47 and getting rebraced

[jem]

Hi Kipepeo,

I know what you mean about wimpy starter wires. I had to go back to a small wire at my second adjustment because I had new brackets added on my premolars. At my last adjustment (number 5) I had a defective bracket on my left lateral replaced and put in a slightly different position, so that meant I was back from a rectangular to a smaller (?.016) round wire. I don't see any movement in the last 4 weeks and hope to go back to a bigger wire at my next adjustment to get things going again.

I googled your username because it was so unusual and saw it is Swahili for butterfly. How lovely! And hence your recent addition of a butterfly pic to your signature, presumably.

best wishes,

Jem

[Kipepeo]

Yes, Jem, I am interested in the Swahili language. A lot of the words are very pretty sounding. Funny thing though...a coworker is from Uganda, and I went to a party of his. I mentioned my interest of Swahili to his wife and relatives, and said I use the nickname Kipepeo online. But I pronounced it incorrectly, and they were stumped. I had the emphasis on the first 'e', the wrong syllable. It should be on the 2nd 'e' (sounds like 'ay'), with the syllables said very fast.

Now he is teaching me a few words and phrases. On a side note, they also taught me some Ugandan dance, which was very fun!

[Kipepeo]

So, 9 days ago I had a wire change. The initial sore teeth feeling is still in effect. He engaged the wire all the way back to the last molars this time, so every tooth is now SPAM SPAM SPAMMING. On the uppers they had to go with a stiffer, but round wire because on one side the last molar is tilted out pretty bad, and she couldn't get the rectangular wire bent up to put it in the bracket.

Immediately the tooth rotated down some and the cusp started hitting the lower molar. Oh well, such is life, right?

Where these teeth are hitting high on the cusps is SOOO sore, like root sore. I actually have one sore tooth like this on each side, so I can't really eat anything very well.

I'm just trying to wait it out, hoping it's all good. So if my teeth hurt this much, they must not have been that 'perfect' to start, eh?

I do see the upper wire straightening out and I'm really happy as that means my uppers are moving down. I can't imagine I'll have to wear these very long. Next time I'll ask for a more definitive time estimate. Pics coming soon.

[Kipepeo]

I realized a couple hours ago I can actually touch both my top incisors to by bottom incisors...both...at the same time! First time in, well, first time that I can remember!!!

[Kipepeo]

Photos:

Before uppers - lower teeth were arched up to meet uppers


Day 1 with uppers


Today (+2 months from uppers on)


You can see the line of my uppers coming down. And because my lowers had to be lowered back down to normal instead of arched up to meet the concave arch of the uppers, there are now gaps/open bite on the sides.

My arches look pretty much perfect when you look at the angle:
Upper today


Lower today

[jem]

Hi Kipepeo,

Well that looks like a perfect set of teeth to me. I can't believe that you are supposed to be braced for another year yet.
Perhaps you are destined to be the person on this board debraced the earliest compared with estimate?

Jem

[Kipepeo]

Let's hope! To me all that needs to be done is pulling the top 6 or so down. Well, and there's the one far back upper molar that is twisted out of line. That one has to come along too. but really, how long should that take? I can't wait to get a better estimate in a couple weeks. I'm so done already!

[Kipepeo]

Aarrrrgh! I broke another bracket off yesterday. This one is that same pesky molar with a crown. Those brackets just don't stick well to crowns.

It was so stupid. I was brushing my teeth and needed to remove my glasses with two hands. You know how you put the toothbrush against your gums and bite down on the bristles to hold it there? Well, I bit down too soon right onto the plastic of the brush. It actually hurt. I couldn't immediately tell a bracket came off. It took me awhile to figure out what I'd done. It didn't slide very well along the rectangular wire.

It'll get it fixed at my appointment next week. I'm worried they'll either put a band on the molar, or threaten me with that again.

But ever since I did that the molar it was on has been hurting. I think it's moving out of position. So what happens when the braces come off? Unless you get an Essix type retainer, molars aren't really held in place. We shall see.

[Kipepeo]

New bracket placed today. Same lower wire, rectangular. Got a new upper wire, now also rectangular, so ya feeling the pain.

