Week Eighty-Three BIG NEWS

Well I have some awesome news....after 580 days I finally got the news I've been waiting for...THE BRACES ARE COMING OFF! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BRACES ARE COMING OFF!

I'm so relieved. The last few weeks have been tough, trying to do the final tweaks...but yesterday I was given my 'parole' date, November 9th! On the 9th I go in, they remove the braces, polish my pearly whites and take impressions. The next day I go in to pick up my Hawley Retainers. These are what you think of when you think of retainers, plastic and wire. After a few weeks of allowing my bite to settle, I'll be given clear ones similar to the Invisalign braces to be worn during the day.

I'm so excited, over the moon.

So after all this time, just a reminder of how far I've come.

First Day....

Week 83--Look how beautiful! (And Halloween colors to boot!)

Week Seventy-Eight Almost Done!

I'm so excited (and in pain, lol)

I had my adjustment and the orthodontist said that when I come back next month (4 weeks instead of 6) and if things are where they are supposed to be, we'll set the date to get them off! I'm over the moon...well I would be if my mouth wasn't in so much pain! This final tweak is really tough, but it will be worth it....

Just for comparison, this is where I started...















And here is where I am today...

What a difference!! I am so happy with the results...I just can't wait to see it when they come off...I'm just giddy with anticipation, like a kid on Christmas Eve, only it's 30 days of waiting.


Cross your fingers...

Week Seventy-Seven and an Apology

I'm sorry I haven't been around. Last November I quit my job (YAY!) Then went on an extended vacation. I returned home at Christmas and JUST as things would have returned to "normal", my mother was rushed to the hospital, had major surgery and passed away 21 days later.

Once the funeral was over, the "clean up" began. My mother, frankly, was a hoarder. It took several months of work, four dumpsters and 2 trucks of furniture going to the auction house until we could get the repair work done and list it for sale.

I'm also moving.

This spring mom was going to go with me and my husband on vacation for a few weeks. We knew her condition was getting worse so we had hoped she would have been able to go with us one last time. It was not to be...but since we had the plans, we went. While we were gone, my husband and I did some house hunting and decided that there was no better time for a fresh start.

So on top of selling my mother's house, we are selling our house, our condo and building a new house! Whew! Crazy times!

I feel bad that I haven't posted at all but as you can see, there's been a LOT on my plate.

My teeth are almost finished moving. All the roots are in place and my ortho has assured me that they will be off before the end of the year, our projected move date. Once they are off, I will only need to check in with him every six months or so, which would work out as we have some other reasons to visit.

In the last few months I have had random strangers come up to me and tell me that my teeth are beautiful. EVEN with the braces! Both my ortho and my dentist have also said I am in the top 5% as far as good braces care/cleanliness as well.

I think there are 3 things that I am so very grateful for:

1. I can actually bite through things! With my open bite, I never was able to bite through a sandwich so with every bite, the meat in the center was always whole. Now, I bite all the way through. With my molars being aligned, I'm "processing" my food completely, something else I never did before. I did notice that I have had fewer stomach problems since they have been aligned. I used to get heartburn quite often. I don't any longer and I attribute it to the proper chewing I am finally able to do.

2. With my teeth being in alignment, my jaw (with it's TMJ issues) no longer, or very, very rarely pops out. It used to pop out of placement once a week, may be two. Every time it did, I was in excruciating pain and would not be able to chew let alone eat for several days. Now if anything, it may just "crack" like you crack your knuckles. Not often and not painful at all.

3. Most of all, I am grateful that the braces have done enough to correct my jaw alignment that I will NOT have to have surgery! Originally, the braces were a "last ditch" effort to get things aligned so that I would not need surgery to correct my jaw alignment. The Oral Surgeon I saw was "doubtful" that it would work, but thought it would be worth trying as I would need the braces after the surgery anyway. I had chosen the stainless steel braces because the oral surgeon told me that if the braces didn't work to correct my jaw, then I would need them to wire my jaw shut after the surgery, the clear acrylic ones would not be able to be used to wire my jaw shut. Thank GOD that I didn't need the surgery.

I guess I should also add a 4th thing I am grateful for: My Ortho and his staff. They are the nicest people. So patient, kind and they always seem able to find a way to see me if I'm having a problem. I'm actually going to miss them when this is all over.

I have my next appointment at the ortho next week, so I will be sure to post pictures...I'm so excited. I think I might have six more weeks as I still have one small gap on the bottom that needs closed...but it's almost over..

Week 47, Good News and a Delay

The good news?  I'm very close to being done. The bad news, I have to delay things 6 weeks. I will be traveling out of the area for 6 weeks, so when the Ortho said that I was to come back every 2 weeks to have the bottom closing chain changed out so that my bottom teeth will finally close the gaps. No damage will be done by waiting, it will just delay the date as to when they come off. Trust me, my follow up appointment is scheduled for the day after we return. I really want to get these blasted things off!

