Week Twenty

Well, it's Week Twenty. I had my adjustment yesterday and my dreams of getting rid of the dreaded power chain were dashed. Not only did I get a new power chain, but it has now been extended all the way back to my molars, top and bottom! The last link of the chain is looped over the hooks on the bands.

Can you say ouch?!

To add a little salt to the wound, they said I might need them a few more times. Blech! They upped the gauge of the wire as well.

On the plus side, they said that next time, I'll be getting the "ideal wire" or the heaviest gauge wire that is square-shaped that does the "heavy moving" so....

I really like my orthodontist and all the ladies that work there. If it wasn't that my mouth was so sore when I left I'd really love visiting, ha, ha, ha.

Since it wasn't too long after my appointment, I was able to eat chicken fingers for dinner. By morning, I'm back on my MPMSY diet, mashed potatoes, Milk Shake and Yogurt.

As always,

First Day


Week Twenty

Like the lavender?

Week Nineteen

Again with the late post....so sorry. My mother had another operation on Thursday, the last one, thank goodness. She doesn't have Internet so I was very limited. I did take the obligatory picture, however.

Teeth-wise, it's been a good week (except for one incident which I'll outline later.) The pain is gone and while there's been some popping and moving, it's all very manageable. The incident was that my husband and I went for a drive on Sunday and he decided to take a dirt road...a very rutted dirt road. At one point the Jeep hit a very big pothole and I wasn't expecting it and the jolt rammed my teeth together. Boy did I see stars! Luckily it passed in a few moments.

Changes this week? I happened to notice that on the left side of my mouth, that my front teeth have moved down and they are actually beginning to over lap the bottom, almost like a normal bite! It's quite exciting! If you consider it's only been 19 weeks, it's even more amazing. The only down side is that the right side isn't coming down as quickly and my mouth is getting to look very lopsided--at least to me. Most people probably wouldn't notice.

I also noticed that the bottom teeth are much more straight from just two weeks ago, I've included that picture as well. If you look at week seventeen, you can see how the blue power chain accentuates how bowed-looking my bottom teeth are, whereas this week, it's nearly straight.

These things are amazing!


First Day

Week Seventeen

Week Nineteen

So Thursday, I'll have my next adjustment. I'm not sure what color bands to pick. If I have to go with a power chain again and I really hope not since I'll be going away for the weekend and I don't' want to be miserable, I might go with something more subtle, like the plum. If it's just bands, no power chain, then maybe I'll go with screaming pink...who knows? I won't know until I sit in the chair.

Any suggestions? LOL!

Week Eighteen

Here we are at week eighteen. The pain is lessened and I'm doing OK...Not much to say this week. I have posted my "anniversary" progress pictures as I try to do, even though this week is late again as my mother had surgery last Thursday so I really was preoccupied. I did manage to snap my "anniversary" picture as I do every week, though the quality is less than stellar. I apologize for it's quality...

First day


Week Eighteen


Notice any progress? :-#

Check, Check

Just got back from the dentist for my bi-annual cleaning. No CAVITIES!

*cue horns and celebrations*

The hygenist said that my gums look "awesome" and that she usually doesn't see such healthy looking gums on people with braces.

YAY, ME!

Finally, some good mouth news.

Week Seventeen

Finally a post on the right day! Yay for me! I do not notice much difference since last week but to me, the difference since I've started this journey is amazing! The proof is in the pictures:

First Day


Week Seventeen


Quite Stunning, don't you think? I wonder how amazing they'll look in another 612 days(approximate). May be I'll be able to be a "Teeth Model" and get jobs selling toothpaste? HA!

The pain has subsided for the most part since week sixteen. I can bite now, which is nice and I was able to eat steak (double nice) if I cut it in small pieces. They are still hypersensitive to hot/cold but since I can chew solid food, I'm not going to complain.

I feel bad for my poor husband having to listen to me whine these last three weeks. This power chain/heavy wire combo has been very painful and I'll admit I've whined the whole time. It's just hard some days and while I KNOW this is the best thing to keep me from a life of pain and bad chewing, I will admit that if I would have known it would hurt this much I would have thought a little more about this. It's the first real "crisis of conscience" I've had with my braces.

I know I'd have done the same thing, I mean the alternative was my alignment getting worse, having more difficulty chewing and my TMJ growing worse and more painful. I don't think I would have taken the decision as glibly as I did. This is a thousand times more difficult than it was when I was a kid. I really don't remember them hurting except the first week and then only for a day or so after an adjustment. Three weeks of solid pain is not fun.

They say it's worse for an adult, that the nerves and roots are established and that this is what causes the pain. I believe them.

