OK--This was not the plan!

[TMJJill]

Glad to hear you are doing better. I was wincing just reading your post.

Enjoy your next few weeks. After all you've been through, you deserve it.

Since they put a composite on my back molar to keep my upper wire from slipping, I've had 4 "quite" weeks. The first since last December. It has been a blessing. Especially since I get my lowers on the 23rd and I know I'll have a lot of challenges then. Your posting made me realize how nice the last month has been. Sometimes, it is good to stop and smell the flowers.

Thanks for sharing your story.

TMJJill

[klobird]

Hey Jill--

I was just wondering--is that composite like a molar build-up--like you can't close your mouth all the way? I get those on the 31st, but I need them. The bands in the back top and bottom are hitting each other when I bite down--everything is happening so quickly now that those teeth have been removed. I am really, really happy about it!

[iBorg]

I hope that your nose and your pride are a bit bruised nothing more.

[TMJJill]

Hi Klobird,

No. I have had chronic wire slippage since last November. Maybe because my bite is so uneven???? It got even worse after I "upgraded" to the really thick wire in December. I have self-ligating wires and for some reason the wire keeps slipping to my left and I would get some bad pokies out the back end there. After having about 1/2 inch of wire poking out over Christmas, the lead dental assistant showed me how to move the wire back into place on my own, but I was doing that at least twice a day. Last month, my dentist had the dental assistant put a bit of composite on that back molar/end of wire to keep the wire from being able to move back. It will be removed at some point.

I am getting a composite build up on my lower right #6 at my next appointment when the rest of my lower braces finally go on. It is a crown. After having the bracket pop off of the crown when I tried erupt that molar with elastics, he finally said I'm going to need a new higher crown when my treatment is completed so he is going to skip re-bracketing it again. Because my teeth don't touch when I bite, I'll have the build-up on that tooth for the duration of my treatment. I'll keep you posted after my appointment on the 23rd.

I'm really a bit nervous about my next appointment. I've been wearing a lower splint for 2 years that gave me a pretty good bite. With the "in between" state of my treatment now, only my back molars (#7's) touch on the left side and I'm not even close with the other teeth there. My right side doesn't have as big of a gap, but only the back molars currently touch there also. Unless I learn to chew with my front teeth, I'm imagining a lot of smoothies and soft food for a while. My orthodontist swears he hasn't had anyone starve during his treatment though. I'm trusting him on this. Ironically, before my orthodontic treatments began 2 years ago, my teeth touched and I didn't realize how severely bad my bite actually was. I was having major ear problems and hearing loss from my jaw being out of position and pushing back into my ears though. I just keep telling myself I'm doing the right thing and remembering to take it a day at a time.. I'm almost 10 1/2 months into treatment already.

[klobird]

Hey Jill--Please do keep me posted!! Ya, you are right at the mark where I was when the real workhorse stuff started--wow....!

You have had a lot of bite problems! He's been working on mine too and it is changing. I'm finding though that my jaw on the right is really uncomfortable keeping it open the two minutes I brush my teeth. I don't want to tell the ortho because I can only imagine what he will think of next--but I think I should...anyone else with this?

[TMJJill]

It is my left side that is worse. My orthodontist seems to think it a bit odd that one side can look so much better than the other. My braces treatment has been for the purpose of changing my bite so I've probably had more discussions with him in that aspect. He has shared how happy he is with my upper arch development over the last 10 months though. Right now my upper arch is certainly wider than my lower so that is the next step.

Yes! I think you should ask about your bite concern at your next follow-up appointment. He can either act on your concern, discuss if it is part of your transitioning treatment process or tell you why he isn't concerned. Regardless, asking can't hurt.

This is coming from someone who asks a lot of questions though. I actually recently had an hour long healthy Pulmonology appointment because I asked so many questions, and he too in return. The doc kept encouraging it though and told me he wished all his patients were like that. He also complemented that I advocated for myself and I paid attention to my own body and could speak intelligently about my concerns and issues and when things worked or not. I bet anything you are like that as well. It might not be what every health practitioner wants to hear, but in my opinion that is the way things should be. We all have the right to ask questions, learn and expect the best treatments possible. (Can you tell I'm passionate about this topic?) I include all of my TMJ and orthodontic treatments in this as well.

