I had an orthodontist appointment mid-morning. Normally, I would rush back to work after an appointment, but I decided to take the day off.

Like most mornings, I started off with a smoothie.

Had I known what excruciating pain I’d go through in the next hour or so, I would have mixed in some pain meds. Unfortunately, I didn’t know better.

I thought to myself, What could possibly be more wonderful than getting my braces off? Let me tell you – getting braces off with a numb mouth.

First, the brackets were popped off. Each bracket made a loud crunching sound that sent chills down the spine. I thought she was popping my teeth off.

Then, the scraping of the adhesive. Ow ow ow ow! I think my teeth are just ultra-sensitive as most websites describe the entire process as slightly uncomfortable.

By this time, I was so ready to get out of the office, but little did I know, the most painful part of the process was to come – polishing. It was frustrating because it hurt like a bitch, and the orthodontist wouldn’t stop polishing. My pain tolerance isn’t high, so this part was torturous for me. If you want to make me suffer, polish my teeth. I’m turning to tooth paste for sensitive teeth for the next few weeks.

Since I was free for the rest of the day, I met up with RV for lunch at Spice Kit. I ordered a Ssam [Korean wrap] – rice paper, red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, seasoned rice, marinated bean sprouts, roasted pork, kimchi, and signature ssam sauce. The roasted pork was marinated in lemongrass and spices – tasty!

Photo on the left: first photo of me without braces!

I am still waiting to pick up a retainer to wear for the rest of my life. Since I’m leaving for Vegas at the end of this week, I’ll have to wait a few extra days before going in again. Hopefully my teeth don’t move too much in the meantime!

After lunch, I hung out at RV’s office until happy hour. One of the guys brought in his dog Rudy, so I hung out with the pooch for a bit. From the side, he looks a little like a gray Chewbacca.

For happy hour, I went to City Beer Store with some friends. It was my first time there. It’s a small space with a great beer selection! I started off with Russian River’s Erudition. I also tried Sierra Nevada’s 30th Anniversay Fritz and Ken’s Ale [pictured below] and Fifty Fifty’s Baril Rouge Baltique.

By the time I left happy hour, the pain of removing braces remained a distant memory. A chapter of four and a half years finally came to a close.