That's great that things should be resolved with the braces. No one ever suggested anything like that to me back in the 80's when my problems started. So I don't know if it would have made any difference. I guess my bite has been essentially okay, although the top arch is a little skewed more forward on the right, the teeth for chewing line up okay and so we are doing a "limited" treatment.
Send some pictures when you get them, it will be great to cheer you on!
Boolajoojoo; 10 months in....
Moderator: bbsadmin
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smallbutmighty
- Posts: 208
- Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:55 pm
- Location: Great(er) Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Your teeth don't look as bad as mine. My top arch is so bad that it forms a V instead of a U and I have to have Jaw surgery. My bottom arch is okay though so that's something to be thankful for. I'm glad that you are deciding to go on this journey of braces. I can't afford it until I get insurance even if then considering that kind of surgery might not be covered. I can totally relate to you when you said that you almost lost your insurance. I got cut off from my Dad's insurance when I turned 23 eventhough I'm still a fulltime student. Weird how things work.
Anyways I hope your braces journey goes well!
Anyways I hope your braces journey goes well!
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
Mucho thanks again for all the advice and support and stuff from you guys. I can't back out after Monday (Day after tomorrow for records, ACK!) but I'm pretty excited with these dates coming up so quickly. After months of agonizing over getting things started, once I'd made the decision to finally do this however many months ago, I didn't really want to wait anymore. I don't know how I put off doing this for myself for so long. One thing I am kind of apprehensive about is that this is a huge office, with lots of amenities (computer and internet in the waiting room for the patients, video game room, fancy cappuccino/tea machine, toys, and I think an aquarium among other things) and one orthodontist to 5 or 6 assistants. Maybe I shouldn't be putting such a negative spin on it being an office that does so well! But you better believe I'm getting my "free coffee" and using the "free internet" when I'm there, cause you can guess who's really paying for it. I know it's obviously intended to make the process more enjoyable for kids and teenagers. And even with all those extras, I was about to go with a completely no frills office and actually be paying quite a bit more, so take from that what you will I guess. I know there has been some sentiment around here that all these extras really aren't necessary and I would tend to agree, but I hope none of this has an effect on the quality of treatment I'll be getting. I don't really expect it to, the impression I got was that things run very smoothly and efficiently... but I struggle with being a glass is half empty kind of girl.
Kind of on the fence here over whether or not to go with ceramic or metal. I figure it'll be obvious either way that there's stuff on my teeth... but I probably have to be pretty conservative with ligature colors. Because of my job (in the military) it probably wouldn't be appropriate for bright colors.
If I can't have any fun with it, then I just might want them to be as discreet as possible. It really depends on how much more it costs, I should have asked. Actually, there are a lot of questions I want to ask on Monday before signing my life away, so I better write them down.
Kind of on the fence here over whether or not to go with ceramic or metal. I figure it'll be obvious either way that there's stuff on my teeth... but I probably have to be pretty conservative with ligature colors. Because of my job (in the military) it probably wouldn't be appropriate for bright colors.
If I can't have any fun with it, then I just might want them to be as discreet as possible. It really depends on how much more it costs, I should have asked. Actually, there are a lot of questions I want to ask on Monday before signing my life away, so I better write them down.-
Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
Ok, spacers are IN on top as of Monday. I wasn't very sore yesterday or the day before, but now I'm pretty achy on my left side if I chew on it, not unbearable, and I can just chew on the right side... but I've pretty much been eating what I would normally eat, and maybe I shouldn't so much, but the only special instructions I was given were no gum, or anything chewy like caramel. I could upload pictures, but they're not really all that interesting. Actually, I've noticed my left canine seems to have moved farther forward or twisted some. Those spacers gotta make room for themselves somehow I guess.
Maybe this is a silly question, but should I be flossing where the spacers are? 2 weeks seems like a long time to go without flossing between those teeth, and I don't want to have anything bad happen to my teeth because of spacers being in.
Also I wondered if Sensodyne toothpaste has been helpful for the soreness that anyone's had?
Oh! I have one interesting picture, anyone that's had one of them profile X-rays (cephalograph? SP?) how cool was it to get to see your own skull:
You can see pretty well the overbite and everything else.
Maybe this is a silly question, but should I be flossing where the spacers are? 2 weeks seems like a long time to go without flossing between those teeth, and I don't want to have anything bad happen to my teeth because of spacers being in.
Also I wondered if Sensodyne toothpaste has been helpful for the soreness that anyone's had?
