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! 
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Britney Spears has good teeth/nice smile !
I had the herps device and a palette expander with my braces…..it was the worst!!! I always had pink and blue rubber bands though
I actually got lucky and my teeth came in straight on their own, so I never wore braces or anything. I tried to “fake” needing a retainer because my older (and much cooler cousin) had a pink glittery one and I wanted one too!! Turns out, you can’t fake needing a retainer. Oh well! I love Jessica Biel’s teeth! Great smile.
I had such a horrible experience with braces! All the “cool kids” had theirs in middle school, but i didn’t get mine til high school. I have some horrrrible Homecoming pictures to remember those days by…
I want to win!!! Here’s my braces story: Back in the 4th grade I really wanted braces like my bff. She had hot pink and blue and I wanted them SOOO bad. Well I got them, and they sucked, and they were painful and I had to wear a gadget up in the roof of my mouth. One holiday season I decided to get green and red (upon further review they were actually maroon and forest green). So mamasita dropped me off at the orthodontist and I had them strap on some flashy holiday hues. When my mom came to pick me up she was horrified because our next stop was olin mills (Family Christmas Photo!!!). I really don’t see what the big deal was, I mean I was wearing a vest and turtleneck combo with ceramic earing and giant hair….the braces were hardly the most unattractive accessory. And karma got you for making fun of me and my retainer…braceface! xox
I had braces for four years. From from the end of 5th grade to the middle of 9th grade I think. I had top and bottom. And yes, I was one of those people that had the rubber bands to match the holidays. Orange and Black. Green and Red. Red, white and blue. I rarely did clear because they just looked dirty after awhile. So if I wasn’t holiday color cordinated I was rockin hot pink and purple!!!!!!!! It felt AWESOME to finally get them off!!! I ate corn on the cob, super sticky taffy and anything else I wasn’t suppose to eat for the last 4 years. That was a great day!!
I remember thinking when I first got braces (age 11) that they were so cool! My orthodontist told me they would be off in 2 years. After 1 1/2 years, my orthodontist decided he wanted to retire and sail the world with his family. The new orthodontist comes in and says I can’t get them off for 3 more years! I had them on for a total of 5 1/2 years. Needless to say, I don’t like orthodontists.
Ooooh BRACES. I wanted them SO bad and was thrilled when my dentist said I was a candidate.. although I had semi straight teeth. So .. I got my wish. My braces. 6th grade. They were scheduled to be taken off in January of 8th grade… When they were taken off.. my teeth looked HORRIBLE. My smile was so narrow.. like my two front teeth and then straight back. So back on the braces went. Now I hated them.. because it wasn’t cool anymore. So I was at the ortho every 2 weeks.. getting my bands changed to have them off by 8th grade graduation.
Needless to say.. the rapid repositioning of my teeth meant they shifted A LOT after I got them off (because I didn’t wear my retainer)
i had braces for 5 years!!! i had them halfway through high school. i had to wear rubber bands and i would always color coordinate the color of my braces for the holiday (green/red for christmas, orange/black for halloween…yikes). unfortunately i havent worn my retainer in years so now my front teeth are a little crooked.
I had braces when I was about 14 and got glow in the dark rubber band on them. They were great until the first time you at spaghetti or pizza and they turned orange!!! 😛
I’m so happy having had braces. Everyone had them back then so I want thee only brace face. I used to have teeth that staggered and my dad used to joke about how I could be a vampire for halloween without a costume…and actually, every time I laughed, my lip would get stuck on my vampire tooth, so talk about being grateful for braces…. Lol
I had orthodontic work done from 5th grade until 10th grade. Head gear and all! It was horrible. For some reason i thought it was a cute idea to match my bands on my braces to the holidays. Um… orange and black rands on your teeth is not cute at all! And green for St. Pattys day? What was I thinking!!
I think Britney Spears has beautiful teeth and an amazing smile. She even managed to look fierce with a shaved head!
jennifer anniston!
I had braces in middle school and when I got them off my teeth felt so weird! Like all slimey. I was still SOOO happy to have them off though!
Ugh I first had to have a palate expander before my braces – talk about painful! I lost my retainer and have had a few teeth shift so I really need to get invisalign I just hate impressions 🙁 so I don’t wanna go to get that done – I’m such a 27 year old baby
I was in college when I finally got my braces off and coudn’t stop running my tongue over my SMOOTH teeth. My mouth felt huge, but it was great.
