I looked like a zombie but not anymore!! Braces off 11/12/07

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#31 Post by **kate0310** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 7:59 pm

you are taking this all like a champ I must say!!!

I guess just focus on the bigger life picture, a wonky bite isnt the be all end all- and you will go on to do great thinks with your not-so-perfect bite!

I can't imagine going back for surgery again, so you deserve a trohpy or something.

If it makes you feel any better (which it probably won't), I was at my ortho today and she is not very happy with my bite still either- and said another year of braces. I had it in my mind they would be off for my start at a new university---- but not even close! Right now I'm struggling with the idea of another whole year- but time does seem to fly so I'll live. I thought she would be so excited after my surgery, and instead shes dissapointed

Hmph!

#32 Post by **smile2006** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 4:22 am

Hi There-

You are to be commended for your positive outlook! I just wanted to say that I had surgery nearly one year ago and am hopefully getting my braces off on July 9th. Post-surgery orthodontics has done wonders in finally getting things into nice alignment. I had one back molar that was so high up, there no contact at all with my bite closed. Somehow that molar has been pulled down and into place. I thought to accomplish this that tooth would look long/huge and extruded. However, it is a normal sized tooth and everything else around just settled into place. So, I was a bit worried about how far my ortho had to go after surgery too (I had an open bite too and upper, lower and genio). Don't give up, it might just work out yet. Orthodontics is amazing, in my case it has taken a while but......that's OK!

#33 Post by **WhiteLurcher** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:14 am

Hi all thanks for the support!

I have my fingers (and everything else!) crossed that I will eventually get a functional bite of some sort, but it kind of worried me a bit when after looking at my bite my ortho stated "there is nothing I can do to fix that!" she then went to get MrG

As I said they are hoping to get me some contact on my right side, but that is about all! On my left only the outside points of my molars meet, which as actually rather uncomfortable, I can still run my tongue between them when they're closed

A kind of inside openbite

I also noticed my top teeth/jaw actually cants slightly up to the right which might explain the problems, but I'm not sure why it's not level!! It's quite hard to explain, but I'm ever hopeful of improvement as most of you know this no-chew diet is a real bummer

I know it's only been 6 weeks but the light at the end of my "eat-what-you-like" tunnel is not getting any brighter

I want to eat my food not just swallow it!
Ah well I next see the Chopshop gang and the ortho on 23rd and 24th of July, that's 4 weeks to pray for improvement

Now for some pix

went for bright pink ligs to cheer me self up, it is summer after all

Doesn't look too bad!

Bit of a squint overbite?

Me left side.

no bad!

Me right side

not great!

Hey they could look alot worse but after getting the big chop twice I just kinda hoped they'd look a bit better, my main aim was for improved function but at the monent I'm kinda hankering for my old cra@@y one

This is my 5th dysfunctional bite in 4years their stacking up!

As I've said before "que sera sera" I must cultivate patience!!!!

#34 Post by **iBorg** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:37 am

I can understand your disappointment. Hopefully in the next few weeks things will improve and your bite will be closer to what you are hoping for.

Mike

#35 Post by **smile2006** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:05 am

Hi White Lurcher.....again good luck with the process. I'm sure you'll see improvement. Did you have both upper and lower jaw surgery? I'm not seeming to recall.

#36 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:02 pm

Hi Whitelurcher,

I am so sorry to hear about the rough time you have had. I looked at your before-the first-op picture - there has definitely been some improvement, but obviously not the result you hoped for. I hope that your ortho can further things along somewhat. You seem to be taking all of this in stride; it is quite amazing. I don't know what I would do if I had to go through all of this.

#37 Post by **Andantae** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:12 pm

I have to say, too, that you have an amazing attitude with all this. My hat is off to you.

How frustrating that they have to do some tweaking with another surgery! However, there's still a huge improvement with your open bite.

Keep your chin up and keep us posted on your progress!

Andantae

#38 Post by **Genevieve** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:41 am

Hi White Lurcher,

I hope you don't mind but I brought your case up when I saw my orthodontist last night. He assured me that EVERY bite could be made perfect, and felt that perhaps you could do with getting a second opinion. You may feel that you've been through too much and therefore are happy to settle for a less than perfect bite, but please don't think that it is out of the realms of possibility.

Genevieve.