This closing chain is very strong. It should be called the "instant headache" chain.

That aside, I'm getting excited that when I get back, in the next six weeks or so, I will be at the end of the most painful part of the journey.

As I do every week, here are the pictures:

First Day

Week 47

They really  are starting to look good, aren't they?

Week 46

Well I'm back....so I thought I'd post a picture. Everything is pretty darn straight. The roots included. The only problem right now is the spaces on the bottom. If you look, on the top is the standard chain and on the bottom is the closing chain.

First Day

Week 46

As you can see, I've come a long way...just a little farther. I have the appointment for my adjustment later this week and may be then, I'll get a date or estimate of when I'll get these things off.

I also wanted to mention, that while cleaning out my mother's house, I found a picture of me with my retainer from the first time I had braces. I realized that the IDIOT that did the braces back then, didn't ever close the open bite. I'll have to scan and post that picture when I get a chance.

I wish, looking back, I knew then what I know now, I'd sue for malpractice.

SOOOO SORRY!

I'm so sorry I haven't posted for a while. I "retired" from my job at the end of November, ok it was a glorified quitting with a teeny tiny stipend every month...then I went on vacation for 3 weeks...then Christmas...then my mom was in the hospital for 3 weeks before she passed away. :-(

It's been a long, tough road.


This all being said, my teeth have been in a holding pattern. I have gotten rid of the blasted vertical rubber-bands....but until the last 5 weeks, my bottom teeth have been refusing to close the gaps. This is the last thing keeping me from getting rid of the braces.

In December, they did another panoramic  x-ray and all the roots are straight.

The gaps on the bottom have stayed.

But the ortho got tough with them! The other "power chain" they were using was made sort of like this:
()-()-()-()-()-()

The "closing chain" is made like this:
()()()()()()()()()()

It is very strong and with no spaces between the loops it pulls very HARD.

I'm now down to one small gap between the center two teeth on the bottom and that's it.

I don't have a recent picture...but will post one later this week.....

I promise to try to get back to posting on a regular basis now that things are calming down.....

Just a thought....

I will be changing the "days until my braces come off clock" up above as soon as I get a new "take off" date. It just stuns me that if things go as planned these babies are coming off over a year early!

Week Thirty Four

Well...as I said in last week's post, the rubberbands were giving me a lot of problems. The near-constant headache for three weeks was driving me nuts so 2 days ago, on Tuesday, I went in to see the orthodontist. He's happy with the progress but agreed that a 3 week long headache is a little much. So he changed the size/thickness of the bands from the "Ken" to the "Louie". Where they came up with the names, I don't know.

The "Louies" are thinner and longer. The "Kens" went from the top hook to the one directly below it in the front. The "Louies" actually are stretched from the top front hook to the hook on the top back band, to the hook on the band below it and back to the front...all on one side so it makes a big box shape. I tried to take a picture, but I just can't get a clear shot.

Because the bands are thinner, they cause less pressure. Additionally, because the pressure is spread out over the entire side of my mouth, it is causing less pain. We moved my next appointment up so that it is in three weeks so we can see if I can go back to the "Kens" as they are the recommended size.

Here is a picture of the differences....the Ken is the little one, while Louie is bigger...

Ken is on the left, Louie on the right

So far, the pain is nearly gone.  I feel so much better and hope to get some sleep!

As always, here's this week's pictures:

First Day

Week Thirty Four

(Sorry about the chapped lips)

If you compare week thirty four and week thirty three, you can see in thirty three, both sides of the rubber band as it's looped in the front. Here in week thirty four, you can see it's just the single strand as the other half is looped over the back.

Hopefully, I can get the Kens back on soon...I don't want to fall behind schedule. I want to get these buggers off ASAP!

Week Thirty Three

I am still dealing with the pain of the rubber bands. It's now been two weeks and I still have a headache. I know it's the bands causing it because the minute I take them out to eat, the headache starts to go away. The minute I put them back in, it comes back. It's so much worse in the morning. I think I will see if I can schedule an appointment with the orthodontist next week if it doesn't get better over the weekend.

First Day



Week Thirty Three



I don't know why I took this picture without the vertical rubber bands, but I did. :-S



Week Thirty Two

Sorry for posting this late, life's been a little hectic....I've had a lot of pain and discomfort from the new vertical rubber bands. They are very thick and strong and have been giving me a headache every day. I have been lacking in sleep because of the pain.

I know when they started the chains, I had pain for 2 weeks, so I'm going to give it a little more time to see if it lessens/goes away.

