Hanging in There!

I haven't posted in a few days as my husband returned home from an extended trip (I hadn't seen him in 3 weeks) and I've been adjusting to my braces.

When I woke up Friday morning, I was in an incredible amount of pain. Because of my TMJ, my jaw was throbbing from being open over two hours while my braces were applied. My teeth were so hypersensitive just looking at them in the mirror seemed to hurt.

My mother made me saurkraut and very soft pork for dinner that night. I ate that, but when I tried a bite of the hot dog she made for my puppy, Veronica, I couldn't chew it. It was too "tough".

I found that Bob Evan's heat 'n' eat mashed potatoes were a good thing to have; quick, easy and I didn't need to chew.

Saturday, I was feeling better so I went to run my normal Saturday errands. I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and got chicken strips and my 'stand-by' milkshake. It took me over an hour, but I was able to mush up (not quite chew) the chicken.

Sunday, I made a casserole for when my husband returned. I would have loved to have steak waiting for him but it was not meant to be.

Each day I find my teeth less sore and more tolerable of pressure. Sure, I still can't "bite" with my front teeth and sandwiches are going to be a long way off but, it's not too horrible now. I do find it weird that my teeth seem kind of loose and seem to make little popping or clicking noises when pressure is applied. It kinda reminds me of being a kid, when you start wiggling that loose tooth and the roots seem to start to give way. I guess this means they're beginning to move.

I think I've been lucky. I've really only had 3 "blisters" or sores caused by the rubbing of my braces; one at the back left, one at the back right and one at the bottom front. The woman at the counter at the orthodontist's office suggested I try Peroxyl, a mouthwash from Colgate that has no alcohol and contains peroxide to clean out the sores.

It doesn't taste bad and while a bit on the spendy side, I'm glad I bought it. After only 3 days all the sores are healed! I only needed to put wax on the offending braces 2 nights. Overall, it's amazing how much easier most things are this 2nd time around. I honestly don't remember my teeth being this hypersensitive the first time, but all in all, I'm doing rather well.

I did get a bit "surprised" this morning, I must have rolled over in the night and pressed on my lip too hard, I cut my lip on my braces and woke up with blood all over. YUCK! I rinsed it with the Peroxyl and then put some of the Body Shop's cocoa butter lip balm on. I really like it. It does so much better than the wax-based lip balms.

I'll post a picture tomorrow to see if there is any visible progress...because it'll have been one week.

I also wanted to mention that I was quoted in a "real" article on the front page of the print and online editions of USAToday! It's kinda cool....for a geek like me...

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2010-03-31-1Aappworld31_CV_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

It's On!

I did all that stupid worrying for nothing. Kelly was awesome in taking her time and being very gentle. It took a little less than 2 hours. The only really gross part was the cement. I really thought I'd be in a world of hurt, right away. I feel a little pressure and some rubbing, but nothing too horrible right now. They say I'll get more sore as the day goes on.

I treated myself to a venti peppermint mocha frappaccino from Starbucks on the way home. It's kind of convenient that it's only half a block down the road. I also had a coupon for a free drink so I felt doubly special.

When I got home I was checking my email and I felt a "pop" and I thought, "that's strange"...then another pop and one of the brackets popped off. Back to the orthodontist's. It only took a few minutes to fix.

I stopped at Panera Bread on the way home and got some soup. Broccoli and cheese, yum!

I had picked the purple bands...what do you think?



I was shocked by how the braces really accentuate how crooked and misaligned my teeth really are.

When I asked how long I'd need them, they stated the treatment plan has it listed at 2 years. Great *dripping with sarcasm*. I'm 37 1/2 if things don't go as planned, I could still be in braces at 40. I changed my counter at the top to reflect 2 years to the day from when they went on and will change it accordingly as more information is available.

I'm going to get my hair cut in a little while. I'm going to treat myself.

Hopefully, the pain won't be too bad, I did not sleep very well last night. I'm really tired and will likely go to bed once I get back from getting my hairs cut.

Moral of the story, I shouldn't have worried, the staff is wonderful and gentle at the ortho's office and I need a nap.

:-# <---smiley emoticon with braces.

Less Than 24 Hours Left!

*gulp*

By this time tomorrow I'll be a half hour into the process of getting my braces and hopefully about a quarter of the way through.

I plan to get a bagel sandwich for lunch, garlic bagel, turkey, provolone cheese and a hint of mayo...my favorite but something that might be tough for me to eat for a while, if not impossible.

Then I plan on using a few white strips for the last time for year or so, so my teeth are as white and bright as they can be.

For dinner tonight, I plan on running to Sonic for a big burger after my piano lesson.

I think I might as for purple bands, you know, for Spring/Easter. We'll have to see. I'm off of work tomorrow since the appointment is scheduled for 10-12. I hope it's not too painful. I hope that the reports that the spacers are the worst part or true, because if it is, the rest of this will be a piece of cake...well mostly.

I'm nervous. Not so much about the braces but more so how my TMJ affected jaw will tolerate being open for 2 hours. Will the muscles spasm afterword? How badly will it ache?

