Eating & Cleaning with Braces (Forsus) Springs

So update on day 1 of forsus. Eating was bizarre at first, I am so glad I had today off work to get used to this appliance. Chewing was tough and some food at first would get caught in the appliance which was a little annoying but it got easier. It's hard to chew and the forsus side teeth do not touch, but overall maybe i'm used to eating softer foods now in small pieces as it wasn't a huge adjustment. What I think will be a lot harder is eating in public, given the food catching in the springs and the need for intensive cleaning right away.

Cleaning was not too bad, it was strange having to hold my lips back to get my electric tooth brush to my second molars and the spring kept moving and creaking in its creepy halloween kind of way. Flossing those second molars was kindof a technique. Even though my upper second molars aren't bracketed, I ended up using a floss threader to get the floss under the spring. To make it easier I used a gum pick first and water pic. Water pic is definitely going to be essential with these springs... But overall the cleaning routine was no harder than the first day of braces and only the teeth neighboring the forsus are sore at this point...

It's In! Left Side Forsus

So I haven't blogged in forever, didn't post for my last adjustment, which i think was my fourth... Today was my fifth. No wire change for the first time ever, a nice relief for me and probably the assistant and ortho, given how painful my wire adjustments are due to my teeth sensitivity. They put on new power chains which hurt far more than usual it seemed, also clipped my bottom wires. Then came forsus... At first it didn't feel bad just kind of loose then the ortho came over and pushed and wow pain and creepy noises... at one point so loud... that I was like 'what was that?' and the ortho was like 'don't talk right now i'm adjusting...' I think he then realized he was scaring me... He's usually great at telling me what he's doing, which puts my mind at ease, but today not so much. I guess orthos are so used to kids not caring not asking questions, it must be annoying sometimes having adults ask questions and want to know everything. But I think a forsus is invasive and a big deal to any adult. My assistant i've had for 4 out of 5 appointments is wonderful and she explained to me that this time the forsus will start bringing my left teeth at the side on top back and give me chance to get used to the appliance... Then next appointment, I will get a new upper wire with curves in it that will push my front 4 teeth back closing the gaps and reducing my over bite as both sides will be forsused.

So first impressions: some pressure for sure and I want to rip this strange alien device out. Its creeping me out big time, with its creeky scratchy noises and obtrussive feel... Who knew orthodontists could help you look so halloween? I think eating on my left side is going to be tough... Hoping for time to go fast and that I don't have to wear this thing for too long and that it starts to feel normal very soon.

3 Months in! Photo Update...

So braces photography is not exactly my strength, and I didn't get very good lighting tonight. But was able to take a pic of the top teeth and will try to take a pic of the bottoms soon. So here's the photo comparison of my top teeth. So here are the top teeth week one:

And here they are today three weeks in:

Fortunately my teeth are not that yellow in real life! Though the canine glue stains are still there unfortunately but I know the glue is protecting my teeth and it is wearing down. But happy with my front 4 teeth and how much better they are already!

Moving along: 3rd Adjustment & 1st dental cleaning with braces!

So today was a big day for my teeth. First went to the ortho and had my wires taken out, then went onto my dentist's for the cleaning. Felt weird not to have the wires in for an hour, but kind of wish i'd bought my camera, as without wires I could much better see my progress. The staff at my dental practice who had last seen me just over 3 months ago for my extractions couldn't believe how much my teeth had moved! The cleaning went well, apparently i'm doing a great job at cleaning, so my crazy routine seems to be paying off. There were a few zingers and some sensitivity but not as bad as an orthodontic adjustment! The hygienist said now my teeth no longer overlap and now she's cleaned the parts of teeth that were formerly covered by other teeth, my cleanings should get easier and easier. The staff at the practice were so sweet telling me the only way is up and that i'm not going to regret going through this process - always reassuring to hear :)

After I went back to the ortho for my 3rd adjustment - youch! Wanted: a higher pain threshold. May have even gasped a few times. Basically my cross bite on my left side makes it hard to get the wire in, without a lot of pressure. Same deal as the last adjustment.
My bottom teeth got their 4th wire a steel one. After a lot of attempts 2 of the doors wouldn't close so the assistant moved onto the top. The top new wire would not go in, so they went back to the 3rd wire. The assistant said to me: 'I do not want to give you any more pain than you've already had today!' I have the same assistant every time which is great and she is awesome. Then the ortho came over and hammered in the remaining 2 doors telling me to hold onto the seat arms while he did it lol! Then they gave me power springs back on the extraction gaps and put some coily metal on my upper 4 front teeth to prevent them from splitting apart. Basically the ortho said he wants to move the upper canines back into the extraction gaps, so i'm expecting bigger gaps between the four front teeth and the canines... Hillbilly! He explained the four front teeth will come back too eventually to correct the overbite, but can't move them all at once - makes sense to me, it's a process... Not thrilled about having gaps at the front, but i've come this far and have to suck it up.