I had braces not once, but TWICE! I first had braces put on while still in elementary school and I still had a few baby teeth left. My teeth were falling out with braces on them! My biggest nightmare happened in high school when my orthodontist decided that I needed braces AGAIN as a freshman. Super awkward. I was devastated but went with it, headgear and all. 🙂 At this point the pink and green elastics I loved so much as a child had lost their luster so it was silver all the way. At the end of my junior year I got my braces off and it was the best feeling in the world. In hindsight it was a blessing to have had them on twice because it really made my smile beautiful. I get compliments all the time on how straight my teeth are, all thanks to the braces…twice!
I had braces for 4.5 awful years!!! GUH-ROSS!! UGh but now my teeth are purty
Braces were kind-of cool in middle school…only because everyone had them. However, I HATED headgear. I wore it only at night and it was horrible. So glad to be done, and have my teeth look damn good 🙂
I am a very new reader but I love this blog! I had to laugh to myself when reading this post. When you asked about “our experience with braces” again I just had to laugh. I got my braces the second week of my freshman year of high school. I said to the dr, “will I have these off by my prom (junior year)” he said “yes for sure.” Well junior prom came and went, then my sister was getting married in Feb. of my senior year in high school. I asked him the summer before “will I have them off by my sisters wedding” he said “yes for sure.” Well the wedding came and went and I still had them on. Then it was time to go to college, I gave up with the “will I have them off by…” question and said, what will I do when I go to college. He said when do you leave, I said end of Aug, he said can you come back in 2 weeks to get them off? Needless to say it was a LONG 4 years but it worked out because I think i have a nice smile to show for it! 🙂
Ohhh braces… Why did I ever think a mouth full of mental, blue rubber bands, and pain was cool?! Thank goodness for the straight smile afterwards to make it all worth it! 🙂
Halle Berry and Lea Michele both have great smiles!
I just had a retainer. I remember being so stoked to pick the colors too, Julie! Mine was shiny blue and had dolphin stickers in it! I actually always *wanted* braces because all the older kids I thought were SO COOL had them, but I never got them.
Aw man, I always wanted braces but my orthodontist never said I needed them (I would majahly disagree). If only I lived 250 miles North of here, I would totes go see your doc! Does she recommend any ortho’s in Miami??
I would give my right kidney for Jessica Biel’s teeth. And entire body.
I had metal braces back in middle school, but thank goodness I had them early! I actually thought I was cool…nerd 😉
I also had invisalign! I always wanted *real* braces in middle school so I kind of felt robbed of that experience haha. So lame.
I think Sophia Bush has amazing teeth. Whenever I watch One Tree Hill, I get distracted by them. I want her smile! 🙂
Congrats on your new retainers! Pink would be my color choice too! Don’t feel bad about your age and orthodontics! I am going to be 32 in November and I just had braces (the ugly metal kind!!!) put on in March! I won’t get them off until I am 34!!!
But, I keep telling myself, it will all be worth it when it’s over! (I hope 😉
Teeth…hmmm, I say Julia Roberts too!!!
I had braces for a long time. Probably about three years in total but I honestly can’t remember how long. The worst part were the rubberbands! I always had to remove them and replace them at each meal which was gross and a total pain if I lost them. Ugh, I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about that anymore!
I also did invisalign last year! I had a pretty short time with them- only about 7 months. It wasn’t too bad and I love the results now 🙂
I had a full set of braces on when I started high school and would literally cry every time I went to the orthodontist I hated them so much. Getting them removed was one of the best days of my life and I am so thankful for them now!! I still wear my top and bottom retainers every night (almost 12 years later!) and of course I picked sparkly glitter ones 🙂
I had braces for ten freaking years! And that was AFTER I had jaw surgery where they broke my jaw and then wired it shut for three weeks. Talk about miserable. I remember the day I finally got my braces off for the last time. I was a senior in high school and went to take my senior pictures that day. I don’t think I had ever felt more beautiful.
I had braces from when I was a junior in high school to the spring of my freshman year of college it was so embarrassing! I think Heide Klum has a beautiful smile and as far as guys go I love Ryan Reynolds big goofy grin!
I’ve never had braces but I’d like to get invisalign once I’m done with grad school. I think Jessica Simpson has great teeth (and smile!)!
I had braces back in middle school and it wasn’t really so bad. However, because I stopped wearing my retainer way early in the game, my dentist today says that I need to get braces again! In the words of snooki: Waaaahhh!