I remember how much my cheeks hurt from last time and that wasn't too horrible, but will it be different now that I'm older?

I think I'll just treat myself today, expect the worst and hope for the best.

Getting Closer, In More Ways Than One

OK, so I logged in this morning and see that in almost 48 hours exactly I'll be on my way to get my braces! SHOCK! HORROR!

It was like an early morning wake up call, OK, midmorning, but still...It's starting to seem real.

This morning I tried out my new Waterpik toothbrush attachment. Pretty cool. It almost feels like I was at the dentist it feels so clean. It's messy as the water goes everywhere, but from what I've read, a Waterpik is great to use the waterjet attachment to blast the food particles out of your brackets. I was rather impressed. It has ten strength settings and several attachments including a small, narrow brush specifically for cleaning braces and around the brackets. This is what it looks like:

Then I flossed and realized some of the teeth in the front that were easier to floss just a week ago, are more difficult now. I think the spacers did their work and started to move my teeth a bit. It was weird though. My back teeth have always been incredibly tight and the front were OK to floss, now the fronts pretty tight. A very weird experience. Guess I should get used to it!

Not much else to report right now. I'm going to lunch with a coworker then a 2-3 hour meeting, blech! Can I just go home now?

I did take off Thursday when I get the braces my appointment is scheduled from 10-12 so it pretty much kills the day. I just wonder if I'll need to take Friday off, if the pain will bother me enough, or that I'll be having issues such as drooling/spitting that will make it embarrassing?

Anyone know?

I suppose I'll find out when I wake up on Friday.

Feeling Good!

Feeling pretty good. Ever since I had that spacer adjusted I've been feeling so much better. Very little pain. In fact, the top edge of the rubber spacers stick out and have been acting like little rubber bumpers and have been preventing me from grinding my teeth! I haven't needed the prescription medication in days! OK, may be there is some benefit to those things.

I logged in tonight to check my page hit counter, just curious to see if anyone was looking and I saw the countdown timer at the top...3 days and 14 hours until I get my braces.

*gulp*

I know I'm doing this for all the right reasons, that it is necessary, but why does the bottom of my stomach drop out when I think about it?

I went to the movies today, my husband is away this week and I had some time to myself. I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Getting to the theater, I realized that all this dental stuff is getting kind of intrusive. When did I notice this? When I went to get my snack at the concession stand.

Popcorn is out of the question, on top of being afraid of getting shells caught in the spacers, my teeth are so sensitive that if I bit down on a hard piece it'd ruin my whole day. So cross off popcorn off the list. Next, Sour Patch Kids. A world of no. Nothing sticky. So cross off Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, JuJu Bees...

M&Ms? Peanut no. Regular? Not in the mood. Reese's Pieces, they could be a little tough if they weren't fresh...

Then the angels sang, light streamed down from the sky...Runts! A big box of Runts! A whole box of little fruity flavored candies, NOW with Green Apple and Grape! Something to snack on for 2 hours without pain! YAY!



Made me a happy girl and the movie was amazing!

Just wondering and feeling better!

The pain is nearly gone! I can chew and the only real pain is where I had the Novocaine shots before my restorations.

The only "good" thing I find about chipping the tooth is that somehow the piece that broke off is seemingly allowing my bite to fit a little better. I wonder if the bite looks different?






Before I chipped the tooth











After I chipped the tooth


The tooth in question is on the right side of the photo (left side of my mouth)


What do you think? To me, it seems that the molars are sitting closer together, overlapping top and bottom-wise but I'm not sure.

I'm just happy to be very nearly pain free and am excited to get started next week!


As of this posting 5 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes until the next step in my journey!

(Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the dentist took out all the dark metal fillings on that part of the tooth and replaced them with tooth-colored composite material! YAY for real looking restorations, quicker AND prettier!)

What a RELIEF!

I feel sooo much better! I did chip a little less than a 1/4 off of a tooth. It was a tooth with a filling and apparently, some decay got in around the filling and weakened the tooth. Had the tooth not chipped, the band would have gone around the tooth and held it together while the decay continued unchecked and unfettered behind the filling. By the time the bands would have come off, it would have been a BIG mess. Additionally, this is the tooth that needed the brass spacer because the restorations on the two adjacent teeth made them too close for a regular spacer last week.

When the dentist went to smooth down the restorations and make them nice and round, he saw the OTHER tooth had decay started around the filling and he removed it and then replaced it. He spent a lot of time shaping them so hopefully the bands will fit quite nicely next week.

When I was at the orthodontist's, I asked about the one spacer on the bottom that was bothering me, the assistant popped it out and put in a new one and voila' no more pain there!

I actually chewed food! I had a solid food lunch! Oh, my teeth are still a little sore, but what a difference!

I'm so happy things worked out today! *snoopy dances*

OH NO!

I think I chipped a tooth! I have a molar next to one of the spacers that has a filling in it and I think the pressure of the spacer trying to move the tooth broke off the "corner" of the tooth. That or the additional clenching and grinding I've been doing.

