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Secretsmile, a TPA is a trans palatal arch and LLA is lower lingual arch...I'll try to explain it the best I can...on my top back molars I have brackets on already...but attached to those brackets on the inside is a wire that is shaped like an upside down U...it doesn't touch the roof of my mouth so everything I eat gets caught in it Hence the soft food...basically soup haha...the lower lingual arch is the same except the wire runs behind my lower teeth...it's very annoying and makes my speech funny...so I will have these on for a while until my teeth straighten out
Diegorgeous, I was SO nervous for my extractions too...I had the same teeth pulled that you are having pulled...the first few days after the extractions I found it really hard to speak but now I am getting used to it...it still feels weird but I am adapting. I found that warm salt water really helped! Just swish it around your mouth and it feels good for some reason. Good luck and keep us updated!!!
Thanks for explaining Jen, I feel like i'm learning more about orthodontics every day! Wow the TPA & LLA do not sound like fun - how annoying. Hope time goes fast for you... Good luck getting braced this week
die gorgeous - good luck to you, I was soooo nervous about the extractions, I had never had a cavity either and had only had wisdom teeth extracted before and I had general anaesthesia for that. My extractions won't bad at the time I only felt pressure and my dentist and his assistant were so nice. My leg was shaking even though they'd given me anxiety relief pills. They had to make my teeth smaller with the drill they use for cavities so they were easier to pull. I didn't have much pain after, the worst part was struggling to eat and it affected my speech a little. Wow lingual braces thats cool! I heard those are the type Catherine Middleton had and she has a great smile!
Keep us posted on your journey!
Extractions (4 bicuspids) : 05/17/11
Braced (all but top molars) : 05/24/11
Top 1st Molars bracketed: 05/31/11
Forsus (Braces Springs): 10/18/11
I had only one 1st premolar pulled from my lower jaw and two from the upper, had to live with the extraction gaps for several years and know how nerve racking and difficult it can be to put up with.
That lower gap is over 90% gone now and it looks better than I ever imagined. It really all comes down to the skill of the orthodontist... They are the ones who know about jaw size in relation to bite function and so on. it's subtle but I much prefer the way I look now compared to pre-extraction.
I'd compare it to the way that (carefully) removing a couple of lower branches of a tree can make the rest of the tree look fuller and healthier - if that makes any sense at all.
Benj, it took that long to close the gaps?! I was hoping my gaps would be moslty closed over in 8-12 months Sigh...I'm so self conscious now since I don't have the braces on (2 more days!). I can't even really smile without these ugly holes!
So, I got my upper and lower braces put on about an hour ago...my teeth are definitely feeling sensitive and it's going to take some time to adjust to the feeling of these brackets on my teeth. 4 people got their braces off when I was getting mine put on...I can't wait for that day to come for me! My first adjustment isn't until August 15th! S long away but I should see some difference by then!
benj wrote:I had only one 1st premolar pulled from my lower jaw and two from the upper, had to live with the extraction gaps for several years and know how nerve racking and difficult it can be to put up with.
Benj: Several years!!!! Wow! That's scary... Please tell me your teeth were very slow to move?!? I thought my ortho said the gaps would be a lot smaller after a few months and pretty much gone in 9 mths to a year... From what i've read searching these forums it seems people have waited anything from a few months to years... I hope i'm one of the former ones though obviously don't want the teeth to move so fast the roots resorb.
After 9 days of braces i'm starting to eat more normally and at this point it's the extraction gaps that are making things hard...
Jenn: Congrats on getting braced! Wow August is a long ways away, you should definitely see a lot of change by then and gives you time to get used to them....Are all your teeth bracketed? My top back molars are still free... But my first adjustment is on July 5th... So maybe they'll do that then... I can't wait to be one of those people getting braces off with hopefully a great smile... When I went for my impressions there was a girl who'd just got her braces off and the staff gave her gift vouchers for a candy store... I better learn some patience since my sentence is 24 - 30 months!
Extractions (4 bicuspids) : 05/17/11
Braced (all but top molars) : 05/24/11
Top 1st Molars bracketed: 05/31/11
Forsus (Braces Springs): 10/18/11
Jen & secretsmile:
Thanks a lot!! I was sooo scared my goodness...after i got the injections (which hurt ) my mouth was literally shaking.
It's been like 2 days and i feel pain here and there. I wonder how long its supposed to hurt for??. It's not unbearable pain but its like this constant ache that comes and goes..just a bit uncomfortable. How are your gaps. I have 4 large holes, can't wait to go to my ortho on Wed to get my pontics and new wire so my gaps can be hidden.
