Finally got my braces wahoo!!

[Quins]

EmBee

Lets party now that those wisdoms are out! What are we going to eat with our braces... popcorn, pizza, hard candy, soda, oh and toast. lol

[EmBee]

First I have to graduate from my applesauce and mashed potatoes!

[Quins]

Lol yeah. Pray for me. Going for my second adjustment tomorrow morning. Its going to be an oucher!

[EmBee]

Well, today is day 3 post-extraction, and I'm officially past the 72-hour mark. This recovery was definitely not what I expected. I was supposed to be back at work today, and I had to call in yesterday afternoon when I realized those wasn't a chance I was going to be able to do my job today. Today is actually the first day I haven't had to use the narcotic painkillers (so far advil has sufficed YES!), and also the first day I've been able to eat something other than applesauce, mashed potatoes, and liquids. This morning, I was able to eat....drumroll please....a piece of bread!! Chewing anything is really just out of the question, as the left side of my jaw is extremely painful to open, even just to talk. I've been trying to gently stretch it out a few times an hour just to get it moving, but it is slow going. I'm also still paranoid about getting food stuck in the extraction sites and losing the blood clot, though I'm starting to feel a little bit better about it. I've been diligently rinsing with salt water after I eat anything, even though it leaves a horrible salty taste in the back of my mouth where my stitches are. I'm also still concerned that the stitches on the left are hanging out in the hole left by my second molar extraction, but I read somewhere that extractions heal from the bottom up, and that the stitches would dissolve before they got "stuck".

Yesterday, I was really regretting having all this done lol. Last night might have been the lowest point, with being sick of not being able to eat and sick of being in pain and sick of not being able to talk well. Today I've been feeling a little bit better about it all. I'm also realizing that the less I think about my mouth, the less it hurts. Kind of a mind over matter thing? So far my lingering complaints are that I'm still swollen and painful throughout my jaw, and the area right under my jawline is REALLY tender and sore. I think once I can open my mouth again I will feel more like myself, though the surgeon warned me that would probably be a couple of weeks.

[EmBee]

Well, worst case scenario happened...I got dry socket in the hole left by second molar/wisdom tooth extraction. I called the surgeon's office yesterday because for the past 48 hours or so I'd noticed that the bad taste coming from that direction was getting worse. The nurse at the office told me I probably had food trapped in there and to flush it out gently with salt water and a syringe, which did get some pretty gross stuff out. However, after doing that the taste got HORRIBLY worse and my pain got worse and worse. I couldn't sleep at all last night between feeling like throwing up from the taste and the pain being unbearable. So I went to my super awesome wonderful dentist today and after shooting me up with novocaine he irrigated the hole and got the last of the rotten food out, then rinsed it with medicated mouthwash and packed it with stuff that looked like chewing tobacco. The bad taste is mostly gone, though I'm still getting lingering traces of it . The pain is still there, though not quite as bad. My jaw is still throbbing, and the pain runs down my throat and into my ear. It's like having strep throat, an ear infection, and the worst toothache of my life all at the same time.

Needless to say, kind of feeling like life sucks right now I just want to eat and be able to function like a normal person again. I'm TERRIFIED to put anything into my mouth, and having food get stuck and rotted again. All the other extraction sites are healed up nicely. The 4 bicuspids are almost completely healed already, and in any case very easy to keep clean. The top wisdom teeth and bottom right wisdom tooth extractions were all just stitched up and they are also healing nicely. The problem with the site where I got the dry socket is that the hole is just so BIG. It is essentially a 2-tooth hole, since my wisdom tooth was butted right up against the second molar with no tissue between the 2. The opening to the hole is just where my molar used to be, but it tunnels down farther into the tissue than you would think. The roots of both teeth were very deep as well, which doesn't help any.

In other news, I was supposed to have the rest of my braces and molar bands put on yesterday, and have a closing wire added. I got a call in the morning though saying the ortho was sick and had to reschedule all his appointments for the day. Grrrr. He is only in the office Mon-Thur, and as of today I have classes every Monday and Wednesday and I work every Tuesday and Thursday. So unless I can get someone at work to switch with me soon, looks like I'm going to have to put it off until next month, which feels a little unfair. I know it's not the ortho's fault that he got sick, everyone gets sick, but it's still very frustrating. It's one of the few appointments that the ortho actually HAS to be there, and it's one of the longest appointments, so they won't schedule it for when my classes are done for the day.

