What a difference a night makes? Week Thirtyone

So...it's been a little over 24 hours. I won't lie, I HURT. The rubber bands are really pulling on my mouth and it hurts. But I honestly think I can see a difference! The first picture is the one I took yesterday. Note the left side of the picture (right side of my mouth) and the amount of space between my canines as well as the space between my upper front tooth and the one below it...



Yesterday, October 27th, 2010



Today, October 28th, 2010



Yesterday there was space, today, there isn't! It's not a LOT of movement, but you can see the difference and it also explains the amount of pain I am in. Just think, In 7 weeks I'll be so much further along...

The only bad thing is I'm only supposed to take them off to eat and brush and only 3x a day....I'll just have to eat all my Halloween candy in place of meals, LOL!

BIG NEWS! GREAT NEWS! SURPRISING NEWS!

Last night at dinner, I was eating some "home made" chips at a local sports bar. I felt a "twang" in the back but knowing how stretchy the orange chain is, I didn't think much of it. This morning I was eating a piece of coffee cake and I felt something flapping around...it was a link of the black chain on the bottom.

I called the ortho and went in. As she was getting ready to change the chain, I asked that since next thursday was my adjustment, could we just do the adjustment today and then I wouldn't have to come back? She checked her schedule and since she had time we went ahead with the adjustment. After a moment she asked me to wait she wanted the doctor to look.

Alarm bells went off. Usually the ortho doesn't look until after everything is done or just before, not during. So he came over and after some conferring he stated that I was to get a "twisted" wire on the top, the ideal wire on the bottom, chains on both and verticals.

"Verticals?" I asked, "You mean the rubber bands that hook from top to bottom? I thought I wasn't to get those until I was almost done, like the end?"

He smiled, "Guess what! You're there!"

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?

He explained that my teeth have moved very fast and that the top is nearly perfect, except for moving down the one side, which is what the vertical rubber bands do. He said that once the top moves down and the small gap closes on the bottom, I'm DONE!!!!! I'm DONE!

When I started this journey, I was told they were expected to be on 2 years or 730 days...(approximately) they could be on less or more. Now, only 216 days in, I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Because of some schedule conflicts on my part, my next appointment isn't until December 21st, a little longer than normal, but still within the acceptable range. When I go in, they're going to take a new panorama x-ray and if all my roots are straight, then we'll begin doing the last "tweaks" to make everything pretty and we'll schedule a date to get my molds made for my retainers! RETAINERS! I will likely have 2 different sets of retainers, one set of clear ones, sort of like Invisalign trays to wear during the day and one pair of retainers that have metal to wear at night.

I am so excited! I really wasn't expecting this and I had fairly resolved myself to having them at least until my 39th birthday. I had also kind of made peace with the idea that I could reasonably have them on my 40th birthday when we are tentatively planning on going to Europe. Now to know there is a possibility I could have them off by say late Spring!

As far as the rubber bands go. *glares* Not a fan. I have to change them 3x a day and can only take them off to brush my teeth and eat.  They lose their stretchiness after a while so when you put the new set on it's a whole new world of hurt. I'm really feeling it, but I have taken Advil and next some Tylenol. I'll live. I'll grumble about it for a bit, but I'll live. Knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is nearing makes it easier to bear. :-#


The dreaded rubber bands



First Day



Today with the new rubber bands



















It's really amazing how they've changed in only 216 days, isn't it? I'm so tickled. Not only have I gotten a beautiful smile, the problems I've had with the TMJ have left as well. Well all except the jaw clenching. I'll have to worry about that later.

I'm really happy, just walking on air right now! I feel so lucky and grateful that I am "getting off" so easy.

*giggles*

Week Thirty

Sorry if I'm posting this a little late. I managed to pick up a horrible head cold and had some other family drama that has kept me busy.

Nothing much to report this week. I have been clenching my jaws a little more this week but I attribute that to the stress I'm under with the cold, leaving my job and my family drama. Nothing the medicine couldn't take care of.

I've noticed that the teeth on the left side of my mouth have really moved down and over-lap the bottom. It looks totally normal...I can BITE things! On the other hand, the teeth on the right haven't moved down so much so my smile is looking very lopsided. Oh well. It'll be fixed before I'm done I mean, I still have 516 days until these things come off....if they're done on schedule.

I must say I am highly disappointed in the orange chains. Halloween is this weekend and the orange has faded to peach. It's such a let down.

As always, the pictures....

First Day



Week Thirty











Only 10 days until my next adjustment. May be I'll get lucky and won't need a chain? The tech seemed to think I wouldn't need a chain on the top at least.

Week 29

I'm doing ok. I have had some minor soreness, but nothing really to write about. I've been a little stressed as of late so I've been clenching my jaw, which is likely why my teeth have been sore. Only 3 weeks until I get my next adjustment.

I do have to admit I did have issues over the weekend with new blisters. BIG blisters. Apparently my bottom teeth have moved enough they are rubbing on "virgin" lip areas with no calluses and i had hideously huge blisters. One was a big as a map-pinhead! that round and swollen and since it stuck up so far, it kept getting caught in my braces. I was not happy.

My ortho gave me some new Kanka Soothing beads:

and they helped so much more than the Ambesol gel I had been using. Bonus: they do not taste nasty like Ambesol. They're little beads and you can either just roll them around in your mouth or hold the bead on the sore spot until it desolves. By that point, you feel nothing. I was rather impressed with them. However, they are new and I have yet to find them in a store. I will have to look again.


I still haven't decided what colors to get at my next adjustment. I'll get the next set of rubber bands on on November 4th and off on December 21 (yes that is a few days late but I have plans that Thursday and the next available appointment is the 21st...) Do I go for Christmas colors? Or just the same old, same old? Purple/Pink/Blue?

I am NOT getting orange again. the color is already faded to the point it's almost peach and I HATE peach with a fiery passion!

As always, the pictures....

First Day

Week 29

Week 28

Not too much to report. I've found the orange chains are not too resilliant, if you stretch them, they do not go back tight to the wires. I have a bit of extra flopping around now in back. Blech. I went to the ortho to check and it's "fine".

The only thing really of note, my bottom teeth have moved so much I'm getting new blisters all over my bottom lip. At one point I had about 15 little pin-prick type blisters and 2 big ones. I have 2 large white blisters similar to what you get on your feet when you wear a new pair of shoes, too. Oh joy.

I'm hanging in though.

Here's this week's pictures.

First Day



Week 28