Jaws' Story-Updated Dec 12/07--Follow-Up Pic (page 12)

[jaws]

JUNE 3RD 2006

Hi Everyone,

I went to the ortho this past Wednesday, where I was again supposed to get the molds made for my retainers...and there was another disappointing setback.

The hygenist now wants a completely different tooth (not the one that I currently have the elastic on) to move .5mm! Here are some pics to show what I mean:



According to the hygenist, the tooth circled in red is too close to the tooth directly below it (they are almost touching). The ortho placed some very tiny bends in my wire on the top, in order to try to 'push' that top tooth outwards a bit.

If you look at things from the bottom, you can also see how the top tooth (circled in red) 'touches' the bottom one, although it isn't too bad:



This has of course happened because this tooth is a peg lateral, so the spacing of my teeth is a little messed up. But really, .5mm?!

I think I am just frustrated because it seems like every time I go in they tell me that they are going to make my retainer molds, and then they say, "No, come back next week." It's psychological torture!

So, the hygenist made an apointment for me for next Tuesday (the 6th), she said that she purposely booked a 45min apointment because she really is going to make the molds for me at that time. I'll believe it when I see it though!! If everything goes as planned, I should have my braces off by the 3rd week of June. We'll see!

Thanks for letting me vent!

[jennandtonic]

That must be sooo disappointing! I can't imagine how it feels to expect to get the braces off and be disappointed.

However, maybe it will make that day that you get your braces off all the sweeter. Also, this means when your braces come off your teeth will be as close to perfect as you can get.

[jaws]

JUNE 6th 2006

Well, they finally made the molds for my retainers today! When I went in, they told me that I will be getting a new kind of retainer that I will only wear at night (I think it's called a Damon night splint, anyone ever heard of it?). It basically slips over your teeth like invisalign, but the top and bottom are attached to each other. I will have permanent bonded retainers on the top and bottom too so that my teeth don't shift during the day.

I was in the office for an hour and a half, it took forever for them to take the molds, they had to put some 'pretend' bonding material on my peg laterals so that the molds would be the right size for when I actually get bonding done after the brackets are off...and the most exciting part, they took off my molar bands, which meant they took out my expanders too!

I have had my expanders for almost 14 months, and it felt SO good to have them out! My mouth feels huge, and I love it!

Here are pics:

MY BITE:



TOP:



BOTTOM:



So, they are going to call me in 2 weeks when my retainer gets back from the lab, and then I will make an appointment to get everything taken off! I CAN'T WAIT!

[hannah164]

JAws! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations on getting your expanders out! Such great news! How exciting that you got your molds for your retainers done today! Your smile looks absolutely gorgeous! Hopefully you get your braces off soon!

Congrats!

~hAnnah







[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]


Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05

[jaws]

Thanks guys!! I am soooo excited, I just wish I had an official date! It's slightly annoying that I have to wait for the ortho to call me...it all depends on how quickly the lab can make my retainers. We'll see!

[M1k3y]

Good deal Jaws! Is your ortho planning on filing your teeth so that they are nice and even with one another?

[jaws]

JUNE 22 2006

I posted this vent on the main forum, but I also wanted to post it here so that I have a record of all of the annoying things that I went through before finally getting the braces off!

As my last post explains, two and a half weeks ago I went to the orthos to get the molds made for my retainers. My ortho informed me that they had decided to use a new type of retainer on me that looks a lot like an Essix except that the top and bottom are attached. He said that he usually makes the molds for retainers while his patients still have their braces on, because he used to use Hawley retainers. Since I will be his first ortho patient to use this new type of retainer, he said that he would try to do the molds with my braces still on, but if the mold wasn't good enough (because it needs to capture the exact shape of all of my teeth due to the new Essix-type retainer) that he would call me within a couple of days and then I would come in, get the braces taken off, and get new molds made. He said that if the mold turned out good, he would call me in two weeks when the retainer came back from the lab.

So, today it had been two and a half weeks since I had the molds made. He hadn't called me right away, so I assumed that the molds were good and had been sent to the lab. I called today just to make sure everything was on track, and the receptionist told me that the mold actually hadn't been good, but the ortho had forgotten to call me!!!

I am completely and absolutely frustrated. I have been waiting almost 2 months to get my braces off, and every time that I think they are about to come off something like this happens. The receptionist was extremely apologetic, and booked me in to get my braces off next Tuesday (the 27th), at which time they will make the proper molds for my retainers (which will come back from the lab 3 weeks after that).

So, it is good news that I get my braces off next week, however I'm still worried for 2 main reasons:

1) When I was at the orthos two and a half weeks ago to get my molds made, they took off my molar bands and my expanders. I can already tell that my molars have moved, but I figured that the retainer that I thought was on its way would fix that. Now I am going to have new molds made on my 'imperfect' teeth, which will hold them in their new crappy positions.