As always:

First Day



Week Thirty Two



I see a lot of differences and am happy they are moving right along, even if they hurt a bit.

I can't get over how much my teeth have moved! it's not even a week and there is easily visible evidence that the top has moved down!  I can't believe it....it's so AMAZING!



This is Wednesday, October 27th




This is Thursday, October 28th




Monday, November 1st





On Wednesday, you can see a fair amount of space between the canines on the right side of my mouth (left side of the picture) By the next morning, only 24 hours after I got the rubber bands, the teeth are about even and by today, not even a week later, the space is practically closed! My jaw is nearly level! IN LESS THAN A WEEK!!!!

I'm so excited! I'm going to hae a "movie star" quality smile very soon!

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



Week 27

Well here we are! Week 27. Things are going ok. I ended up having to get the top wires clipped on Monday afternoon that is how fast the combination of the chain and the "ideal wire" have started moving those top teeth!

The pain has been ok, just low level throbbing, always worse in the morning. I think it's because I've been a little stressed this last week and I'm clenching my jaw in my sleep.

This being said, it's not even 1/2 as bad as it was last time. My jaw/teeth line is still a little bit lopsided, but, I think it might be getting a little better. I know I shouldn't even look at that right now as that is the last phase but it seems so obvious to me.

I also started to notice that the bottom is moving a little unevenly. if you look at the midlines or the line between the front teeth of each jaw, they're not quite squared/straight right now. I know this will also be tweaked later but jeeze, how crooked am I going to get before I start straightening out?

As always, the first day and most recent pictures for your "approval" :-#



First Day



Week 27












Amazing isn't it?

Ouchie!

Things must be moving and moving fast...I got the new wire on Thursday and already have a wire poking! OW! OW! OW!

But because my ortho is AWESOME! They are going to squeeze me in right after work...and since Starbucks is just 1/2 a block away....yeah...it's all good!

I LOVE my ortho's office...they are soo sweet, understanding and can put up with a wuss like me! :-#

Week Twentysix--Happy Halloween--A Little Early

Fall is in the air, leaves are changing, the sun is lower and I've got black and orange chains on my braces! I had my adjustment yesterday and the good news is...I've got the "ideal" wire on the top! It's the heaviest gauge wire they use and it's square. It is for all the heavy-duty moving. The sort of "not-so-good" news is that A) I still needed chains both top and bottom and B) the bottom had not progressed well enough to get the ideal wire.

The ortho did say that he is impressed with the way things are looking and we are moving right on track...so that's a plus.

I had the lovely Helen yesterday. She makes me laugh. She was a little unsure if I really wanted the Halloween colors, but did them anyway. I think they're a trip. I mean really, its only for 6 weeks and I get them off 5 days after Halloween so what's the big deal? Now what colors do I want for Thanksgiving? Or not? My next appointment is November 4th, so it's prime to get them in Thanksgiving colors, except that they don't get changed again until December 16. So do I skip Thanksgiving and go for Christmas? I'm not sure I want to get Christmas colors on the 16th because I'll have those bands/chains until the end of January. Oh the decisions...LOL.

As always, here are the weekly pictures....I looked at the 25th week anniversary pictures and it just amazes me how far I've come in just 6 months....:-#

First Day

Week 26

 Now on the plus side, the pain from the new, heavy wire and new chains didn't start right away. I did keep ice on it during the day and took Advil before and after so the pain wasn't too bad but at eight last night my husband and I went to get dinner and the pain started with my very first bite of dinner. I was able to finish it but it was very uncomfortable. I took more Advil when I got home and some other medicine I have for jaw pain when I went to bed.

It's not horrible today, just uncomfortable. I can deal, heck look at how pretty my chompers are getting, it makes all the pain worthwhile.

Week Twentyfive and a Look Back

So I have arrived at my 25th week anniversary! (Yay, ME!)

If the 2 year time frame is correct I have approximately 556 days left in braces...but on the plus side, that means I have 175 down. So I'm "getting there".

I've decided that in stead of just the first week picture and this week's picture, I'll post a few so you can see how they've changed as the changes happened....

First Day

Week Five

Week Ten

Week Fifteen

Week Twenty

 



Week Twentyfive











Next week if things have progressed as expected, I'll be up to the "ideal" archwire. This is the archwire that is the thickest, square and does all the "heavy lifting" when it comes to moving teeth. I'm hopeful that I won't also need another dreaded power chain.

With it being close to Halloween (my next adjustment is the week after Halloween) if I do not need a power chain, I think I'm going to pick black and orange bands. If I need a powerchain...well, I don't know. I'd have to think some more about that. Black may make it look as if all my teeth are rotting...lol.

