Tobilei's Train Tracks.

[Ciara]

Aww thanks I can see some changes on that left side, but things keep changing. Things close, gaps open back up. I'm sure things are happening with yours! Especially if your ortho said there is! Mine told me the later you choose to do things, the longer it can take because teeth don't like to move as much when they've been there for a while. That's why they generally fix teenagers teeth. They move a lot more easily. I'm sure yours is just not noticable to you!

No pain yet. Had it changed at 9 this morning and it's currently 3:30pm. I feel some pressure but it's not horrendous. More that annoying pressure that sort of makes you want to clench your teeth together One or two teeth feel like they might be going to hurt though. I woke up with an ulcer this morning and it's definitely rubbing a bit more with the thicker wire. I like it though, it feels far less pointy and razor sharp than my previous one did. Hopefully it won't be awful! The girl at the ortho told me that it's never as bad as when you first get them on. I hope yours passes soon Feels like you just start being able to eat again and wham-back to pain! And it's so hot here! Far too hot for soup

I've always been a big Stephen King fan. Except for when he wrote all those dragons and castles series. I didn't like those at all. And I agree about Misery. Great book, bad movie. The only Stephen King book I've ever liked as a movie was The Green Mile. Amazing actors who all fit the part perfectly and did such a good job. Loved the book too. I also loved The Stand and It. Actually there's been very few I haven't liked (Lisey's story was one of them. Tried to read that about 10 times but could never make it past the 2nd chapter-boooorring!)

Hi Tobilei!
Glad to hear you "survived" your adjustment but just read on the other post that you are having quite a bit of pain. Hope the medicine has kicked in by now and you are feeling better. I can see lots of movement in your teeth! You must be delighted. I'm still trying to figure out how to take pictures that are reasonably in focus. Yours look great!

I was also sick over the holidays - a very bad sore throat. There seems to be a nasty cold with severe sore throat going around - half my students seemed to be sick today.

I'm having my 2nd adjustment on Monday. I really want braces on my bottom teeth but I think I have to get a bite plate first. I'm hoping my ortho will give me some idea of when I will get these on Monday. She sees all patients every 4 weeks or even 3 weeks. She doesn't like to leave it too long - I think she is making sure everyone is brushing properly.

Oh, I've just started reading a Stephen King novel, "The Stand". It is extremely thick and final examinations are coming up so I will probably take forever to read it.

Take care,
Ciara

[Dee17]

Yes, I supposed you're right about it being much easier to move teenager's teeth. Mine certainly feel like they are being very stubborn which is a little surprising to me considering how quickly the space opened up after I had my extractions. It opened up within like 5-7 days! I was so shocked. I never knew teeth could move like that. But apparently, they are not interested in going BACK to where they once were! So frustrating!! I keep looking in the mirror trying to detect even the smallest bit of movement. Alas, it is just not there. Maybe I should stop looking in the mirror and just let it happen? I think so. I'l give it a rest for five days or so.
I hope that you're still not feeling any pain. I woke up this morning with my first mouth ulcer but it's weird because it's in a place that is not where any brackets are. I think it's just a coincidence but I've never been prone to getting things like that. But my next door neighbour brought me some stuff that she said her sister used when she had braces about 5 years ago. It's called Canker-X and she said it worked really well. So, if this thing is still bothering me later on today, I might give it a try.
I'm having salmon salad and soup for supper tonight. Just CAN'T eat any more pasta!! I think that if I never see a bowl of pasta again when this is all over it won't be too soon!
I also loved The Green Mile and I also really loved the Gunslinger series. I thought the Green Mile movie was incredible. Do you know that black man who played the role of the prisoner just died recently? At least I think I remember hearing that on the news. I also really liked Cujo the book but again, HATED the movie. The same reaction from me with The Stand. Basically I think that his books just don't translate all that well to the big screen. I'm not sure why that would be the case, but most of the movies I've seen which were made from his books, I really didn't like very much. Same for The Shining, even with Jack Nicholson playing the creepy guy part.
I also did not like Lisey's story. You're right. It was pretty boring.

