Crazy4Snow's Path to a Perfect Smile

[Crazy4Snow]

Over the last 6 months I've gone through 3 root canals (2 of which failed resulting in extractions and I can't even have the implants/bridgework to replace them until the braces come off), a deep scaling on uppers and lowers, a regular cleaning, 1 filling, I'm currently bleaching so my teeth will be as white as possible and today was my "records" appt. with my Ortho and in 8 days I go back to get the upper and lower braces installed!

This has been a long time desire of mine, to finally have straight teeth and I don't think it's ever too late in one's life to do so. I'm excited and nervous. I've read here for 2 years and am fully educated on life with braces and I know what to expect. That's probably why I'm nervous. I don't think I'll mind the soreness of movement as much as I will the canker sores and tearing up of the inside of my cheeks and lips...OUCH!!!

I've got all my supplies ready and waiting, armed with all the necessary weapons to care for my teeth, gums and braces and the unfortunate impailment on my cheeks by those lovely little brackets.

I'm lucky I guess...no extra hardware to worry with just plain ole metal upper and lower metal braces for 2 years. My crowding is minimal so I didn't need any extractions but had to have 2 on my lower left due to the failed root canals last year and one on my lower right about 5 years ago that also failed. (After the braces are off I'll have a 3 unit bridge on the lower right after a small bone graft, and on the lower left an implant to anchor another 3 unit bridge) Ortho said there is ample room on my uppers to move them, thank the good Lord because I didn't want anymore extractions!

He gave me my choice of Invisalign or upper ceramics/lower metal or upper and lower metal and after reading here I felt for me the full metal was the way to go. I'm not disciplined enough to keep the Invisaligns in if I'm in a lot of pain...so with standard braces I have no choice, they're in to stay. I'm not concerned with the vanity aspect of having ceramic uppers...people will see the archwire anyway and after all this time of waiting I will proudly show my metal because in the end I will have a beautiful smile with perfectly straight chompers!

So without further delay, here is my mouth today...out here for all to see...naked.


Front View


Right Side


Left Side (stitches were removed after they took these pictures and the white you see on the last lower tooth is a dogwood flower...long story I'll share later, lol)


Uppers


Pathetic Lowers...chewing is gonna be a major, major problem now.

So I get my braces on Thursday, April 7th...in 8 short days. Did I mention that I'M SOOOOOO NERVOUS????????? I'll post new pictures for y'all either the day I get them put on or when I recover from it a few days later.

On a side note...bleaching is so painful...who knew? I'm using the Professional Crest Whitestrips (sticky ones) and they have already made a huge difference, I wish I took before photos. Only 4 days left of the bleaching thank God...my teeth can recover before my braces go on!

[Crazy4Snow]

Well, they're on and so far, so good...although it's only been 4 hours, I was dreading it all for nothing because it really wasn't bad at all. They went on very easy and fast and lucky for me I never tasted the "vile" stuff they use to prep your teeth for the brackets. Yay for that one!

This has got to be the oddest thing I have ever felt in my entire life. My mouth feels so full of stuff! They look just awful right now because the brackets and archwire are so crooked...I'll be glad once they start moving around.

So, I've taken my Tylenol, ate some Mac & Cheese before the real pain sets in (although, I had to swallow the noodles whole because now my teeth don't touch because the brackets are in the way) and now I'm going to cuddle up on the couch with my pooch, watch a movie or read and wait for hubby to get home.

So, here are my newly dressed teeth on DAY 1 w/Braces:

[mommy]

Congratulations! I like those colors

Good luck and I hope you will not be in much pain... keep us updated

[lgee24]

hope you are feeling ok!

[Crazy4Snow]

Okay, it's 2:11 AM and I'm in so much pain that I can't sleep. The Tylenol and Aleve worked up until a couple of hours ago so I decided to take something stronger so I can get some rest, prescription pain meds that I had from a previous surgery. As soon as they kick in I'm off to bed.

I'll be so glad when the 3-4 "worse" days have passed!!!

I now have a tremendous respect for anyone, young and old, that have braces!

[Waiting4braces]

Your ligatures are so cute!!! Love the alternating colours!

Sorry to hear you're having a painful time. By the sounds of the posts on here, the pain tends to pass in a few days so hang in there. Your teeth look like a really nice shape and size and are going to look so amazing once the braces are off.

Hope things improve for you soon.

[BracedMyself2011]

I love the colors!!! I hope you feel better soon.

[Crazy4Snow]

Jesus, Mary & Joseph I'm gonna claw my teeth out of my mouth!!! 75 1/2 hours with Braces and I swear I'm on the verge of killing someone!!! (just kidding of course). I am sooooo angry that this is getting the better of me! PLEASE stop hurtin' already!!!

