If you want to share the detailed saga of your braces story, this is the place to do it. You can use this forum as a braces journal, editing and updating your posts as your treatment goes on. Remember to also visit the main ArchWired.com site for additional stories from other readers!
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newbite wrote:IV sedation sounds intense. Do they offer Halcion or another tranquilizing pill? I was really worried about my gum graft but, boy, those 2 Halcion pills (& nitrous) were incredible and I remember almost nothing from the procedure and none of it bothered me. When I had my wisdom teeth out they gave me nitrous which was also really amazing and helpful-- being conscious but not at all anxious or scared about what was happening. Even with the terrible noises and pressure and cracking and digging around. Maybe iv sedation is safer than I think it is-- but if not then if you can avoid it that's the way to go!
I think it is pretty safe because they just use enough to keep you out of it for the procedure and then they stop and give the antidote. He said that the extractions would take less than 30 minutes and then I would be in the recovery room for another 30-45 minutes. I think the sedation will be good for me-I had really severe dental phobia in the past and I was pretty stressed at the consultation (my high blood pressure when they checked it confirmed my stress levels). I'm ok now with dentist and orthodontist appointments, but I'd rather not know what is going on during oral surgery!
With tranquilizer pills, you probably get a much bigger dose that has to work its way out of your system.
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
Very true, it took all day for the effect to wear off and I felt hungover the next morning. Still worth it though
That's cool that it's so reversible. That sounds like a really quick procedure! It's definitely better to be comfortable during stressful procedures than try to barrel through it and then maybe have a bad experience and avoid future procedures!
I did want to say I was glad I was awake when I had my wisdom teeth out because they might have fractured my jaw otherwise. I had one tooth on the bottom that did NOT want to come out and they were working away until I slowly surfaced from my nitrous haze and realized they were pushing down on my jaw way too hard. I could hear them getting frustrated, too-- not a good sign. I stopped them and they took another approach. If I was under they may have gone too far and I would have had an injury to deal with on top of it.
•Braces placed August 14, 2014
•Deband November 11, 2015
•Permanent retainer top and bottom
•Essix retainers top and bottom 16 hr/day for a year and then nightly afterwards.
My four wisdom teeth were impacted and I just got them removed earlier this month. I had the anesthesia as I am petrified to even know what happens during surgery. The surgery itself went well, recovery went as expected (I know it would have been much easier had I done this as a teenager instead of doing at 34 years old).
Make sure you get the pain killer prescription filled prior to the surgery. Best of luck!
My four wisdom teeth were impacted and I just got them removed earlier this month. I had the anesthesia as I am petrified to even know what happens during surgery. The surgery itself went well, recovery went as expected (I know it would have been much easier had I done this as a teenager instead of doing at 34 years old).
Make sure you get the pain killer prescription filled prior to the surgery. Best of luck!
Thanks, bracedorange! I'm glad to hear it went ok for you. How long did it take you to be able to function ok? I'm counting on being able to work the Monday after getting the surgery on Thursday-maybe not the whole day, but I at least need to give a 50 minute lecture in my class. My wisdom teeth aren't impacted, so I hope my recovery won't be too bad even though I'm old! I wasn't given a prescription for pain meds- I was just told to start taking Aleve the day before and continue for the first 5 days.
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
I am loving reading your posts. I am about to start the brace journey on the 6th October and your updates have made me feel very reassured. I can't believe how amazing your teeth are looking. Cant wait to see your final results! x
gemflah wrote:I am loving reading your posts. I am about to start the brace journey on the 6th October and your updates have made me feel very reassured. I can't believe how amazing your teeth are looking. Cant wait to see your final results! x
Hi gemflah,
Thanks for your post--I'm glad that my story is inspiring to someone! I read a lot of archwired posts when I was thinking about taking the plunge and it made me realize that I could do it too! Good luck with getting your braces on October 6. I look forward to reading about your journey!
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
I was up and about within 48 hours. The surgeon had given me a prescription for oxycodone for the pain. I alternated between oxycodone and motrin for those first two days, iced my cheeks with ice packs to minimize the swelling and got lots of rest. I took motrin if I experienced any discomfort after the first two days. I made sure I followed the doctor's recommendations as I did not want to get dry sockets. I used the waterpik (on the lowest speed) to help remove any food debris from the extraction sites. Took me about 6 days to work up the energy to exercise again, I was probably being too cautious.
