kellyb's story (belatedly)

[braceface74]

Looking good kelly, good news on getting the wire upped also I think it's .16's that i have on top and bottom at the moment but hopefully going up in 6wks time at my next appt. Wow you get another adjustment fairly soon , i wish i had another appt sooner.

[kellyb]

thanks braceface

i only had .014 for 2 and a half weeks on top and .016 also for 2 and a half weeks then straight to .018 steel. started with .014 on bottom as well, had it for 6 weeks then upgraded to .018 niti, then .018 steel 5 weeks later.

how often are your adjustments? mine are every 4 - 6 weeks but i can walk in at anytime to get wires and ligs changed if they are losing their coating or discoloured.

[braceface74]

I'm every 6wks minimum! just want them to get a move on.. i can cope with any discomfort if it means i'll be finished sooner .

[kellyb]

between my initial fitting of my lowers and my first adjustment i had a 6 weeks wait and it felt like forever lol. since then i have only had 4 and 5 week gaps though.

[jem]

Hi Kellyb,

How are you doing?

Jem

[kellyb]

hi jem
i am doing good, no excitement so far. i will have my next adjustment on saturday 26th may and can't wait as my wires look really horrible at the moment. things are progressing nicely, i think
i will post a couple new pics after my adjustment next weekend. how are things with you?

[Realizingadream]

Hi Kelly and Jem.

Thanks for posting pictures. I am getting the top arch braced at the end of June 2012. The bottoms have been braced for 5 months now. They've moved a lot.

I didn't realize my teeth were as crooked as they are, until I started treatment. I mean, I KNOW they were "just a bit" crooked but the more I consider it, they are really noticeable. I guess no one commented on it because they were fine until I was about 25 years old, one day they went "twang" like I heard and felt them go off center and out of alignment. It is a wonder I didn't break down crying, right then. I mean, they were all but perfect for many years, and then just like that, crooked. Well, and then I have been tele-working from home for 15 years, so no one saw me that much, so there were no negative comments. I am a bit floored that my dentist didn't suggest it at some point, now that I know how EASY it is to clean my bottom teeth, since they have straightened up so much. A BIG health issue, that.

The bottom teeth have been crooked as all get-out since I was little. When I was six, my mother and the dentist told me to push one tooth with my tongue, every day, and it would straighten out. Well, decades later, and having faithfully done that pushing with my tongue, there was absolutely NO improvement: IT WAS STILL CROOKED!

And there was that one time a little boy at church looked at me and said (with admiration), "COOL, vampire teeth." And I was able to muster up "YES! Isn't it GREAT!" and smile big at him--followed by not smiling for about two years. Ewww what a night that was.

So anyway I am trying to decide if "clears" are worth the extra money, of which I have very little money. Since I am way over the hill in years, I think I will get the clears.

Thank you for you boldness in putting up the pics to help me decide. If I ever figure out how to take and put up pictures, I will let you know.

Real

[Realizingadream]

Also, I never knew mouth wash was important.

Taking a clue from you both, I will purchase a bottle and begin to use it tomorrow.

Thank you for solid reasoning.

Real

[kellyb]

Hi Real, thanks for sharing and great to know my story and pics is of some help to you.it was not an easy thing to do at the time but now i am glad i did it. Looking forward to seeing your pics in due course

[kellyb]

So i had my adjusment yesterday and all went well. I am still wearing steel .018 wires on both arches, though i did get new ones as the previous ones had lost all their white coating. I hv powerchains as well top and bottom. The bottom one is linked to all teeth. On top however, there are some teeth not linked. I now hv 2 powerchains on my 2 front teeth. Teeth r abit tender at the moment but if my past adjustments are anything to go by, i shd be tenderness free in a couple days.

The ortho did tell me yesterday that the steel .018 wire i am currently wearing is the thickest he will use for my treatment. He said i will not be needing rectangular wires.

My next adjustment will be on june 23rd.

[jem]

Glad to hear the adjustment went well Kellyb. I hope the powerchains are not making you too sore and are making good progress in closing your gaps. I have a powerchain just spanning my central incisors and that closed the gap created by previous IPR overnight. I could not believe it the following morning.

My next adjustment is just after yours on 27 June.

Jem

[kellyb]

Hi Jem
thanks for your comments
yes, the powerchain did really make me sore but i am fine now. saturday night and most of yesterday were the worst. i can eat as normal today without any discomfort so it did wear off pretty quickly. i have had powerchains since my first adjustment, however this is the first time i have gotten one on all teeth at the bottom. also, the double powerchain on the 2 front teeth was really tender. my gap is definitely getting smaller.

here are 2 pics i took on saturday after my adjustment.

[jem]

Hi Kellyb,

It would be good to see comparison photos, but your gaps appear to be closing nicely.

If you are not going to be having rectangular wires, the alignment of your teeth must already be very good and your treatment presumably focussed mostly on closing your gaps. So great to be seeing progress in that direction!

Jem

[kellyb]

thanks Jem

i will try and figure out how to post comparison pics one of these days. agree it would be nice to see them side by side instead of scrolling pages to compare

[Mylene]

You seem to be progressing really well - definitely keep taking pictures because one day you'll put together a slideshow and it will be amazing to watch. Congratulations for making the decision to do this!