Day 1 - Incognito Journey (plus Piezocision)

[Askme]

Hi all,

Finally after months of reading every single post, I've got my Incognitos on for a whole 3 hours It is weird finally haivng them on (i'll post some pics soon)

As if that wasn't enough punishment next Wednesday I am having Piezocision procedure done which is designed to accelerate orthodontic treatment and at the same time improve the periodontium by hard and/or soft tissue grafting. This procedure combines micro-incisions limited to the buccal gingiva that allow for the use of the piezoelectric knife to decorticate the alveolar bone without flap elevations. It also has the advantage of allowing for hard and/or soft tissue grafting via selective tunneling when needed.


This should reduce my treatment time by 50% so happy days (well happier once I have it done of course.) Attached is a link for those interested in reading more. http://pocketdentistry.com/5-piezocision/

So back to my lingual experience.
Installation - Getting them on was easy enough although that glue they use is absolutely disgusting . My dentist put them on in sections so that made it easier although it does get tiring having your mouth open for 2 hours.

Comfort - While the brackets themselves are a lot smaller in my mouth, they are sharper on my tongue than I anticipated, especially at the front as I speak. 3 hours in I have little pain but have some painkillers on standby. Also have the dental wax. Will see how long I can go without using so hopefully I can adapt. I can also feel a dull pain (1/10) so let see if that gets worse or not.

The dreaded speech - Speech so far is not terrible - i'd say 90-95%. I can hear some lisping on the S's but a lot less than I expected. I've read it can get worse before it gets better so i'll have to update you tomorrow but hopefully it stays as is or gets better. Being Irish, I was never easy to understand anyway so no need to make it worse I am back to work on Monday so hopefully I can go incognito as the name suggests. and not be spitting all over peoples faces.

Eating I only had a coffee and some banana bread since I've had them on. With the raised things on the back of my molars, my bite doesn't close fully so hard to properly chew so looks like sssssoup for a few days.

Well that's it for now will report back in 24 hours. Feel free to ask any questions.

Cheers

[robbievega]

hey AskMe, congrats on the first day! smart move to take a few days off to adjust, by monday you'll be well on your way. make sure to stay hydrated, and put plenty of wax on the first few nights, esp on the back brackets. my mouth fully adjusted in less than a week and now i hardly use it anymore. that Piezocision sounds interesting, never heard of it.. keep us updated!

[Askme]

Thanks Robbie - agree about the wax - lifesaver!

So 24 hours in....

Eating was a challenge yesterday so soup and bread was the order of the day. It was tough to fill up on this so I can see what people mean when they say the lose weight with these things. I will try pasta this evening and see how it goes. I just don't see how you can eat normally with the build up on the molars creating the gap but lets see. Maybe I should just blend everything and drink it Actually I find drinking the most painful as my tongue always touches the front of my mouth when I swallow. I think the hardest thing so far was getting that bloody wax on before I went to bed. I almost used everything the dentist gave so may need to get more today.

Overall there hasn't been much pain so think i'm getting off lightly compared to some stories. Really its just the tongue getting used of the confined space and sharp edges. I don't think my wires are too tight yet and am scheduled for another appointment in 3 weeks (2 week post piezocision) so reckon I reckon that's when the ortho will want to start activating. I will then have a appointments every 2-3 weeks.

This morning I was dreading taking of the wax and feel those beautiful brackets again but best to get used of it. I have been recording myself saying the rainbow passage and think my speech has improved from yesterday but still get stuck on some S words when in normal conversation although my family don't think it's that noticeable (maybe there being nice Also swallowing a lot more with the saliva build up. Well that's it for now, happy weekend.

Attached a photo of pre-lingual although resolution is quite low.

[Askme]

Well.......had my Piezocision surgery today and have to say I have never been so glad to get that done. It took 3.5 hours and I won't lie, I found it tough despite being numbed up to the eyeballs.

Funny story, the perio had forgotten to give me some ibuprofen beforehand so after he had completed the top have, he gave me two tables to swallow. If you have ever tried to swallow tables when your whole mouth is numb, it was a calamity Couldn't tell I had the tablet on the tongue, could even tell the cup of water to my mouth as my lips were numb and then couldn't actually tell I swallowed them. Perio had to check. I would have laughed if I could. Anyways got the op done, lots of boned added and everything was fine. Nothing like a lot of pain at the front of the mouth to forget about the lingual at the back

I am quite swollen now and back to liquid diet but swelling should be down in a few days so I can get back to complaining about my lingual:) Get my first adjustment in 2 weeks time now so let the good times roll.

[Askme]

Quick update on my progress

It's 2 weeks since my survey and have to say things have healed up nicely. The swelling peaked at 5 days at which I looked like I had got some serious plastic survey that went wrong (as I could make any facial expression at all apart from moving my forehead). But back to normal now and had my first adjustment today and will have next in 2 weeks time. Teeth are feeling a bit tight but because off my survey, the ortho said I shouldn't feel it too much. No noticing any movement yet but as they say a watched kettle never boils.

I have had my braces 3 weeks now so I think I'm fairly well adjusted. Eating isn't an issue but still can't bite into anything with my front teeth (well I just tend to avoid it). My speech is still about 95% and I can here a few lisps creeping in when I am talking particularly at the end of the day which still freaks me out a bit. As I am concentrating on trying not to lisp and not what I am saying (if that makes sense). Not sure if it will get fully back but I suppose I can deal with it No choice really.

I have never used was throughout the day but find that when I don't put any wax on around the front at night (my tounge seems a bit worse for wear in the morning). However, something I have found lately (and someone may have recommended on the forum) is that those silicone ear plugs are working quite well for me. I just break then up an apply when I am in bed (don't dry the area either). And the real beauty is that they come off as easy as it went on in the morning. I actually re-use it for a few nights (not sure of that is hygienic or not but there you go).

That's it for now. Cheers