7 years ago
Thursday, March 19, 2009
My Irritated Mouth =/
Well, I thought I would not have any problems with my mouth being irritated from the braces but last night the inside of my lower lip was very sore/irritated and so was the back of my cheek on the left side. There was a wire sticking out there so I put some wax on it and it was better. As for the bottom inside lip area, I just took a whole stick of wax an put it across my entire bottom front lol.. since there wasnt anythign sticking out, it must've just been irritated form the braces itself... oh well...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The journey has begun!
I have had my braces now for about 2 weeks - since February 24th. I started this blog a little late I guess so I'll back track a bit so this will be a loooong post.
So basically I'm 25 and I have an underbite just like my father. My teeth are crowded on top and bottom, I am missing 3 teeth on top and 1 on bottom, I have 3 crowns, and slight gum recession on some teeth - yes I know a lot going on!
I was supposed to wear braces in high school but I was petrified of dentists, etc still at that time so I did not go through with it. Then I almost started the orthodontic process 2-3 years ago because my then dentist recommended it but it was taking too long to get off the ground and I just stopped (I know Stupid!).
So about 3 months ago I started thinking about it again. I decided to go to my dentist first for a checkup to make sure my teeth were healthy .. and.. disappointment.. I needed 2 root canals. I decided to go on a consultation with an orthodontist anyway. The first one I went to I didnt much like but he did mention somethign that made me think - he mentioned that I "would benefit from jaw surgery.." No one ever told me that and I never really heard of it to be honest. When I got home I researched like crazy .. and got scared. It seemed I would need surgery and to be honest it made me a little depressed for a few days. The 2nd orthodontist did a lot of adult cases. She informed me that I would need my bottom right premolar extracted (which what all the other orthos I've seen said...). My treatment time would be 18-24 months. When I asked her if I would need surgery, she said she could fix my bite without surgery by jutting my top teeth forward and pulling my bottom teeth in. I was ecstatic.. but when I was home and researching more and more I was getting convinced surgery would be the best route for me... Afterall, I dont want to wear braces for 2 years and then several years after that realize I need to get them again because I need surgery afterall. I decided that I will bring up my concerns at the next appointment and see what she says.
So next step was to go get my root canal and a temporary crown. After that I went in to get spacers for a week (ouch). I told her that I am afraid braces alone wont give me the results I want. She said she can fix my bite to be good and that my lips would meet togetehr better than now. I asked her if my face will change and she said slighty but not as dramatic as jaw surgery. Then she proceeded to give me a referral to an oral surgeon who is one of the top in my area. She said if I want to go and see what he says. She says i have 6 months to decide if I want surgery because that's when she'll need to know whether to take the orthodontic treatment this way or that way. I called the OS but since I dont have insurance and they charge $500 for a consultation, I decided to wait until I get insurance..
On February 23rd, I had my bottom premolar extracted and the next day, February 24th I was braced! I got molar bands on my back teeth. When she was fitting the molar bands on my teeth and putting them on it hurt but the rest of the stuff wasn't bad, just uncomfortable to have my mouth stretched open for that long I guess. Afterwards, they talked about hygiene & gave me the goody bag. She told me(and I knew this already) that I have to keep my teeth extra clean due to the current state of my mouth (I have some bone loss, gum recession).
The first week was not good for me, because of the combination of braces and the fresh extraction site. I was in pain and tryign hard to avoid an infection in the extraction site. I was really worried about it because the tooth that was there was very crooked and like below the others so the gum looked weird in that spot - like there was no gum on the outer side it seemed.. my dentist said it will start to come together, and in fact it has. That put my worries aside. The braces themselves felt really weird to me for the first few days - I felt like I had to consciously make an effort to keep my lips together. Eating was very awkward and after 2-3 days became painful as well.
