Thanks! Temporary soreness aside, I think she's enjoying this much more than she expected.

Thanks for the ideas, domreuter!

I hadn't considered the idea of leaving the braces on for retention. That's a very interesting thought that's worth exploring.

My current plan is to order at least one set of Hawleys (possibly two) and one set of Essix for her, once her active treatment is complete. Her orthodontist doesn't care at all for fixed/bonded retainers, and uses them extremely rarely.

Interestingly, we met some friends at a pub last night. They were on their way to a concert at a nearby venue. A friend of our friends was there, a VERY attractive woman of 31 with upper ceramic braces and metal lower. She's scheduled to have them removed in just about two weeks, but mentioned that she'd worn them an extra several months simply because she wasn't 100% satisfied with the alignment and leveling when her ortho suggested removal. So possibly Carrie could go down a similar path with her own braces, and keep them a bit longer.

Carrie is also pushing back her April appointment, which will buy us a little more time. She's definitely interested in extending her treatment time, mentioning it frequently. And overall, we're having a very fine time!

Do you have a chair to play with? Giver her a check up with an assistant to “help”

Haha, in fact we do have a chair!

that's cool. sounds like a step more 'acceptance' than most people would ever achieve from their SO.

In about an hour, it will be exactly one year since Carrie got her braces. The year has been an incredible experience and a tremendous amount of fun (at least for me). The year has certainly flown by, though I've tried to enjoy it as much as I possibly could. I think I've done a pretty good job documenting it, too, between the YouTube videos and the Flickr albums.

We were originally going to celebrate today at home, but a very close friend invited us to her "first BBQ of Spring" party, and we're going to that. We'll push off the "Brace-iversary" celebrations until tomorrow. Plans include making at least one video, some time in the dental chair, and of course lots of sex. What better way to celebrate a momentous event?

I did get her a little gift for the occasion, which has already appeared in a Flickr pic: a cool new pair of sunglasses from Warby Parker. I'm not sure which she likes more, sunglasses from Warby or shoes from Johnston & Murphy! But springtime calls for a new pair of shades.

nice to have treatment extended - at least for you!  I remember trying to talk my wife into keeping the on longer, but she did not want to be in them any longer than she had to.  I was kind of bummed when she got them off.  The follow up visits I've gone to with her for the retainers are just not as fun as the ones when the braces were on. 

Great vids. They seem to be geared to the norms out there. Old love to see her talk about it from a fetish perspective or the wife of a fetishist. Had having them changed her feelings etc?

Thanks a lot to both of you for the new vids. It is sad for me to hear that Carrie has hurt her lips, because this simply has been the reason for my message last June, where I recommended a mouthguard as a good protection against such injuries. May Carrie never have this problem again!