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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Luckily I only needed braces for about a year…the rest of me was super awkward at the time, so the braces just added to it!
I had braces as a kid – TWICE! I absolutely hated it, but I know my teeth today look better for it. If only I could have been one of those lucky people with genetically predisposed perfect teeth!
When I had braces, back in middle school, I also had an expander at first. It’s job was to EXPAND my upper jaw by turning it so much every day. Now imagine having something on the roof of your mouth (like peanut butter?) and try to say the letter “E”. It was impossible! I couldn’t speak correctly for about 6 months. Also, at first I didn’t have anywhere for all of my saliva to go with all of this metal in my mouth. I specifically remember drooling all over a pre-algebra test one day. ARGH So glad it’s over!
I think Jessica Simpson has the best teeth!
I had braces in middle school. I don’t really remember any tramatic experiences with them. I do wish I had kept wearing my retainers though because my munchers have definitely moved! 🙁
I usually got orange and blue rubber bands before football games so they would match my cheer uniform!!
Do people from the Bachelor count as celebrities (duh, of course they do!) Emily Maynard has some sparkly white teeth and I would love to know if they are real!
I had them from 6th grade to 8th grade. I thought they were so cool when I got them but couldn’t wait to get them off! Glad I did before high school started. 🙂 Definately worth it though!
I think Jennifer Aniston has great teeth. 🙂 I’ve never had braces before. I have small teeth and always wished for bigger, whiter teeth.
ps. now I want fro-yo. 🙂
I actually had to have braces TWICE. I got them first when I was in fourth grade and then again in seventh grade. The first time wasn’t that bad, and I really don’t remember much about how it felt when I got them off. I was super anxious to get them off the second time because for the last sixth months of having braces, everytime I’d go to the orthodontist, he’d tell me I could get them off next time. I’d go into every appointment super excited only to find out that he would say next time again. When I finally I got them off after a little over two years, I remember it felt soooo weird when they were taken off. I felt like my gums were huge and my teeth were all slimey!
I got braces in middle school to correct slightly croocked teeth…until they realized one of my back teeth was backwards… I became an orthodontic experiment, as they tried many MANY ways of turning it (one being stringing a rubber band across to roof of my mouth so I had a sweet lisp) until they realized they couldn’t turn it and I would have to leave it backwards (you can’t even tell). Now I have a permanently loose tooth that may or may not eventually fall out due to weak roots. Thanks orthodonists!!! 🙂
Never had braces! Blessed for sure.
I love Bob Harpers teeth!
Luckily my experience with braces was pretty good. I only had to wear them for a year and I’ve loved my teeth since. It did feel amazing once those babies finally came off. My teeth felt so slimy and smooth!
I had braces years ago…I hated the headgear the WORST!!!!!!!!!! and the braces where you had the retainer with it that had a key to turn it in the roof of your mouth…AWFUL!!!! so glad to be done those days!!
And Im going to have to say Eva Longoria or Jen Aniston’s teeth are beautiful.
I had braces for 2 years in middle school. I was so excited to get them – thought they were so cool! hahaha. Although, when it was time to get them off, I was more then ready! I really wish I had kept my retainer, because 16 years later I am noticing that some of my teeth are starting to shift 🙁
I had braces forever! Thank goodness that part of my life is over. The worst was trying to floss. I think I might have flossed once a month it was such a pain. Yuck!
I had braces in high school from Sophomore to Senior year. I remember at the appointment when I got them off, all the technicians telling me how amazing my teeth looked, but wanting to cry because they looked so HUGE to me. They looked so expansive without braces! I also remember shopping around for an orthodontist. A number of them we visited wanted to pull out 4 of my teeth to “make more room”. Still gives me the creeps to think about pulling out 4 perfectly good teeth!
Halle Berry’s teeth are so amazing!
Sadly I had braces when I was a kid, didn’t wear my retainer afterwards and am now doing Invisalign. I love Invisalign now though!! It’s great. I’m also older and am paying for it myself… I think that’s enough motivation to wear my retainer.
Julia roberts hands down! And I did have braces when I was younger! But my bottom teeth slightly moved since then! Use those retainers!!!
I had HOT PINK braces from 7th-9th grade ( pink was and still is my favorite 🙂 ) and my teeth turned out lovely! getting them off in high school was the best feeling because I COULD SMILE AGAIN 🙂 Goodbye awkward braces smile..
