Granola's braces journey-- retainer check 2/13/08

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#226 Post by **Granola** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:12 pm

Hi Alexa--you snuck in there (I wasn't ignoring you!). Your teeth are looking great, btw! I know you are getting very close to the retainer stage yourself!

Website · #227 Post by **alexa** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 12:45 am

Hi Alexa--you snuck in there (I wasn't ignoring you!). Your teeth are looking great, btw! I know you are getting very close to the retainer stage yourself!

What can I say, I'm a quick draw with the mouse.

Thanks for complimenting my teeth! Indeed I am close...can't wait to get everything all sorted out and talk to my ortho about what kinda sparkles I want on my hawley!

#228 Post by **SimInsomniac** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:40 am

Your teeth look as beautiful as ever Granola!

Sounds like a good adjustment, I also envy you for having such an involved orthodontist team. It must be great to have such communication each appointment.
It's great that you might be done soon; they certainly look good now, I can imagine how stunning they'll look naked!

Hope all goes well between now and the next adjustment.

Sim

#229 Post by **Granola** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 7:47 pm

Hi Meryaten, linda21, Alexa, KK and SimInsomniac! Thank you all so much for your posts!

It is great to have the two orthos--and I've been very happy with my situation, as I mentioned, but it is also interesting to have to bring up what the one ortho is doing, with the other ortho (I guess I didn't forsee that, but it makes sense). My two orthos happen to be a married couple, which makes the dynamic even more interesting (but they seem to be a very strong team)! It is a relief that she was the one who suggested that I come in to to see him, so that I didn't have to suggest it myself. Whew.

Out of the two of them, he is the one who is more of the perfectionist, and more conservative IMO, so I'll be glad to get his input with respect to what needs to be done prior to de-bonding, because he will not de-bond until he is satisfied with every little detail, something I know from speaking to other patients of theirs.

It is all a good lesson in speaking up and making sure concerns and questions are addressed--for sure it is the way to get the best care.

_ _ _

I realized after my post last night that she left the second molars out of the gang tie, leaving those teeth free to move on the wire still. I'm happy to report that my bite is slightly more comfortable on the right, so she must have done something back there to help that, which makes me very happy. I'm so glad that she really listened to me.

I am loving the new elastics configuration, because with the old one the elastic on the right would break very time I yawned (very annoying, especially when it happened when I was already in bed for the night).

I can't wait to go back in two weeks. I'm so impatient now, but I also want everything to be just right because I'm determined that this is my last stint in braces. If I get them off sometime before September, I'll be very happy as some things start up for me then.

#230 Post by **Granola** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:31 pm

Hi Linda21! I still wish I could join you in the July de-banding club, but that doesn't look like it will happen.

Thank you for the good wishes!

I think that my bite discomfort on the right could just be the upper molar hitting the bracket below. If so, it will likely be no problem when I'm de-bonded. I'm not sure though -- it feels different every few hours. It definitely feels better today than it did before my adjustment though, so I'm very happy about that.

I've been thinking about retainers tonight, and need to remember to mention to my orthos that I need to have several crowns done post braces. I'm wondering if the type of retainer matters. If I have a bonded lower, it won't matter because the crowns are all on the lowers in the back, and that obviously won't affect a bonded. However, I am expecting to also need one on the upper right second molar at some point. I'm definitely keeping my ortho and dentist in business!

#231 Post by **Granola** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:09 pm

Thank you so much, Rage!

#232 Post by **mayday** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 6:29 pm

Yayy! Man, all this talk of debanding is exciting! I hope everything goes well for you in the next few weeks.

#233 Post by **Granola** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 7:38 pm

Hi braced again!

Are you sure it's going to be Sept. before you go naked?

I'm hoping that it happens before, but I'm trying to keep September in my head to allow for anything that might come up, so I'm not too disappointed. The only thing that I can see, aside from my bite needing to be a bit more comfortable on the right, is when I tilt my head back and look in the mirror, I see some open space that needs to close over between the left upper and lower lateral.

Yes, it is amazing how much one's bite can change from week to week and day to day even!

Actually, I really have to realize that since one of my orthos gang tied most of my teeth, and her comments about how happy she is with their positioning, that I am very close to being done. However, the ortho who I'm to see in two weeks is the more perfectionistic one, so I'm trying hard to reserve my excitement until he takes a look at things. I'm so anxious for that appointment!

Hi Cawphee! Nice to see you! Thank you so much for the good wishes (and right back at 'ya).

#234 Post by **Granola** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:39 am

Hi KK! Thank you so much!

I can't wait for my appointment -- one week away now! I have a pokey gang tie on the lower right, but will just wait to have it fixed (it is not as sharp or rigid as an arch wire, fortunately).

#235 Post by **Granola** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:38 pm

I was so happy to think that my appointment was just three days away, only to find a message on my cell today after the office had closed that they won't be able to see me when they scheduled me on Monday, along with profuse apologies -- but may be able to see me Monday morning. I hope that is the case, because I'll be out of town later in the week. I told them to call me back first thing Monday morning and that I can come in anytime, so my fingers are crossed that I will be able to be seen. I wish they would have left the message on my home phone because then I would have called them back immediately -- I was home and didn't hear my cell phone ring downstairs.

#236 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:16 am

Granola, that sucks!!! I hope this all gets sorted before you go out of town.

