Hey guys I know I've been here a while and haven't had braces in a while but I thought now that I am getting a positioner(which should be adventorous) it might make for a good journal.
I'm currently 17 and I've had my braces off for about 2.3(close enough) years after spending nearly six years in braces/appliances. I got them on when I was 9 because my mouth was a crowded overbite riddled mess. My ortho was not big into oral surgery so we did it the long hard way. I had a herbst (to fix my profile) and RPE (Rapid Palette Expanders) top and bottom simeoultainiously(can't spell that) to make room. I wore the herbst and RPEs for a year.
My lower jaw mostly caught up to my upper and then I got braces(woohoo). Power chains galore to close the gaps, which took about 6 months to close the preliminary gaps. What would life be like without headgear eh? I had combination highpull to hold my upper arch in place to let me lower jaw do a little more growing. Wore headgear for a year and a half. The fourth year was heavy use of elastics to get my teeth lined up. The fifth year more elastics and this time reverse hedagear to get my midline in place. Last half of the fifth year I basically wore heavy finishing elastics to get my midline and bite locked in place.
July 18th of 2004 my ortho finally turned me loose, woohooo no more metal mouth, headgear, appliances, elastics. Then I get my suffocating hawley retainers. To keep my perfect smile my ortho gives me the thickest bulkiest retainers ever made and I got to wear them 24/7 until told otherwise. Rest of the summer I basically can't speak, mouth is to full of acrylic and saliva for anywords to come out right anyway, I'm gagging every two minutues. Like all things time helps and by the fall I can finally speak somewhat coherently.
We finally get to the new part of the saga, positioner. My ortho notices relapse despite the thickness of my retainers( my teeth are real stubborn bunch I guess) so I got to wear a positioner now. Hey I've been gagged with a herbst/expanders, driven nuts by combination high pull headgear, had my mouth basically sealed shut by elastics, looked lke a martian with that reverse pull headgear, and been suffocated with retainers. So how bad could this be?
Thanks for being good and reading my long messy orthodontic story and I hope you'll check out my on going orthodontic saga with the positioner.
Peace
The Paparazzi
The Paparazzi's braces story/post braces(positioner) saga
Moderator: bbsadmin
The Paparazzi's braces story/post braces(positioner) saga
Last edited by Paparazzi on Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
I too know nothing about positioners so I look forward to following your journey. Good luck.
Hey guys thanks for replying. Yea it took a lot of patience on my part through basically six years of othodontic work. I kept my de-banding date a secret to everyone but me and shocked everyone I knew when I went around flashing the Hollywood smile. Now to the update.
Ok I got my positioner today at 10:00 Pacific Time. Now I thought my Hawley's were suffocating, holy crap I didn't know what Iwas and will be in for.
Ortho calls me back and says that we're using the positioner to correct the relapse. I must wear it 24/7 without question for the rest of this summer or I will most likely need braces again, along with elastics. If the relapse gets bad enough *gulp* headgear. *Has a flashback and shivers*. They put the thing in my mouth as a test and if you don't know what a positioner looks like imagine a boxer's mouth piece both upper and lower glued together with a plastics bite plate and some airholes. Now I'm used to thick acrylic retainers so I say how bad can this be? The answer is bad. I cannot speak, I can't breathe all that well, the thing fits so tightly my teeth and jaw are basically locked in place(can't move them), the positioner is drenched in saliva in all of 2 minutes, and since its so snug removing it was an adventure. My ortho can see I'm not overly pleased with this and asks me if I want braces again and I say no cause I don't want to go there again. I put it back in my mouth to practice doing the exercises which do hurt.
My ortho reminds me I can only take it out to clean it and to eat. He wants to see me back each week until the summer is over to check progress and see how I'm doing with it. The real kicker is he says that if the positioner does the job right, it will become my retainer and he sends me off with that piece of information.
So here I am in the next phase of my orthodontic saga. I'll need all the support I can get, but hey all I got to do is break this in just like any other appliance. I'll update regularly(probably weekly) on how things are going, usually after each appointment. Thanks for sticking with me guys and if anyone else is getting a positioner or has questions about all the appliances and stuff I've had just drop me a PM. I'll be more than happy to help.
Peace Out
Paparazzi
Ok I got my positioner today at 10:00 Pacific Time. Now I thought my Hawley's were suffocating, holy crap I didn't know what Iwas and will be in for.