[Tobilei]

I spoke too soon! OUCH!!! Every tooth in my head is aching and hurting! Panadol isn't doing anything so I'm just putting up with it. And it's gone over 45 degrees C here today and I can't chew anything! Doesn't leave much to eat. I had some yoghurt but I'm STARVING!!! Might have to go buy a slushee

Hi Ciara Lol, yes, I survived yesterday but am dying today Thank you! I'm glad others can see movement. I think when it's you you don't notice so much. My daughters teeth are SO straight and she says she can't tell they look any different.

Sorry you were sick for Christmas Colds are generally one thing we don't get a lot of here at Christmas (the middle of the year though seems like someone is always sniffing and snuffling!)

Good luck with your 2nd adjustment! Hopefully the bottom brackets will be on soon for you! Mine sees me about every 5-6 weeks. My next one is in 3 1/2ish though because they've tied it in so my daughter and I can go together. Lol @ making sure people are brushing. Mine told me mine looked fantastic and there'd been no staining at all but didn't tell me if I was doing a good job or not I assume if it were bad he would have told me though!

The stand is fantastic! It's a really long read but not a hard read. I hear you on time though! I seem to read books these days one tiny page at a time! Hope you enjoy it!

Haha, with the photo's, I just stand in the bathroom and hold the camera up to the mirror so I can use the mirror to see what I'm taking a photo of. For some reason my camera makes my mouth look a lot more narrow than it is in reality though. I also get my husband to take some sometimes when I just can't seem to get it right. I have loads of bad and blurry one's! I just delete those



Hi Dee Haha, mine feel like they're stubborn too! By causing me a whole lot of pain every time they have to move! I didn't know they could move that quickly either! You'd think if it could open that fast that it could close that fast too I think not looking in the mirror is a good idea. I look to brush and floss but try not to keep looking too often.

See above for the pain It's bad I had hardly any sleep because every time I moved I seemed to snap my jaw shut and it would hurt so much it would wake me up.

Sorry you have your first ulcer The gel helps. Silicone wax is amazing. Really gives your lip a rest (if you can be bothered, I rarely can unless it's a huge one). Generally I find they only last a day or 2. Makes it hard to eat though I get them from the wire more than I do from the brackets (of course you can get them from toothpaste, sugar and a few other things too).

Mmm salmon salad sounds good! Haha, I surprisingly haven't eaten lots of pasta (mostly because it's too hot).

I did hear that the actor from Green Mile died recently I was very sad. I really liked him. You're right. Stephen King books don't translate well. I watched one called "The Mist" I think which was probably another that went okay in movie form. I think it's because fantasy can seem more realistic in your imagination than it can translate on screen. Mostly supernatural stuff just comes off as bad acting and cheesy.

Hope your ucler feels better soon!

[Dee17]

Hi Tobilei,

So sorry to hear you're having so much pain. Hope it subsides soon. That, combined with all the terrible heat you guys are having must be just awful.
Yeah, I've been so puzzled over why my teeth don't seem to be moving. I'm telling you, Tobelei, that space in my front teeth seemed like it opened up in less than a week. And now here I am almost three months with these things on my teeth and NO movement yet that I can see. But I have decided that I'm going to stop checking in the mirror every day. Kind of like watching a pot of water boil, I think ... or watching paint dry. Not much fun and pretty discouraging.
I think that having your jaw snap shut like that probably hurts a LOT. Ouch. No wonder it wakes you up.
I have no idea where to buy the silicone wax. I've seen a number of other people on the forum talk about it but I haven't been able to find it anywhere near where I live. I might just see if I can order some online if I can find the name of a company that makes it.
I think you're right about Stephen King's books and the movies they're made into. I think that every single one I've ever seen has been a disappointment. They do come across as being very cheesy.
Anyway, I hope you guys get some relief. Do you live near the desert? Is that why it's so hot where you are? I'm actually having a lot of trouble visualizing it. I thought I had found it on Google maps but I guess I just don't have a good feel for the geography of Australia.

[Tobilei]

Pain is easing! (A little). I bought the WORST tomato soup ever to eat last night. They'd changed the recipe. It tasted like I was eating a bowl of tomato paste. Blech!

Yes, the heat was horrible! Thankfully it cooled right off yesterday and it and today have been sitting around 20C. Sort of cold after all that heat. It's good though. Gives the firies a chance to get the fires under control (190 in my state alone they said on the news this morning!)

