Professional Behavior

My building did our semi-annual bowling thing this past Sunday.

I was goofing off and bowling for someone who wasn't there and doing way better when I bowled for him than for myself.  So I started saying, "Fucking Chandler."
(There weren't any kids within earshot.)

But one of my co-workers said, "You crack me up!  You're so PC at work, but so different here."

I couldn't even respond to that I was so dumbfounded.

Of course, I'm different at work.  And I'm not PC - I'm professional.  Do 20 and 30 somethings really not understand that you are supposed to behave in a professional manner when you're at work?

It's also different for the company I used to work for before we got sold.  Our upper management behaved worse than any construction worker I've dealt with.  They'd throw things and cuss all the time.  The excuse I kept hearing was, "That's the automotive business for you."  Well, Sparky, we're a software company, not a car business.

To me, if you can't communicate without cussing, then you should go back to high school or take a college course on Effective Communication.  And you most certainly should behave differently in the work environment than you do at home.

So where did I learn how to behave properly?  My parents?  Mentors?  Teachers? Co-workers?  I'm thinking yes to all of the above.

Photo Progress

I’ll add a photo every 2 weeks.

Above is before aligners.

Above is after 2 weeks of aligners.

Above is after 4 weeks of aligners.

Above 3 are after Step 5 - 9 1/2 weeks of aligners.

Side by side pre aligners and after step 5.  Tiny changes.  :-)

Doesn't look like much changed between these 2 photos.  But I definitely have more space between my teeth in the back.  I can floss now without the string getting stuck.

Candid Co. Step 3

Step 3 aligners are in!  See boring video below.

Step 2 I had to file down the top aligner on the right outside.  You can use an Emory board for that using circular motion.  It seemed like it took forever.  But it was catching the inside of my mouth until I filed it down.

Step 3 was wooo! Tight at first, but I’m already pretty used to them being in after only maybe 30 minutes.  Don’t get me wrong, they still feel like jeans that are at least 1 size too small, but they aren’t painful.

I miss chewing gum.  So far that’s the only thing I’ve missed.  Everything else I’ve eaten or drank before I can do with the aligners.  So when I want gum, I grab a chewy and run that back and forth through my mouth a few times.

I can really tell my bite has changed.  Which is good because I can’t really see a difference in my teeth.  I forgot to take a photo before I put these in, so it’ll be another 2 weeks (possibly) before I do another photo.  I haven’t put the before and after of Step 1 together yet.

Candid Co. Video Call

My video call with my consultant went great!

I had a little connection issue, so she finished it up by calling me.

USE YOUR CHEWIES!!  You cannot over use these things.  They help alleviate pain and get the blood flowing.

Also, the whitener should be done twice a day, not 4 times.  I could have sworn I saw it up to 4 times, but I had dropped it down to just twice.  But she did say twice a day.

By the end of your 2nd week you should be able to remove your aligners with your tongue.  If it's still tight, they will suggest you wear them for another week - possibly 2.  If in doubt, take a photo of your mouth with the torture device thing to spread your mouth open.  Send that to Candid, then call them immediately.

Their customer service is amazingly strong.  Everyone I've talked to has been fantastic!

This is a medical procedure.  She told me that several times.

I may take 2 aspirin before I go to bed.  The discomfort is nothing like the pain I had the first few days of Step 1.

Very happy!  I told someone at work today that when you take your aligners off even just to eat, it's like taking your bra off when you get home from work.  :-)

Candid Co. Aligners Step 2

Hurray!  On to my next set of aligners.

I took a few photos, but I’ll put them in another blog that will show the photos after each step.

GET AN ELECTRIC TOOTHBRUSH!!!  Your gums will love you for it.