Ortho calls me back and says that we're using the positioner to correct the relapse. I must wear it 24/7 without question for the rest of this summer or I will most likely need braces again, along with elastics. If the relapse gets bad enough *gulp* headgear. *Has a flashback and shivers*. They put the thing in my mouth as a test and if you don't know what a positioner looks like imagine a boxer's mouth piece both upper and lower glued together with a plastics bite plate and some airholes. Now I'm used to thick acrylic retainers so I say how bad can this be? The answer is bad. I cannot speak, I can't breathe all that well, the thing fits so tightly my teeth and jaw are basically locked in place(can't move them), the positioner is drenched in saliva in all of 2 minutes, and since its so snug removing it was an adventure. My ortho can see I'm not overly pleased with this and asks me if I want braces again and I say no cause I don't want to go there again. I put it back in my mouth to practice doing the exercises which do hurt.
My ortho reminds me I can only take it out to clean it and to eat. He wants to see me back each week until the summer is over to check progress and see how I'm doing with it. The real kicker is he says that if the positioner does the job right, it will become my retainer and he sends me off with that piece of information.
So here I am in the next phase of my orthodontic saga. I'll need all the support I can get, but hey all I got to do is break this in just like any other appliance. I'll update regularly(probably weekly) on how things are going, usually after each appointment. Thanks for sticking with me guys and if anyone else is getting a positioner or has questions about all the appliances and stuff I've had just drop me a PM. I'll be more than happy to help.
Peace Out
Paparazzi
Positioner
I used to have one of those positioners a long time ago (early 80s) and honestly didn't think they were used anymore. It took some getting used to. Luckily I only had to wear it at night, because it is impossible to speak when wearing it.
Update
Well adjusting to the positioner has been well...an adjustment. Cattis is absolutely right about the speech, there is none. I tried a couple of times but the it sounds more like spitty giberrish than anything else. My friends have been having a little fun at my expense but I've had worse (heh headgear). To anyone who is ever getting a positioner, the thing gets filthy in a hurry. It's covered in saliva in a matter of minutes, so I gotta clean it pretty frequently. Taking it out is still a real challenge but the breathing situation has vastly improved. Breathe easy and you won't suffocate. The exercises are a pain to do and I kind of cheated on them a little bit. So the teeth didn't move all that much this week.
My ortho checked me out this morning and was kind of edgy about how things were going. He thought I'm adjusting alright but got after me about the exercises. How he knew I was cheating I am sure I'll never know. He called to the nurse "Michelle you might want to start re-fitting Vince for headgear and getting him prepared for braces again", needless to say that almost gave me a heart attack. So I gave him my word and I would work extra hard on the exercises.
Thanks for reading and I'll edit later this week and then after the next check up.
Peace
Well adjusting to the positioner has been well...an adjustment. Cattis is absolutely right about the speech, there is none. I tried a couple of times but the it sounds more like spitty giberrish than anything else. My friends have been having a little fun at my expense but I've had worse (heh headgear). To anyone who is ever getting a positioner, the thing gets filthy in a hurry. It's covered in saliva in a matter of minutes, so I gotta clean it pretty frequently. Taking it out is still a real challenge but the breathing situation has vastly improved. Breathe easy and you won't suffocate. The exercises are a pain to do and I kind of cheated on them a little bit. So the teeth didn't move all that much this week.
My ortho checked me out this morning and was kind of edgy about how things were going. He thought I'm adjusting alright but got after me about the exercises. How he knew I was cheating I am sure I'll never know. He called to the nurse "Michelle you might want to start re-fitting Vince for headgear and getting him prepared for braces again", needless to say that almost gave me a heart attack. So I gave him my word and I would work extra hard on the exercises.
Thanks for reading and I'll edit later this week and then after the next check up.
Peace
Quick update until the next appointment.
Things are starting to get better. I can pretty much breathe normally while wearing my positioner. There still is will be no speech, so life has been qkinda uiet lol. Since I'm basically mute all day I really am starting to appreciate talking, heh. The biggest problem has been taking it in and taking it out to eat and brush. If anyone here is getting a positioner you'll learn that its fitted so tightly in your mouth, cause both your upper and lower jaw are held in place, that you really have to work to get it out. For the record I have been better about the exercises and I think I'm starting to see a little movement. I'll update after the next appointment.
Thanks for reading and please comment
Peace
Paparazzi
P.S I'm happy to answer any questions about the positioner, headgear, retainers, etc. So fire away.