I asked my ortho to explain what he still needs to do. Pull uppers down so I have an overbite, close open spaces on both sides near canines, worse on left, level off the lower plane (left is angled down). So he mentioned I will probably have elastics on that left side.

My right lower canine is raised way above the rest of the teeth, and I'm supposed to keep bringing that up! He's very detailed oriented, so I'm pretty confident he'll get them as nice as they can be. I totally forgot to ask for a better time estimate. Sheesh!

Oh, the assistant said the first wires line the teeth along the arches. Then later the stiffer wires rotate, raise and lower the teeth. So that explains why my teeth hurt like heck all the time, but I don't see any changes. But today, in just a couple hours, the little bit of overlap I had in my top incisors is almost gone.

[jem]

Your ortho sounds to be a real perfectionist. Your smile will be awesome!

Jem

[Kipepeo]

Jem, he told me that he was a perfectionist at my very first appointment. I'm glad, because since I'm in this 100%, I want the best possible outcome I can get.

Oh, and a couple posts ago I said I could touch my front incisors together for the first time. Well, that's over. I can just barely touch one now. My bite has gone all wonky in just one day.

[illay]

Hello Kipepeo
**whispering ** your lateral crowns! they are really natural. I can't believe when i read it..thumb up for the dentist who made them. I have seen so many people with crowns, and i can guess it just by looking at their mouth. But this time..i will not realize it if you didn't tell this secret
How many years are there already? i have a dark central incisor because of root canal and i always want to get it veneered but i am quite worry about the dark area around the gum.

Anyway, i was debraced 1 month ago but i just know that my orthodontist didn't make the normal occlusion that it should be. I went to a well known orthodontist in my town to get new retainer because i hate the retainer from my old orthodontist (actually, i hate the person also ) and I felt that the retainer doesn't work as it should do. What i get instead?? this new orthodontist asked why all my front lower teeth not touch the back of my upper teeth when i bite. I didn't know about this because from what i read the normal overjet 1-3mm so i thought it's normal. Later i just realized what it means by 'normal overjet with 1-3mm'.

This orthodontist can't fix the bite without braces so she just made me a new retainer that can re-align the front teeth (because i complained that day by day my lateral was getting further from my central incisor). Now beside the bite issue, i have a minor open bite on my lateral (like your picture in day 1 ).

I am thinking about braces but my teeth is already aligned well. Not to mention that it's already my second journey into braces. I don't want to get the third one.

That's why when i read about your journey or look at someone that being braced although their teeth already straight..i was not surprised at all. there must be something that they want to fix.

[Kipepeo]

Hi Illay! Thanks for your comments. About my crowns. They were originally regular porcelain fused to metal type. Over time, the metal causes the tooth underneath to turn dark (maybe you're having this problem), and if your gums recede at all, then the metal margin starts showing through. This happened with mine. So I asked to have them replaced. I've had these new ones about 3-4 years.

Normally insurance won't cover crown replacement unless there is something wrong with it or the tooth. My dentist felt that the exposed margin was allowing debris to enter where it shouldn't. Turns out when he removed the crown the tooth was totally discolored, and was actually showing through the porcelain part of the crown.

The new crowns are porcelain margin, all porcelain. And they look so natural, even my ortho couldn't tell. Even on the backside they are porcelain, so you can't tell just by a passing glance.

As for my bite today, still wonky. It feels really 'tight' on the right, meaning I almost feel like my lower jaw, and hence my bite is being shifted to the left. This may be correct, or may be headed in the right direction ultimately, but it just feels all wrong now.

[illay]

since your upper will be brought down..will the teeth inside the crown will be exposed a little? or it's still safe and you don't need to change it. I don't know how mm the crown is inside the gum. And for the discolored teeth, will it showing on certain light?

[Kipepeo]

I assume and hope the tooth will follow the crown. They are cemented together. The natural tooth underneath is no longer dark. Dentist polished that off. The crown margins go well up under the gums. If they don't look right after all is done, I will have them replaced again. Since they;'re right up front, there's no way I'd have subpar crowns.