The ortho also told me today that in approximately 2 appointments i'm getting the forsus appliance on my left side. The forsus appliance is some crazy spring device... Here's a pic:

Picture credit: http://www.eckelsortho.com/Portals/0/forsus.png
Erm given my teeth currently hurt like hell from the new power springs top and bottom and new bottom wires... I really have no comment regarding this appliance and how fun it looks. The silver lining is that my original treatment plan had me having this appliance on both sides of my mouth. The good news is that now my right side probably won't need it. Just my left side - so am envisaging one sided eating from a lopsided chip munk... But that's 2 months ahead... Watch this space...

Big week ahead... apprehensive...

So on Wednesday I am getting my first cleaning since getting braces. I'm a little apprehensive. Apparently it's better to get the wires off, so first I am going to the ortho to get the wires removed. Then to the dentist for my cleaning. The hygienist is really, really good and thorough but I am nevertheless a little worried over how the scaling will feel given how sensitive my teeth are. Plus i'm sure my teeth are a little loose given they're moving and last night I had a nightmare that one of my molars became so loose it almost fell out. It felt so real - crazy anxiety! When I woke up I was happy to find all my teeth still in place. After the cleaning I will be going to my ortho for new wires and my third adjustment. It's only 3 weeks since my last one. Great it's moving along fast but my teeth do not give me a break. Yesterday I went for lunch with work friends I could barely eat anything. Monday I have a business lunch with the company lawyer. I am somewhat dreading it. Not only do I have the awkwardness of not really knowing him but far, far worse is the eating part. Eating out just is not fun right now. At home is so much easier as I can cook things exactly how I know I can eat them. Fingers crossed this week goes well...

2nd adjustment: owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

So today was 2nd adjustment time...

Mostly the ortho worked on me today which is different to usual, as usually it’s the assistant, he usually just does a quick check and tells her what to do. He did the usual bite checks and then tried to wobble my teeth maybe a test for root resorption? (I am terrified of that!) I know they're loose from the random cracking sounds I occasionally hear, but no creepy wobbling yet thank goodness.

He said all looks great, teeth are moving fast and we're on schedule. He then said he’s going to give the teeth around the extraction gaps a rest so no power springs on the gaps for a while. Right now he wants to work on better aligning my teeth, then once they’re better aligned they’ll finish closing my extraction gaps.

He got me a bigger wire, it was problematic and crazy painful, the one he tried first would not go in,

so he said he will save that one for later (something to look forward to - lol) as the general consensus in orthodontics is if it has to be forced it’s better not to do it. He then got another wire but this would still need some force. Well it wouldn’t go in, so he had to take it out and try again several times, so many pain zingers, he kept apologizing. Then he said there's a problem with one of the braces, cue internal panic while I calmly ask what the problem is. He said he didn't know and would need to troubleshoot the bracket and sent the assistant to get something called an explorer. Fortunately he found the problem right away, there was a bit of extra metal inside of one of the brackets, he removed it and then the wire went in. Finally! Then the assistant helped him do the top wire. I guess to get some of the doors closed and the wire in as my teeth are still crooked they said they needed 2 people. I was told at the beginning i'm a complex case so maybe that's part of it too.

They then put a power chain on my front top 4 teeth which is good as will make them nice and aligned.

He said once my teeth are better aligned wire changing will be easier. Right now one of my back bottom molars is twisted sideways and this is part of the reason it was so tough today, the other being the problem bracket.  

I go back in 3 weeks as I have to go to the dentist for a cleaning. What will happen is I will go to the ortho office first they will remove the wires, then I will go to the dentist, get my teeth cleaned,

go back to the ortho and they’ll give me my 3^rd adjustment and an even bigger wire.

Off topic i'm guessing my oral hygiene is good. Noone has said anything to me but when the ortho was looking at some kid in the next chair, he asked the kid if he'd brushed today. The kid said yes and the ortho showed him how he needed to brush better as there was still some food in the brackets and he had puffy gums - eugh. So hopefully no news is good news and my crazy cleaning routine is going well. 

I think it was good the ortho worked on me today as I could ask questions… he seems to really know his stuff… I have more confidence in his abilities now. I'm not very trusting (terrified something will go wrong) but i'm seeing progress and everyone is super nice to me there. Feeling bad stabbing pain right now on my lower right canine pre molar area... But nowhere near as bad as that first day.

Hoping that an improved bite and smile is in my future :)

My favorite products to use while braced :)

For use before brushing: Crest 3D Mouth Wash: I just started using this... So the jury's still out on this...

