ReneG's 2 year Diet Plan

[ReneG]

Well, that's how I look at it since I've been trying to shave off a couple of stubborn kilos plus the two I put on yesterday gorging a final feast

The cut and dried info:
Orthodontist: Dr M. Mah (National Dental Centre, Singapore)
Surgeon: Dr Goh B.T. (National Dental Centre, Singapore)

Diagnosis: Class II Div 1 (high angle) malocclusion with an open bite, maxillary and alveolar prognathia, mandible retrognathia, temporomandibular joint disorder and attrition of molars, tongue thrust etc

Treatment plan:
1. Extractions of upper 2nd premolars ( 5/5 ) and lower 1st premolars ( 4/4 )
2. Excision of lower wisdom (third molars) ( 8/8 )
3. Interim of about 18 months for braces to align teeth as per surgeon's instructions
4. Lefort I Differential Impaction (maxilla)
5. Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy (mandible)
6. Genioplasty (chin)
7. Final adjustment for braces.



Had my extractions done today. I just realised that I DID NOT TAKE ANY PRE PHOTOS Had the records/molds/xrays done at the Dental Centre but none of my own... sigh. Tonight, I will get assistance to help me take decent pictures and will try to record my story diligently!

It's almost 5pm now. I had my extractions done at 11.30 under GA. Since this is a subsidized by the government, I do not get to choose my surgeon. I was very blessed to get a gentle and thorough surgeon Dr A. Tay. The dental nurse's opinion seems to be right so far since I have minimal swelling. Only a MINOR chipmunk! I have my pieces of wisdom teeth and will try some puzzling later to put them back together

It was scary when I woke up around 12.20 because I felt sooo tired. I didn't realise how much I drooled because my lower jaw and tongue were numb and the huge pieces of gauze I had to bite down on didn't help! I could barely move them and they were rather swollen. As the numbness wore off, the swelling seemed to go down too. The gauze was removed and I spat out seemingly a lot of bloody saliva. (The nurse later told me not so spit out but to swallow since the act of spitting can dislodge the clotting blood over the extraction sites.)

I sat up and moved my jaws and tongue... and found that it helped me feel better and more in control

The anathesia and numbness have wore off by around 3pm and it was starting to ache so I chickened out and took 2 tablets of painkillers so there is no pain, not even aches.

The incision was done on the outer part of my gums so my tongue actually doesn't brush against it and the stitches easily.

Stitches will be removed on 25 Feb and my separators will be put in on the same day. I think I'll save some of my painkillers for then!!

Cost: $2466.00
Government grant: -$1527.50
GST grant: -$65.35
Total payable: $938.50
My Medisave: -$880.00
Cash: $58.80

Medication:
36 tabs of 500g paracetamol + 9mg codeine phosphate - $5.80
1 bottle 250ml Pearlie White Chloro-Rinse with Chlorhexidine Gluconate 0.2% w/v - $5.00
Government grant: -$1.50
Cash: $9.30


Schedule
11 Feb 2008: Treatment plan approved and confirmed!
15 Feb 2008: Extractions
25 Feb 2008: Separators/spacers
03 Mar 2008: Bands
10 Mar 2008: Braced!
21 Apr 2008: 1st Adjustment

[Miss Smiley]

WOW! You paid hardly anything!

[Lisa65]

Wow, you're in for a lot of treatment there, Rene. Hope those extraction sites soon heal up and then you'll be ready to go.
I wouldn't count on braces being a diet aid though. I lost a bit of weight to begin with, but within a few weeks I was eating as much as ever

Look forward to seeing your pics.

[missfashionista]

Yeah...I'm back to eating almost anything I want now too. Today I had some fried chicken wings!!

[ReneG]

Miss Smiley: yes, I hardly paid anything, which is why I decided to list everything down. Of course, some people would point out that the Medisave is technically my own money (our government makes us and our employers deposit compulsory contributions (amount is a % tied to our salary) into our CPF)

The braces though, aren't claimable from Medisave as it is considered a personal option and not medically required

Xrays, molds, photos and reports were paid for separately in earlier visits totaling about $250 in all.

Fixed Package for Surgical Orthodontic Treatment
Cost: $4600.00
Hospital Discount: -$1120.00
7% GST: $243.60
Total payable: $3723.60
Downpayment: $1473.60.00
Remaining $2250.00 in monthly instalments of $150.00

[ReneG]

Lisa65, missfashionista, thanks for the tip! I suppose I will have to add in a big dose of self moderation as well!

