So today I went to my orthodontics appointment. I've been braced a week now (all but my top molars) and needed to get the spacers removed from the top molars and molar bands put in. I was also expecting for the molar bands to be linked to the other brackets and thought I was getting elastics. Bracing myself for pain I took an ibuprofen and drove across town to my appointment.
First at my appointment they took out my spacers - fast and easy... The assistant then started trying out molar bands for my first upper molars... After about 4 different molar band tries they found ones that fit... They had to kindof hammer them in and I kept having to bite on a stick thing to help the bands go in. Don't know exactly why, it was a little strange but i'm just trying to kind of roll with it. Then they took them off did the whole prep teeth and glue thing then put the molar bands on with same process as before.... Except it was easier the second time as the orthodontist's assistant had kindof worked out which bite angles were most sensitive to avoid and I tried to bite the stick thing as hard as I could to get it over with as fast as possible.
After the molar bands were in the orthodontist checked everything and said it all looked good, good first week progress and told me my first adjustment will be in five weeks. I was surprised they didn't hook up the molar bands but the assistant explained they did a lot at the first appointment with the power springs and all that and that now I get some time to get used to everything. I also was kindof relieved I don't have to have elastics yet. I guess I misunderstood last week... While I need molar bands for elastics, apparently they won't go in until my teeth are straighter... Definitely relieved to not be in pain tonight... Now if only I could chew, though i think the extraction gaps are not helping in that area... Hopefully just a matter of time.
Next orthodontist appointment July 5th... Happy dance over getting to celebrate July 4th weekend camping before that first adjustment... Maybe i'll even get to enjoy a barbecue... ;)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Braces :)
I got braced on Tuesday May 24th. The experience wasn't too bad, the gel they put on to prep the teeth tasted gross but other than that it wasn't bad. One of the assistants gave me movie goggles so I could watch a movie while they installed the braces, they were all kids movies... I settled on the new Alice in Wonderland with Helena Bonham Carter, but should have got Toy Story as AIW wasn't very good. The movie did however provide a little distraction though I was definitely more focused on listening to what the ortho was saying to the assistant! It seemed like the first few bottom brackets won't sticking well to the crooked teeth and I heard the ortho saying they'd have to redo them or something, which I guess they did. They're stuck now anyway!
I have full braces on the bottom plus power chains (to start closing the extraction gaps). Then on the top I have braces on all but the molars which have spacers (my ortho just got back from vacation, so that's why I didn't get spacers earlier). My tops also have power chains to start closing the extraction gaps. The front six on the bottom are clear ceramic and the bottom back six are metal. On the top there are 8 clear ceramic brackets and there will be four metal brackets at the back.
I'd thought from research that the second day of braces was meant to be the worst, well maybe it's because I got braced at 8am, but for me the first day was extremely painful which threw me for a loop. It felt so bad with stabbing pain especially on the bottom teeth tops were not bad (but aren't fully braced yet) that I wondered why they didn't prescribe prescription pain killers for braces. I went through impacted wisdom teeth on ibuprofen and barely took anything for the pre molars so was surprised by how bad it was - the worst mouth pain i've ever had. Fortunately days 2 & 3 have been more what I expected: teeth are sore, extremely sensitive and there's dull pain and my cheeks are a little scratched from the braces: but after day 1 - totally tolerable!
I have full braces on the bottom plus power chains (to start closing the extraction gaps). Then on the top I have braces on all but the molars which have spacers (my ortho just got back from vacation, so that's why I didn't get spacers earlier). My tops also have power chains to start closing the extraction gaps. The front six on the bottom are clear ceramic and the bottom back six are metal. On the top there are 8 clear ceramic brackets and there will be four metal brackets at the back.
I'd thought from research that the second day of braces was meant to be the worst, well maybe it's because I got braced at 8am, but for me the first day was extremely painful which threw me for a loop. It felt so bad with stabbing pain especially on the bottom teeth tops were not bad (but aren't fully braced yet) that I wondered why they didn't prescribe prescription pain killers for braces. I went through impacted wisdom teeth on ibuprofen and barely took anything for the pre molars so was surprised by how bad it was - the worst mouth pain i've ever had. Fortunately days 2 & 3 have been more what I expected: teeth are sore, extremely sensitive and there's dull pain and my cheeks are a little scratched from the braces: but after day 1 - totally tolerable!
Here are a few pics of the braces on day 1:
My over bite is so excessive for my small mouth that my mouth is open in it's relaxed position - see above pic. Can't wait until that's fixed!
The colored dots on the braces were to tell the ortho which bracket goes on which tooth, now three days on the dots are almost all gone.
My ortho considers me a complex case but someone who could really benefit from orthodontics. Looking at the pics reenforces i'm doing the right thing!
The colored dots on the braces were to tell the ortho which bracket goes on which tooth, now three days on the dots are almost all gone.
