Although still attached to the wire with the elastic, my bracket on my lower, left canine is clearly no longer in the right place.

My curious tongue just kept trying to check it out and it seemed like there was space at the top of the bracket between the base and my tooth.

I brushed my teeth and, yes, somehow, some space has appeared.

Then yesterday, I noticed my tooth kind of felt sensitive when I was brushing my teeth.  There wasn’t anything I could do about it, though as it was a holiday. 

Today, it is feeling the same as yesterday.  It’s sensitive, but not to the point I’m concerned.  I took a look at it, and it appears to only be debonded closer to the top of my tooth (not the root).  Maybe it will be a quick fix?

I called 3M’s Incognito Specialist to see if I should call my doctor.  The thing is, I already have an appointment booked for Thursday, so I was hoping it would be okay to wait until then.  She said I should definitely call him, so I will!

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to think about how this could have possibly happened.  I first noticed it during my lunch on Saturday, which was a chicken sandwich.  I wouldn’t say it was the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had, but it certainly wasn’t something I thought would remove a bracket.

I asked 3M’s Incognito Specialist if it could have been my meal, and she said she hears about it all the time that something seemingly soft has caused a bracket to debond.  She said what most likely happened was that it was fractured by something hard in the past, and that biting down on the sandwich was the final straw for that bond.

Regardless of when and how it happened, I feel awful.  I really liked knowing that I didn’t debond any brackets during my treatment!  I guess I’ll find out what how bad it is on Thursday, if not before, depending on what the doctor says when I call.

Wish me luck!!

**Update**
It’s officially debonded.  I.  Feel.  Awful.  Off to the ortho!

I’ll be smiling poolside all day with my Incognito Braces!  What are you up to?

By the end of the day, I expect I’ll be extremely white in some places, and completely red in others.  Thanks mom and dad for the genetic gift of patriotic skin!

Don’t worry – I’ll wear sunscreen…and I’ll do it all again tomorrow as it’s a holiday!!

She's the youngest and showing us all up! Way to go, Jensen!!! We're so proud of you.

It was taken right before I got my visible, metal braces off.  I look horrendous.  It is by far the worst picture I have of myself and I told my mom that if I ever get married, she is NOT to put that picture into any sort of slide show.  You know what that means?!  She’s going to put it in the slide show, isn’t she?

Anyway, today, I went to see my youngest sister graduate from grade eight.  I’m wearing my Incognito Braces for this one, so no one knows they’re on!  Jensen desperately needs her braces.  She’s going to get Clarity ADVANCED Ceramic Braces, not Incognito Braces, but she’s also 14.  I think if she was 18 and getting braces, she’d be pushing for Incognito Hidden Braces more.  It sounds like she’ll get them on this summer.

I came to the graduation to watch Jensen get her diploma and then have some cake with the family, but that is not what happened.  Instead of politely clapping as Jensen received her certificate with the rest of the kids, she ended up winning five awards, some for top marks in classes and some for leadership, so she was up on stage, and my family was giving standing ovations, constantly! 

I’m so proud of her.  There were 77 grade 8 grads, and my sister’s #1!

My French costume for my volunteer role in the race. Stereotypical, I know, yet easily identifiable. As an aside, I don't recommend eating a baguette with Incognito Braces (it's too hard/crusty on the wires and brackets, and bread in general just gets stuck between the brackets).

Usually, I would sign up to be on a team, but I had to volunteer last year as I had a broken foot, and I actually really enjoyed helping!  Today, I’m in charge of the food competition.

When competitors get to the food station, they receive a plate with a delicious crepe on it, some strawberries and some cream.  Then, the volunteers ask trivia about the country they’re in (France).  If the team gets the answer right, nothing is added to the crepe.  However, if they get it wrong, they receive a special new topping on the crepe. 

The new toppings for incorrect answers weren’t too bad, though: Candy, chips, mustard and jalapeno peppers.  Most people had a guy on their team with an iron stomach who could down the crepe quickly.  It went over quite well!

As I waited for Jaz to arrive, there was pretty much no one by the gate...and yet a couple stood right in front of me so I could no longer watch the door. I thought it was absolutely hilarious!

This is the third Canadian course we’ve held this year which is very important to all patients as Incognito Hidden Braces require continual education for the best results.  It’s great to see Canadian doctors are so keen to learn!

