speedvegan

Another banana dessert, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

With rum this time and vegan “dulce de leche” ice cream. Geoff will need to peel me off the floor soon !

My braces go everywhere with me, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

It’s cold in my office today and I’m in a lot of pain from Monday’s extraction. The combination is not pleasant. Wanted: pain killer, warm soup, warm bed, Geoffrey.

How I finally arrived at getting braces is complicated and unfortunate, like many things in my life. Everything works well in the end, though. That’s what keeps me generally hopeful and positive.

In a recent post, I explained what happened to my teeth and why I need braces. When I finally decided to take the plunge earlier this year, the first thing I did was schedule an appointment with my general dentist. He recommended an orthodontist. I decided to try him out even though his office is a good hike away from where I live. I set up an appointment and went in for my first consultation. First impression: that scary sort of infomercial “Is there anything else I can possibly sell you ?” type of attitude. He wanted me to have jaw surgery off the bat. His prices were through the roof and they did not take my insurance. His office, by the way, was built and decorated to look like a submarine with futuristic furniture and fishtanks encrusted into the walls and archways. Eerie. So, no, I decided not to go with this guy.

I searched my insurance provider directory for other orthodontists in my area and found a couple. The first one was an older man, obviously with a lot of experience, which I liked. I went to see him and got a very good impression right away. Unfortunately, the work I need was not covered by my insurance at the time, so I would have to pay the full fee, which was less aqua man’s prices, but still expensive. Around the same time, my company was having its annual open enrollment and I was sure our insurance would change. I decided to wait.

Our insurance did change. I first called the old guy’s office, but they didn’t even take my new insurance. So, I scheduled an appointment at The Dental Team. I am listing their name just in case someone reading this who lives in South Florida is having insane ideas about getting dental work done there. The first appointment was great and I got a good vibe from the orthodontist despite the fact that he looked younger than me. The price was right so I scheduled an appointment for my “records.” This is when they do x-rays and take impressions of your teeth for the doctor to study and create a treatment plan. I had to pay $350 for that. A week later I got a call back from the dental office saying the lab rejected the impressions and I needed to have them re-done. So I drove out there for another gooey goop session and they said they’d call me as soon as they heard from the lab. I am still waiting.

Weeks went by and I started to feel concerned. I’d been trying to get braces since January and it was now June. I called the dental office again and again only to hear their “If you’ve reached this message during work hours, please call back later” message. I managed to get through once only to get hung up on. I drove by their office during work hours, but found an empty, closed office. Then I got a letter from my insurance company saying The Dental Team wasn’t part of their plan anymore and I’d have to find a different orthodontist. That’s what I get for trying one of those “all in one dental mall” type places.

That did it. I looked for a real and well established orthodontist. I found one between my home and work. I scheduled a first consultation. I feared the prices would be outrageous when I arrived at the beautiful lobby. There was tea, coffee and other goodies at the front and the staff seemed happy and competent. I had some preliminary records done and then I met with the orthodontist. I was sold. He has more than 30 years and clearly knows what he is doing and talking about. The prices weren’t so bad either, considering the quality of the braces he uses not to mention the fact that he’s not fish crazy or likely to go out of business before my braces go on.

So four days later, I went back to his office for a shiny new pair of braces. I was there for about 2 hours. The girl who did most of the work was very nice and walked me through everything she was doing to my teeth. First, she cleaned them. Then, she applied some kind of liquid to help the brackets stick better. It tasted like nail polish remover. She then stuck brackets on most of my teeth with glue that tasted nasty as well. The orthodontist came by a few times to check her work and do some minor adjustments. Then she applied the plasma light and there was no going back. The only problem was that my bite, being too deep, was causing my upper teeth to hit the lower brackets. So they applied something so the back of my eye teeth to stop me from biting down all the way. It protects the brackets (yay !), but prevents me from chewing (no !). The orthodontist also filed some of my teeth which was painful on the lower ones. On my way out, I got a water bottle full of goodies which has come in very handy.

My first week with braces was a nightmare. The first day was not so bad. The next three days were torturous. My entire head hurt. Flossing wasn’t just arduous. It was bloody painful ! If it wasn’t for dental wax I would have jumped in front of a car by now. By Friday I was feeling much better. My teeth felt a bit loose but it only lasted a few days.

I was feeling much better. Then yesterday I had one of my top right molars pulled. This will make room for all the other teeth to go where they are supposed to. It’s disturbing to give up a perfectly healthy tooth, but at this point I am prepared for anything. The extraction was fine. I hurt a bit afterwards but I feel fine today. I am still eating soft foods. I haven’t been posting a lot of food pictures because I’m basically eating repeats. I eat soup, mashed potatoes and smoothies. I’ve gone out to dinner a few times and have had Thai and Ethiopian. The Massaman curry is good because it has potatoes, sometimes avocado and I can get it with steamed tofu with is easy to mash. The Ethiopian food was soft and delicious. So I have no complaints about food so far. We’ll see how I feel after a few more weeks.

Well, that is all for now. I will post more after my first adjustment which is on July 8th or if there’s anything exciting to report on the braces front between now and then. I’m hoping not.

Potato Leek Soup, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

2 tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1 – 2 leeks, thinly sliced
6 – 8 russet potatoes, cubed
2 cups veggie stock
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup soy milk
2 tsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Melt margarine in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Cook leeks until tender.

2. Add potatoes, veggie stock and water. Cook for 20 minutes.

3. Pour half of soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to the pan. Add soy milk, time, salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes.

4. Serve while it’s hot and enjoy with crusty bead or saltines.

Lychee martini, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Geoff’s favorite cocktail at Sublime is the Lychee Martini. He orders it just about each time we go there for dinner. He finally tracked down and bought the special liqueur used in it. I made him a poor version of the real thing while he was working on the garden this weekend. Hopefully with time I will get better at it.

Chai bananas, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

With mocha almond fudge vegan ice cream. Geoff made this for me today. We got the recipe from 28 cooks. Soft food diets are hard but with Geoffrey around, it’s a breeze.

Friday – 32 min run
Saturday – rest
Sunday – 2 hr, 20 min bike ride
Monday – 32 min run
Tuesday – 50 min spin class
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – 44 min run

I go to work…, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Bleh.

First dinner with braces, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

It turns out that I won’t be able to eat anything I have to “bite” for the next few months. My back molars don’t touch right now. So tonight I’m having soup and so is Geoffrey for moral support. I have a feeling I’m going to have A LOT of soup during the next few months. I better start looking for creative recipes.

Zee braces !, originally uploaded by speedvegan.

Geoff will take a better picture later…