I look back at the pictures above and am so impress at how far I've come in such a short time. I've bitten my tongue for the first time, can actually bite off bread with my front teeth....they are already starting to look so good. I haven't had any major TMJ issues either so I'm very happy with my results so far.

Week Twentyfour

So I'm posting week 24 a little late, but hey, I've been busy....

I don't think there's been much change....but I think what I will do for my 25th week anniversary next week will be to post a "retrospective" picking some of the biggest changes....
So anyway....

First Day


Week 24

Twentythree for me!

I'm posting week 23 a week late. I was on vacation last week with limited internet so I took the picture and am now posting it. There's not much to mention.

So as always, the first day




Week 23

Achy Breaky Teeth

Well not really breaky but definately achy. *sighs* I'm tired of achy teeth. They've been sore all weekend. I think my sinus infection is putting pressure on the top row and the bottom is really moving in response to the power chaing going all the way back to the molars.

I JUST happened to notice that the gap that formed on the bottom left has begun to close so the power chain must be working and that would explain the pain...but it's going to drive me nuts.

I'm just a mess today. *sighs* And even Advil is not working. *pouts*

Week Twentytwo, What's new?

What's new you say? Hmm...not much and a lot, lol.

The pain is mostly gone, thank goodness! I don't think I could have stood another month of pain from the power chain. I do have a whole lot of wiggling going on. It seems that every tooth is wiggling and moving around, even the molars. It's not that painful, just very weird. The center pulp of my teeth seems really sensitive I sometimes can feel the pulp pulsating with my every heartbeat. It's so strange, not painful just a weird sensation that theres some gentle throbbing inside each tooth.

I know I've mentioned it before, but this week was the first time anyone pointed out how lopsided my teeth are right now. I was visiting my mother and she asked to see my teeth. I smiled and she said, "They look funny." I asked, "How so?" She replied, "Your mouth's crooked."

I then had to point out two things to her. One, the ortho isn't trying to move my teeth down yet, so the one side that did come down, did so on it's own. So it's going to look a little lopsided. Two, it also accentuates the angle my top jaw actually sits at, the angle that's pushing my jaw out of alignment and causing my TMJ issues.

I had to tell her then (I had been trying to avoid this, she is a worrier) That if when the ortho tries to bring my teeth down, if he can't move them to compensate for my misalignment of my jaws, they'll have to cut my top jaw from my skull and reattach it 'level'. It's not what we want to do, we really hope that the braces will do the trick, but I have to be aware that it might be necessary.

Needless to say, she wasn't happy. I'm not either, but if it's what the ortho and the oral surgeon say needs to be done to keep the TMJ from reoccurring, I'll do it. I'd rather be in pain from the surgery for a few months, than have the TMJ pain the rest of my life. I mean, if we can't get the teeth to realign to compensate, and I don't have the surgery at that point, really the braces would have been for nothing. Yes, I'd have a much prettier smile, but I didn't go into this for vanity. I want my jaw to stop hurting. The pain from my TMJ was so bad that I don't know what I would have done if there wouldn't have been an option such as the braces/surgery to stop the pain. I can see how people could take to drugs or alcohol to dull the near constant pain. I hope to GOD we can get this to a point where I never have that again. I know the braces are doing some good because A) my teeth are lining up better and my chewing is better B) I haven't had any TMJ incidents since we started the braces.

To me, the lack of TMJ issues since beginning braces tells me that my doctors know what they are talking about and I'm on the right track. So yes, if they tell me they need to cut my jaw off of my skull and reattach it so that everything fits the way it should, you'd better believe that I would be willing to do it.

As always, it's Thursday and I have my "anniversary" pictures. The first week, this week, week 22 and I've also added a picture with lines drawn over my braces so you can see the angle of "crookedness" that my mother pointed out to me. I exaggerated the lines a little because when you see them in 2D it's not as easy to pick out as if you are seeing them in 3D.

First Day

Week 22

Week 22 with lines

Week Twentyone

Well, here we are week 21. The major soreness was gone by the end of the weekend, much to my delight and surprise.

The only thing I really notice now that the "crunching" of my molars moving has stopped is that the hook for my rubberbands, on the lower right front of my mouth is now catching my lip. What's that all about? It's kind of just annoying, but I can't even wax it during the day because it's very visible.

Oh well, it's not causing a blister or anything so I shouldn't complain.

Edited to add: if you look at the hook, the tooth has moved forward and the angle has changed, ever so slightly....I think that's why it's starting to catch...

As always, my pictures:

First Day



Week 21


You know, it just amazes me, it's only been 148 days and look at all the changes! One side of my open bite is mostly closed and really, they are getting very straight. If they are this good now, I can't wait to see how great they will look in approximately 583 days! *sigh*