Today, the speaker is Dr. Adam Schulhof, an orthodontist from New Jersey and New York City who is well-known across North America and internationally as a lingual braces guru.  He’s a fabulous speaker and knows the Incognito Appliance System inside and out.

3M is also hosting our new Western Canada trainer, Jazmine.  She will be available to help with initial bonding appointments and office efficiency when doctors are learning how to incorporate Incognito Braces into their offices.  She’s fabulous!

I spoke a bit about marketing in a two-hour treatment coordinator meeting held simultaneously. I honestly didn’t have any issues speaking with my Incognito Braces.  My tongue wasn’t sore and I was able to speak confidently at night with doctors.  I’m guessing the longer they’re on, the more accustomed I’m getting to them.  Then again, I only spoke for one of the two hours which I’m sure helped.

If you’re from an orthodontic office in Canada, and you’re thinking about attending a course, check out some great upcoming courses here.  Also, be sure to ask your rep about having a trainer like Jazmine in your office.

Jaz and Jacqui - this is the only pic I have of just the two of us as we explored Toronto by night. Not my best look...we had taken a few, but I look like I got sick of smiling or something!

My niece, Mia! She's a week old in this pic. Sorry, Mia! You do look like I did...which means you may have braces once or twice in your life.

Instead of doing sight-seeing and such, this is purely a family trip!!  I can’t wait to see everyone and spend some time with my new niece.  The problem is….a weekend’s way too short!  As soon as we get there, we’ll have to turn around and go home.

It’s already 5 a.m. and I’m ready to go.  The things I pack for a road trip with Incognito Braces include water (to rinse out my mouth), toothpicks (to remove food from my brackets), travel toothbrush and toothpaste (for those truck stop washrooms) and mints (because 9 hours is a long time).

*Update*
So my 9-hour drive turned into an 11-hour drive.  I took a nice detour through New Jersey, though, when I missed an exit (way too much traffic to get through) and saw my fair share of accidents.  I also met Mia – she’s adorable!!  She’s so much thinner than Matteo was at her age (he had really chunky legs and hers are lanky).  She’s a bit of a princess, but she’ll be spoiled as she’s the first girl in five generations for her dad’s family.  That’s crazy!  I come from a family of 10 kids, so there are 4 boys and 6 girls in my generation alone.   

*Update #2*
I’m back in Canada!  To pass time on the drive, we watched for different states on licence plates.  We found 29 states…and 4 Canadian provinces….and 2 US government plates…and one military vehicle without a plate at all.  It makes me smile that we were so dedicated to it the entire drive!

I wish I could have been there to help my sister, but I’ll get there soon enough!  I’ll send pics as soon as I get some.

Can you see that my wire no longer extends to the back molar here? We're fixing it today!

Today I stopped in to see my Incognito Hidden Braces orthodontist, and I really had an appointment (unlike last Tuesday).

I thought I’d be getting a wire change, but he said I will get my upper wire changed next time.  I’m not in any rush to get my braces off; why rush perfection?!  Plus, I love showing people my Incognito Braces.

I ended up moving down a wire on my lowers to engage that back molar on the left side. I’m not sure if you saw, but I somehow broke my wire. Thank goodness my doctor kept my wire when he took it out last time!  

There’s not a whole lot to share this time.  I’m looking forward to my next wire change, though!  It’s going to be bikini weather soon, and it’s always helpful on my waistline when I have difficulty biting into foods.  Next appointment’s in July!

My broken, lower wire is coming out and I'm getting my previous wire put back in. Hoping to align that molar.

Scrumptious strawberry tarts 'cause I can't host a meeting without bringing in something delicious!

Selfishly, I decided to bake a few dozen strawberry tarts for an iMarketing Session I’m hosting tomorrow at work.  I say selfishly as a) I love strawberries and b) I have Incognito Hidden Braces on my teeth and I need to pick something I can eat (no pecan tarts for me!).

If you haven’t tried these tarts before, they’re a must.  They contain fresh strawberries, some sugar and strawberry gelatine…some cornstarch…and that’s about it!  My sister helped me make them and they turned out quite well.  Make sure you let the crusts cool completely before filling them or they’ll get soggy!!

I’m all set now…and will be back next Thursday for my real appointment.   Fortunately, I live really close by, so I have wasted approximately 10 minutes of my day.  Could have been worse!

Oops! Wrong day! No ortho appointment...must go back to work.