On the plus side, I go back to the Ortho in just 3 weeks, I'm halfway done with this power chain and I'm hoping that I won't need another one. At least not right away.

Oh well, it gives me a "medical reason" for all the ice cream I've been eating, right? ;-)

Week Sixteen, Posted late

Sorry to be posting Week Sixteen a week late, but it was a big week for me. I went to the Eastern League (AA baseball) All-Star game, I took my mother to the eye surgeon to get ready for surgery and turned 38.

When I started this blog, Braces at 37, I was in shock that someone my age would need braces and didn't think about the fact that I very well could be 39 or 40 before these blasted things come off. It made me think of that 70's TV show about a teenage boy, "James at 15". When the show was renewed for a second season, they renamed it "James at 16" but kept the origional logo but crossed out the 15 and wrote 16 above it. In that vein, I offer my new logo:



On the serious side. I've had a LOT of pain ever since they put on the power chain. Headaches, hypersensitive teeth, and generally, I'm back on my soft food diet. Oh yay! More mashed potatoes and pudding! (Where the heck is that sarcasm font?)

As always, here's the comparison pictures:




Day One

Week Sixteen

Wow! Looking at the pictures side by side it really hit me how much my teeth have changed already!

I do feel like a schmuck for not posting this last week. But I guess even life can get in the way of a good posting. ;-)

THEY GLOW! THEY REALLY GLOW! Week Fifteen

The new bands/powerchain really do glow in the dark!!! I'm sorry for the cruddy picture quality, but how else do you take pictures in the dark? You can see them glowing a blue/green.

How cool is that?!

I should have posted this last week on July 8th, but I've been a bit busy. This is week 15 and I'll post week 16 on Thursday as normal. The picture was taken on the 8th, but I just haven't posted since then.

There's nothing much new. I'm still in a lot of pain. I've got 3 or 4 really sore teeth that are preventing me from eating anything really solid. It's getting very old, very quick. I'm very sick of mashed potatoes and pasta! LOL.

Next week, I turn 38 and the big "bummer" is that I couldn't have my favorite meal for my birthday dinner. My mother always makes a special meal for our birthdays. I was going to have her wonderful bar-b-que pork chops, but now I'm stuck with pot roast. It's good, but I love her pork chops. Stupid teeth!

As always, here is the pictures:

First Day


Week Fifteen

The Agony of De Teeth

LORDY! The new archwire and powerchain are KILLING me! I am in more pain than I have been with anything related to my teeth. I had a tooth pulled a few years ago, I was awake and only had local anesthetic and it felt better than this.

I had mashed potatoes and a milkshake for dinner last night and was in bed by 6. SIX P.M.! I packed my face in ice and took meds and waited by 10 I was sufficiently numb....by ice and some pharmaceuticals to fall asleep.

It was just as bad this morning.

I took 2 ice packs to work and a ready-made batch of mashed potatoes. Yesterday I knew it was going to be bad when I couldn't chew tuna salad on a wrap.

I think it's going to be my M&M diet tonight again, milkshakes and mashed potatoes....unless I can get some pasta somewhere.

UGH.

Week Fourteen---On with the POWERCHAIN.

I was not expecting the powerchain. When I went in this morning for my second adjustment I had thought of getting red and blue o-rings for the Fourth of July. I sort of chickend out and went with all electric blue. They matched my sweater and frankly, it's just a cool color.


The technician took off the old o-rings and archwire and I went to brush. When I came back I saw the matching blue powerchain. I thought, "ruh-ro!" I had read that they put a lot of pressure on your teeth...so any plans I had of having a bagelwich for lunch went out the window.

They put in a thicker, stronger archwire and then on went the powerchain. When the new wire went on I went, "wow" I could feel how much stonger it was than the previous wire, right away. Then the powerchain went on and I went "double wow!"


If you're not familiar, a powerchain is a series of the o-rings that are connected, sort of like this



O-O-O-O-O-O-O



With the o part going over each bracket to hold the archwire in place.

The pressure was immediate as well as the discomfort. I have a feeling I'm going to be on the MP diet...ie Mashed Potatoes for every meal for a while. :-( So much for hotdogs for the 4th.


Le Sigh.


First day


Week 14



After they were installed, the technician told me not only are the a neat shade of blue....

THEY GLOW IN THE DARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So yes, as soon as I get home I'm going to hold a flashlight up to my mouth to "charge" them and then will try to get a picture of them glowing in the dark.


Yep. I'm a nerd.

Week Thirteen

Well here we are at week 13. Next week I get my next adjustment. There's some minor changes this week, but they are making a big difference.