Oh! I have one interesting picture, anyone that's had one of them profile X-rays (cephalograph? SP?) how cool was it to get to see your own skull:
You can see pretty well the overbite and everything else.
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smallbutmighty
- Posts: 208
- Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 8:55 pm
- Location: Great(er) Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Hi Rachel,
SO glad to hear you have gotten going. Try the gold ligs-- they are very discreet, yet "classic", especially with the metal brackets. (You can see my pictures in the bracket club, and now Victor has them too.) I do use Sensodyne but not as my only toothpaste. It seems that I go through periods where I am very sensitive to cold so I use it then. Also I read somewhere on this web site that when one first gets braced they might be more sensitive, so using that kind of toothpaste was recommended before being braced. I don't know if it helps with soreness. Re ortho assistants working on you-- I am one on one with my practitioner, but if I were in the kind of office you will be using, I would like to know that the ortho would always check the work done BEFORE you leave, and make sure your questions are answered to your satisfaction.
What do you do in the military?
SO glad to hear you have gotten going. Try the gold ligs-- they are very discreet, yet "classic", especially with the metal brackets. (You can see my pictures in the bracket club, and now Victor has them too.) I do use Sensodyne but not as my only toothpaste. It seems that I go through periods where I am very sensitive to cold so I use it then. Also I read somewhere on this web site that when one first gets braced they might be more sensitive, so using that kind of toothpaste was recommended before being braced. I don't know if it helps with soreness. Re ortho assistants working on you-- I am one on one with my practitioner, but if I were in the kind of office you will be using, I would like to know that the ortho would always check the work done BEFORE you leave, and make sure your questions are answered to your satisfaction.
What do you do in the military?
It's all in how you see yourself!
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
Got my braces put on this morning. 
Since I have the rest of the day off, I figured "Come over here and update, Right?"
I guess it was pretty uneventful. Didn't end up getting ceramic (though I kind of wish I had). Based on the models I was shown, I thought the choice was between ceramic or metal w/ ligs, but since these are self ligating (and the "higher profile I've seen people talk about, ouch) there's no issue now over what colors will be conservative enough for the Military. There are serious considerations to what color nail polish is permissible, jewelry, makeup, hair, so I figured that would extend to teeth too. Smallbutmighty: I work in a command post (part time Air Force reservist hehe), talking to airplanes and doing other miscellaneous stuff, it's not always exciting but it makes me feel kind of important, hehe.
KK: It took serious restraint for me to not floss those danged spacers out... blegh... a little bit OCD about brushing and flossing...
So yeah... these brackets are real pokey feeling, and bite splint = LISP!
I can see this making me very self conscious about my speech and appearance, because I think I look goofy as heck...
Might as well get used to it... stuck with this for about 2 years....
Probably will be a lot more picky now how I do my hair, makeup, and clothes just to feel better about myself.... blarg.
Pictures to come soon I'm sure...
Since I have the rest of the day off, I figured "Come over here and update, Right?"I guess it was pretty uneventful. Didn't end up getting ceramic (though I kind of wish I had). Based on the models I was shown, I thought the choice was between ceramic or metal w/ ligs, but since these are self ligating (and the "higher profile I've seen people talk about, ouch) there's no issue now over what colors will be conservative enough for the Military. There are serious considerations to what color nail polish is permissible, jewelry, makeup, hair, so I figured that would extend to teeth too. Smallbutmighty: I work in a command post (part time Air Force reservist hehe), talking to airplanes and doing other miscellaneous stuff, it's not always exciting but it makes me feel kind of important, hehe.
KK: It took serious restraint for me to not floss those danged spacers out... blegh... a little bit OCD about brushing and flossing...
So yeah... these brackets are real pokey feeling, and bite splint = LISP!
I can see this making me very self conscious about my speech and appearance, because I think I look goofy as heck...
Might as well get used to it... stuck with this for about 2 years....
Probably will be a lot more picky now how I do my hair, makeup, and clothes just to feel better about myself.... blarg.
Pictures to come soon I'm sure...
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chillin-in-grilz
- Posts: 864
- Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:34 pm
- Contact:
At the beginning you said that when you chew you go chew-pop-chew-pop-chew-pop lol
Im like chew-pop-crackle-ow-chew-pop-pop lol. Im the same way. I hope braces will fix my TMJ problems.
But I think the reason why my jaw is so screwed, because as a kid I loved chewing hubba bubba gums. I had a small mouth chewing like 2-3 of them!! So my jaw was non stop over stretched. I think thats why it is like it right now.
Im like chew-pop-crackle-ow-chew-pop-pop lol. Im the same way. I hope braces will fix my TMJ problems.