I think your teeth probably are moving, you just don't see it. I remember reading here somewhere that in orthodontic terms that a mm is a lot of movement. Hang in there! My daughter had to have her braces on for longer than me and she took longer than me to see improvement too (well we did, she claims she still can't see anything even though they're pretty much perfect-did I say that already somewhere? I feel like I did but I can't see it )

Lol, yes, snapping my jaw like some kind of crocodile definitely hurts! I don't know why it happens. Seems to be something I do for a day or 2 after they were on and this adjustment then it stops (or maybe it just hurts less and doesn't wake me up!)

I'm not sure where to buy silicone wax. Our orthodontist hands it out for free (I know it's the silicone type because it stays put). I've seen it online in the UK but that's not really helpful for you either.

Nope, I don't live near the desert. I actually live on the coast. It's not usually so hot here-just been the weather this year. I promised I'd send you a map of where I lived didn't I? I'll PM you one on facebook (I think I owe you a pm there anyway!)

[Dee17]

Hi Tobeliei,
I'm so glad to know that your pain is starting to ease off a bit. I had a pretty good day today, too so that was a big relief to me.
Oy, your tomato soups sounds just dreadful. I don't think I could've eaten anything like that. Yuck.
I'm also very glad to know that it has gotten a bit cooler there. Man, oh man, that heat must've been something terrible. I can hardly stand it when it gets much above 22C here. But I think I'm just spoiled because it does that so rarely. Most of the time it's just beautiful here during the summer. I've been seeing the coverage about all the fires in Australia on the news and it looks like your whole country is on fire! How awful!
Yes, I do think that my teeth have moved just a tiny bit in the last 24 hours. This is only because when I close my mouth all the way they feel very strange indeed. I still can't see any difference in the size of the gap but I know it will happen eventually. I know that 1 mm is supposed to be good. I think I read somewhere that orthodontists don't like to move teeth more than about 1 mm per month.
I really hope that your "crocodile snapping" will come to an end pretty soon. It sounds like it must be pretty painful. Maybe you need Crocodile Dundee to make a housecall, huh?
I really haven't needed to use any wax at all yet so the fact that I can't find any silicone wax hasn't bothered me that much. I'm hoping that things will stay this way. I suspect that I might be able to find some at the drug store not too far from my house but I don't even know what brand to look for. I'll have to do a Google search.
Okay, I think you did already tell me once that you live near the coast. I just can't picture it but that's because I know next to nothing about Australia. My mother-in-law went there years ago and raved about how much she loved it. But I think she loved the people more than she loved the scenery. So, if you get a chance post a map on Facebook. It might help me get it more solidly into my head.
Hope you're having a good weekend!

[Ciara]

Pain is easing! (A little). I bought the WORST tomato soup ever to eat last night. They'd changed the recipe. It tasted like I was eating a bowl of tomato paste. Blech!

Yes, the heat was horrible! Thankfully it cooled right off yesterday and it and today have been sitting around 20C. Sort of cold after all that heat. It's good though. Gives the firies a chance to get the fires under control (190 in my state alone they said on the news this morning!)

I think your teeth probably are moving, you just don't see it. I remember reading here somewhere that in orthodontic terms that a mm is a lot of movement. Hang in there! My daughter had to have her braces on for longer than me and she took longer than me to see improvement too (well we did, she claims she still can't see anything even though they're pretty much perfect-did I say that already somewhere? I feel like I did but I can't see it )

Lol, yes, snapping my jaw like some kind of crocodile definitely hurts! I don't know why it happens. Seems to be something I do for a day or 2 after they were on and this adjustment then it stops (or maybe it just hurts less and doesn't wake me up!)

I'm not sure where to buy silicone wax. Our orthodontist hands it out for free (I know it's the silicone type because it stays put). I've seen it online in the UK but that's not really helpful for you either.

Nope, I don't live near the desert. I actually live on the coast. It's not usually so hot here-just been the weather this year. I promised I'd send you a map of where I lived didn't I? I'll PM you one on facebook (I think I owe you a pm there anyway!)

Hi Tobilei,

Glad to hear the pain is getting less. I wonder why some people feel more pain than others? I wonder if it is to do with the amount of movement needed or something else....

45 degrees? Ouch!!! I gets to about 38 here with very high humidity and it is very unpleasant. We have temperatures in the low to mid 30s for most of June to mid Sept. We also have a rainy season in June...really horrible.

How are the fires now? Are they getting them under control? It must be very scary.