Here's hoping a little more rest and maybe some Ensure will get me feeling back to a little closer to normal.

[JeniK]

Embee! Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for all the trouble with your extractions!! Maybe it was best your appt had to be cancelled. Not sure I would want rest of your braces put on with all the pain from your extractions still there! I hope you feel better soon.

[EmBee]

Thanks JeniK! I'm actually feeling a lot better today, now that the dry socket is packed and the awful horrible taste is gone. I actually got a solid great night's sleep last night, and today I am going to focus on eating, eating, and more eating, even if I have to eat all day I'm still sticking to bland mashed foods without chunks, like apple sauce and mashed potatoes, but I'm working at adding more nutrients so that I can start feeling better and healing up. Also, need to gain back the 10 lbs. that I've lost. My newest creation is a smoothie made with banana, peanut butter, and the high-protein ensure, which actually doesn't taste half bad!

The only down points are that the pain is still there, though tolerable now. The jaw is achey, with pains shooting to my ear, and my throat is still red and swollen on the left side where the dry socket is. It almost feels like mild strep throat, though I'm positive it is just related to the trauma from the extractions. I checked with my dentist and he said as long as I'm careful about it, I can suck GENTLY on a throat lozenge to get some relief there.

Also, my stitches are starting to come out! While I know this is normal and to expected, it might the number two thing wigging me out right now (after the ginormous crater where my dry socket is) LOL

[mysticgirl916]

Thank goodness! I got all my wisdom teeth out a few years ago because it was getting hard to brush in the back

[EmBee]

Update on the extractions: So far all the incisions are healed almost completely, as in, I can't even tell anything was done! The holes where the bicuspids were removed are healing nicely and shrinking noticeably almost on a day-by-day basis. The only thing still bugging the heck out of me is this stupid dry socket, which does not seem to be improving. The first packing was put in Wednesday, then I had it changed out with a different type of packing on Friday, and yesterday was the second packing change. This time when she took it out it was IMMEDIATELY painful, an achey throbbing that shot straight down to my jawbone. Like, instant reflex tears painful. Then she irrigated it out, and repacked it, and about 5 minutes later it was fine again. CRAZY. It did not make me feel any better when she was all, "Wow that is a big hole! I'm going to need more gauze!"

So back to the surgeons office tomorrow. I had originally asked to have the packing replaced anyways, just for comfort measure and because it helps keep food out of the socket, and if it wasn't bothering me at all I could take it out myself Wednesday and let the office know. But there isn't a rats chance that I'm taking it out on my own now, without the safety of a new packing close by.

Still no update on when I can have the rest of my braces put on. I'm going to call the office again tomorrow and make sure they are absolutely certain that it's impossible for me to come in after my classes on a Monday or Wednesday. Otherwise I'm not going to be able to have them on til the second week of October

[JeniK]

Embee....good luck tomorrow. I sure hope that socket starts to heal properly soon !!

[EmBee]

Thanks JeniK!

The dry socket has FINALLY resolved, and today was my first day packing-free! The hole is still HUGE, but at least now I can see the bottom of the socket where the granulation tissue is starting to grow (yeah, it's just as gross looking as it sounds ) Still can't see where the hole tunnels back to where my wisdom tooth used to be, which makes keeping food out of there kind of interesting, but I can only assume it's healing like the front of the hole.

The best news though is that I'm getting the rest of my braces put on tomorrow!! They are going to add brackets to the top premolars and my one top canine, and add molar bands to all of my first molars. I'm not sure if they are banding my 3 remaining second molars yet, but I learned from the last time I went in that that is now in my treatment plan. The goal is to bring those forward too, which makes sense! Also going to work up the nerve to get some colors on my top brackets Since I have self-ligating braces, they would just put little bands around each bracket before they add the wire, so I'm going to have them put them on and check it out to make sure I don't look too flamboyant before the put the wire on. They are going to be putting on a closing wire so we can start shrinking these enormous gaps that make me feel SUPER self-conscious

Will have to post some pictures after my appointment to show off my new stuff and the progress I've made so far! I can't BELIEVE I've been in braces for two months already.