Reading about all the impending pain on separators/spacers, adjustments, and of course the surgeries... throw in the fact that I can't stop treatment now ... I guess I'm just nervous about it all. My pain tolerance is actually pretty high.

I find it easier to look at it as a "diet plan" than a "get my bite fixed so my front teeth will meet for the first time in my lifeplan" I've had a lot of upheavals in my life and I pray that this self induced one will be a good one!!!

[ReneG]

After extractions, before spacers.
Front view, teeth clenched to show open bite:

Front view, wide smile to show teeth better. All four gaps where my upper rear premolars and lower front premolars were extracted are visible here.

Front view, lower jaw postured forward to show the worse open bite. Yes, my teeth are clenched.

Upper jaw:

Lower jaw:

Angled view from bottom to show overjet (12mm on a level plane):

[Braced32]

Hi ReneG ~

Yeah, I know we're not supposed to think of it as a diet plan but I'm feeling the same as you! This is my diet - but mainly because I've cut out all snacks because I don't want to clean out my extraction sites as food is still getting stuck in two of them (Monday will be 3 weeks since they were extracted). I get braced one week from Monday. I am assuming I'll still stick with the no snacks diet because I don't want to brush more than three times a day - breakfast, lunch & dinner!

In less than two weeks, I lost 8 pounds from having five teeth extracted!

I needed to diet anyways because I'm a bridesmaid in my sister's wedding this summer!

[ReneG]

Hi Braced32!

I've never been a fan of the brush twice a day and floss daily routine so the increased cleaning required with braces is really scary for me.

I'm still trying to work out a cleaning routine. I like my Waterpik but it's actually quite big, so I don't see myself bringing it to work with me for after lunch cleaning. And ortho brush heads for my Oral-B electric are expensive... online stores with cheap prices are questionable sources


Tomorrow afternoon the spacers go on and I am not looking forward to all that pain

This evening, my mom cooked curry chicken and I pigged out big time... I figure I'm not going to be eating at all tomorrow night :p

Congrats on the loss! Do you get to choose your bridesmaid dress? That's a great goal to work for

[Braced32]

I am a fan of brushing twice a day and flossing daily so it shouldn't be too bad for me to brush one extra time a day (after lunch).

My ortho requires patients to purchase a Water Pik from him when getting braced so I will be getting one but I've never used one before so I don't know what to expect. Yeah, from what I've seen, it's not something you tote to and from home with you all the time.

Since you're going to be in braces for awhile, an ortho brush head for your Oral-B electric brush is probably a worthy investment. I say, if you can afford it, go for it!

I've lucked out! I don't need molar bands or appliances, therefore, I don't need spacers! Wahoo!!! I'm so glad - all the stories I've heard that they're the worst part of braces, I'm so glad I can skip it!

You should be able to still eat - just stick with soft, mushy food or sweat it out and eat through the pain!

Nope, I don't get to choose the dress. But luckily my sister picked my favorite color, purple, and it's a very flattering shape for me! YEAH!

[ReneG]

Had the spacers stuffed in today. Two on my upper jaw and four on my lower. They are lil blue o rings unceremoniously jammed in with pliers. Ugh. When I feel up to it I'll take some photos. Ortho said to chuck em if they came out, no need to come back to have em stuffed back in. My next appointment is in a week to have the molar bands in. Thereafter another week before being finally fully braced.

Ortho said that this is the first official taste of braces. Some people can't take it and need more time to gradually get braced. Others have no problems and are fully braced in the 3 appointments.

It ached and ached on the train back. Feels like when I have chunks of meat stuck in my molars and I want them OUT. But I crunched down on them rubber bits (feels like I'm chewing on rubber) and read a book... so I even managed to run some errands before I headed home. I read that it's going to be worse tomorrow *groan*

I asked about toothbrushes and he said any soft normal toothbrush would do. Electrics were better cos you could be a lil lazy yet still have clean teeth and braces. But special brushes weren't necessary if you were thorough. I guess I'll continue to search online for a decent, cheap yet reliable source (pity Dentakit doesn't carry them Oral-B ortho brushheads) but I won't worry that much about it if I can't get them.