First time posting on your blog Julie, but I just wanted to say that I absolutely LOVE reading your blog everyday! I’m 20 years old and really hope that my life in a couple of years looks a lot like yours! Full of a loving family and yummy food (I also am a lover of all things peanut butter and have a froyo addiction…) and awesome workouts. As for braces…I had them TWICE in 5 years! My pattern was retainer, braces, retainer, braces, retainer. So as you can imagine I know allllll about choosing the flavors for the mold of your mouth (raspberry and pina colada were my favorites!). I definitely used to color coordinate the colors of the holidays and seasons with the colors of my braces, I even had rainbow all across my mouth when there were no holidays that month! Although I went through a lot of pain with all of that metal in my mouth I wouldn’t change it for anything, I’m so proud of my smile now and it was totally worth it!!
I definitely wore colored bands on my CLEAR braces in middle school…doesn’t that defeat the purpose of clear?!?!
I know, I was so cool. 🙂
The worst was getting white rubber bands for the braces and then they would get STAINED after drinking orange juice or having spaghetti. Oh, my naive 13 year old self.
I think Eva Longoria has a beautiful smile / teeth!!!!!
I had braces for 5 years! 3rd grade- 8th. I never really minded them, but WOW did I love my teeth afterwards. I had a really messed up grill before. Let’s hope Baby D gets Hubbs’ teeth 🙂
I’ve never had braces, my parents should thank me huh!!
Best celebrity grill? Amy WInehouse! 😉 No really, I think Jessica Simpson has nice teeth.
I got braces at the very beginning of sixth grade when not everyone had them yet so I actually felt pretty cool. And I only had them for a year and half so I got them off when pretty much EVERYONE still had them, so then I got to be the cool person without braces. It totally worked out. 🙂
I looked like suchhh a dorkus with my braces! They were horribly painful but when I got them off my teeth looked awesome (well duh) but they felt so slimy! I wasn’t used to them being brace-less, so the smoothness irked me out.
My fav bands were def the glitter ones. and don’t forget the glow in the dark! My dentist told me yesterday he recommends invisalign. Guess two years of braces in middle school didn’t cut it. Wish your ortho was in TX!
I had my braces in middle school – talk about awkward town! I also loved to match my rubber bands to the holiday that was upcoming that month. My first colors were black and orange for Halloween. My mother was horrified!
I had the worst experience with braces! Basically when my baby teeth grew in, they grew in all different directions! It was horrible. So my dentist pulled almost all of my baby teeth. I believe I lost 5 naturally. I remember every two weeks going to the dentist to have up to 4 teeth pulled. I used to cry all the way to the dentist and my mom would bribe me with KFC (LOL). So I eventually had braces put in 2nd grade! It was so horrible. Some of the adult teeth weren’t in yet, so I would have spaces with no teeth with a wire across. I was SO SO happy when I had them removed in 4th grade. I also had spacers, rubber bands, retainers. Needless to say, I HATE going to the dentist now. But I have to say I do have great teeth! In my mom’s defense, she never saw a dentist until she was 18! Her teeth were crooked but she didn’t have the money for braces. So she said having straight teeth and I great smile were very important for her to give my brothers and me.
I had braces for five years (got them off as a Sophomore) and just finished up with an invisalign treatment a few months ago. My teeth had started to move and you better believe I wasn’t going to let those five years go to waste!
Never had braces but I think Kourtney Kardashian has very nice teeth!
So fantastic of you’re orthodontist to do this giveaway 🙂 Might be kind of a stereotype but I’ll have to go with Angelina Jolie because her teeth are so perfectly straight, but she kinda has an overbite which make them kinda more sexy or something…
I had braces from 5th grade to 8th grade and I always got purple and green bands…barney anyone??? I unfortunately, have a really small mouth and my teeth shifted literally a week after I got my braces off. One day when I have a big girl job I think I am going to try invisalign!
I think Blake Lively has great teeth!
No braces! I was always superjealous of how cool they were, how they got to change the color of their bands, how they could rock that head gear.
I think Jessica Biel’s smile is amazing.
After braces, I wore a retainer with 2 fake front teeth on it for about 3 years. So awful! But now, I’ve had the teeth permanently put it and you’d never tell they’re fake. I flash my smile any chance I get – so grateful for all doctors that worked on my mouth!