It's too late to try to get into the dentist today, I have an appointment with the orthodontist at 7:45 AM tomorrow so he can check it out and if he can't fix it, I'll call the dentist for an emergency appointment.

At least now I know why that tooth hurts so bad?!

*wimpers*

Something's going on in there....

Today I noticed that the spacers aren't sticking up quite as far as they did, they must be contracting and pushing my teeth apart. I do notice that the brass wire they inserted is looser so it must have worked some space in there, too.

I took pictures of the wire, which wasn't easy, but it was kinda gross being able to see all the way to the back of my mouth so I'll spare you. I can tell you the brass was very shiny, lol.

While writing this, I got the email reminder that I have my appointment at 7:45 AM to get the wire taken out and replaced with a rubber spacer. UGH! 7:45...Doctor better hope I don't mistake his fingers for a bagel! LOL!

Really, I can kinda chew, like soft meat from one of those add water, microwave and strain dinners, so I at least feel a little fuller.

I think I've lost some weight since I started having jaw issues. Back in January, my shorts were very tight, almost too tight to wear. The other day I could pull them down without unbuttoning them! My work pants are much looser as well. May be I should step on a scale and see?

I'm imagining with as sore as my mouth has been, it will get a little worse before it gets better so who knows? May be by the time everything is done I'll give Kate Moss a run for "skinny Minnie". Ok, not that much I hope!

OH YEAH! I added a countdown clock....Like it? Pretty spiffy!

It's Getting Better

There is next to no pain now...a little feeling of pressure, unless I bite down hard.

Saturday and Sunday were tough. Most of the pain was gone EXCEPT for when the teeth touch. It was so sore I had to chew very gently with only my front teeth then swallow everything kind of whole.

I had a milk shake for lunch, well it was "medically" necessary, lol...then I cooked up some ground turkey and let it go into little pieces. I just browned it down until it was well cooked then mixed that in with some pasta and sauce. It was delicious, but it took me an hour and a half to eat my dinner!

Sunday I had oatmeal for breakfast then more pasta for dinner.

I spent most of the weekend home, going to bed early and sleeping in which got rid of my cold, for the most part, still a little stuffy but as long as I'm not coughing and bumping my teeth together...It's all fine and dandy.

I have to go back REALLY early on Thursday so they can replace the brass spacer with a rubber one...but other than that, I think this is going pretty well.

As a bonus...the little rubber spacers stick up a little bit and when I bite down it's a bit bouncy...which seems to be helping my TMJ as it keeps me from grinding my teeth.

More...later in the week...

New Morning, New Pain

All in all, the pain isn't as bad as I thought it might be, however, this being said, two of my teeth are hypersensitive. It wouldn't be too much of a problem as as long as my mouth is open and they are not touching, they do not hurt.

The problem is they are directly above and below one another and....joy of joys, I woke up with a cold this morning.

Every time I sneeze or cough, the two hypersensitive teeth touch and it drives me crazy...it's like getting electroshock therapy inter dentally.

Other than that little complication, it's not so bad. Sure it's sore and I really don't feel like chewing anything right now, but overall (other than when the 2 hypersensitive teeth touch) the pain is like a 3 1/2 on a scale of 1-10.

*Yawn* off for a nap to try to get rid of this cold.

Ouch!

Just got home. I had the wonderful Helen to put in most of my spacers. I got 7...six rubber and one brass.

My teeth are very tight but 5 went in without a problem. However, one was very tight. so after some work, she got that one in, using some floss to force it in. I knew it cut my gum a little, as she said, "You're not squeamish about blood are you?"

It only bled for a little while. Kinda like a paper cut on my gums.

The last one was so tough, the doctor had to come in and "make" a spacer.


I had a filling/restoration between 2 teeth which eliminated the space. So what to do? The Doctor came over and used a small diamond file to polish the edge to try to make room. When then that was done, he used a brass wire through the space near the gum. OUCH!

It wasn't horrible but it did hurt a bit. Then he twisted the ends tight to force space to be created. I go back next week to have the brass ring (ha!) removed and a regular rubber one put in.

You can see them in the picture above.

I treated myself to a milkshake at Chik-fil-a when I was done. Yum!

It didn't hurt a lot once everything was done. It was just a weird feeling of pressure, except where the brass ring is. The pressure there is instant...with the rubber ones, the pressure is slowly growing. I have a feeling I'll be pretty sore at bedtime.

Think I'll wait till bedtime, take more Advil and then sleep. Hopefully, it won't keep me up.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock

48 hours from now I'll have my spacers. I'm a little tense. I won't lie. I have heard stories that the spacers can be the most difficult and painful part. I do not remember them from when I had braces the first time.

I'm going to take precautions and get a lot of soft foods. I plan on ice cream, applesauce, pudding, oatmeal, soup and yogurt.

I have 16 days until I get the braces. *tenses*

I am hoping that this is I have "much ado about nothing" and it'll be easier than expected. I hope so.

I keep thinking, "eyes on the prize" and focusing on the hope that the braces will do their job and that it prevent more strenuous and drastic measures to fix my jaw issues.

*worries*

Two more days.