A nonevent ...

[Clo]

Hi all,

I had once more an adjustment. My braces now look like this :



Quite impressive, no ? I am ready to be casted for the next Terminator
movie I think. Where a humanoid can terminate the terminator with his
teeth ... If only I could terminate this pain I feel right now.

Argggg, again all those elastics. Still have those class 2 elastics running
from my canines down to my lower molars. But added are bite closing
elastics in front. And deep down there, a small crossbite elastic on my
second molars on my left side.

But more importantly, my ortho is now trying to start the second step in
retracting all my uppers. He put a piece of powerchain from my first
upper premolars to the first molars :



By doing so, he is trying to retract now also my premolars ...

But am I not missing something here ? Last time he said he would do all
measurements once more and now there would be the decision to have
surgery to get bone anchors (mini implants) as things were not looking
good at all. Well, they still don't. In fact my bite is opening even more
as we spreak. So, this morning, I was quite nervous when driving to my
ortho. Once there, I got this 'uhmmmmm ... bite down ... open ... bite
down ... uhmmmm ... open ... bite down'. Ok, retraction of premolars
and closing the bite ... again. I was thinking, are we witnissing the
beginning of Alzheimer's disease here. This was decision day ! And all
that happened was elastics once more here and there. I just don't get it
anymore. Last time he was saying that this surgery was the only option
left and I was scared. Now I kinda accepted this and he does not mention
it anymore ... I tried to get things on track again by asking some things.
He now will do this. He will retract all uppers, now the premolars, later
on my social 6. Then he will see if this remains stable. If not, then he
will place these bone anchors and retract more.
So, he kinda took an U-turn concerning this surgery. Someone must have
told him something. Or he must have read or seen something. Anyway,
right now, I just don't know what to feel. Happy that this surgery may be
avoidable after all ? Or unhappy because it seemed he would now start
to take things more seriously and all I get is playing with elastics for some
more ...

[susieq182]

CLO I have read lots of your posts you have gone through so much. Yet you keep a good attitude. (this helps the rest of us I assure you)

I would be relieved not to have surgery but on the other hand he didn't say you wouldnt be having surgery but instead it is still left as a possibility. That would make me anxious. I hope things go well and you don't have to have surgery and your bite finally gets corrected.


Good Luck
PS you are the Champ of elastics!!!!!

[Dark_angel]

I just want to say i hope you get your answer. I too have the class 2 elastics, the powerchains to retract and the headgear. But i just keep on thinking its better than surgery. Try researching on the net looking for similar cases.

Good luck with it all.

[nvcarissa]

I will never, ever, ever complain about my jaw surgery again after seeing that configuration. My surgery was less than three weeks ago. My bite is now aligned. I was wired for a week, now wear four elastics (2 on each side) until Wednesday when I get to go to just one set on each side. No chew diet for a few more weeks and then I am done. Pain is mostly gone with the exception of a little jaw muscle pain if I talk too much. Numbness is fading daily. Personally, I couldn't see going through what Clo has gone through for months on end with no definite end in sight. I would have just lost my mind.

My hat is off to you. Whew!

[jennandtonic]

Wow Clo! You are a saint in my eyes.

I hope this means surgery is ultimately avoidable, in fact, it better be with this particular elastics configuration!

In any case, I'd be a little mad if I went around thinking I'd have to have surgery, accept it, then find out it may not happen. You appear to have an excellent attitude about all of this!

[bajanrose]

All I can say is wow. My hat's off to you. That is quite something. I hope all goes well for you.

[JeepGirl]

Clo-

Hang in there! We are all wishing you the best! It will be worth it in the end.

[Chris]

I must say, I'm almost afraid to check your posts, Clo.
That configuration would definitely be a great DIET device.

I would be tempted to go to another ortho, once again.
I get impatient, myself. If this guy flipflops, I would be worried.
What a nightmare!

Don't be afraid to keep going back before your next scheduled visit if things look like they are getting worse. Has this ortho worked on any similar cases before?

I'm ready to scream myself, because I have two teeth aching me ...and I worry I may end up with root canals in the future. At this point (2 year mark) I shouldn't be having tooth pain, SHOULD I??? Anyone?

Anyway, Keep Us Posted, Clo. Someday we may look back and laugh at what we put ourselves through.

[Flora2006]

Clo - I agree with everyone. You've been through so much and yet you keep such a good attitude about all this.

I remember seeing your picture with that elastic configuration going on all your teeth and I told my ortho that I would never allow this on me...and now this...you are amazing. I hope everything goes well with the remaining time in braces for you...and that surgery...let us know what's going on with that.