Fingers crossed your recovery goes well and that you are able to resume your normal activities!
I was up and about within 48 hours. The surgeon had given me a prescription for oxycodone for the pain. I alternated between oxycodone and motrin for those first two days, iced my cheeks with ice packs to minimize the swelling and got lots of rest. I took motrin if I experienced any discomfort after the first two days. I made sure I followed the doctor's recommendations as I did not want to get dry sockets. I used the waterpik (on the lowest speed) to help remove any food debris from the extraction sites. Took me about 6 days to work up the energy to exercise again, I was probably being too cautious.
Fingers crossed your recovery goes well and that you are able to resume your normal activities!
Hi bracedorange,
Thanks for sharing your recovery experience! I'm one of those people who really likes to follow directions exactly, so I'm sure I'll be extra compliant with the post-op instructions! I'm trying to stop thinking about it so that I don't work myself into a frenzy before Oct 22. Hopefully I'll survive the next 3 weeks...
Cheers,
Prof
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
lilyflower wrote:Wow, just read through all of this and you've made fantastic progress! When are you supposed to be done with treatment?
Just starting myself, it's really encouraging to see how quickly you started to see some results.
Thanks lilyflower! I will hopefully finish in March--which will be 2 years with braces. I'm happy with my results so far but am in the boring phase now and can't wait to get these things out of my mouth! My lower teeth are looking pretty good now, but my uppers have some weird gaps and actually look worse than they did at the beginning of summer. Hopefully something magical will happen at my next adjustment at the beginning of November
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
lilyflower wrote:Wow, just read through all of this and you've made fantastic progress! When are you supposed to be done with treatment?
Just starting myself, it's really encouraging to see how quickly you started to see some results.
Thanks lilyflower! I will hopefully finish in March--which will be 2 years with braces. I'm happy with my results so far but am in the boring phase now and can't wait to get these things out of my mouth! My lower teeth are looking pretty good now, but my uppers have some weird gaps and actually look worse than they did at the beginning of summer. Hopefully something magical will happen at my next adjustment at the beginning of November
Ah yeah, I've heard the end is always the toughest anticipation, etc. I figure there's got to be something that can be done to fix the issue. Hey at least you don't have "the mess" on the bottom anymore! That's really the biggest thing I'm waiting for myself. Hang in there.
The problems:
Lower crowding, a slightly rotated upper canine and a deep bite
Yes, the mess is gone for good (I hope!) I'm now at 18.5 months and my braces are finally paid off! Hopefully this will induce my ortho to give me adjustments more frequently so that I can get out of these braces! My top teeth aren't looking that great (there is a big gap between my right central and lateral), but I hope that a power chain and more detailing at my next adjustment on Nov. 2 will make them look better. My lowers are pretty straight, but still uneven in height. Hopefully this will also be corrected in the next few months. My wisdom teeth are coming out a week from tomorrow
It has been a while since I posted progress pics, so here they are:
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
TheProfessor wrote:Yes, the mess is gone for good (I hope!) I'm now at 18.5 months and my braces are finally paid off! Hopefully this will induce my ortho to give me adjustments more frequently so that I can get out of these braces! My top teeth aren't looking that great (there is a big gap between my right central and lateral), but I hope that a power chain and more detailing at my next adjustment on Nov. 2 will make them look better. My lowers are pretty straight, but still uneven in height. Hopefully this will also be corrected in the next few months. My wisdom teeth are coming out a week from tomorrow
It has been a while since I posted progress pics, so here they are:
That's looking great! Surprised you didn't get your wisdom teeth out first so there'd be more "space" to work with.
The problems:
Lower crowding, a slightly rotated upper canine and a deep bite
My orthodontist tried to work around my wisdom teeth since they were all fully erupted and healthy, but she said they might need to come out at some point. I'm at that point now! I suspect that she wanted them out from the beginning, but she knew I was very skittish and didn't want to scare me off from going through with braces. She was probably right since I was a reluctant patient at the beginning.
Of course, now I'm really glad I went through with it!!!!
Braces installed on March 25, 2014: Damon clears on top and metal on bottom. I had braces for 25 months!