First, the tooth that moved up to close the gap, the open bite? Well it's now banging against the tooth above it. *ouch* It's such a weird feeling. I believe the canine below it has also moved up significantly.

My left upper front tooth is now loose. :-S it's loose in the way that "the tooth is moving" loose, but it's still strange to feel it shifting around rather regularly.

As always, here's the pictures, the first day with braces and then yesterday morning. It's hard to beleive I've had them 13 weeks, 15 weeks if you count the spacers. On the plus side, I haven't had any episodes of TMJ popping or clicking since I got the braces. A very nice side effect, I must say.

I like being able to chew better and how nice it's going to look, but being pain free from the insane immediate blinding pain is a definate plus!

First Day


Week 13

Week Twelve

Well, here we are. 3 months in. *sigh* This week did not bring any major changes and it's almost disheartening that things aren't happening as quickly as they did when I first got my braces.

The only thing I've noticed was a little more of what I mentioned in my last post. The left side of open bite seems to be closing and two of the teeth are banging together. It also makes my mouth look VERY lopsided, at least to me. I'm sure anyone who's not staring at my mouth won't notice, but I do.

As always, here's the first week and current week pictures:

Week Twelve

Week Eleven, I'm in Heaven...well not really...

Well, here we are, week eleven. *sigh* I still haven't needed to have my wires trimmed. The first wire needed trimmed after only 8-9 days. Here I am, two weeks later and no need for trimming. *sigh* I guess this just means the movement has slowed down. *sigh* On the plus side, that does mean my mouth is a LOT less sore than it was before and I can eat almost normally.

I do, however, notice the tooth on the bottom (marked by red arrows on the picture below) is bumping the one above it now. It seems that they are aligned in such a way that they touch. It's very weird to see my bite closing and getting your lip/tongue caught there where they could slip through before!

I'm also getting new abrasions along my the inside of my lips, so I suppose this means everything is moving slowly together to touch new uncalloused areas of the inside of my lips. No big deal, a little Peroxyl for a day or two and they are all better.

So here's this weeks pictures:

First day

Week 11

Week 11-Marked

I also feel much more self conscious right now. With the one side of my mouth "closing" the gaps, to me, I think my mouth looks VERY lopsided. VERY lopsided. I know this is temporary, but I feel "ugly" about it. I just don't want to smile much right now because I feel like my face is crooked. It's not as apparent with my "just the mouth" pictures, but if you saw it in proportion to my whole face (sorry no face shots) it really looks "off".

I guess for a few months, I'll just smile like the Mona Lisa.

*ADDED I just posted then looked at the pictures. If you compare the first day picture to this week's, is it just me, or does my mouth look wider? To me, in the first picture my teeth look VERY narrow--especially when you look toward the back to my mouth. I think it looks like it's getting to be more of say an upper case D shape as opposed to a lower case b shape...you know what I mean?

Woopsie! Missed a Week...Week Ten

I apologize for missing last week, I was on vacation with limited access to a computer. I arrived home after midnight on Sunday, so actually early Monday morning and have been catching up at work. Now that I'm catching up, I realize that not only did I miss last Thursday's posting, but tomorrow will be week 11. I did however remember to take a picture on the 10 week anniversary, but I just couldn't post it. *sigh* Where does the time go?


I had an awesome vacation, something my soul needed so badly. There's been a lot going on in my life and work has been stressful so a week of being in my favorite place in the world, sleeping in and lying by the pool was JUST what the doctor ordered. I feel so much better!


So back to my chompers. I haven't noticed too much change up to last week. So I suppose things have slowed in there. So I will just submit my pictures...



The First Day




Teeth Week 10

Week 9, it's about time!

Sorry for the late post...I've been killing myself at work and home so I haven't had a moment to try to post...(excuses, excuses)

This week really didn't seem to bring that big of changes. I had been hoping that things would move as fast as they did the first week with my braces. I guess I can't expect them to move so fast I need the wire clipped in eight days with every adjustment, right?

After Monday, I really haven't had any pain and no blisters to speak of. Things seem to be going well, not that I'm complaining.

Without further ado, I bring you my pictures...

The First Day




Week Nine


WOW! I just noticed that I have roughly 666 days until I get my braces off. eerie.

First Adjustment! Ouch!

Well, I know I missed my self-imposed Thursday posting, also the day of my first adjustment, but I have good reason. My eldest dog had major surgery so I was a little distracted first with the surgery, then her recovery and after care. She is fine so now, I will post the pictures...I know you've been waiting with bated breath! (ha!)

