Metal Molar Bands & some ramblings about decision making...

(Daniel, my significant other, said my metal molar bands look like little "mini-machine guns!" ahahah! he cracks me up! lolz -see top pic for resemblence)

Turns out, after the first 3 to 4 days, spacers do not hurt at all- what a relief; i was eating normally again [AFTER thanksgiving of course]. One of my spacers fell out. When I returned for winter break, the orthodontist replaced it and another one of my metal spacers with rubber ones. I must say-- i think rubber spacers are a bit more comfortable than the metals one- but it could be that my mouth already had a "feeling" for spacers by the time I got the rubber ones.

Anyhoo, the orthodontist recently replaced the spacers with these shiny metal bands that go all the way around my back molars. They don't hurt at all bc there was plenty of room for them- thanks to the spacers! ;) The bands have hook like things on the outside next to my cheeks and on the inside next to my tongue. [These will be the mainstays/base for the wire when they put on my braces] The hooks like things are somewhat sharp, irritating my cheeks and tongue. You get used to it though and your mouth "hardens up" around those areas. The [i'm going to start calling it the "dontist" for short] dontist gives you wax if it becomes painful or too irritating. I've only used the wax a few times. I'm trying to take all of the discomfort and irritation that i possible can-- knowing that none of this will be even close to the pain of jaw surgery.

Speaking of jaw surgery, I've been reading a TON of blogs recently- just to reaffirm my decision to follow through with this lengthy process. I must admit that I've became slightly disheartened and anxious after reading everybody's painful, long, gradual recovery stories- stories of never ending numbness, stories in which every day presents a new painful obstacles, stories of painful physical therapy post op- trying to achieve the goal of a 45mm opening bite, etc. I know it's wayyy to early for me to be thinking this extensively about the surgery- for goodness sake- most people don't worry or fret about it until the a week before surgery. I don't know. I just started becoming a little nervous. Sometimes I feel like knowledge is not power- in some cases. I just hope that in the end, this will all be worth it.

I understand this is all easier said than done. Hopefully, I will maintain my inner strength and all of the success stories will keep me uplifted. Nobody has every told me that i HAVE to do this. I made this choice on my own- and with the guidance of my parents and several dentists/dontists/and oral surgeons. I want to be able to look back and confidently say that I made the right decision.... if I don't go through with this dental journey, I will never know what good or bad could come of it. All I will know is the highly probable gum disease, TMJ, chewing (often times- tugging- not chewing) difficulties, and crooked, crowded teeth. Given the possible results of inaction, I feel that going through with the process will benefit me most in the long run. To used the phrase of a fellow jaw blogger-- hopefully, everything will be "jawsome!" :)

Well, I will be reporting back after I get my braces on January 5, 2010! AHH!! there will be lots of trumpet playing, snickers eating, apple/carrot/etc. eating, maybe some intense kissing [haha!], and whistling before then! ...playing the trumpet may never be the same after braces and all my dental procedures!! ee! :o

Happy Holidays to all! Well wishes to anyone undergoing any sort of dental surgeries over the holidays!

Spacers!

Today, I took the first step on my oral journey- spacers! Metal spacers were placed between my back molars (4 total spacers, only on top.). The spacers are "spring-like," creating space around my top back molars. The spacers, sometimes called separators, are supposed to create room for a metal band that will be put around the back molars to hold the braces. My next appointment is not until December 14th- I suppose they will remove the spacers and replace them with the metal bands. On January 4th, I will be getting my teeth cleaned by my dentist [last time without braces for a while!]. Then, on the 5th, I'm scheduled to get braces! I will be getting Damon braces, which means no colored elastics. The Damon system does not use elastic bands. My mouth will be all metal. Although elastics are pretty cool and colorful, the Damon system is supposed to be faster and a tad more comfortable.

As for the pain report:
The quick process [no more than 2 minutes] of placing spacers on my top back molars did not hurt at all! It just felt weird, as any other foreign object in your mouth would. Throughout the day, all was still well- just had to deal with an annoying prong/coil of the spacers that sticks out and rubs against the inside of my cheek. I was worried they might pop out more than anything else!

However, when I bit into a cucumber for dinner- it hurt! Biting down on things/ chewing is difficult and very uncomfortable. It took longer than usual to eat my spaghetti- even after I cut it up into small pieces. Since dinner, I've experienced a dull pain. Whenever I bite or put my teeth together, it hurts; it's almost like the sensation one gets from pressing on a bruise- except it's fairly constant. Of course, it's less painful when your top and bottom teeth are not touching.
The spacers are creating an aching sensation on my whole entire row of top teeth right now- because the spacers are squishing all of the other teeth together. My top row of teeth feel tight. There is a considerable amount of pressure on my gums. The orthodontist said these pains would subside after a few days. Hopefully they do! We'll see!