Last night I attempted to brush with my brand new Sonicare on the "sensitive" setting...ginormous mistake. I felt pangs of sharp pain right up into my brain I know it. I guess I'll stick to the regular toothbrush with very light pressure until the soreness eases up. And forget trying out the Waterpik too, thinking about that one send shivers up my spine.

I keep looking in the mirror, expecting to see blood, or a tooth hanging out of my gums held in only by the bracket, but they're all still there and no blood. How can a mouth look so normal yet be racked with so much pain and soreness?

I admit it, I give in occasionally and take a major pain pill...oh well, I have my weak moments. Right now, I'm in bed, laptop on my lap, heating pad wrapped around my face, watching TV. Real productive eh? I have a million things to do around the house and I can't even drag my ass out of bed let alone vacuum, clean the kitchen, do the laundry, etc. I can't think about anything but my mouth, it's so freakin aggravating. Can you tell I'm getting to the "pissed off at pain" phase? I am sooooo freakin' ready for this to pass. Last night I had a huge meltdown and just cried a lot and for a long time, I felt so defeated, today I'm just plain angry and frustrated.

You know what I'd really like? An adult teething ring! I've been chewing on straws but they wear out way too quick. I would love something cool and spongey to gnaw on and OMG, I want to have a million tiny little fingers massaging my gums...that would be shear Heaven!

I hope y'all are enjoying your day and I'll write more later, hopefully I'll be on my way "down the hill" because it's been all uphill since these metal demons have taken up residency in my mouth.

[mommy]

I'm sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. I hope it is less painful by now. I'm getting really excited about getting my braces in a little while but not looking forward to that pain. Hang it there, everyone says it should feel better soon.

[catgyrl]

I'm sorry to hear about your pain, but rest assured, we can all sympathize and have all been there at one time or another. As for the "adult teething ring", have you tried wetting a washcloth, freezing it for a bit, and then biting down on it? I haven't tried it myself, but others have and it has helped them.

This is going to sound utterly CRAZY to you right now, but after you've had the braces on for a while, you may want to try a little trick a lot of us use (even though most of our orthos have advised us against it), and that's chewing gum to alleviate the pain. Trust me... IT WORKS!! I wad up a couple pieces of sugarfree chewing gum and go to town, and although my jaw gets tired after a while... the tooth pain goes away.

Hang in there, kiddo! There is light at the end of this tunnel.

-Cathy

[mommy]

As for the "adult teething ring", have you tried wetting a washcloth, freezing it for a bit, and then biting down on it?

Good idea. My son is teething and we use frozen washcloth to sooth his discomfort.

[tashay1985]

I am so sorry you are going through so much pain! I can definitely relate. Congrats on getting your braces and although you may not see them moving yet, all that pain is definitely worth it, youll see some progress soon! You have beautiful teeth i must say, they sorta remind me of my own teeth right before my journey began. I love your choice of lig colors. I havent been brave enough to try any colors yet, mostly clears and white/pearl colors. I thought it was weird and kind of embarrassing that I suck and chew on cold wet washcloths but now after reading everyone elses comments, I feel much less crazy! It really does help ease the discomfort, it feels so good every adjustment day to sit there chewing on it, I think it just kinda numbs it for me but let me tell ya it feels amazing! (although my kids look at me like I'm crazy!

I hope the pain eases up for you soon~! take care

Tasha

[Crazy4Snow]

Thanks Tasha, Cathy and Mommy. I am definitely going to try the wet, frozen washcloth on my 1st adjustment.

Today is the 7th day and the FIRST day I haven't had to take pain meds! YAY!!! I still can't chew because my brackets are in the way but from the way they feel when something does get in the way I do NOT want to chew! Owwie! I hope that once my molars can touch that it isn't so painful to chew because I must admit that I am getting very tired of soup, mac & cheese, milkshakes and pudding!

Since I was feeling better and it's been exactly one week I decided to check things out. So I took some progress photos. Hubby and actually could see a wee bit of movement, we had to really look for it but we did see some areas that have changed a bit. Yay! It made me feel much better about all the pain I have been feeling when I saw the comparison photos.

Can you see?

[Foxsong]

Holy cow, there IS a difference in a week!

I'm so glad for you. It sounds like you've been so miserable. Mine haven't been that bad; the extraction was the worst part.

Although when the upper braces go on next week I realize I may lose the teeny-tiny bit of chewing ability I still have. Oh well, I like yogurt and mashed potatoes...

[Crazy4Snow]

I updated my Blogspot blog so I thought I'd come in here and do it as well...naaaah, too much typing so here's the link to read it, lol:

http://tinselteethchronicles.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow I'll post 2 week progress pics here, I'm hoping I see more movement.