Photo credit: http://www.blendingbeautiful.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/crest-white-mouthwash.jpg 

But I love that it's alcohol free, due to previous gum problems I refuse to use any alcohol mouthwashes as I heard it can aggravate your gums... It may be a coincidence or a combination of better oral hygiene techniques... however since I stopped using alcohol mouth washes I have had healthy gums...  I know whitening products are controversial for brace wearers but when I tried using non-whitening products the first month my teeth started to look so dingy and i'd had them professionally cleaned pre braces and they were lovely and white so am hoping this product can help keep them whiteish and lighten the glue staining and keep the chains from getting discolored.

Sensodyne Gentle Whitening Tooth Paste: I've been a sensodyne convert since I got braces this definitely helps reduce the sensitivity and has fluoride in it too to keep teeth strong. I have the extreme sensitivity one too which has no whitening and alternate it with this one.

Photo credit: http://boots.scene7.com/is/image/Boots/10004080?wid=200&hei=200&op_sharpen=1

Gum Soft Picks: I use these between my teeth, especially if i'm in a hurry and haven't time to floss. I really like them as even when my teeth are sensitive these don't hurt. I also used these above my spacers, when I wasn't allowed to floss so as not to dislodge the spacers... I can't get them between all my teeth but they're great for those food traps. 

Photo credit: https://cart.jbutler.com/sc_images/products/632RCSoftPicks_tn2.jpg

Water Pik cordless water flosser, this the cheap water pik it was about $35 at Wal-Mart. It reminds me of the water tube dentists use. I use it pre flossing and prefer the gentle clean of the 2 heads... Although I only tried the deep clean setting for the first time yesterday so that may change. Definitely a great cleaning tool and one i'm going to continue using after braces.

Photo credit: http://images.buzzillions.com/images_products/01/46/water-pik-cordless-flosser-model-wp-360-1-ea_1077000_100.jpg

Flossing: In my opinion none of the threader flosses are as nice as regular floss such as glide deep clean, glide comfort floss etc. So at home I still use normal floss but with the bridge aid floss threader. My orthodontist gave me a pack of these in my sample bag and it's the easiest floss threader i've found - the angle is perfect for those back molars and even goes through tight spaces easily.

Photo credit: http://www.jawproducts.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/r/bridgeaid_5.jpg

When i'm at work I do use threader floss as although more expensive it's faster and the nicest one i've found is the glide threader floss:

Photo credit: http://www.drugsupplystore.com/catalog/glider%20floss.jpg

Gum Stimulator - by Gum: I try and use this along my gum line at least once a day. It works great!

Photo credit: 

http://di12.shoppingshadow.com/images/pi/73/5b/62/98939313149x149-0-0_Butler+Butler+G+U+M+Gum+Stimulator+Step+3+1+stimul.jpg

 Regular mouth wash: Crest Pro Health Multi Protection Rinse Clear Mint: I love this mouth wash for every day use, the taste is refreshing and it makes my mouth feel clean, it's alcohol free and fights gingivitis. On the downside I wish Crest would find an alternative ingredient for the Cetylpyridinium Chloride ingredient in it that can cause staining. This ingredient seems to be common in alcohol free mouth washes: Act too. I have tried Listerine Zero which doesn't have it, but doesn't fight gingivitis (I don't think) also doesn't give that clean feeling. I also tried the Natural Dentist but wow the taste is so repulsive - never again! 

Photo credit: http://www.crestprohealth.com/images/mouth-rinse-comparison/Clean-Mint-Varient.jpg

Per my ortho's recommendation I use a fluoride rinse once a day this one by Act helps keep my teeth strong and doesn't taste bad either.

Photo credit: http://www.dentist.net/images/act-fluoride-rinse-mint_sm.jpg

Wow this is a lot of products, i've become kind of obsessive in dental hygiene both in the months prepping for braces and now I have them. I really want to keep my teeth in the best condition possible to maximize my chances of success. 

Finally here's a none dental product I recommend for use while braced: 

Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh. It's pricy yes, but I think any adult going through braces deserves it. It keeps your lips soft and conditioned and comes in a cute ceramic tube that even my dog cannot eat/damage. I have a pretty bad over bite and I found that lip gloss makes my top lips stick to the braces & forget anything tinted the color marks the clear brackets. I discovered this product 3 years ago when I was in Sephora and asked what lip treatment they recommended the guy in the store started going on & on about how he loved this product and the other staff chimed in. They were right it's really great. 

Photo credit: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ai5KZ5DFLBya3PFOlaa2t_uWnK0FAL2iLO76NLBuFUeHaMbLeEzhTw2YKjuqRGqC041TSD7V2VLk7eDbJw1zU9dNnw_Jou1R1jZDQJD5KKgUZ4anvx4qV4LGLJHNQLm3Vk9C72eh7qzY/s320/Fresh-Sugar-Lip-Treatment.jpg