#237 Post by **Laurie** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 11:39 am

I hate it when they try my cel without ever trying my home phone!

#238 Post by **Granola** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:05 pm

Hi Miss Smiley, KK, Laurie & Linda21! Thanks so much for commiserating with me - this office is not the only health care provider of mine who seems to do this! It's my own fault for not checking my cell, but I don't really get that many calls on it because most people call me at home first.

All that aside, the good news is that I was seen this morning (which actually ended up being more convenient, stress aside). I knew that my ortho didn't have any appointment times available the rest of the days this week, which is why I was a little stressed about being seen today.

I was a little dismayed to see that I would have the tech whose work is not up to par, but I was so happy to be there my mood rose above that little fact. She left everything on until my ortho had a chance to look everything over (usually they take the wire out first). After he took a look, and we discussed one minor change (to ever so slightly adjust my upper laterals because I was seeing black space when tilting my chin up in the mirror and looking up at those teeth) that a couple of bends in the arch wire will hopefully take care of). He actually had to take the wire out because she couldn't get it out without fear of displacing a molar bracket (which was just fine with me -- this seems to be a trouble spot for her

). He put the wire back in and she did SS steel ties and a powerchain (instead of gang tie) on top as he requested. She could not get the back of the wires comfortable enough for me (they were sharp) so she asked him to do it, which I again was very happy about. he made sure that I can't feel the wires at all, which made me very happy! The bottoms were left alone completely.

He checked my bite all over using marking tape, and was very happy with the positioning. My bite feels much better after what my other ortho did at my last adjustment two weeks ago.

The tech told me to just keep wearing the same elastics since I had just started wearing those two weeks ago. I asked her if he had said that (because he hadn't) and she said no, but it was okay. I said that I would like her to check with him, actually. Guess what -- he wanted me to discontinue wearing them -- a good lesson in always speaking up with any concerns! It has been a long time since I've had a break from elastics -- I keep noticing that they are not in my mouth and feel like I need to rush to put them on - NOT!

I had an impression done at the end for my lower bonded retainer. Who knows, I just may be able to joint the July de-bonding club after all--here's hoping!

#239 Post by **Granola** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 3:13 pm

Hi Linda21 and KK!

Getting the lower impression done ... now that "shouts" of an upcoming debandment . Must have made your appointment. Any hints as to when?

Yes, you are right! I am very, very close. Here's hoping that I have these suckers off before my 42nd birthday in July!

#240 Post by **Granola** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:10 pm

Hi Linda21!

I am not posting the exact date, because I'm sure somehow they will revoke my D-day if I do.

It is soon, something like three weeks away.

My birthday is the third week in July, so it should be a great one if this all happens!

I have had an interesting morning. I called my dentist to change my cleaning appointment from November to the end of July, and I had a long talk with the receptionist who has the same orthodontist and who was just was de-bonded (she had all ceramics) last week. It was so good to hear her impressions of the experience! She said that it went much better than she had expected, and was not uncomfortable. She is beyond excited with the results. I need to send her a congratulations card.

We talked for a while about retainers, and she mentioned that Tom (my dentist) does not like lingual arch (bonded) retainers, so that had me wondering since that is what is planned for me on the lowers. She said to ask him about it, and being the awesome guy that he is, he called me back shortly after. He is always so nice and is funny -- he makes me smile.

He said that he doesn't like lingual arch retainers, partly because of patient issues (mostly people who don't floss with them) and partly because people who develop calculus easily tend to have problems around bonded retainers (makes sense). While he doesn't forsee this being a major problem for me, he said to ask my orthos (who he knows well) if there is a compelling reason why that is being recommended for me.

We also talked about x-rays and bonded retainers, and he said that he doesn't have any problem with them because 1) it is rare to see caries develop on the lingual arch of the lower front teeth, in his experience and 2) he is well able to see the bone on films of patients wearing lingual arches -- he said he only performs x-rays of this area every three years and that it does not pose a problem.

I left a message for the ortho to call me sometime between now and my next appointment, and she called me right back too.

She laughed when I mentioned what Tom had said, and said she knows he doesn't like them (I guess they just went through the same questions with the receptionist last week).

I had a long talk with her about what we'll do in my case, and feel even more informed now about what they are recommending and why. The options are a lingual arch retainer on the bottom and a Biostar (Essix) on top vs. a Hawley-type on the bottom and a Biostar on top, because I am a grinder and they need to address that.

She wouldn't recommend upper and lower Biostars for me because she said I have an open bite tendency; she would prefer a bonded on the lower for me because of the crowding and misalignment I came in with, and feels I would have much better retention with a bonded than with a Hawley, but is leaving the decision up to me.

She also said that if I elect to get the bonded and it causes any problems for me (from a dental health standpoint or with my lifestyle i.e. the flossing is too much of a pain) that it will be no problem to change it later. That feels like a win-win solution. Given that I'm someone who really takes care of my teeth, I think the bonded is the way to go, especially knowing I'm not stuck with it forever if it causes any problems. I really can't imagine that threading floss through just those few spaces will be much of a problem for me, especially compared to flossing with braces.

For me, the ultimate concern is keeping my teeth exactly where they are once the braces come off, so I'm shooting for the best retention option, and that means I'll go with what my orthos recommend. It feels so good to be entering this final phase of treatment with even more info than I had yesterday.