Things are starting to get better. I can pretty much breathe normally while wearing my positioner. There still is will be no speech, so life has been qkinda uiet lol. Since I'm basically mute all day I really am starting to appreciate talking, heh. The biggest problem has been taking it in and taking it out to eat and brush. If anyone here is getting a positioner you'll learn that its fitted so tightly in your mouth, cause both your upper and lower jaw are held in place, that you really have to work to get it out. For the record I have been better about the exercises and I think I'm starting to see a little movement. I'll update after the next appointment.
Thanks for reading and please comment
Peace
Paparazzi
P.S I'm happy to answer any questions about the positioner, headgear, retainers, etc. So fire away.
Ok guys update time. Just got back from the check and things are progressing. My ortho was satisfied with the reverse of my relapse. Things are progressing, painfully slowly, but progressing. He said I'm probably going to be switched to dual retainers once the relapse is corrected(end of summer is the evaluation). My original thick hawley's during the day and the positioner at night. But he's not sold on anything yet and will cross that bridge when we get to it. Braces again is still "a very real and likely possibility".
I think I've finally got the hang of living with it. Not being able to talk has really been a pain but that's really the only major complaint I've got now. Learn to really appreciate speech now after losing it cause of this thing. My friends are all like, "dude that thing in your mouth has been an awesome reprieve for us cause you got to shut up now". Real funny guys but whatever a little joking never hurt anyone. I can breathe normally and my jaw muscles are finally strong enough to handle all the exercises without too much pain. The saliva thing comes with the territory, like retainers.
Cattis if you could do me the favor and share a little bit about having to deal with your positioner was like. Just as a comparison for my own information, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Peace
Paparazzi
P.S Bigger update later this week, cause I got to head to a family event.
I think I've finally got the hang of living with it. Not being able to talk has really been a pain but that's really the only major complaint I've got now. Learn to really appreciate speech now after losing it cause of this thing. My friends are all like, "dude that thing in your mouth has been an awesome reprieve for us cause you got to shut up now". Real funny guys but whatever a little joking never hurt anyone. I can breathe normally and my jaw muscles are finally strong enough to handle all the exercises without too much pain. The saliva thing comes with the territory, like retainers.
Cattis if you could do me the favor and share a little bit about having to deal with your positioner was like. Just as a comparison for my own information, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Peace
Paparazzi
P.S Bigger update later this week, cause I got to head to a family event.
update time
Well things have been alright so far. The saliva issue has finally subsided after nearly 3 weeks. Breathing is normal and no speech as usual. Anyone who complains about retainers should be thankful they can speak with them in. The exercises are still a pain in the ass, but as much as I hate them I have to do them. The family event (wedding) was interesting. The groom's best man got dead drunk and made this huge speech which everybody got a kick out of.
Got a call from my ortho's office and at the next appointment (Monday) they want to take a set of X-Rays and get more accurate information on the relapse. If things are still going at a snail's pace by the end of August it'll probably be braces again. It's still early and nothing is for certain though I dunno if that's a good or bad thing. I'll know more on Monday about far along things are and all.
Got any questions feel free to ask, I'm an open book and all the stuff I've had. Herbst, combination and reverse headgear, finishing elastics, palatte expanders, hawley retainers, etc.
Peace
Paparazzi
Well things have been alright so far. The saliva issue has finally subsided after nearly 3 weeks. Breathing is normal and no speech as usual. Anyone who complains about retainers should be thankful they can speak with them in. The exercises are still a pain in the ass, but as much as I hate them I have to do them. The family event (wedding) was interesting. The groom's best man got dead drunk and made this huge speech which everybody got a kick out of.
Got a call from my ortho's office and at the next appointment (Monday) they want to take a set of X-Rays and get more accurate information on the relapse. If things are still going at a snail's pace by the end of August it'll probably be braces again. It's still early and nothing is for certain though I dunno if that's a good or bad thing. I'll know more on Monday about far along things are and all.
Got any questions feel free to ask, I'm an open book and all the stuff I've had. Herbst, combination and reverse headgear, finishing elastics, palatte expanders, hawley retainers, etc.
Peace
Paparazzi
Ok guys and ladies, update time
Well I saw my ortho this morning and we had a discussion. The positioner is working but very, very, very slowly. Initially we thought by the end of August things everything would be fixed, but its looking now like that isn't going to be the case. The positioner works best in the first few weeks of use and its already been three weeks and there's been snail's pace progress. My relapse was minimal to moderate and I can see some correction but not as much as hoped for. I wore my retainer exactly as instructed but I guess crap happens. We haven't made any decisions yet and its still early. As for right now I got to stick it out and keep pounding away. They took X-Rays today and they'll have them back soon enough so we can a better idea on what to do. By early August were going to decide if being re-braced is the best route or if something else might work.
