so bad for all my students who are in so much pain from their braces!
I had an expander in third grade and then braces for 4 years including part of high school. Not fun, but worth it I guess. I never wear my retainer anymore but I have noticed my teeth shifting pretty badly so I have to start wearing it again.
I hated having braces but I do remember wanting a retainer when I was little and pretending that one of those squeeze-it tops was a retainer. Did anyone else do that or were my friends and I just really weird?
I never had braces in middle school or high school. I think Gwenyth Paltrow has a good smile, but honestly celebrities have so much money that they all have pretty good teeth.
I had braces for 4 years, but had some kind of orthadonture in my mouth for about 10. I had to do the whole head gear thing, butterfly (OMG, painful), 8 teeth pulled and so on. When I finally got my braces off right before my senior year of high school i was beyond excited. I wish I would remember this more often and would actually wear my retainer ever night like im supposed to!!
I had a huge gap in my two front teeth and was always teased for it. In high school, I finally got braces! I didn’t mind them at all, but when they removed them I got more compliments on my smile than ever before!
I have had my braces off for over 7 years now and STILL wear my retainer at night, every night! I love my teeth and want them to stay the way they are forever!
Ughhh I hated my braces in high school. I felt so awkward and totally insecure about it. When they came off, I was so flipping excited!
I was the perfect patient when I had braces. That may have something to do with me having them between 18-20. I appreciated them so much and they radically changed my life. I had no idea how much I subconsciously DID NOT smile because I was embarrassed of my teeth. I thank my parents for them often. And, I am probably the only 26 year old that still wears her retainer a couple nights a week to keep them straight. They cost TOO MUCH not to maintain.
Taylor Lautner definitely has the best celeb teeth… although that’s a bias answer as I am a HUGE Twilight fan!!!!
Halle Berry has gorgeous teeth! I loved having braces and love flossing. And love going to the dentist. Not typical, I know 🙂
Getting my braces off in junior high school was the BEST feeling! I remember how smooth and strange they felt with all that wire finally gone. It’s been over ten years and I still faithfully wear my retainer once a week…never want those puppies on again!