Day I got braces:


After first adjustment and new arch wire:



To me, I can see a lot of changes especially when you look at the level of the top teeth. they are so much closer to being even as compared to the first day. You can really notice the difference if you see the hitch in the wire on the first day on the left side of the picture (right side of my mouth). The canine on the bottom of that side is also rotated more into line as well. There is also additional spaces on either side of the front teeth on the bottom. The top teeth are almost in line now, whereas when I started one over lapped the other.


The Orthodontist was very happy with my progress. They "upped" the gauge of the arch wire. It's thicker now.I picked the purple bands again as well, I like them. Also, I go back for my next adjustment July 1st so I'll likely pick a more patriotic blue then. ;-)


With the thicker wire, I fully expected that it would be more painful than the first day. Surprisingly, it was only really sore for about 24 hours. It hurt enough at bedtime that I was sweating so I took Tylenol PM and went to sleep. When I woke up Friday morning, I was in a world of hurt. I think things were made worse by the sinus infection I have, the stress of the teeth moving pressing against sore sinuses wasn't too fun.


I took a decongestant, some Tylenol and went back to sleep. When I got up, I felt much better with only 2 or 3 really sensitive teeth.


Now I'm down to one tooth that's "touchy" as long as I don't bite, chew or pull with it, it's OK.

I'll take that. I mean when I first got my braces it took a full month for me to feel as good as I do now. If it stays like this, this "braces thing" won't be so bad after all.

Tomorrow....a new wire

Well by tomorrow at this time I'll have my new wire. How sore will I be? Will I be back on my mashed potatoes diet? What color bands should I pick?

So many questions, no answers. Do I stay with the purple bands? I know I like them. Should I go with patriotic blue for Memorial Day and the 4th of July? A different shade of purple? Black? Hot Pink? The choices!

I must also mention, I startled myself this morning. I glanced in the mirror and realized that the one side of my bite is almost closed already! it's so close that I can't stick the "christmas tree" brush between my jaws there! it's never been closed before...

I am so stunned with how much my teeth have moved! I'm amazed they've gone so far in such a short amount of time! If they keep moving closer like this, may be I won't need to have surgery to "realign" my jaw! I do NOT want to have my skull sawed apart if I don't have to!

I feel so much more hopeful that I did when I started this process. While I am a little hesitant about the pain I may feel after the adjustment tomorrow, who wouldn't, but may be it won't take two years after all?

:-#

Oh, one more thing, I found a product, while somewhat "wasteful" plastic wise, that is very helpful to have. They are waterless toothbrushes that have a "bead" of mouthwash in them. They do not replace regular toothpaste and a brush but are very handy to keep in your pocket for when you're out and about and don't feel like brushing in a public sink.

photo from http://www.notcot.com/

They come in little plastic and foil packs of 2 that have a brush with the mouthwash bead on one end and a rubber pick on the other. I like to keep them in my purse/pocket for use when I'm somewhere and am unable to either get to a bathroom to brush traditionally or just need a quick "once-over" to clear my braces. They're a little on the spendy side, but they are very handy to have and I'm thinking that it'll make travelling much easier.

Seven Weeks

Moving right along....to me...it seems like things are moving very fast. May be not as fast as in the beginning, but still chugging along. I was sort of down this week, feeling like not much had changed. I've begun to associate the pain with movement, so to me, pain is good. It means something's moving.


This week, very little pain. VERY LITTLE. Does it mean they've stopped? My first adjustment is next week...so even if they have stopped, it's only for a week, right? Why do I feel kind of panicked? I almost WANT them to hurt. If they are hurting they are moving, the more they move may be the sooner I can get done! (that's my warped little brain thinking that I'm sure, I know the ortho said 2 years...but still)


Here is my picture from the first day:


And here is my 7 week anniversary picture:



Here I've marked it with what I think are the biggest changes:


1. On the far left you can see how much that tooth has straightened out and started moving down.


2. This too, too, has turned more straight and is aligned. The space that was forming behind it is gone.


3. This to me is the 2nd most dramatic change. In the first picture you can see how slanted it is and how big of a difference there is between the bottom edge of this tooth and the front tooth. Now, it's very nearly level with the front tooth! It's also almost in line and no longer crooked or overlapping the front tooth.


4. The is the BIGGEST change! This tooth has been pulled down so much it is almost in the right place! I was absent-mindedly chewing on the straw to my soda yesterday at lunch and instead of being able to slide right out as it always had (since my teeth have never met in the front)...I was able to hold onto the straw! For most people, that's not a big deal but for someone who's had an open bite most/if not all of their lives, it's a big deal to be able to bite something and hold onto it.


Despite all of the pain, discomfort, blisters, all of it, I'm am so happy that I decided to do this. I can see how nice it will look, how much better I'll be able to bite and it's only been the first seven weeks. It's not easy but I KNOW it will be worth it.