Benj:
Wow thats a long time for gap closing..my ortho told me like 8 months for mine. How exactly did your face change??? That's the part i'm looking forward to. I have a protruded profile and my mouth area needs to flatten.
By the way, anyone have thier wisdoms bracket?? I'm confused because sometimes they say to close a gap the back teeth will move forward also, but in that case, what happens to the unbracketed teeth?? that part confuses me!!
Diegorgeous...my teeth ached for quite a bit after my extractions. I would say it took me about 10 days to get used to the feeling of the gaps. I still have a hard time spitting...it's quite funny when I am brushing my teeth and I have toothpaste on my chin because I can't properly suck the spit in my mouth like I used to do before the extractions (that may be too much info but oh well! haha) My wisdoms don't have brackets but every other tooth does. I'm much more comfortable smiling now that I have the braces on. Before I was so worried about these ridiculous gaps!
Secretsmile...my sentence is also around 30 months. I definitely need to learn patience! I have a little calendar now that I mark off! I'm so excited for this journey and achieving a great smile! I have a really hard time with brushing...my ortho gave me a goody bag and there was an ortho toothbrush in it...I have always used extra sofy bristles and I find this toothbrush too harsh for my mouth...so I resorted back to my old toothbrush...I hope that's ok! I swear I am brushing 4 times a day now!
My lower gap has taken almost 3 years to close, but due to my age (36) and the fact I had to abort my first treatment due to extended work-related travel has meant Ive had to live with the gaps longer...
The most obvious change is that my lower face looks a lot more angular now and a bit younger looking, that was a change I had not expected but I'm very happy about it! People have commented I look better, so it has helped make up for some of the earlier trouble. I can chew food properly now, and also talk and look better. I really don't regret getting my extractions at all. No way!.. No pain, no gain.
Yes, this affected me quite negatively. I'm a new member so I can't post pics just yet, but as soon as I've posted a few more times I'll have access to the feature. So anyway when you read this check out my thread and you'll see for yourself!
benj wrote:My lower gap has taken almost 3 years to close, but due to my age (36) and the fact I had to abort my first treatment due to extended work-related travel has meant Ive had to live with the gaps longer...
The most obvious change is that my lower face looks a lot more angular now and a bit younger looking, that was a change I had not expected but I'm very happy about it! People have commented I look better, so it has helped make up for some of the earlier trouble. I can chew food properly now, and also talk and look better. I really don't regret getting my extractions at all. No way!.. No pain, no gain.
ohhh great!!! I'm sure my changes would be positive because i have a protrusion. I assumed that it may make me look younger + just a softer look : D cant wait!!
How long did it take for you to really notice a difference in your lower face??
@Benj: I love that you said the extractions changed your face in a good way and made you look younger & better... I hope that happens for me too
@Diegorgeous: Gaps stopped being painful after about a week when I got my braces on... Almost 3 weeks on they're not painful just annoying... especially the top ones because I had the 1st bicuspids on top removed which had 2 roots so the gaps seem huge. My lower gaps which were 2nd bicuspids (1 root) look like they're getting a little bit smaller though so yay for that!
I had my wisdom teeth out already a couple of years back... but my back top molars aren't bracketed and the ortho's assistant said that will probably happen later, but not yet...
@Jenn love the new avatar... i'm brushing like crazy too... My ortho gave me an oral b electric tooth brush with ortho heads and it seems fine so far. My whole little routine at night of brushing, water pick, flossing etc is taking half an hour a time - right now I spend way more time on my teeth than hair & make up - craziness!
@angryhead welcome to the board!
Extractions (4 bicuspids) : 05/17/11
Braced (all but top molars) : 05/24/11
Top 1st Molars bracketed: 05/31/11
Forsus (Braces Springs): 10/18/11
Hi, I'm Beth (new member!) from the UK, I'm 19 and I'm planning to have orthognathic surgery to correct a class III malocclusion. In order to make room I had to have 6 impacted molars removed including wisdoms about 4 months ago (under general anaesthetic)
I didn't find getting teeth extracted too bad at all, and was out of hospital that day (: Pain wasn't too bad either.
Concerning aesthetics - I think having the extractions has made my jaw look more relaxed, although there isn't a huge change in appearance because of my bite.
I hope this reassures you, I'm at a bit of a loss what to write on this site, still working it out! Are you planning to go through with jaw surgery?
Anyway hope this helps, and best of luck with the future (:
Beth x
Hence the soft food...basically soup haha...the lower lingual arch is the same except the wire runs behind my lower teeth...it's very annoying and makes my speech funny...so I will have these on for a while until my teeth straighten out 