But I think the reason why my jaw is so screwed, because as a kid I loved chewing hubba bubba gums. I had a small mouth chewing like 2-3 of them!! So my jaw was non stop over stretched. I think thats why it is like it right now.
Brace Free February 17th, 2009
Braces January 29, 2007
Braces January 29, 2007
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
Okay, this is the best picture I've gotten of the new grill, I find that if I'm smiling, it just looks a whole lot less goofy. I don't have the patience to try to get more... but they prolly wouldn't be that interesting.
Aaaaanyhow, my thoughts after 5 days:
So far so good I guess. The bite plate seems to have helped a bit already with the TMJ, if the bite plate is out I would literally have to force my jaw together and back to get tooth to tooth contact... the clicking and popping are mostly gone during the day with the bite plate in, but it seems to come back for a while when I wake up in the morning... I think cause I'm grinding on the bite plate when I sleep. I have a really hard time actually leaving it in, cause it's aggravating my tongue and causing me to lisp still. Grar. I was ordered to eat with the bite plate in too, which is annoying as heck because it likes to pop off, so I have to be very careful about not biting down in the wrong way, I'm scared I'll break it, and I'm very limited to soft foods. I thought at first I'd probably be able to lose some weight because I won't be snacking between meals lest I have to run to the bathroom and brush after snacking. Sadly, the foods I'm more likely to eat for meals are things like pasta... tuna helper/hamburger helper, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, cornbeef hash... har har. I'll be lucky if I don't GAIN weight! I'll have to be more careful about those kinds of choices.
Super floss and floss threaders have been useless to me, I've had more luck using just using glide floss and carefully sliding it under the wires... I normally don't like Glide floss because it's so smooth it doesn't seem like if has that scrubby quality that waxed floss has... but the regular floss was shredding to pieces.
Oh, one other thing, I was told most people won't notice, or if they notice won't care or say anything about someone wearing braces. I think most people probably don't care, but my coworker/supervisor noticed right away, and commenced with the "playful teasing" for a few hours, before he finally went home and left me alone. I told him to get it out of his system, because it wasn't going to be funny for very long. The next time I saw him I think he let it go, but he gets bored easy and can be kind of immature for an old man. I haven't been around any of my other coworkers, so now I'm more worried than I was about what people will say.
Ok, that's my rant, it's good to have a place like this to blow off steam.
Aaaaanyhow, my thoughts after 5 days:
So far so good I guess. The bite plate seems to have helped a bit already with the TMJ, if the bite plate is out I would literally have to force my jaw together and back to get tooth to tooth contact... the clicking and popping are mostly gone during the day with the bite plate in, but it seems to come back for a while when I wake up in the morning... I think cause I'm grinding on the bite plate when I sleep. I have a really hard time actually leaving it in, cause it's aggravating my tongue and causing me to lisp still. Grar. I was ordered to eat with the bite plate in too, which is annoying as heck because it likes to pop off, so I have to be very careful about not biting down in the wrong way, I'm scared I'll break it, and I'm very limited to soft foods. I thought at first I'd probably be able to lose some weight because I won't be snacking between meals lest I have to run to the bathroom and brush after snacking. Sadly, the foods I'm more likely to eat for meals are things like pasta... tuna helper/hamburger helper, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, cornbeef hash... har har. I'll be lucky if I don't GAIN weight! I'll have to be more careful about those kinds of choices.
Super floss and floss threaders have been useless to me, I've had more luck using just using glide floss and carefully sliding it under the wires... I normally don't like Glide floss because it's so smooth it doesn't seem like if has that scrubby quality that waxed floss has... but the regular floss was shredding to pieces.
Oh, one other thing, I was told most people won't notice, or if they notice won't care or say anything about someone wearing braces. I think most people probably don't care, but my coworker/supervisor noticed right away, and commenced with the "playful teasing" for a few hours, before he finally went home and left me alone. I told him to get it out of his system, because it wasn't going to be funny for very long. The next time I saw him I think he let it go, but he gets bored easy and can be kind of immature for an old man. I haven't been around any of my other coworkers, so now I'm more worried than I was about what people will say.
Ok, that's my rant, it's good to have a place like this to blow off steam.
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
I had my first adjustment last week, I suppose it went pretty well, I was a little shocked, because it seemed like a very heavy and square wire awful soon. I'm told when I go back in 8 weeks they're going to evaluate if we can go ahead and put brackets on the bottom. Joy. If it means I can lose the bite plate, I'll be happy.
