Dental Journey!!

[braced33]

I am noticing things getting worse before they get better too! I have a gap next to my two front teeth that keeps getting wider.

I used so much wax when I started and still use a little at night, I think that I've gone through 11 packs already...

It's so nice to read this forum and see that we're all not alone!

Good luck with your finals! I definitely don't miss those.

[Crazy4Snow]

LOL! That's funny and here I thought I was the only one that stared in the mirror everyday inspecting every little tooth and position. I "report" in on here as well as blog on blogspot and it actually makes me feel better to talk about it.

In 3 days I take my 4 week photos...yay!

[bridget51992]

Congratulations Crazy4Snow! : D It'll be interesting to see your photos four weeks in - I can't wait until I can start reporting changes!
Stepher I think you are right, I'm trying to just not think about my teeth right now because it gets me into a bother. It's good to know I'm not the only one getting worse before better though! Not obsessing would be awesome haha
And thank you for the "good luck," Braced! Finals atleast give me something to think about beside teeth, haha! I'm wondering if it is okay to re-use wax, or that's gross.. I'm afraid I'll run out before I see my orthodontist again. The stuff could totally be used as currency among people with braces

[stepher7]

I wouldn't reuse wax, just because I find once it gets wet it's useless lol my ortho gave me a pack of silicone wax in my little kit, but that was gone pretty quickly. I went to a drugstore and bought the ortho wax you can get there. It's definitely not as good as the silicone, it's a lot tougher to mold and get to stick than the silicone stuff is, but it works when you're in a pinch! Maybe try looking at a drugstore for some? Then of course get the good stuff the next time you have an appointment!

[bridget51992]

Oh I had no idea you could buy it at the drugstore, I didn't even think about that! Thank you Stepher

[braced33]

Hi! The wax is pretty cheap, and you can buy it at a drugstore or almost anywhere in the toothbrush/toothpaste aisle. It's usually $2.50 for a package with 2 containers of wax, and sometimes it's even cheaper. I tried reusing the wax at first, but it was kinda gross and then I realized how cheap it was to buy.

[bridget51992]

Aahh that's so exciting! XD
The only issue I've been having with my braces after the first week is the brackets rubbing against the inside of my lips (and feeling gross-looking, but I'll get over it )

[bridget51992]

I thought I'd share a little anecdote concerning my braces since I haven't had anything else to really report here - I was moving out of my dorm on Thursday, and accidentally punched myself in the face trying to fit my laundry bag and guitar case into the same general crook of my car, as I happened to be making a fist. I was pretty excited because I've never been punched in the face before! But then I realized that I was bleeding a little and one of my brackets kept getting stuck in my lower lip XD I punched myself so hard that the bottom of my bracket went into my lip... lulz. I apologize if this is too gross; I honestly laughed hysterically at what a silly thing to happen it was (especially after I had already locked my keys in my trunk and then dealt with the anti-theft alarm going berserk for about 30 minutes), but my friend who was helping me seemed genuinely upset at the blood. All is fine now. My mouth is more sore than usual in that spot and I'm definitely wearing extra wax.
Extractions on Tuesday!!

[stepher7]

hahaha oh dear!! I laugh only because I've accidentally whacked myself in the mouth, and my boyfriend has as well (also accidentally!!), and boy does it hurt!! I hope you don't have any more mishaps like that!

[bridget51992]

Well, I haven't accidentally abused myself since Thursday! Yay!
Tomorrow is the big day getting my teeth extracteedddd, woohoo! I called the receptionist this afternoon to ask if I should refrain from eating tomorrow morning or after midnight, and she sort of dropped a bomb and told me I didn't need to worry about that because they wouldn't be putting me under. Whaaattt why. I was expecting it be like my wisdom teeth procedure, where I just blacked out in the chair and then was eerily back in my mother's car with bloody cotton balls stuffed into my mouth. So the lady said I could pay $22 extra for nitrous gas, so that should be a good time.
I'm really hoping for a smooth recovery, but I feel like I might be pushing my luck here lately. The only issues I've really had with braces after two weeks with them is my brackets getting closer and closer into my bottom lips (not so fun to wake up to), but I did stock up on dental wax today (Thanks for the tip, stepher7 and braced33)!
I've been drinking pop a lot lately, which I'm apparently not supposed to do, according to the list that I was given the day I was braced. I'm livin' on the edge man. Last night I ate an ice cream that had nuts on top. Nuts, bro. I even ate a peanut m&m today. Yeah. I wouldn't joke about this. I got through it all unscathed, but I think I should probably not venture out too much on food because I do not want to be in braces any more time than is completely necessary XD

[stepher7]

hahahaha oh man, I eat stuff all the time that I'm probably not supposed to!! I figure I'll keep trying to get away with it until something happens haha which hopefully it won't!!

That sucks about not being put out for the extractions! Hopefully it's quick and easy so you don't notice what's going on. Good luck!!

[bridget51992]

Okay I got my four premolars extracted yesterday! It went okay... nitrous gas made it a lot easier. Unfortunately my dentist was an hour and a half away, so the drive home was so miserable.
I don't have any swelling by now, but the left side of my cheek is hurting a lot. I was worried that I was getting a dry socket, but I swished with some salt water and found out that the white stuff I was seeing on the bottom left extraction site was just a grain of rice or something. Yay! It still hurts a lot though... and I am very paranoid about developing a dry socket, since that site looks deeper than the one on the right... and I feel like I can see white stuff around it... Has anyone else had this problem?
Luckily my mom came into town to help take care of me and get me to and from the appointment yesterday, and my boyfriend is being very nice to me. I wish I could stop worrying about the pain on the left side though I do not want to make that drive again!!!!

[bridget51992]

Okay, fourth day since the extractions!!
Has anyone else who's gotten extractions had issues with food getting stuck around the extraction sites? The big bits come off when I do the saltwater rinse, but some stuff hangs on around the gums and it's really irritating. I wish my whole mouth felt better by now, but at least the swelling has gone down almost completely. That left side still bothers me, but I went to my orthodontist again yesterday to have it checked out, and he said that the extraction sites look great, but I just need to be careful with the food. So I am! The other main thing about them that is bothering me is that the stitches on the top left site haven't dissolved yet, and I thought they were food (hurr durr), so yeah that hurts now. I'm just lucky that it's summer break!

[stepher7]

When I had my wisdom teeth out they gave me a syringe thing that would suck up the salt water and then I could gently shoot it at the holes to clean everything out. It was kind of gross to see what would come out hahaha maybe you could see if you could get one from your dentist or ortho, or maybe even the drug store.

[bridget51992]

Haha well that sounds exciting! My extraction sites aren't nearly as sore now, which is terrific. I finally started chewing (occasionally; I'm still really nervous to put a lot of food back there), and now I'm just waiting for my stitches to dissolve!
I feel like I've finally begun to notice some movement in the past few days My open bite doesn't look as open as it had, but I might just be imagining the movement. My first adjustment is on Thursday (Happy birthday to me!) so I'll take some photos that day. Yay!