Jillianleab is NAKED!!! Pics included!

[Jillianleab]

LP - I strongly suggest taking photos of your treatment! I wasn't sure I wanted to at first, so my first pics are from one month in. I don't have any from before being braced, or from the first few days. I thought I'd never want to look at them, never want to even look in the mirror - I just would want the whole thing OVER! I look in the mirror more now than ever! I really regret not taking early pics, as I think seeing the changes in the beginning would have been encouraging. I am going to try and take pics monthly so I can track my progress. I think it will be really neat to see how far I've come once my treatment is over. Though I do agree with what someone else recently posted (I don't remember who or where, sorry!) that our teeth seem to look worse in pictures than in person! Damn cameras never lying!!!!!!

[LP]

Thanks Jillianleab

I hear ya about the whole avoiding the pics thing, but yesterday (one week after braces) I had some pics taken and posted my own 'story'.

If I hadn't found this forum and seen all the progress pics, I would never have taken them. I can't WAIT to compare in a few weeks and see if I see any changes.

I completely agree about the teeth looking worse in pics. I never noticed the slanted angles of some of my teeth until I saw those pics yesterday. I guess the rest of our face distracts from the full extent of the snaggleteeth

[Jillianleab]

Today was my first adjustment! Being the dummy I am, I didn't take any tylenol beforehand , so I'm a tad sore now... I took some about an hour ago, it's helping.

Anyway, here's the story: Went in and sat with an assistant I really like. It was right after they all get back from lunch, so they just call all the patients with a 1:00 appt back and you sit in any open chair. She pulled my info up on the computer and said we had to wait for the ortho to make his way over. He came over and took a look in my mouth, told her what to do and moved to the next patient. She started by pulling off my top wire (not painful, just a little weird feeling), then the bottom one. I had what they call a "hook" or "button" on my two lower cuspids (they were rotated to far to have a bracket when I got banded, this was to help them move a litte), and she called the ortho over to pull them off. That didn't hurt, but HOLY CRAP did it hurt when she was scraping off the cement! Anyway, she finally got it all off, polished the teeth a little bit, and called the ortho back over to place the new brackets. Once he did that, she put a new, heavier wire on the top, and put the same wire on the bottom after pulling the kinks out of it. I could feel gentle pressure as soon as the wires went on. My top teeth are sore, and the two on the bottom with the new brackets hurt a little too. When I started my treatment, I was told I'd probably need an expander, and they put one in today. They call it an "ortho organizer", which I can't seem to find info on doing a google search. I thought it was the same thing as a TPA, but looking at the pics, mine has a different shape. I'll post pics soon, I promise. It's funny, looking at my progress pics I thought, "Wow! I've had so much expansion! How much bigger can my arch get?" Now I've got this goofy thing in my mouth and it's all scrunched up and folded on itself! Guess I have a lot of expanding to do! My ortho told me to give the new appliance a few days, it should take about 2 or 3 to get used to it, but if it's really driving me nuts, I can come back and have it taken out. I'm not sure if I want to do that because I would think that would slow down my expansion, but I forgot to ask that. I'm going out of town Friday for a week, so I hope I get used to it, but if not, I'll be back in the chair. I'm talking a little funny, like I have marbles in my mouth, and salavating like a rabid dog. Doesn't help that I can't swallow properly! Stupid brain, not knowing this thing isn't food!

So that's it, in all it's detail! My ortho was pleased with my progress, and the asst was too when she pulled up my pics. I didn't ask if I'm on schedule or not because I have a feeling he won't want me to get my hopes up or anything. It's too soon to tell anyway, I know that! Next appointment is September 11, the same day I have a dental cleaning. Have the cleaning first, don't want to be sore for the dentist - I want a DEEP CLEAN!!!

Stay tuned for pics - I promise I'll post one of the new appliance.

[jennandtonic]

Don't feel bad about forgetting to take tylenol--I seem to ALWAYS forget, you should be fine if you take it right after your appointment, that is, if you feel you need it. After awhile, some people almost never need it for adjustments. That new appliance definitely sounds hard to get used to! Are you able to eat okay?

The ortho is probably going to be very vague about whether you are on schedule or not for the next while. My ortho told me that at the beginning of the treatment it's always hard to tell whether someone is 'on schedule' or not, so I make sure not to ask.

So take it as a good sign that they are pleased with your progress!

[Jillianleab]

Here's a pic of my new expander - my "ortho organizer" or whatever it's called, lol. It doesn't hurt any more, but I'm still talking funny. I think I'm going to tough it out and leave it in, but I still have a few days to change my mind.



Oh, and I have a little story about my visit yesterday that I left out. I was looking closely in the mirror at my bottom wire (which was supposed to be the same one as before), and I realized it was my old TOP wire! The asst was supposed to but the same bottom wire back on ofter putting on the two new brackets, but she put the old top wire on instead! I knew because my top wire had these little nubs on it (stoppers? I don't know) which you can see if you look at my pics. I called the office this morning and told them what happened. She said it may or may not be a problem, but to come in and have them check it out. So off I go this afternoon! Glad I noticed before my treatment (possibly) got messed up!