I’m really curious about invisalign. Was it painful? I’m sure it was pretty expensive though, right?
I really wanted braces cuz my lower teeth were crooked but sadly we couldn’t afford them. I should think about invisalign I guess….
The slick feel of my teeth was amazing when I got my braces off junior year of high school. I had to wear them for two and a half years! Yuck!
I had braces for a few years in middle school and they gave me horrible migraines! I also had to wear head gear at night (it was bright pink too!) and it was really uncomfortable. My friends and I would change our rubber bands on our braces for the season (red and green at Christmas? Yes please!) and I remember changing to crimson and gray for our high school’s rivalry football game. What nerds!
I love Natalie Portman’s teeth and smile!!
While my braces experience was nothing noteworthy – my headgear experiences are lengthy and embarrassing. Quickest way to make an already nerdy 13 year old into a ‘super nerd’? Give her headgear 🙂
I am sure glad I feel confident about my smile now, becuase I definately didn’t back then!
if you have had braces already is invisalign frowned upon?
I had braces during middle school when everyone also had them, so it wasn’t awkward or anything. My friends and I would coordinate which colored bands we would get around our brackets haha. I got my braces off and being the rebellious teenager I was, never wore my retainer. Thus, ten years later, at 23, and thanks to my family switching dental insurance and my new insurance company not realizing I had braces before (shhh), I got invisalign, and I LOVE IT. I have three more trays left and then am home free.
I had braces from 8th grade to my senior year! That equals forever!! sad thing is i’m not even totally happy with my teeth and I lost my retainer like 4 yrs ago. I have been thinking of doing invasalign. any comments about it?…I always picked pink rubber bands or clear ones as i got older and even had to walk down to get my diploma in braces they didn’t get off until a month after i graduated. I didn’t exactly have the best orthodontist and then last minute he quit and I got a new one…so i was more then thrilled to get them off and couldn’t stop smiling when i did!!
I never had to experience braces. I do agree with you that Carrie Underwood has great teeth!
Ugh, braces. I had them in grade 3 (full with headgear!!!!) and then again in grade 9 for my “phase 2”. As soon as I got my braces off I felt far more confident, and like I could actually SMILE. Not just a regular “ha ha ha” kind of smile, but a true, happy smile. Sounds so cheesy, but going through high school with braces and having an already difficult time discovering who you are was insanely hard. As soon as I got off I ate all of the bad foods I wasn’t supposed to (but did occasionally) eat: nuts, popcorn, bagels (was anyone else not allowed to eat bagels?!), gum, etc.
I had braces for two years in middle school. I was cool and got glow in the dark bands every time. I thought that it would be cool and my teeth would glow…instead I just scared alot of people….sigh
PS- Jessica Biel would have been my choice for best teeth!
I chose to have BLACK as the wonderful color for my braces… needless to say, my mouth always looked dirty! I made the “kissy/duck” face for every picture during those 15 months.
Haha my tooth experience was crazy. I started with spacers in 2nd grade and had different contraptions in my mouth until 6th grade when I got braces on. Those braces didn’t come off until my sophomore year of high school. It was such a weird feeling, but now I have beautiful teeth! (especially since my mom got me a professional teeth whitening when I got my braces off…you can imagine how bad they looked after being covered with metal for 6 years!)
Jessica Alba has the best teeth!! I had braces for two years in middle school and it was awful, although my mom always got me a milkshake when I got them tightened 🙂
Gee, i’ve never had braces, but then i’m not out of high school yet, so we’ll see. But i do know i would get them in blue. As for celebrities- it’s like all of ’em have great teeth (bummer). I guess i would choose Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Selena Gomez, or Taylor Swift. I’ll go for Selena. But one celeb who’s smile is like the rest of ours(or used to be)? Miley Cyrus. She does not win the I- Can- Confidently- Show-My-Dazzling-Smile-On-Tv-So Random-People-Can-Vote-On-It-For-A-Gift-Card Award. Just sayin’.
I had braces for 4 years from 7-11th grade and they were clear. It wasn’t as bad as the metal ones. I LOVED THEM! Mostly I love when they tightened my braces and my gums felt numb. Ugh… Even to this day when I put on my retainer after a while away from it and it feels tight and it hurts, I LOVE it! I’m in dental school right now which probably explains why I’m this obsessed and weird.
Celebrities all have veneers now so smiles are fake, lol.