Good luck

[Clo]

Hi all,

again, I really want to thank all of you who posted these nice words !
Believe me, it really helps to keep going. At least, now it doesn't hurt that
much anymore. Only that sudden change in pressure on my molars when
I remove my headgear is quite painful.

@rage31. Well, even with all this in my mouth, it does not much interfere
with my talking. Only some issues with f-words. Nooooooo, not that one.
I was more thinking about 'flower', or, how appropriate, 'food'. Because
of this facebow between my lips I guess. But as I have to wear it full time,
I got used to it quite quickly. In fact, my teeth feel much better now when
I wear this headgear.

@Dark_angel. My ortho said next month he will place a powerchain on all
uppers to retract my social 6. How much overjet did you have ? Do your
braces work well correcting it ?

@nvcarissa. Yeah, I think, when reviewing all I went through, that lower
jaw surgery would have been quicker and probably better too. My ortho
said he is really afraid that when all is done, I will not have a stable
situation. Everytime I go, he mentions someting about unsecure stability.
That really frightens me !

@KK. That open bite is really something. And frustrating and at
the same time it makes me angry. For example, when getting this
headgear I asked, because I read a study on the net, if this headgear
would not open my bite more as it tends, along with shifting my molars
backwards, to extrude them a bit. Nah, he said. As if it was only some
rubbish I read. Now, he said my bite opens because of this headgear
and the class 2 elastics. Damn, that was exactly what I asked because I
knew this 2 months ago ! His answer now is I will have to bite this into
the correct occlusion. My god, biting to intrude my molars again and to
close an open bite of about 4 mm ... Ahhh, so sorry for spreading all this
frustration ...

@Lucyloop. I think everything can be explained by the following. When I
see how many here get their treatment, it almost always is starting with
a study, that results in giving the patient some possibilities. Each with the
advantages but also with the consequences about things that will not be
possible to correct that way. I am almost afraid to tell, but you know what
I got as study. Nothing, nada, rien du tout. No impressions when I went
to my second ortho. No X-rays. So how do they work I hear you asking.
Well, they do something and then see what results it gives. If ok, they go
on, if not, they try something different. Most of you have their treatment
that can be seen as a straight line from beginning to the end. I have seen
all corners of braceland as my path is very jaggy. As going from Paris to
London, but by accident seeing New York, Tokio, Sydney and why not also
San Fransisco and Peking ...

@Chris. I am very glad you joined too. I always am ! Well, maybe you
saw my post of last week. I had too quite some nasty toothache then. I
have always one tooth here or there that hurts, even now after about 26
months in braces. I wouldn't worry right away. Cleaning them very well,
even if it hurts and see what happens. If it does not go away after about
a week or maybe 2, then I would go to a regular dentist to have a look.

[Dark_angel]

One positive thing is how nice your teeth are, i know your suffering with your bite but you have lovely straight white teeth if its any consolation at all.

My overjet started off around 9mm and its down to arround 5mm, ive never had powerchains on all my uppers, just one the back few teeth like you have on that photo. Im hoping to leave the headgear behind at my next adjustment or the one after that at a push.

I really hope that you manage to get your bite closed, im sure it can be done.

Good luck with your treatment. Do you eat with your headgear in?

[jenstrom]

Clo, you certainly have had some neat looking elastic configurations! You're such a trooper. Can't wait to see the end result.
I have to get a "free tissue graft" done in the next month and I'm still in elastics as well. Originally I was supposed to have the braces off in June 2006, but he hasn't mentioned anything lately. My midline has been corrected apparently (didn't know it wasn't) so at least that's something positive.
Can you imagine a life without braces???

[Clo]

Thx for your post Jenny !

Sorry to hear about your overtime too. I know about this. When I had my
first consult, I was said it would take probably no more than 18 months. I
now have my braces 28 months and still so many need to be done. Funny
that you asked this question about life without braces. It has now happened
several times that my ortho said he is fearing my teeth will not be stable
when all will be said and done. What made me thinking I might need braces
for life ... Of course not ... I hope ... but I know I'll need a very good
retention that I will need for a very long time once the braces are removed.

[Chris]

Can you imagine a life without braces???

I'm trying, Jen, I'm REALLY trying!

Hoping you don't have a "life sentence", Clo !

I go again next week, I hope he likes my midline correction, elastics did a good job...and I hope he gives me a "date"...debanding that is.

[hathetran]

looking good..in the end it'll all pay off