[stargirl]

Jillian! Ah! That sounds scary, having your top wire on the bottom! Good thing you noticed in time to have it fixed!

Also, your ortho organizer looks pretty nifty with all those bends and loops. I hope it's not causing you too much trouble.

- stargirl

[Jillianleab]

Okay, I have to post a retraction - the correct wire is on my bottom arch. The little "nubs" I saw are sliders, and were originally in a different place on the wire. No screw up!

[jennandtonic]

I know you're probably more used to it, but that expander looks annoying, Jillian! You're a saint!

[Jillianleab]

I know you're probably more used to it, but that expander looks annoying, Jillian! You're a saint!

Wow, that makes me really embarrassed to admit I'm having it taken out! I still haven't gotten used to it; can't talk normally, it pinches my tongue and makes me gag if I hiccup or cough. So off I go at 3pm to do the walk of shame..... I really wanted to stick it out - honest! If I wasn't going out of town for a week tomorrow I think I would leave it in for a few more days, but I'm afraid I might rip it out myself if it has to stay in for two weeks before I get back!

Grrr.... I'm so mad at myself, but I just can't stand how uncomfortable it's making me! I'm such a weenie.

[Jillianleab]

Thanks for the words of encouragement Linda21 and KK I'm hoping I can get the expansion necessary without the appliance, so I'm going to just keep my fingers crossed. I'm sure I'd eventually get used to the thing, but as I said, with the trip out of town, I didn't want to have to deal with it! Maybe another time

[jennandtonic]

Wow, that makes me really embarrassed to admit I'm having it taken out! I still haven't gotten used to it; can't talk normally, it pinches my tongue and makes me gag if I hiccup or cough. So off I go at 3pm to do the walk of shame..... I really wanted to stick it out - honest! If I wasn't going out of town for a week tomorrow I think I would leave it in for a few more days, but I'm afraid I might rip it out myself if it has to stay in for two weeks before I get back!

Grrr.... I'm so mad at myself, but I just can't stand how uncomfortable it's making me! I'm such a weenie.

Well, if they said that you had the option of taking it out they obviously have other ways of fixing the problem. Like Karen said, don't be so hard on yourself!

And believe me, if I was you I probably wouldn't be able to stand it for even a day. I'm a weenie about that sort of thing too.

[Jillianleab]

I am so sick of these @#$%& things!!!!

I had to make ANOTHER emergency appointment yesterday!!! To recap - my adjustment was July 24, I went back in July 25 because I thought the bottom wire was the wrong one. Then I went back on July 27 to have my expander removed. Went out of town on July 28, and on Aug 1, I was flossing before bed and disaster strikes (I'm being a little dramatic!) I was flossing my bottoms and the floss got wrapped around a bracket and tangled. I'm pulling it out, it's shredding, and POP! The frickin' WIRE came out of the bracket!!!!!!! This is on my lower front tooth! How does that even happen???? So now I have a tooth that isn't connected to the wire at all. I called my ortho's office yesterday morning, but of course, since I'm in flippin' ILLINOIS right now, I can't get in until Monday!

I am so sick of these @#$%& things!!!!

[Jillianleab]

I sure hope you're right, KK! When I sit and think about the trouble the braces have caused me, it's irritating and I get a little peeved! I'm sure having the wire disconnected for a week won't cause any harm, but I have some thoughts as to why it happened (asst. didn't clip it in properly), and that sort of negligence is really what gets me going. I'm still pretty positive I have my former top wire on the bottom since I remember her clipping a large portion off on my left side, but I guess if it's the same gauge it doesn't matter.

lol, more than anything I think I need to get home, see my hubby, kitty and dog, and rest in my own house! Not to mention showering in my own shower - hotel water pressure is lousy!

Thanks for letting me rant, everyone

[Jillianleab]

I'm a little late for my three month update, but here it is! Most importantly, I'm over my last rant

I've been doing a lot of traveling lately; a trip to Illinois to see my brother, to South Dakota for a wedding, and to Atlanta to look at some investment properties. Next week I leave to head to the beach! After that it's back home and back to the grindstone that is finishing my degree! One thing I did learn while traveling with braces, in order to make saltwater rinses easier, grab a handful of the individual packets of salt at fast food restaurants and throw them in your toiletry bag. I found that two of them with a bit of warm water is perfect!

Ok, back to the progress going about in my mouth. I've noticed a lot of changes since the beginning, but not as much since last month. I can see there has been movement, but not nearly as much as before. The biggest change I noticed is how much smaller my overjet has gotten, which is fantastic, since I'm not even in elastics yet. Get ready for a bunch 'o piccies! The pics on the left are last month, and the right is this month.











My next adjustment is September 11, the same day as my six month cleaning. I'm hoping to get a thicker wire on the bottom so I can see more movement there. I'm also hoping to avoid that dreaded expander......

[RainyDay2]

Wow Jilleanleab, Makes me wish I would have gotten self ligating on top. I have clear and will be getting metal self ligating on the bottom. I just don't know when yet! Very encouraging progress. Thanks for sharing your story!!!!