Tooth Hurty !!

Message

#1 Post by **gorblamme** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:37 am

Hi, I'm new to this site and to the whole braces concept. I wanted to introduce myself and explain my situation. I guess what I'm looking for is support in what is beginning to feel like a dental nightmare. I want to know if other people are presently going through a similar situation .. and can offer any advice.

Having read accounts and comments here from the 'brace race' .. I'd like to say how impressed I am with you all. You guys really support each other .. it's great !

Room for one more ?

OK --- So, I have always had crooked teeth and managed to avoid getting anything drastic done to fix them - like forever. I am now 38 and my teeth are in reasonable condition, though I'm told they are 'all in the wrong place'. I was never interested in correction for aesthetic reasons, so I have tolerated the situation till now.

The situation has deteriorated recently to the point that my 'malocclusion' (short lower jaw and poor bite) means that damage has occured to the teeth, to the gums and to the bone that hold my top front teeth.

Frankly, I'm worried !

The lower teeth has been biting on the gum inside my upper front teeth, jamming food where it shouldn't go and causing gum disease .. and the upper teeth have been wearing away the gum in front of my lower teeth.

My teeth have never met well .. but I've survived, albeit with some discomfort. For me, this has always been preferable to 'radical treatment'

Years have passed with many indecisive 'specialists' taking my money. The last one I saw explained that I was in the 'too hard basket'.

The upshot is that some pretty extensive work needs to be done to stabilise first, possibly with the removal of several prominent front teeth. Then braces will need to straighten things up. Finally, my lower jaw will need to be extended to give some kind of solid teeth to teeth bite .. and my lost teeth replaced with implants.

All sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it !?

To make matters a little worse, i have suffered periodically from bipolar depression leading to problems with my work and personal life. I've done the best I could through this .. but really .. the very last thing in the universe I'd ever imagined accepting is a set of teeth braces .. the very thought has always made me grimace.

So here I am .. I'm about to start periodontic work to first stabilise the situation. in six months or so, I will be able to have braces .. and then ultimately, they'll chop my jaw off and stick it back on with bolts at a different angle.

If I'm honest, because of the discomfort, I'm somehow looking forward to getting started now .. but what can I say .. It scares me and it bothers me !

OK, I do feel a bit sorry for myself .. I'm not an outgoing character anyway .. I know I'm going to hate this whole affair.

Sorry if I sound grey .. I'm sure that other's situations are worse .. and I don't mean to disrespect you.

Can anyone offer me advice ? I need to learn about my teeth and their problems and I need to learn how to deal with the treatment

#2 Post by **jcdamon3** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:08 am

Hi,

It sounds like you are having the feelings alot of us had. We are excited and at the same time scared and a little overwhelmed. I agree with KK to stay postive. Keep your eye on the prize! At the end you will have a really nice smile!

I am doing this not for cosmetic reasons but to keep from damaging my teeth further. I had been looking for a solution to my teeth grinding for years and years. This is just the first step and it is oh, so much better than doing nothing.

So for me it is a little less exciting since the looks of my teeth never really bothered me. In fact if they took the braces off right now, with them not perfect yet I would probably be happy, since my bite is great now. But since I am this far into it I may as well go the extra distance and get them perfect.

It sounds like your teeth never really bothered you either. What you need to do though, again is keep positive and keep reminding yourself what the consequences of not doing this is.

#3 Post by **gorblamme** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:45 am

Karen & JC

You both epitamise (if that's how you spell it) my initial thoughts on reading through this forum. What generous people you are ! (not to mention brave for talking so openly about it).

There's great comfort in hearing your experiences. And hearing that you're perhaps not so unlike myself .. similar issues, similar concerns.

I can see that if I manage to go through with this .. (and I can't see how I can't now as mine are essentially mechanical problems) .. that this site & it's kind souls will be a source of strength for me

Thanks again. I hope you'll still be around in the months ahead

: )

#4 Post by **katmc_tx** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:26 am

Hi gorblamme and welcome to this forum. My situation was not that bad as I only had two crowding areas and a slightly off bite. But I'm now 32 and figured the sooner I start the process and get my teeth/bite fixed the sooner I can get on with my life.
And my does time sure fly by even when you're not having fun

. It's already been 8 months since being braced and I've gotta say its not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be and trust me when I say I'm a big complainer. Most of the time I find that I dont even remember having braces.

Just remember that you are doing this to make your life better and try to keep a positive attitude and when your in the dumps just vent on this site (as we all do) and you will get the support you need.

Good luck and let us know how everything goes with your treatment.

#5 Post by **Attagirl2** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:52 am

Welcom Gorblamme. Although you are going to have much more done than I had to have, your feelings are very similar. Take it one step at a time and ask questions here and of your health care professionals - knowledge can sometimes reduce the fear we build up in our heads.

At 51, I had skin graffs over 7 of my tooth roots, and braces for 22 months. Although my teeth were not terribly crooked, they were causing pain and an uneven bite caused life long TMJ problems - which have now been reduced by about 80%.

Best wishes on your journey to better health and a nicer smile.

Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:40 am

Welcome to the group! i'm new too -- have been through the wisdom teeth and incisor removal, and just got braced a week ago (i'm 30). Like you, i have to have orthognathic surgery to correct my receeded jaw and other bite problems (my teeth grow at all angles-- they're very thorough to try them all out! :) ). To kind of keep my outlook positive, i'm focusing on the future -- how wonderful will it be to eat without having to work so hard, and speak without having to articulate and enunciate so carefully. How fun it will be to feel what "normal" is like for other people who don't have messes in their mouths like mine!

Hang in there. i bet you'll be very pleased with the results when the time comes! i'll be in braces for 18 mos, go to the ortho surgery (reverently referred to as "The Big One"), and then braces for another year after that.

Jujubees

Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:44 am

PS After a few visits and my orthodontist could see i was able to speak more candidly about my occlusal issues (it's been a really emotional problem for me all my life), she said i'm the worst case she's seen in several years! (Hooray! i'm finally "exceptional"! ;) ) However bad your dental issues could be, you're among friends. The more you talk about it, the less of a big deal it will be.

#8 Post by **gorblamme** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:55 am

You guys are awesome .. you all realy deserve to get through this and be wiser and shinier than ever

Oddly, hearing you guys, I could almost believe this process may do me some good!

Thanks again !

#9 Post by **Delag** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 3:08 pm

Don't worry, we all freak out at first. I remember when the first OD I consulted said he wouldn't touch me unless I had surgery - I didn't hear anything else he said after that LOL! In fact I had to go back and have him repeat everything he said to me from that point on because I had no idea what he had recommended

I can understand how throwing bi polar into the mix is going to be harder for you, but remember we are all here and we are all doing this one day at a time. Here are some links that have really helped me (maybe you have already found them as they are pretty popular).

http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicinfo/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/or ... rysupport/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/or ... gerysite2/
http://brandysjawjourney.blogspot.com/

The last one is Brandy's blog - her detailed account of her upper, but she is going in for lower soon and has some great links. The orthonathic surgery message board here on archwired is the best and you really should check that out as well.

#10 Post by **lionfish** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:03 pm

I see you're celebrating international pirate day, meryaten. Shiver me timbers!

Shameless threadnapper that I am.

#11 Post by **Gennel** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:23 pm

I just read your thread and have to say I am proud of what you are doing for yourself. I know it's very difficult to make that first step. I had to have several things done before getting braces and I am still going to have other things done during treatment . You've come to right place. We all learn from each other here.Progress is the one thing that will keep you going.

Gennel