2) They are ordering the new retainers from a lab in the States (I am in Canada), so my retainer will take 3 weeks to arrive. This means that I will only have top and bottom bonded retainers on my 6 front teeth for three full weeks before I get any retainer-wear. Has anyone ever had to wait this long before?

Anyways, I guess the good news is that I get my braces off next week, but my feelings about it are bittersweet. I also have a funny feeling that I'm going to go in next week and they are going to see that my now unbanded molars have shifted, and decide that they need to fix them before taking the braces off! I am not going to believe that I am getting my braces off until they are literally pulling them off of my teeth!

I know that some people on here have had way worse experiences than this, but I just needed to vent because I'm so annoyed! Thanks for listening

[Drewjb007]

Jaws, I have been following your story for a while now and when I read you were getting your braces off I was so excited. That was a month ago.... I know you are really P.O. but all I can say is hang in there. I am not a patient person at all so if I would have been in your shoes I'm afraid I would have gotten the pliers out by now. But keep on truckin' and maby the ortho will get things set straight for you very quickly. I hope you have loads of luck next week ! Keep us posted.

Drewjb007

[braces_2come]

hi JAWS i just got my braces but on and they also put some material on my back molars one on bottom and another on top i didnt get them on all four of them but they are uncomfortable, they dont let me bite all the way down, i had this done because of the same reason that i would bite my bracket off.

[jaws]

JUNE 26 2006

Well, tomorrow is (hopefully!) the big day! I go in at 8:30am, and I'll be sure to post lots of pics afterwards. I'm actually not overly excited, I think because I'm trying not to get my hopes up due to all of the crap that I've been through trying to get these things off over the past couple of months! As I've mentioned, I'm not going to believe that they are coming off until the ortho is literally pulling the brackets off of my teeth!

Thanks so much everyone for your comments and support in regards to my last post. I am definitely going to voice my concerns with my ortho tomorrow morning before the braces come off. I want to be absolutely sure that I will be able to retain my new arches. From what I can tell, I think the ortho will be able to tweak my new retainer if things get out of line, but we'll see.

Wish me luck!

[ThisIsMary]

good luck tomorrow jaws! I should be right behind you in about 2 months, or atleast that's what they say. It's kinda wierd though because I remember when you first got your braces because we both got them at about the same time. It's amazing how time flies

[jaws]

JUNE 27 2006

MY BRACES ARE FINALLY OFF! Here is the story:

I went in this morning at 8:30am. The assistant proceeded to 'snap' off my brackets with a special tool. This hurt a little bit, especially on some teeth that were particularly sensitive, but overall it just felt like a lot of pressure.

Then the ortho came in and started to shave all of the glue/cement off of my teeth. This wasn't exactly enjoyable, but not painful. It was kind of like getting a regular cleaning at the dentist...lots of things poking into your mouth, but not a huge deal.

Then I had to get bonding done on two of my top front teeth (each tooth beside my front teeth). This took awhile as the ortho put the special etching liquid on (which smelled/tasted gross!), then the bonding material, then zapped it all with a blue light.

After this was done, he bonded my permanent upper and lower retainers to the backs of my 4 front teeth. This was a relatively simple process too, not painful at all.

After this, the assistant came in and made upper and lower impressions/molds of my teeth to send off for my retainer, which will be available in 2-3 weeks, and which I will only be wearing at night.

Then they took some pictures, and I was on my way!

I would say the most annoying thing about the experience was having my mouth open for so long, with various instruments coming in and out of it! I was there for around 2 hours, which was a long time! I have been staring at my teeth all day...I can't seem to pull myself away from the mirror!

Overall, I am happy with the results. I definitely need to do some whitening, as a couple of my teeth are particularly yellow. I bought some Crest Whitestrips Premium Plus today, so let the whitening begin!

I also feel like my teeth look HUGE! I haven't quite gotten used to smiling properly. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I think things look great, and other times I think I look a little weird. I think it's just going to take me awhile to get used to myself with these great big arches! It's also interesting how my profile has changed, which you will see in the next set of pictures.

Now for the pictures!

Here are a bunch of before and after pictures that my ortho printed out for me--the pics aren't great quality, but you'll get the idea (click on the thumbnail to make it bigger):



And here are some of my own pictures:

BITE BEFORE:



BITE AFTER:



TOP BEFORE:



TOP AFTER:



BOTTOM BEFORE:



BOTTOM AFTER:



SMILE BEFORE:



SMILE AFTER:



This has been a crazy process, sometimes very depressing and frustrating (with a few tears shed here and there!). However, like many others, I must say that it was all worth it in the end. I now have a set of beautiful, and most importantly, healthy teeth. I will keep everyone posted on how things go with my retainer!

[lionfish]

You look great, enjoy. I've followed your story pretty much from the early days. Well done!

[Kell]

Your teeth look great! Congratulations!

[OneTime]

Wow, they are great!