For the past week things have been getting better. I am getting more used to them with each day. The braces don't hurt unless I chew or bite down - I actually try to avoid biting down because it hurts too much, but sometimes I press on my teeth even though it hurts (soreness) - I dunno why I do that. I have been using my magic bullet alot lately and eating more soups and stuff like that. I also have a wire sticking out on the bottom I think since she put them on but it doesn't really bother me - I only used wax on it 1 time. I guess my cheek is pretty tough..
So that's it for the first post. Till next time =)
So basically I'm 25 and I have an underbite just like my father. My teeth are crowded on top and bottom, I am missing 3 teeth on top and 1 on bottom, I have 3 crowns, and slight gum recession on some teeth - yes I know a lot going on!
I was supposed to wear braces in high school but I was petrified of dentists, etc still at that time so I did not go through with it. Then I almost started the orthodontic process 2-3 years ago because my then dentist recommended it but it was taking too long to get off the ground and I just stopped (I know Stupid!).
So about 3 months ago I started thinking about it again. I decided to go to my dentist first for a checkup to make sure my teeth were healthy .. and.. disappointment.. I needed 2 root canals. I decided to go on a consultation with an orthodontist anyway. The first one I went to I didnt much like but he did mention somethign that made me think - he mentioned that I "would benefit from jaw surgery.." No one ever told me that and I never really heard of it to be honest. When I got home I researched like crazy .. and got scared. It seemed I would need surgery and to be honest it made me a little depressed for a few days. The 2nd orthodontist did a lot of adult cases. She informed me that I would need my bottom right premolar extracted (which what all the other orthos I've seen said...). My treatment time would be 18-24 months. When I asked her if I would need surgery, she said she could fix my bite without surgery by jutting my top teeth forward and pulling my bottom teeth in. I was ecstatic.. but when I was home and researching more and more I was getting convinced surgery would be the best route for me... Afterall, I dont want to wear braces for 2 years and then several years after that realize I need to get them again because I need surgery afterall. I decided that I will bring up my concerns at the next appointment and see what she says.
So next step was to go get my root canal and a temporary crown. After that I went in to get spacers for a week (ouch). I told her that I am afraid braces alone wont give me the results I want. She said she can fix my bite to be good and that my lips would meet togetehr better than now. I asked her if my face will change and she said slighty but not as dramatic as jaw surgery. Then she proceeded to give me a referral to an oral surgeon who is one of the top in my area. She said if I want to go and see what he says. She says i have 6 months to decide if I want surgery because that's when she'll need to know whether to take the orthodontic treatment this way or that way. I called the OS but since I dont have insurance and they charge $500 for a consultation, I decided to wait until I get insurance..
On February 23rd, I had my bottom premolar extracted and the next day, February 24th I was braced! I got molar bands on my back teeth. When she was fitting the molar bands on my teeth and putting them on it hurt but the rest of the stuff wasn't bad, just uncomfortable to have my mouth stretched open for that long I guess. Afterwards, they talked about hygiene & gave me the goody bag. She told me(and I knew this already) that I have to keep my teeth extra clean due to the current state of my mouth (I have some bone loss, gum recession).
The first week was not good for me, because of the combination of braces and the fresh extraction site. I was in pain and tryign hard to avoid an infection in the extraction site. I was really worried about it because the tooth that was there was very crooked and like below the others so the gum looked weird in that spot - like there was no gum on the outer side it seemed.. my dentist said it will start to come together, and in fact it has. That put my worries aside. The braces themselves felt really weird to me for the first few days - I felt like I had to consciously make an effort to keep my lips together. Eating was very awkward and after 2-3 days became painful as well.
For the past week things have been getting better. I am getting more used to them with each day. The braces don't hurt unless I chew or bite down - I actually try to avoid biting down because it hurts too much, but sometimes I press on my teeth even though it hurts (soreness) - I dunno why I do that. I have been using my magic bullet alot lately and eating more soups and stuff like that. I also have a wire sticking out on the bottom I think since she put them on but it doesn't really bother me - I only used wax on it 1 time. I guess my cheek is pretty tough..
So that's it for the first post. Till next time =)
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