#39 Post by **WhiteLurcher** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 6:55 am

Hey all!

Genevieve no, I don't mind. But I'm NHS and wouldn't feel comfortable asking for a second Opinion

But I am certainly going to ask why, after two goes I still haven't got the results they were confident they would get. They seemed genuinely stumped! As I've said I now have a slight upwards cant in my right upper jaw, I guess the ortho is trying to bring my lowers up to meet it, but really I think its my jaws that are misalleged and as she admitted there's not much the ortho can do

and I don't think the surgeons are likely to try again

I'll just have to wait and see how things go, you never know

I went back to work last Thursday, had to spend an hour and a half cleaning up after the folk who've been filling in, before I could even get started

(I bake for my local supermarket) Even if I had spent the previous 6 weeks sunning my self in the Bahamas I don't think that's really fair! I was/am not a happy bunny!!!
I don't have the energy for a start. I do 5 hours go home eat then sleep

Can anyone tell me when you stop feeling so tired all the time, I think my get-up-and-go has been surgically removed

Ah well that is my latest moans!

Best wishes to all!

#40 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:54 am

Hi Whitelurcher,

The tiredness does go away - you should feel better soon. I was feeling pretty good after a month, but I only had one surgery. I would guess that it would take a little longer for your body to recover from the two surgeries.

I do agree with Genevieve. Just because your treatment was free, it doesn't mean that you have to settle for a lousy outcome. However, I would totally understand if you didn't want to go through any more of this.

#41 Post by **WhiteLurcher** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:41 pm

Here's the latest!

Saw the gang on Monday, they've been breeding there was 6 instead of 5 this time!

Good news things do seem to be improving thanks to my elastics

Alas the bad news is they are now seriously considering removing my right wisdom teeth, as if I bite down hard enough I can just make contact on them, but only them! It is actually more comfortable to chew(ish!) on my dodgy right side than my supposed good left! Mr G, my new Ortho, is a bit surprised at that

It may look good from the outside but it sure don't feel it on the inside!

My OS Mr K requested a nice new set of models so he can cut off me wisdom's and see if it will improve things, he also mentioned the Facebow but changed his mind! I went of with my other OS Mr E to get my impressions taken you can read about that fun experience here viewtopic.php?t=20372
They wanted me to come back in two weeks but due to their going of on holiday it'll be August 27th! I literally can't wait!

Now today I said goodbye to my Ortho Dr White,

who is off to travel the world and hello again to Mr G, who's taking over my case. (Lucky him!

) He is going to try and save my, possibly condemned, right wisdom's

So now both my upper and lower right wires have been cut off at my 4's, allowing the anterior box elastics to try and bring my molars together unhindered. Here's hoping his method works 'cause I really don't want anymore surgery

I will see him again in four weeks time. I hope it's good news when I do! But knowing my luck the only thing keeping my molars in was the wire, I mean doesn't pulling them together mean pulling them further out of my jaw!!!

Ah ever the optimist!

#42 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:17 pm

Here's to the shortened archwire working.

Curious question just what is a "facebow"?

Mike

#43 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:57 pm

Never mind the facebow question. Did a Google search for it. Guess that's something in my future as I get closer to my consult.

Mike

#44 Post by **phil** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:21 pm

Facebows...ah yes. Fun, and barbaric at the same time.

Prongs in your ears, wax bite in your mouth, something poking you between the eyes. That pretty much sums it up!

They had to do mine TWICE before my surgery because the assistant screwed up the measurements the first time. Oh, well. They didn't charge extra!

#45 Post by **WhiteLurcher** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 9:59 am

Thanks all!

Hey phil, I don't recall being poked between the eyes but I do remember the nice pointy metal bit they set on my left eye socket mere millimetres from poking me in the eye

Actually Meryaten it sounds like "3D digital imaging" might be a lot more accurate and a tad less medieval than ye olde facebow! Just maybe not as entertaining!!!

You would miss out on seeing models of your disembodied wallies mounted on the facebow articulator, like some weird desk ornament!

It's kind of hard to visualise the final effect on your face with only that to go on!

For anyone still wondering what I'm gibbering about, they look something like this http://www.dentallabs.co.uk/facebow.htm

Metal Mouth Message Board

I looked like a zombie but not anymore!! Braces off 11/12/07

re-chop