Now the big question for next week...what color bands should I pick? ;-)

Week 6 update

Well here it is, Week 6.

The pain is significantly less, I only have one or two sensitive teeth. The blisters on the inside of my cheeks from where the braces pinch them are mostly gone. It's been a good week. It's still weird to pry my lip off of my braces where it's been embedded if I roll over onto my face during the night, but it's not too bad. I say this, realizing that it's less than 2 weeks until my first adjustment. I'm just hoping that they don't get as sore as they did the day I got them.

So here's my comparison pictures:

The day I got braces

Today

and From Week 5, just to show I don't see much change from last week.

What I notice the most is the closing of the open space between my top and bottom teeth. It's kind of cool to see how much they've moved and it also explains why I can't "rip" with my front teeth anymore. I have a LOT of problems trying to bite/rip bread. Since I can't give up my bagel sandwiches, I've resorted to cutting them apart...but I'm coping.

Next week I'll be getting ready for that first adjustment....I'm excited. While I anticipate more pain from the new wire, it also means I'm closer to finishing. Approximately 688 days till I get rid of these things! (hopefully!)

Week Five...

Well, there's some big changes. BIG spaces. Wide open spaces I'd say if I was a Dixie Chick. The pain I've experienced nearly constantly when biting is gone. (Thank Goodness) It's been replaced by the "touch your mouth, teeth shift and INSANE, IMMEDIATE, BLINDING PAIN".

Yesterday, I was kinda happy that the pain has been less and that if I eat carefully, I am almost able to eat normally, bagel sandwiches being the exception. So, I was sitting at my desk and reached up to touch my face on the right side. When I did, the tooth there SHIFTED and suddenly I was hit with the INSANE, IMMEDIATE, BLINDING PAIN mentioned above.

Everything went white. I had to take a couple of deep breaths and debated calling the ortho. I felt around thinking somehow that tooth gave out and would be held in place only by the wires of my braces. It seemed "stable". I exhaled. I actually began to sweat the pain was so intense. I grabbed the Anbesol out of my purse and slathered the gel on my gums like you'd slather icing on a cake. It helped. I then took 2 Aleve and waited. The pain eventually subsided.

I never ever want that to happen again!


I do have to mention that on the plus side, I haven't had any *knocks on wood* more TMJ episodes since I got my spacers! THAT'S THE GOAL! So I suppose one (hopefully the only) INSANE, IMMEDIATE, BLINDING PAIN episode is worth it.

As always, since it's Thursday, Anniversary day, I have pictures....

First Day with Braces, Five Weeks Ago



Week Five, Front



Week Five Showing Changes



The biggest changes seem to be on either side of my two front bottom teeth. if you look you can see the space I had, on the right side of the picture, left side of my mouth, has gotten wider and that tooth is sitting up higher and closer to the top teeth.(see arrow on right side of picture) On the other side, those teeth (denoted in the bottom picture by the two red arrows) have moved apart. They'd always been so close it was hard to floss and now, they're open.


The other arrow on the left side of the picture shows that those teeth do not quite touch any longer. Just showing how even the back teeth are shifting a bit.


I'll be the first to admit, I've been obsessive over my teeth and I notice the changes almost daily. I keep asking my husband and he will say he notices NO change. The other day I put the first day picture against last weeks and pointed out the changes to him. His eyes got wide and he said, "No wonder your mouth hurt so much!"


At least I know I'm not going nutty. Well, getting any nuttier than I already am! o_O

A Month and a Day

Well as you might have noticed, I usually try to post at least once a week, at least on a Thursday to mark each week as things progress. Unfortunately, I was away at an out of town meeting yesterday so I could not post, but fear not! I took a picture to post!


First Day with Braces



Week Four


I'm not sure about how much has changed. I know that my right front tooth is incredibly sore right now and I can't bite anything with it. I feel more "popping"and "wiggling in the back so things must still be moving, but I don't think I notice much moving at least visually.

Two things happened this week that I didn't expect.

One: I ran into someone I hadn't seen since getting braces and I hadn't mentioned getting them to her. She exclaimed, "Oh! You got braces! They're pretty, all shiny, so sparkly. It's like bling on your teeth!" It made me feel good that the 850 times I brush a day must be paying off to keep them that sparkly!

Two: I ran into a dear friend who mentioned he read my blog. I don't know why it touched me so to know he'd actually be read and following my dental misadventures, but it did! :-#

It just dawned on me that next month at this time I'll have had my first adjustment. I'm not afraid or anything, just wondering what color rubber bands I'll choose....decisions, decisions.