My dentist told be before I started that 1mm/month is a good rate movement and that I would be surprised at how "big" 1 mm can feel inside my mouth. She was right.

I can't buy wax either. My ortho gives me 2 packs each time I visit and so far, that has been enough. I did get one with my dentakit when I ordered it. There must be someplace that sells it online in Australia....my husband will have to look for a Japanese site for me.

Now that I know you post here, I will remember to check in more often.
Hope you enjoyed the weekend,
Ciara

[chimi]

Tobilei!

I saw the last pictures you posted on mid january, you doing a lot of progress even though you dont have power chains yet. I'll tell you ,once you put on the power chains all the gaps will dissapear like in a month or two. The thing is that first you have to align your teeth before closing the gaps, at least that's what my ortho said.

I have a bend in my wire on the left hand side (I've gone blank on why they do this? Need to go and search the forum) and am back in a months time.

I have that too, I have no idea why that is. And Im affraid of asking, since I do a LOT of questions to my ortho, and I think he's getting sick of it hahahaha .

Anyways, I feel very identified with what I read in your posts, cause Im going through the same stuff. We started almost at the same time with braces, right?, and all the "Im talking too much about my braces", the "I think Im in so much pain, why am I the only one complaining about this"... this is also happening to me... I feel like a little kid hahaha .

Well, let's keep in touch! Hope this months pass by quickly!.

[Tobilei]

Hi Dee Sorry, sometimes I forget about my own thread Too busy replying in everyone else's and I run out of time!

Lol, yes, that particular soup was awful. I really should make my own. I have a really nice recipe, but I get lazy. I don't mind the Heinz one though. I chucked a fair bit of it away.

Wow, where you live sounds chilly! I'm such a sook. I used to LOVE the cold, but these days I don't like it when it's too hot or too cold. I like spring and autumn, rest of the year not so much . Thankfully it doesn't get too hot here very often. Most of the time it's in the mid 20's in summer. But we do get a few days grouped together at a time sometimes where it's very hot.

There were lots of fires. Ironically, now the entire North is flooding and having cyclones and stuff. Half the country is drowned, the other half burned.

How's the no checking going for you? I'm glad you've started to see a little movement!

No more crocodile snapping I seem to only do it after an adjustment. Very weird. Maybe it's psychological? Lmao at crocodile dundee!





Hi Ciara

Yeah, the pain thing is so strange. My daughter told me today hers only hurt for a day or so after an adjustment but otherwise nothing. I feel so lucky

Yup, 45 is horrible It got to 47 the other week just after lunch. Thankfully it's back to cool (and extra rainy today!) We get the humidity too. Humidity makes everything hotter!

The fires are more under control now but like I said above to Dee the whole North end is under water and having massive storm damage. Australia has always had extreme weather though. It would be scary. I was glad the closest one was an hour away, but I still worried on the really hot days.

My ortho gives us wax too. As much as we want. We're welcome to pop in anytime and pick up extra if we need it. My daughter doesn't use hers so I have loads of it hanging around.




Hi Chimi Thank you! I can feel the progress more than I can see it. The left side seems to be doing a lot more than the right, but that's okay, I'm sure it will catch up. I figured powerchains would come later. My daughter is 10 months in and only got her first one 2 months ago. Thanks for the information on having to align the teeth first. Makes sense (although makes me sad that they'll stay there for a while yet!)

Lol, I ask loads of questions too and worry that mine is going to get sick of me! In between me asking questions about my teeth, I sit there and ask a boat load about my daughters as well. I bet I'm his favourite client

Sorry to hear you're having lots of pain too It sucks! And feel free to complain to me anytime you want or need to! I have lots of sympathy! (We can be whinging kids together ).

[Dee17]

Hi Tobilei,
Yes, I know what you mean about forgetting to check your own thread. I don't think I've been back to mine in ages.
I made some wonderful soup before I had my last adjustment. Ate it all up in two days, it was so good! I get pretty lazy too and don't tend to cook very much but there isn't a lot of choice in pre-packaged "soft food" and I'm trying to get away from eating so much pre-packaged food anyway. I'm really trying to lose some weight. I am hoping to lose 50 lbs in the next three years.

