the tale of my teeth (now with pictures!)

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#1 Post by **ironyengine** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:57 am

I guess I'll be noting my progress, with pictures where appropriate if I can get them, in this thread.

For now you can read my backstory here, and I will update this as time and work permit.

So far the only tangible progress is my teeth feeling a bit 'loose' - more different I guess, as there's no actual wiggling going on or anything, but definitely as though there's something changing.

One interesting thing to point out is that my right bottom 2nd molar, which had been experiencing pain ever since before my wisdom teeth came out whenever I'd bite down on anything, has stopped hurting nearly as much. This cessation of pain happened sometime over the weekend, probably on saturday. Since then, I've started teaching myself to chew without moving my lower jaw sideways as I'd been doing... practically all my life.

#2 Post by **ironyengine** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 6:04 am

Thanks to you both - didn't have time to get pictures after cleaning my teeth this morning (because really, who wants to see the pictures BEFORE they're clean?) but I've already got one snag... last night I decided that I should be okay eating a tuna fish sandwich, I had the last bit of some tune I made up before the braces were on that I thought I should get rid of before it went bad. Unfortunately it seems like I wasn't yet ready for the bread, because a little bit after I finished the sandwich I felt a -pop- from the lower left back molar area... went to check on things and my arch wire's popped out of the rearmost bracket / anchor blicky.

From what I could see (it being way in the back like that and all) the bracket appears to be an almost n-shape, so I tucked the wire back in from the bottom and made an appt to have it looked at this afternoon. Maybe after that I'll have a breather and be able to get some proper photos, before I miss too much more progress.

Thanks for the support to both of you, and anyone else reading...

#3 Post by **Shawnie** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 10:50 am

Hi and welcome Ironyengine.

I too had not gone to dentist for many years. I was never taken to a dentist as a child and the first time I went was when I took myself when I got insurance in my early twenties.

At that time I was fortunate to only have two cavities that were in baby molars that I still have to this day.

I also only had one consult and I am happy with my choice. There were two assistants at my Dentist's office who had braces and he was their Ortho, and my Dentist loves him. So I thought would a Dentist send her employees to an Ortho who wasn't good? No, I'm sure she'd send them to the best guy she knows, so I went with him also.

Good luck with your treatment, keep us posted.

Take Care
Shawnie

#4 Post by **Drewjb007** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:33 pm

Man that stinks

! Sorry that happened to you.

#5 Post by **ironyengine** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:06 pm

Thanks for the kind words everyone - and rage, your story's pretty brutal, makes me realize how lucky I am to have such a relatively basic ordeal to go through.

I finally got around to doing pics up, firstly I don't know how you all get such good images unless you've got help... I took all these by looking at the viewfinder in my camera in a mirror, so forgive the awkward angles. I also tried to play around with colors in Photoshop and ended up with yellower-looking teeth in the photo than I truly have, my girlfriend saw them and even commented how yellow they look to back me up here. I'll cop to them being yellower than I'd like, (inevitable after so long) but really, the pictures do make them look extreme. So without further ado, some perspective on my situation:

first, here's a typical photo of me showing the teeth off, from a few years ago (I'm on the right).

here's my wisdom teeth -- note what they've done to the surrounding molars.

the top teeth... and the bottom:

and finally, a straight-on shot now... sort of looks like some nifty EQ settings, I think.

I had my wire put back in place two days ago, then today again after it popped out at lunch... the doctor said that it's just because the first wire is so flexible, and that the next one would be stiffer so it shouldn't pop out as much. Since it hasn't been poking into my gums or anything after coming out of the anchor he said just to let it be if it happens again, or if it does start to bother me I can cut it myself (I've got a pair of guitar string snips that ought to do the trick). I got new bands put on today as well, changed to that nice blue color you see in the last photo. The doc said that apparently the popular colors right now seem to be black and pik -- both on guys, mind you, he didn't mention what the ladies' choices were now. I had no idea there was such a fashion to it all.

Thanks for reading everybody, I'll be sure to check out your stories as well and comment where appropriate. Here's to better mouths for all of us!

#6 Post by **ironyengine** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:42 am

So this morning, trying to eat a cut up apple for breakfast, another wire popped out. This time it's the top wire, also on the left hand side, and it came out of three different brackets so it was just hanging there flapping about. Remembering my ortho's advice from last week I just snipped it off, but unfortunately my guitar string snips can't get close enough tot he bracket to make a neat cut so there's 1-2mm of wire sticking off my canine now, just tearing away at my lip. I tried sticking some wax on to hold over until I can get it snipped closer, but it keeps falling off... and my ortho's office is closed until monday morning.

I'm really beginning to tire of this, if I have to drink shakes for food for the next two years I'm going to be even more miserable than I already am. It's probably good that the ortho's office is closed today because I almost feel like calling it all off and taking my chances with my teeth falling out later on at this point.