Will get better at taking the open mouth pics! I know i'm missing a pic of the bottom teeth.
3 days on I already feel like things are moving! My bottom molars are wider apart and my top teeth seem different every time I floss. I think my extraction spaces are getting a teeny bit smaller but that could just be wishful thinking!
Next Tuesday i'm bracing myself for more pain. The spacers come out, molar bands go in on top along with those 4 brackets and I get elastics... Watch this space my journeys on it's way!
Where to begin...
I probably should have started this sooner but never mind better late than never... So here's the (relatively) short story, the 411/background as to why I got braces at 29:
Why I never got braces as a child: I grew up in England and to the best of my knowledge I was never offered them; much to the horror of pretty much every American dentist i've come across. The last British dentist I saw also never suggested getting my impacted wisdom teeth pulled, simply saying they were coming in sideways and they'd just let them come in, but that I should get x rays to check the impacted wisdom teeth for cavities (x rays that they could not do on site). But I digress... I think too that in some cases braces in the UK are perceived as a comestic procedure (i'm sure this attitude is changing and definitely not a generalization) but possibly for kids whose parents have crooked teeth; the health benefits are not fully understood. Growing up I only knew two kids that got braces! At the time uneducated on brace benefits as a kid I thought the railroad look, looked well tragic... I bet those people have great looking teeth now though!
My Orthodontic Issues: Excessive over bite (0.7) crossbite on left side (which may be the only thing they can't fix, given my age) severe crowding, numerous bite issues, teeth don't touch and a long list of other things I would have to refer to the diagnosis letter the ortho gave me.
Why I took the plunge: I got my wisdom teeth pulled two years ago and having had increased bite issues, along with fighting gum recession due to the tooth overlapping and being conscious of my smile goofiness in photos finally convinced me to take the plunge. Plus I worked with a couple of adults who had braces at my previous job. They didn't regret it and felt your bite only gets worse over time. Not a good prospect so here I go.
There's no turning back: Due to the overcrowding the orthodontist recommended extraction of 1st pre-molars on top and 2nd pre molars on the bottom. It was a tough decison given they were healthy teeth... But the more I researched it (thank you archwired) the more it made sense: I have a small mouth, my teeth overlap, the impacted wisdom teeth essentially created pockets and you can see my gums drop on x rays where the wisdom teeth were. So the wisdom teeth extraction didn't create much space if any.
I said "bye bye bicuspids" on Tuesday 17th 2011. I was lucky overall I had a relatively pain free experience and the worst part was trying to eat after with gaps in the middle of my mouth. The gaps while not really visible unless you're looking at my side profile (while i'm laughing) definitely made me want those braces on asap.
Coming up: My first 3 days in braces and pictures!
Why I never got braces as a child: I grew up in England and to the best of my knowledge I was never offered them; much to the horror of pretty much every American dentist i've come across. The last British dentist I saw also never suggested getting my impacted wisdom teeth pulled, simply saying they were coming in sideways and they'd just let them come in, but that I should get x rays to check the impacted wisdom teeth for cavities (x rays that they could not do on site). But I digress... I think too that in some cases braces in the UK are perceived as a comestic procedure (i'm sure this attitude is changing and definitely not a generalization) but possibly for kids whose parents have crooked teeth; the health benefits are not fully understood. Growing up I only knew two kids that got braces! At the time uneducated on brace benefits as a kid I thought the railroad look, looked well tragic... I bet those people have great looking teeth now though!
My Orthodontic Issues: Excessive over bite (0.7) crossbite on left side (which may be the only thing they can't fix, given my age) severe crowding, numerous bite issues, teeth don't touch and a long list of other things I would have to refer to the diagnosis letter the ortho gave me.
Why I took the plunge: I got my wisdom teeth pulled two years ago and having had increased bite issues, along with fighting gum recession due to the tooth overlapping and being conscious of my smile goofiness in photos finally convinced me to take the plunge. Plus I worked with a couple of adults who had braces at my previous job. They didn't regret it and felt your bite only gets worse over time. Not a good prospect so here I go.
There's no turning back: Due to the overcrowding the orthodontist recommended extraction of 1st pre-molars on top and 2nd pre molars on the bottom. It was a tough decison given they were healthy teeth... But the more I researched it (thank you archwired) the more it made sense: I have a small mouth, my teeth overlap, the impacted wisdom teeth essentially created pockets and you can see my gums drop on x rays where the wisdom teeth were. So the wisdom teeth extraction didn't create much space if any.
I said "bye bye bicuspids" on Tuesday 17th 2011. I was lucky overall I had a relatively pain free experience and the worst part was trying to eat after with gaps in the middle of my mouth. The gaps while not really visible unless you're looking at my side profile (while i'm laughing) definitely made me want those braces on asap.
Coming up: My first 3 days in braces and pictures!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)