Hi Dee Sorry, sometimes I forget about my own thread Too busy replying in everyone else's and I run out of time!
It is pretty cold where I live. I'm about half-way between Detroit and Toronto, if that makes any sense to you. Probably not. I'm sure you know about as much about US/Canada geography as I do about Australian! I also like the autumn and am always very happy when spring rolls around and all the snow goes away. We didn't have much snow at all last year. This year seems to be making up for it, though. This morning, there was a ton of heavy, wet snow on the ground. Made it really hard for walking.
I have heard all about the flooding happening in Australia lately. It looks just dreadful. Glad to know you guys don't live anywhere near it!
I'm still resisting checking and it's going okay. I can definitely feel that something is going on in there. My back teeth are not touching in the same way at all anymore so I am hoping that's progress! Will just have to wait and see, I guess.
I'm glad to know your Crocodile Dundee act has gone away for the time being. I must admit, I have a nice chuckle over it too whenever I think of it! Take care!!
Dee

[Dee17]

Hi Tobelei,
I think I should let you know that I have my first mouth ulcer. I'm pretty sure it's been caused by a bracket with a very rough edge. That bracket has been rubbing there for some time and it's something that was worrying me a bit. I guess it finally decided to turn into an ulcer. Ouch, it really hurts!

[Tobilei]

Oh noes!!! That sucks!!!!! I'm sorry Mine finally went away yesterday. I still have a little skin hanging off in that area but it's not as sore as it was. I thought it was never going to go away

In the end I walked around with gauze stuffed in my mouth half the time and stuck a whole lot of something called Kenalog (this mouth ulcer cream-sort of gritty and gross but I think it helped) on every night before bed. Now that it's gone I have a new small one around the front but I can eat with it.

Do you have some wax or gauze or something you can stick over the bracket?

[TMJJill]

Hi,

Thought I'd share a tip I learned this year from a Pharmacist. It is used to treat mouth sores. You take equal parts of liquid benedryl (I just get the kids stuff) and liquid antacid and mix together. It helps antacid neutralizes the acid in the sore and the antihistamine helps calm it. If you have a lot of pain, you can do a third portion with the dental pain numbing medication like anbesol. I just take a bit of the mixture on the end of a q-tip and apply it to the sore periodically throughout the day.

[Tobilei]

Awesome! Thanks TMJJill

[Tobilei]

Had my 2nd adjustment this morning I didn't think anything would be done because it's barely been a month since I was there for my last one, but I got a new wire (my daughter was watching and said I skipped one so I've gone up 2. I must admit, it looks quite thick). He also gave me 2 wire ties down the bottom, I still have a bend in the archwire (can anyone enlighten me on what these are for?) and one of my brackets debonded while I was sitting there. Another had to be moved so I got 2 teeth polished and 2 new brackets.

I was freaking out about some weird black marks on my bottom teeth above the brackets that looked like crazing but he said it's normal staining and will come off when they remove my braces and polish my teeth. He said I wasn't doing anything wrong, it just happens sometimes.

I was also supposed to get elastics to help close up some of the gaps (I think the one's at the back) but he decided after the bracket debonded that we'd leave that for next time. It's going to be a pain in the rear because they have to have the configuration changed every 8 hours so we only move the teeth, not the jaw Not looking forward to them although I'm cheering I didn't get them today because it's my wedding anniversary (which has been a bit of a flop-I had my adjustment so sore teeth, husband got sick, then called into work so swapping a romantic dinner for 2 for hot tomato soup with my children )

I'm a little bit excited though because I found orthodontic flossers (those one's by Plackers) which I'm hoping will make the whole flossing process easier and also my lip protector arrived (woo!). Now I just have to wait for ulcers (that are always there but not today-watch, I'll not get another one ever again now ) Oh and last but not least, with my ortho's blessing I went and picked up a tooth grinding mouthguard to wear at night which will hopefully help me stop clenching (or at least stop the pain in my teeth every morning when I wake up with my teeth clenched together like I'm trying to mash them into each other).

Anyway, here's some updated pics. Most of the movement has been at the back.


I *think* there's been a tiny bit of movement in the front gap (woo!) Here's day 3 for comparison



In the photo above, the teeth on the left (my right) are lining up nicely.


You can't see it but on the tooth with the hook I have a wire tie. I think it's reinforcement for when I get elastics.

Here's a better one:


And last but not least, lip protector, woo!


Excuse the cracked lip on the bottom. No amount of lip balm seems to be helping it at the moment!