[JeniK]

EmBee! Great on your dry socket!! I have never had one...but have heard how painful they can be. You are on the mend now!! Saltwater rinse saved me when I had a tooth pulled.
Tomorrow is another big day for you!! You are 2 months in.....I am 6 weeks in as of today!

Will be looking forward to seeing your pictures!

Have a great day tomorrow!!

[EmBee]

Had my first adjustment today! FINALLY had my molar bands put on YAYAYAY! I thought they were going to bracket the premolars and canine on top, but apparently those are still going to be free for another month or so. Actually, to be honest, I'm not really sure what exactly the goal for this month is. I thought we were going to start closing extraction gaps, but I was told we are working on "alignment" between the back and front teeth. So then I was like, you mean my bite? And she said, no, alignment. So I said, well what exactly should I be looking for change-wise in my mouth? And she said the teeth will become more aligned. I have no idea what that means but whatever it is YOUCH do my teeth hurt! So something is moving around in there I was told the remaining top teeth are going to be bracketed next month, and they are going to give me my referral to have the TADs placed. I'm hoping that can be done after the first of the year because as of now my dental insurance dollars are at a big fat 0, thanks to the extractions. I was also told I'm going to be getting big, thick wires next visit, so I might need to remember to pre-medicate with some advil before I go.

And here are the pictures:


Week 1 and Today

Week 1 and Today

Week 1 and Today

Just for reference to show the movement from the past two months. The biggest change is when you look at the shape of my arches, especially on the bottom. Almost a little surreal to me haha. Now I am 2 and a half weeks post-extraction, so my extraction sites aren't totally healed yet. The big black hole on the back of the bottom arch is where I had my second molar and the wisdom tooth behind it taken out and where I had my dry socket. The plan is to get an implant at the end of my orthodontic treatment, unless my ortho can make a contact point with my top second molar and my bottom first molar. I'm not holding my breath there, though.

I decided to go with pink over my brackets because since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, for every patient who chooses pink the ortho's office will donate a certain amount to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Plus - I love pink!

[EmBee]

Just want to add on from yesterday....OUCH OUCH OUCH!! My teeth feel like they did when I first got the braces on, and apparently I'd forgotten how much they hurt! I suppose I must do this all the time, and just don't notice that I'm doing it for the most part, but every now and then (especially when I'm talking) I'll accidentally clack my front teeth together, and man oh man does that not feel good. Not to mention, these molar bands are EXTREMELY pokey. I haven't had to use wax in the last 6 weeks, so I kind of forgot it was an option until midmorning today, and by then it was too late - I got a mouth sore In the meantime, I suggest everyone buy stock in the stuff. I will certainly be going through it for the next couple of weeks!

Now, though, I am fully confident that my mouth will adjust in the next few weeks, and the molar bands won't feel so pokey and my mouth will CALM DOWN a little. I didn't feel that reassurance when I first had them put on.

The bright side to all this is now that the wires go all the way to the back of my mouth, they aren't catching on my lips on the top every time I talk like they were when I had the brackets on just the 4 front teeth. Silver lining, baby!

[EmBee]

Had my second real adjustment today! We didn't put any new brackets on, after all, because apparently my orthodontist wants to wait until I have my TADs put in. That's officially a go, now, I made the appointment today for Jan. 20. Can't say I'm terribly excited for it! But getting those placed will usher me into the next phase of treatment - elastics

I did get new wires today, though. The top wire is much longer than the last, and has loops by the back molars. It also has the hooks on the wire itself where my extraction gaps are where apparently I will hook elastics. The bottom wire is now a rectangle wire, and the only remarkable thing about it is that there is a little bend in it right at my midline.

Plus, I changed it up and went with purple!



Edit to add: I was going to request that the ortho build up my molar bumpers again because it would seem I've already grinded them down to the point where I was biting on my bottom braces again. However, after having my new wires put it, I'm no longer biting down on the lower braces Just kind of funny the weird little things our teeth do with braces!