#7 Post by **ironyengine** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:21 am

Well, the good news is that I made it to a fellow orthodontist's office to get the wire snipped and since then, no problems. I was really jealous of the other ortho's office though - it's much bigger, and has a Slurpee machine (frozen ice drink, for those not in the US) and several video game machines like those you'd see in a bar in the waiting room. All my present ortho's got is a plate of cookies! I've always wondered about the practicality of such things, to be honest...

So yesterday I finally had my four bicuspids pulled out at the dentist to make room for the next adjustment. I can't remember the last time I bled quite so much, and then on top of it I had to drive myself home to the pharmacy to pick up my pain meds and antibiotic prescription. Luckily (?) the dentist didn't use any laughing gas, just LOTS and LOTS of novacaine... my face was totally numb, which was bothersome for several hours until I finally got home and went to sleep for a while.

So just when I was finally starting to get used to my smile with these brackets and teeth being in different places, now I have giant holes to stare at. It'd all be a bit depressing if I wasn't distracted by these painkillers. Onward, I suppose...

#8 Post by **ironyengine** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:30 am

KK wrote:24 hours after extractions, gentle warm salt water rinses will help the healing and also soothe your mouth. My hubby had five teeth out last month ... and was back at work the following morning ... with a few pain killers and loads of salt water rinses, he said it was an easy experience.

Yeah, it's now the next day and I'm back at work myself, just on some vicodin and swishing with the salt water a few times a day... I really hope that the teeth do move into their proper spaces now that the holes are there though, because all this talk of stubborn teeth and powerchains has me a little worried to be honest. I'm also really paranoid about brushing the teeth around the holes, so as not to dislodge the clots, but I'm equally worried about not getting food out of the braces. Is it obvious I have some anxiety issues?

Thanks fo rthe advice as usual KK, the salt water rinses alone have really been a lifesaver. I don't know what this community'd do without you!

#9 Post by **KJNELLAMORE** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 10:41 am

Your new metal doesn't look bad at all.. I'm diggin' the blue!

#10 Post by **KJNELLAMORE** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 10:43 am

ironyengine wrote:Well, the good news is that I made it to a fellow orthodontist's office to get the wire snipped and since then, no problems. I was really jealous of the other ortho's office though - it's much bigger, and has a Slurpee machine (frozen ice drink, for those not in the US) and several video game machines like those you'd see in a bar in the waiting room. All my present ortho's got is a plate of cookies! I've always wondered about the practicality of such things, to be honest...

So yesterday I finally had my four bicuspids pulled out at the dentist to make room for the next adjustment. I can't remember the last time I bled quite so much, and then on top of it I had to drive myself home to the pharmacy to pick up my pain meds and antibiotic prescription. Luckily (?) the dentist didn't use any laughing gas, just LOTS and LOTS of novacaine... my face was totally numb, which was bothersome for several hours until I finally got home and went to sleep for a while.

So just when I was finally starting to get used to my smile with these brackets and teeth being in different places, now I have giant holes to stare at. It'd all be a bit depressing if I wasn't distracted by these painkillers. Onward, I suppose...

One of the ortho's that I had consulted with always had fresh baked cookies, hot chocolate AND a snow-cone truck outside! The ortho that I chose barely has enough room to walk in the waiting area

. Oh well.. it's not like I really NEED cookies anyway! I miss Slurpees from 7-11 (I am from NY)

#11 Post by **ironyengine** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:35 pm

KJNELLAMORE - thanks, the blue served me pretty well for a while. As of today I've moved onto a nice purpleish color, may have a picture tonight. As for the Slurpees, sorry to hear you no longer have access to them, but maybe it's for the better.

Just sugar water and ice anyway, right?

So this morning I finally had my first real adjustment - they put a matrix band on the biggest offending molar (see my top arch pic) in order to pull that sucker back into line, and two springs on my bottom teeth in order to pull the teeth back in to close the gaps left by the extracted bicuspids. Still a bit sore right now, but nothing TOO annoying thankfully. I'm sure I'm back on the soft foods diet for a few days at least.

One worry I had was that the new metal, especially the springs, would make brushing more difficult - thankfully they don't seem to be a problem. I guess I'll find out for sure tonight when I use my motorized brush, but brushing after lunch (Chef Boyardee, sigh) wasn't an issue at all.

A bunch of my friends are already commenting on how much movement my teeth have made, which I'm happy about but also makes me that much more self-conscious... I know there's no reason to be, but sometimes I do miss my old familiar crooked-teeth smile. We'll have to see whether the smile, as fixed, has the same 'charm' to it.

#12 Post by **KJNELLAMORE** » Wed Sep 27, 2006 12:45 pm

It's so great that you've had noticeable movement, irony. I'm jealous!

Yes, yes.. sugar ice water.. but they're soo good. Mhmm.. flashbacks..

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the tale of my teeth (now with pictures!)

the tale of my teeth (now with pictures!)

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