It looks like my canines are coming down and into line fairly easily
Today I had a cleaning at the hygienist. I guess it went pretty well, and that answered my question of how a hygienist cleans someone's teeth with braces, yeah..
On with the progress pictures:
Only... 22 more months to go .... Things are straightening up so I'm really happy. The chafing and irritation has not been as bad as I expected. I haven't need wax in weeks, and normally I have canker sores all the time, so I was thinking my mouth would just turn into one big canker sore, but I haven't had a single one since the braces went on. My diet has gotten a little better too... there are still foods I have to avoid, but I'm going with better alternatives than the junky stuff that's most appealing to me. I've been having oatmeal almost every day for breakfast instead of suger frosted crunch kid's cereal, hehe.
It looks like my canines are coming down and into line fairly easily
Today I had a cleaning at the hygienist. I guess it went pretty well, and that answered my question of how a hygienist cleans someone's teeth with braces, yeah..
On with the progress pictures:
Only... 22 more months to go .... Things are straightening up so I'm really happy. The chafing and irritation has not been as bad as I expected. I haven't need wax in weeks, and normally I have canker sores all the time, so I was thinking my mouth would just turn into one big canker sore, but I haven't had a single one since the braces went on. My diet has gotten a little better too... there are still foods I have to avoid, but I'm going with better alternatives than the junky stuff that's most appealing to me. I've been having oatmeal almost every day for breakfast instead of suger frosted crunch kid's cereal, hehe.
Last edited by Boolajoojoo on Tue May 22, 2007 5:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
hmm at my very first ortho visit he told me I had TMJ but didn't suggest anything for treatment. He said, you have slight clicking. I said yeah what's that mean. He's like you have a touch of TMJ. Then he asked me if I chew a lot of gum, candy or hard things like bagels to which I replied no. Then he said that's good and to avoid it and when I said if not what will happen, to which he said TMJ is like arthritis and you have to be careful of things you eat bc it will start to cause joint pain but nothing to be too concerned about.
So I take it they're not treating it at all *shrugs*
So I take it they're not treating it at all *shrugs*
Sentenced: 20-24 months
Braced May 11, 2007
Debraced Feb. 23, 2009
21 months in braces, 17 months in elastic, NO regrets!! Now in Hawley retainers!!
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
Hopefully they're keeping an eye on your TMJ if there are even slight signs of a problem. There are varying degrees of TMJ problems... but it can also apparently get worse over time (like mine has been, blech). Could be that through correcting your bite with braces, it might inadvertently relieve the TMJ problem, but apparently change in bite could make it worse too...hmm at my very first ortho visit he told me I had TMJ but didn't suggest anything for treatment. He said, you have slight clicking. I said yeah what's that mean. He's like you have a touch of TMJ. Then he asked me if I chew a lot of gum, candy or hard things like bagels to which I replied no. Then he said that's good and to avoid it and when I said if not what will happen, to which he said TMJ is like arthritis and you have to be careful of things you eat bc it will start to cause joint pain but nothing to be too concerned about.
So I take it they're not treating it at all *shrugs*
In my opinion, it sucked a lot that I had to be so careful about food because of the TMJ. If I bite into a hamburger and move my jaw the wrong way I could end up in excruciating pain from that... and I had constant residual headaches from it too... the bite splint seems to help my TMJ a lot, and hopefully the joint will be completely functional when the braces come off, with no more popping and sticking. I guess with that specific goal in mind things aren't quite as straight forward, but my crowding is kind of minor compared to some other's on the board.
*edit* And ditto to what Meryaten said. Not all TMD is the same, there could be different types of dysfunction. A coworker of mine used to have her jaw lock open, and mine would lock closed. Apparently some people end up needing surgery which has never been mentioned to me, so hopefully I'm not one of them, but if that comes up I'll do what I gotta do..
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
Oh, hehe, It's fine! I'm no expert either. I just felt redundant because we simultaneously replied with similar info, and you said basically what I was trying to get across, only more.. concise I guess. And feel free to educate me especially if I'm not making sense because it probably means I don't know what I'm talking about. (I *try* not to not make sense, hehe, doesn't always work out)Boola - hope my post did not come off as trying to educate you (it was more a response to kj's comment) - you obviously know a lot more about it, for obvious reasons!
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Boolajoojoo
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:04 pm
This is gonna be another long one...
So 10 months in and I've seen a lot of changes. No clue how much longer I have left. A few months after starting treatment I wasn't frequenting the boards here so often.... combination of an insane work schedule and just kind of wanting to forget about braces and just passively let things run their course. (A watched pot never boils, and all that).