Let us know what he says when you go in again. I'll do the same at my next visit. One of these days, I'll post my picts. I get tons taken each ortho visit, but I don't take my own. I need to do that so we can compare.

Have a good day.

[TMJJill]

I forgot to add, there is a really great book that I love that you might find of interest: The TMJ Healing Plan- 10 Steps to Relieving Headaches, Neckaches, and Jaw Disorders (Positive Options for Health) by Cynthia Peterson. It goes way beyond just TMJ issues. If your jaw muscles are getting tired, it has tons of things you can do on your own to help in there. The author is a physical therapist who addresses a lot of related lifestyle things, as well as exercises, and trigger point releases.

I have a PT who has done orofacial trigger point releases for me on my masseter and pterygoid muscles in my mouth. They hurt like crazy if you are tight, but the relief of the "releases" does wonders for the tightness of my jaw muscles.

Anyway, just something to consider.

[TMJJill]

Hi klobird,

I told you I'd update you on how my molar build-up went and I know you are dealing with the decision on the molar build-ups vs. the turbos.

I had my lower braces put on 2 days ago. I was expecting to get the molar build-up on the crown that the bracket kept popping off of since it wouldn't stay on for me to get the tooth erupted. I ended up leaving with just the braces, including a bracket on my crown, and NO build-up. My orthodontist wants to try to keep my treatment as "natural" as possible. He said if I had problems along the way, he would re-consider on the build-up.

I am dealing with speech issues myself right now. I had to ditch a lower splint I've worn for 26 months when I got those lower braces and my tongue had grown used the "bump" in back of the splint and not being able to touch my teeth in back. It isn't used to the "nakedness" in the back of my teeth that I have now. I'm hoping that with practice the speech will improve.

I wish you well at your upcoming visit.

[klobird]

Hey Jill--

Thanks for letting me know...ya, my appt. is this coming Tuesday. I know that I need the build-ups. My molars on top are just cramming down on my molars on the bottom.

I will not do the bite turbos on the back of my front teeth. Period. (Well, ok, I said that about extractions...and I think I said that about the Forsus...) But no,no,no,no,no way in hell and I'm I getting them on the back of my front teeth!!

Everyone that comments about the molar build-ups seems pretty ok with them. That you can grind them down. So I figure grinding them down ought to take about 3 days for me! Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing how long it takes, that way I think I will really be able to tell more exactly how bad my grinding-clenching really is...

So ya, here we go again--can't wait to see what tricks he pulls out of his hat this time....

[iBorg]

I had a terrible grinding habit prior to surgery (no I'm not recommending that........but if you want to talk privately, pm me) and my ortho fitted me with a removable bite plate. It was amazing how badly that showed my grinding. It looked like I'd taken sandpaper to it. Prior to braces I had mouth guards for both arches and actually cracked one made of thick acrylic plastic. That helped push me to investigate orthodontics.

Bite plates are another option to molar build ups or bite turbos. Not sure if they are better or worse than the molar build ups. Mine was removable which allowed me to remove it for eating and cleaning. I would NOT want one that was fixed. Pain in the butt to keep clean and a food trap as well as hard to speak without a lisp.

Even after braces, I chewed through two sets of Essix retainers(the clear plastic ones). My ortho finally gave me retainers of a very tough plastic and they've held up over a year.

[klobird]

Iborg--that's really interesting--I had a custom made mouthguard prior to braces--part of the reason braces came up. The dentist said I needed to consider braces because I was ending up with teeth fractures under the gum and having to have root canals--because of my grinding...

If the molar build-ups don't work, then I will ask for the removable bite plate. I think I could handle that just fine, since the mouthguard was no problem. I actually kind of liked it--it really helped.