Oh and I didn't post an update about the appointment I had at the orthodontist before this one. In a nutshell, the orthodontist described my treatment process and laid out the ground rules of wearing braces [i.e. what you can and can't eat, request of cooperation and commitment, etc]. He also discussed the payment plan with my mom.

I will try to post updates about my treatment process. If you have any questions, comments, or advice- feel free to leave them here! It is tremendously inspirational and helpful to read other peoples' blogs and vlogs about the experience with braces and orthagnathic surgery. Thanks to everyone who posts their experience! Hopefully, I can be a good resource for others going through the same thing. Certainly, all of the support on the internet will help get us all through this! :) Good Luck to everyone else! Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. love this bubblegum mouthwash (above)!! made my night! haha! haven't had it in FOREVER! [bc it's for little kids. tehe] ...the taste was a nice distraction from my mild discomfort :)

Oral Surgeon! Dr. P

Today I visited an oral surgeon to discuss treatment plans and to give him my records.
Overview of visit:
paperwork
-sat in dentist chair --going to get well acquainted with those, eh?
-waited
-met dr.p ...almost as good as dr. pepper. haha. he is quite attractive. [it appears as though no one explicitly states their doctor's name online. so i guess i'll follow suit. if you want to know, just ask. he's located in southwestern va. says he done countless numbers of orthagnathic surgery cases, which makes me feel a bit more comfortable. in fact, he's performing surgery on two people tomorrow!]
- was examined by dr. p... he made some judgements. told me what about my facial appearance will change. i should have more definition in my cheek bones and my nose will pop up a bit- and, of course, the chin will no longer be the most noticeable, prominent aspect of my face. apparently, i currently have masculine facial features. according to him, im attractive but he will enhance that while correcting my terrible bite. let's hope so!! I'm mostly focused on fixing my bite. I can only chew on one side but I'd greatly appreciate not having my face/appearance messed up while doing so.
-watched an old video about orthagnathic surgery.
-My mom and I asked dr. p more questions. He reminded us that this particular treatment will be long and we must be committed. He told us not to worry so much about the details of surgery now, for we will probably forget them well before my surgery anyways.
-Unfortunately, he thinks I will need both upper and lower jaw surgery. :( i was hoping i'd only need lower. upper sounds super scary. i'm not too fond of them getting so close to my nasal area....but if it must be done..*sigh*


As of now, it looks as though I will get braces around winter break/December. In other words, we're in no hurry and I can enter my first semester in college as normal. thank goodness! ...wisdom teeth will [possibly] be removed next summer; it depends on how fast my teeth move. i have an impacted top canine that needs more room to come down. ...the date of surgery also depends on the speed of my orthodontic work. needless to say, my teeth are pretty messed up; lots of crowding and "impact-ion." in other words, this will probably take a long time- maybe 24 to 30 months.

Still thinking positively. Keeping my eye on the end result! Hopefully, it will all be worth it! no pain, no gain, right?
Only two more weeks until I start college!! So excited!! =)

Tues. July 28 2009
Today marked my second trip to the orthodontist. [technically, the third, but I can explain the history of that later]. During the first visit, the orthodontist looked at my teeth and talked with me and mother about possible treatment plans. Today they created lots of records—panoramic x-rays, skull x-ray, hand x-ray, photos from various angles in and outside of my mouth, and molds of my teeth. Before today’s visit, I was told by some friends who have had braces that taking the molds was a nasty, awful, even nauseas, experience. Well, I am here to tell you that that is not so. Though it didn’t tast lovely or give me pleasureful sensations, making molds of my teeth certainly did not upset my stomach. It was kind of cool/interesting, actually. In fact, I’d say my visit as a whole was quite interesting.
To make the molds of your teeth, the dentist places a metal container [looks like a metal mouth guard] full of soggy [mash potato like consistency], pink stuff around the top or bottom set of your teeth. The pink stuff rapidly thickens and become rubbery [like really old chewing gum] around your teeth, forming an impression. Once the dentist removes the rubbery mold, you can see an impression of your teeth. Pretty cool! The dentist also uses a sheet of wax to make another impression.
Once all of the records were taken, I was able to view my pictures and x-rays on a computer screen. Wow! I had no idea just how messed up my teeth really are!! It was nice to have another perspective—reassuring me that braces and jaw surgery are necessary to fix my teeth.
The orthodonist gave me printouts of all the records taken today [including the cool molds of my mouth/teeth!] so that I can take them with me to the oral surgeon next Tuesday. Hopefully, all goes well there! staying positive!