#1. I LOVE that the first thing you did after meeting with the orthodontist was fro-yo + coffee hahaha. I *always* make a Starbucks run after doctor’s appointments 🙂
#2…My Braces story… is awful lol. I got braces in 4th grade and had to have surgery because I guess I had two extra teeth somewhere in my gums surrounded by airbubbles so they weren’t growing in? So I had the surgery… and *woke up in the middle*. Yeah… anesthesiologist obviously failed. My mom still swears she heard me from the other end of the hospital… that being said, they couldn’t finish the surgery, i.e. pulling the teeth down into place, bc I was concious. The doctor also was so freaked out he refused to perform on me ever again – deal dude! I don’t want any more of your surgeries! lol so I had to wait for those teet to grow in before I could get my braces off… it took a total of 6 years but now I have beautifully straight teeth! 😀
Can I say I’m completely jealous of your sparkly retainer case?? haha it’s amazing!
Awesome giveaway! Bruno Mars has amazing teeth!
I had braces from about 7th-9th grade. I remeber distinctly getting them off the day before my first Homecoming dance! Verrryyyyy exciting. i actually never minded my braces because so many other people had them during middle school, and I love picking out new colors for my rubber bands.
Oh let me tell you…I had full braces, top and bottom, for 6 years. During that time I also had rubberbands, head gear (yes, head gear, I did not attend any sleepovers during that time!), a pallet expander, and some bar thingy under my tongue, I was basically a full-blown metal mouth. I remember before my first communion in second grade I decided to get white bands for my braces to match my pretty white dress…big mistake. See, in second grade I wasn’t too keen on brushing my teeth all the time like I am now, so my “white” bands were actually yellow and did not at all match my dress!! Thank goodness those years are long gone.
I’m so grateful to never have needed braces. (Before you hate me, I’ve worn glasses or contacts since I was six.) I just found out this morning that my six year old son will likely need them in a few years.
Hard to choose favorite celebrity teeth. Most of them have teeth that look a little too perfect.
Oh, gosh. My braces were probably the single worst experience of my life. I had them for five and a half years–from fifth grade until the middle of eleventh–and anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I had to have baby teeth pulled, three different oral surgeries, rubber bands, you name it.
It also didn’t help that my orthodontist was the single meanest person I’ve ever met. He was rude and insensitive to all of his patients, even when the procedures he was doing were painful and sometimes scary for those of us who were younger. The day I got my braces off was so happy for me precisely because I knew I would never walk back into his office again if I didn’t have to (and I haven’t–my retainer needed adjusting recently and I went to my sister’s orthodontist instead).
I’m so glad your experience was so positive! Nobody should suffer through that the way my cousins and I did.
I had Invisalign braces also a couple years ago. Thankfully I was able to do the “express” because my teeth just needed a litttle work, but boy when I was done with all my sets I was so happy! The most annoying part is having to brush your teeth in public bathrooms so you can put them back in and not being able to snack as much. But Invisalign is a wonderful thing. Everyone in my family has done them!
I agree with you . . . Carrie Underwood has great teeth!
Oooh, I have a good one… I had to wear HEADGEAR all throughout middle school! You know, the crazy wire contraption that goes around your entire head to pull your teeth back. Luckily, I only wore it at night, but my mom would always try to send me to sleepovers with it and I would get so embarrassed. Years later, I love my teeth and it was all worth it!
Because my mouth was pretty much a disaster, I had braces for about 6 years. When they finally came off, I got my retainer and went off to Italy. In one of the hotels we stayed in, the cleaning person threw out the retainer (I am assuming it was thrown out. No one would steal a thing like that!). By the time I got home, I had a huge gap between my front teeth and ended up with permanent braces behind my teeth. The things we do for beauty. 🙂
I remember getting bands that matched the holidays, like pink and red for valentine’s day and green and red for christmas. The worst was halloween though,,black and orange. I’m still not exactly sure what I was thinking!
I had braces for just over a year in junior high. I remember that I had my first ever “semi-formal” dance like a week after they were going to come off so I begged my mom to drive me to the orthodontist so I could personally beg on my hands and knees to move up my appt. so I could have nice pearly whites for my dance! Luckily my doctor agreed and I my mom still has a picture of me the day I got them off in her living room (now 15ish years later!)
I got my braces in COLLEGE, ugh! We couldn’t afford braces when I was little and then when I was in high school I was into sports and didn’t want to get them. I got them in the middle of college because I still had a baby tooth in my mouth, and the other tooth was having trouble coming in! Luckily, I was able to get my braces off a few months before my wedding and treated myself to a whitening treatment. Sadly, I haven’t kept up with retainers, but they are definitely looking better than they would have if I had never had braces!