As for daily life, I'm finally adjusted. Life without speech has been kind of strange, trying to gesture constantly can be a bit of pain. Its been like a 24/7 game of sharades since I started wearing this thing. Yesterday my positioner case got a little misplaced so I wasn't to pleased. I got to say cleaning this thing can be a real pain. The saliva gets everywhere, and I thought Hawley retainers were bad.
I'm off to go have lunch and get my 10 minute repreive of freedom.
Thanks for reading everyone and send any questions if you got em. Next update sometime around Thursday and of course every Monday.
Peace
The Paparazzi
Well I saw my ortho this morning and we had a discussion. The positioner is working but very, very, very slowly. Initially we thought by the end of August things everything would be fixed, but its looking now like that isn't going to be the case. The positioner works best in the first few weeks of use and its already been three weeks and there's been snail's pace progress. My relapse was minimal to moderate and I can see some correction but not as much as hoped for. I wore my retainer exactly as instructed but I guess crap happens. We haven't made any decisions yet and its still early. As for right now I got to stick it out and keep pounding away. They took X-Rays today and they'll have them back soon enough so we can a better idea on what to do. By early August were going to decide if being re-braced is the best route or if something else might work.
As for daily life, I'm finally adjusted. Life without speech has been kind of strange, trying to gesture constantly can be a bit of pain. Its been like a 24/7 game of sharades since I started wearing this thing. Yesterday my positioner case got a little misplaced so I wasn't to pleased. I got to say cleaning this thing can be a real pain. The saliva gets everywhere, and I thought Hawley retainers were bad.
I'm off to go have lunch and get my 10 minute repreive of freedom.
Thanks for reading everyone and send any questions if you got em. Next update sometime around Thursday and of course every Monday.
Peace
The Paparazzi
Sorry to hear that your positioner work is going so slowly. I sure hope that it works, though. I just got out of braces; was in Essix retainers for three weeks and am now (since Saturday, 7/15) wearing a positioner. I HATE the positioner. I only have to wear it at night and for two to four hours/day. I'm getting used to the saliva and the breathing isn't a big deal, but the dang thing hurts! The teeth have definitely moved already, so I'm trying to use the progress as inspiration, but the bottom teeth are a tad sore, and my tongue and cheeks are sore from when I have to suck up the saliva -- it creates some suction pressure in the mouth that isn't comfortable, but is the only alternative to having drool run down my face! I hate the clenching, but, again, am trying to be as compliant as possible. I can't WAIT for this to be over! BY FAR, the worst part of my treatment.
Update time
Saw my ortho this morning and the X-Rays showed that the relapse is being corrected. Things are moving along very slowly as usual which led my ortho and I to the question. Would it be easier just to go with braces again for six months? I personally after six years+ of appliances and braces don't want to go back to braces but if things keep up at this snail's pace I may not have a choice. First Monday in August will be the day we make are minds up about that. Next appointment will just be another routine check nothing too special.
Every day life has been fine. I'm going to try to get some pics up if I can ever figure out how to work a digital camera. Yes everyone I am computer stupid.
Marilyn thanks for the comiseration. Yea it is a pain in the ass but gotta deal with it. I haven't had the sucction issue that you speak of. Yea it definitely makes your teeth sore. Just a quick question, what we're essix retainers like? I wore hawley's and barely know anything about essix. If you could fill me in that'd be great.
Alright everyone I'm going to go out for the rest of the day. I'll update next Monday.
Peace
Saw my ortho this morning and the X-Rays showed that the relapse is being corrected. Things are moving along very slowly as usual which led my ortho and I to the question. Would it be easier just to go with braces again for six months? I personally after six years+ of appliances and braces don't want to go back to braces but if things keep up at this snail's pace I may not have a choice. First Monday in August will be the day we make are minds up about that. Next appointment will just be another routine check nothing too special.
Every day life has been fine. I'm going to try to get some pics up if I can ever figure out how to work a digital camera. Yes everyone I am computer stupid.
Marilyn thanks for the comiseration. Yea it is a pain in the ass but gotta deal with it. I haven't had the sucction issue that you speak of. Yea it definitely makes your teeth sore. Just a quick question, what we're essix retainers like? I wore hawley's and barely know anything about essix. If you could fill me in that'd be great.
Alright everyone I'm going to go out for the rest of the day. I'll update next Monday.
Peace