I have some free time from work now (I've decided to focus more on finishing school, so no more working full time)...
... and lately the braces have been more at the front of my mind. This is mostly because of the new hardware I had put in a month ago.... its similar to an Herbst appliance, but not exactly the same. Probably I will post pictures tomorrow. I do not like. It's stressing my jaw out because I still clench and grind at night... (when this is done I'm definitely going to need a night guard for that) and it's just uncomfortable in general. Sure it seems to be doing it's job, and my overbite/overjet are beginning to diminish... but the worst thing about it is eating. Chewing is difficult because my bite and molar relationship are aaaall kinds of out of whack now. I mean, I managed to keep eating fresh vegetables and fruits for the first 9 months... but the last few weeks have just been "Why even bother...." it's just not possible anymore.
Just wondering about something though... because I'm trying to live the philosophy of "eat how you did pre-braces" but it's not an option at this point. Nutritionally speaking, getting fresh fruits and vegetables a few times a week is supposed to be really good for you, and I used to looove salad... Raw veggies are supposed to be healthier than eating say.. vegetables cooked til they are mush... which is what my veggie food group consists of lately. Salads are out of the question because I can't effectively chew lettuce up well enough to swallow it... molars aren't meshing well (cusps are just gnashing against cusps) and cannot pulverize crisp veggies with that kind of contact. Lettuce doesn't dissolve the way even crusty bread does, and I do well enough chewing bread and hamburger and pizza and the sorts of things that crumble to some extent or mush up well. There are more raw fruits I can eat than raw vegetables... the only raw veggies I can have anymore are tomatoes (yuck!) or avacadoes (yum!). Almost any fruit I can put in to a smoothie at least..... but I'm not gonna make a carrot/broccoli/cucumber smoothie any time soon.
Is there anyone around here who knows a lot about nutrition or food in general? Are there any other veggies that are mushy on their own when uncooked that I'm just *missing* here... or do I just have to keep compensating with lots of raw fruits... cooked veggies... and taking a fiber supplement and multivitamin ...
Hoping this appliance is out soon just so we can get to working on molar relationship... cuz erg... chewing just feels wrong.
So 10 months in and I've seen a lot of changes. No clue how much longer I have left. A few months after starting treatment I wasn't frequenting the boards here so often.... combination of an insane work schedule and just kind of wanting to forget about braces and just passively let things run their course. (A watched pot never boils, and all that).
I have some free time from work now (I've decided to focus more on finishing school, so no more working full time)...
... and lately the braces have been more at the front of my mind. This is mostly because of the new hardware I had put in a month ago.... its similar to an Herbst appliance, but not exactly the same. Probably I will post pictures tomorrow. I do not like. It's stressing my jaw out because I still clench and grind at night... (when this is done I'm definitely going to need a night guard for that) and it's just uncomfortable in general. Sure it seems to be doing it's job, and my overbite/overjet are beginning to diminish... but the worst thing about it is eating. Chewing is difficult because my bite and molar relationship are aaaall kinds of out of whack now. I mean, I managed to keep eating fresh vegetables and fruits for the first 9 months... but the last few weeks have just been "Why even bother...." it's just not possible anymore.
Just wondering about something though... because I'm trying to live the philosophy of "eat how you did pre-braces" but it's not an option at this point. Nutritionally speaking, getting fresh fruits and vegetables a few times a week is supposed to be really good for you, and I used to looove salad... Raw veggies are supposed to be healthier than eating say.. vegetables cooked til they are mush... which is what my veggie food group consists of lately. Salads are out of the question because I can't effectively chew lettuce up well enough to swallow it... molars aren't meshing well (cusps are just gnashing against cusps) and cannot pulverize crisp veggies with that kind of contact. Lettuce doesn't dissolve the way even crusty bread does, and I do well enough chewing bread and hamburger and pizza and the sorts of things that crumble to some extent or mush up well. There are more raw fruits I can eat than raw vegetables... the only raw veggies I can have anymore are tomatoes (yuck!) or avacadoes (yum!). Almost any fruit I can put in to a smoothie at least..... but I'm not gonna make a carrot/broccoli/cucumber smoothie any time soon.
Is there anyone around here who knows a lot about nutrition or food in general? Are there any other veggies that are mushy on their own when uncooked that I'm just *missing* here... or do I just have to keep compensating with lots of raw fruits... cooked veggies... and taking a fiber supplement and multivitamin ...
Hoping this appliance is out soon just so we can get to working on molar relationship... cuz erg... chewing just feels wrong.