The pictorial guide he gave me (would've given to me when I get banded if I didn't ask) showed how to brush with a normal toothbrush and even how to floss. It's called "How to brush when you wear braces - An Orthodontic Health Education Leaflet Produced by Association of Orthodontists (Singapore) Sponsored by Oral-B" They even managed to have a few of the brushing pictures feature the Oral-B electric.

He also said he'd give me all the wax I could possibly need so I didn't have to buy any but I would definitely have to get string floss.


Braced32: heeey my fav colour is purple, too! You sure lucked out though: no spacers, molar bands AND a flattering purple dress!!

[ReneG]

Spacers ached like heck on day two and three. I was constantly chewing on them to relieve the ache and increase the sharp pain. Sadistic, eh?

Night of day two, I realised that the dentist who removed my stitches LEFT A STITCH IN. Admittedly, it was hidden in a cave where my inner cheeks are swollen and healing from the stitches and my lower molars. I could feel something pokey there when I probe with my tongue but it took a lot of shoving around with a finger to actually see it. With a lot of awkward angling, I managed to get a photo of it and later snipped it out myself.

By day five, I was back on my normal diet. I started using my Waterpik again. Had to stop because of the wisdom teeth surgery/extractions. Gosh, a lot of accumulated gunk in the caves mentioned above. Almost as reeky as the tonsoliths I occasionally have Brushing couldn't reach the area and flossing somehow did not dislodge it, just went around it. hmmm.

Also speared an extraction site and made it bleed. But it seemed to heal up pretty good and the bloody spot is getting smaller.

Today, I gorged again... sigh. I have not dared to go near the weighing scales for fear of what I may confirm.

Tomorrow, the spacers come off and the molar bands go in. Whoopeedoo.

Not.

[Braced32]

Hi ReneG ~

Yep, I feel VERY lucky to have missed out on the spacers and molar bands!

My dentist also missed a (VERY LONG) stitch when removing mine! I didn't know if my dentist had snipped it and missed it when pulling them out of if he missed it completely when snipping them all. It was in an awkward spot for me to see and cut it so I had my hubby try and he couldn't get it to cut. So we finally gave up and I gave it a cautious yank and out it came!

Being I decided to eat out 9 CONSECUTIVE DAYS in a row to celebrate after 3 weeks of soft foods after extractions and before getting braced, I gained 3 of the 8 pounds I had lost! Hopefully I'll lose those this week!

Tomorrow I receive my lower braces and bite plate!

[ReneG]

I'm still avoiding the scales. On good days, (eg day 5 after spacers), I pigged out. On bad days, (eg today) I'm going to go with soups at least till hunger overrides my aching inner cheeks.

Bands were put in yesterday. A lot of pressure, no pain. Ortho went through a couple of band sizes before deciding and I have no idea which one he finally used. The upper ones and lower ones are different though. I'll take pics once my lips stop aching from all that stretching. I also had to bite down a lot, I think to help him wedge the bands in better.

He polished the molars (even used something he called the "ultrasonic") before cementing the bands in. The cement was sourish but he was good at wiping most of the excess away. Not that I would have minded since I like sour He also used the suction tube a lot... I was not allowed to rinse at all until it was all done.

It was rather anticlimatic. The dental assistant gave me a tiny bag of 5 strips of wax. (4.5cmx0.5cm / 1 6/8 x 1 2/8 per strip) and told me when to use them and to dry the brackets thoroughly before using them.

I had to pay $5.80 per molar band, for a grand total of $23.20 to add to my Brace expenditure.

On the cab ride home, I was poking around with my tongue thinking, hmm, these guys are pretty smooth, no rough edges, the cleats on the inside feel ok, what the heck is the commotion about?!

It took less than an hour to find out. After the first meal, I waved the white flag.

I decided to baby myself and went back to soft foods (mmmm sucking on dark chocolate squares is a lovely fix) Also waxed ALL the bits before bedtime. *after* a very thorough brushing and waterpiking.

I hope I have enough wax till next week.

Once my inner cheeks heal, I *might* start being brave and stop the wax, but I'll decide on that later

[missfashionista]

Yes, wax is your friend...and so is ice cream!! LOL...

I was one of the lucky ones who did not need spacers or bands....hope you pain goes away soon! Are you counting down the days till you get braced? I am getting my uppers on March 20 and I can't wait!