I have also heard that tori--extra bony growths under the tongue--can be caused by grinding/clenching/stress. My tori are gigantic. Another reason for braces. If I ever needed dentures, they would have to saw the bony growths out of there. Thankfully, the tori don't cause any problems yet.

So, one step at a time...have to see how the build-ups work first.....hmmmmm

[TMJJill]

I was a clencher/grinder for many years. I went to a dentist regularly who never pointed this out to me. (I stopped going to him when he did a horrible job removing my wisdom teeth.) By the time I saw a new dentist who pointed this out, I'd worn a bunch of my molars flat. I wore an occlusal night splint for years after that, but I've developed "crazy cracks" on those teeth. I had to get a crown on one a couple years ago because of all the cracking. It also threw of my bite with my molars changes so much. I ended up with TMJD and that is why I'm now in braces.

I had some HUGE tori removed a while back. With all that grinding, I'd grown a bunch of bone on my outer upper and lower left jaws. I was getting sores from the tiny food caught between my cheek and tori which led to getting them removed. I really wouldn't recommend it unless you have to. They cut my gums at the tooth line, pulled the gums back, shaved down the bone, then stitched the gums back into place. Originally they were going to remove both in one go, but they did so much "trauma" to my upper that I had to go back a second time to get my lower done. Now, I'm developing them on the right side. I'm not doing anything with them though unless they get really big.

One thing about the "in between" stage in my braces treatment is that I don't have enough teeth that touch to actually grind them right now. That is a good thing because I'm going through a bit of withdraw without my lower splint while I sleep.

My orthodontist told me if I have trouble with the nighttime grinding, he will have me go back to wearing more elastics at night to help hold my jaw in better positioning while I sleep. As it is, I'm wearing elastics from my back lower molars to my upper canines at night for the express purpose of holding my jaw forward while I sleep so I can breathe better and not grind as much. So far, it really has helped.

[Angel269]

@ Klobird

I currently hae an upper removable bite plate in conjuction with my uper fixed brace, due to my deep bite. For years bruxism has been a major problem (I am not sure if I currently grind-Hubby hasn't mentioned it in the months leading up to the braces) I think it has probably been caused by my deep bite.

I wear the bite plate at night ande when I am at home (pretty much most of the time, especially in the afternoons) as I do have terrible speech with it. I am getting used to it but still not keen on the feel of teh acrylic on my upper palate though I am just pleased it is removable as otherwise it would hae been bite turbos-the thought of a permanant lisp with them and inability to clean properly.

[klobird]

Hey Jill--my tori are under my tongue on the inside. They are getting so big that they are close to touching. ...I have watched tori removal on youtube. It's not something I want to ever experience. (It seems whenever I say that, it's the very next thing on the list ) So far, they haven't caused any problems. I hear they can be caused by grinding and stress. Has anyone ever said anything to you about the stress thing?

Hey Angel--from most of the posts I've read about the bite plate, well, it sounds really unpleasant. None of it sounds pleasant. Why can't we just have braces and leave it at that All this other junk is really annoying...

Tomorrow is another adjustment. I have had 3 weeks of pure peace. The elastics seem like nothing compared to the Forsus--that thing might not have been so bad if there weren't so many mechanical problems and if it didn't make that horrid noise. I'm glad it's gone! I was really getting tired of going to the ortho to get it fixed constantly.

So, tomorrow...hmmm....hmmmm...I'm just a little anxious about what will happen next...

Something I don't understand on this board is when people talk about intrusion and extrusion and bimax protrusion. How can one respond to those terms--unless I'm in the dumb bell minority...

[TMJJill]

Klobird---

Yup, I keep hearing bruxism and stress impacts the development of tori. Even during years where I didn't particularly feel stressed, I was clenching and grinding a lot while sleeping. I think I was subconsciously trying to find that "good' bite. I've had two dentists and two orthos tell me the same thing. I love how well my current ortho describes things. He is into "whole body dentistry" or "holistic dentistry". He looks at the health of the whole body as part of the ortho treatment. My last couple visits, I got a glass of his "smoothie of the day" made from veggies grown in his garden.

Good luck with your visit tomorrow.