labyrinth: 29 and braced again, with pics

[labyrinth]

Well the braces are going on tomorrow, 7th February. The aim is to fix the problems caused mostly by the last braces I had, about 10 years ago. That a midline 5mm offcentre, root resorption on 5 teeth and a problem with my jaw.

This is from another one of my posts, but its basically how I wound up at this point:

I'm missing a tooth on the upper left side, it just never grew. My 1st ortho was adamant I shouldn't have an implant...he said that they get infected, and they're so expensive I wouldn't be able to afford a replacement in my early 20's when I had a mortgage, kids etc. So my folks agreed with him, and he tried to fill in the gap by pulling forward my remaining teeth, the gap was HUGE....1.5cm, cuz the teeth on either side of it were tiny (peg teeth he called them).

Thats when the fun and games began. Initially the braces were meant to be on for 12-18 months, after 3 years I'd had enough and my jaw was killing so I demanded they be taken off. The midline, which before the braces was ok, now was so far to my left it looks like I have a central tooth. I put up with it for a few years (2001), then went and saw another ortho who wouldn't consider doing any work because the roots were so short.

Fast forward a few years (2006), I'm at the dentist and some routiene xrays and she says she can pull my teeth out with her fingers if she wants, so off I go to the prosthedontist to arrange for those damn implants. Instead of having 1, now I'm looking at having 5. The prosthedontist is more optimistic, and refers me to an orthodontist who specialises in difficult cases. Together they're going to re-open the gap the other ortho tried to close, put in an implant/s, and with hope the correct alignment will halt the root resorption. And I get a normal looking midline for the first time in more than a decade!

this is the left side


front


right side


upper arch


lower arch


profile


looking serious...


and finally, a smile!

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[amd]

labyrinth : Hi & welcome & Good luck today.
I'm 42 years old, never had braces and also have serious root resorption issues. Mostly on my upper 4 fronts and the one behind my canine bottom left (that one is actually loose & I can wiggle it a bit). I had braces put on Jan 25th and I'm doing okay so far. If I didn't go the braces route I was looking at dentures in 6-10 years. I have a deep underbite which is wearing away my upper fronts and placing a lot of pressure on the roots. Like you, the hope is that with proper alignment the pressure will ease and the root resorption will lesson somewhat.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

[Sumendoza]

Labyrinth,

Hello and welcome to this great forum! Wish you the best during this journey (II part) and hope all goes well! Here is to a great progress
Awesome pictures, by the way, you have beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile; but your ortho knows best and he'll correct whatever problem you have going on that I can't see.

[labyrinth]

hullo, it's almost time to go to the appointment, I'm just enjoying a coffee in peace now that I've got my daughter off to childcare. It's so nice having a day off during the week...I could get used to it! Lovely picture of the labyrinth! I went to a hedge maze for the first time the other week, it was amazing.

I've had braces before, and thats why my teeth are straight. The only cosmetic issue is the midline, which bothers me just because it was centred before I had braces. I'm the only person who notices it though.

The aim of the braces now is to correct my bite and relieve the pressure on the teeth with the shortened roots, to give them the best chance of survival. The 4 affected teeth are in each corner of each arch. I'm willing to try anything to save my own teeth to avoid or delay implants.

About 6 years ago I asked an orthodontist if she could fix the midline, but she wouldn't treat me because of the shortened root length. This orthodontist works with the prosthedontist, and he specialises in tricky stuff like short roots, and the aim here is to save the teeth. But hey, if they can make them look better thats the icing on the cake!

Thanks for the support everyone, I bet I'm going to be very sooky the next few days. I know it's going to hurt, owch!

[labyrinth]

I'm all smiles!

Well getting the braces on went far better than I could have imagined. They're hardly noticeable and the discomfort hasn't been so bad, I'm just waiting for the inside of my cheeks to toughen up. Only needed wax once, a bit of neurofen but thats all.

I have to say, compared to what I remember braces being like, these are so much better. The brackets are tiny, a few hours and I'd forgotten they were there.



I'm struggling a bit to eat, eating is one of my favourite pastimes, I'm really good at it! I've had to skip swimming training the last 2 nights and today I felt dizzy. Too much yoghurt and protien shake, not enough complex carbs. Tonight I'm going to make pasta and cook it until it's really soft.

The night I had them put on, my best friend came over and made me pancakes and maple syrup, my favourite. I was depressed at the thought of all the foods I'm going to cut out. I'd made a pledge, no more sugary stuff till they come off....so it was kind of like my last supper. They were great, but I'm determined to do this properly.



Does anyone know if diet softdrink, deserts etc are ok?

Sorry about the bad pics, they're from my phone.

[Joanna20]

Hi there! I think your teeth look fine, your problem is more functional, right?
You must have felt quite scared when the dentist said that!? I’d have freaked out!
I’m glad you sorted out everything and you now enjoying braces, the first weeks are the worse!!!
Well good luck with everything! I love children  I baby-sit my nieces and other children on a regular basis, I know how it feels sometimes! A break is always good!

Take care,
Joanna