Lela's braces: 12-08 update photos

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#1 Post by **Lela** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:15 am

I'm just getting started on my brace adventure. My teeth don't look all that horrible, but they are out of alignment. I think I have what is called a crossbite. My upper palate is narrower then the bottom so the teeth don't line up correctly and there is some crowding too. I can barely get a piece of floss between my teeth, they are so tight. The combination is causing stress to my gums that has resulted in a lot of gum recession. I had to have 5 gum grafts before I could start with the braces. I was told several years ago by a dentist that if I didn't get braces I would lose my teeth in my late 40's

I'm not sure if he was right, but I really don't want to take the chance. I'm kind of attatched to my teeth and want them to stay attatched to me

Here are my before and just braced shots.

The bottoms don't show very well in any of these and for the most part look pretty good. Only one is noticeably crooked from my viewpoint (laying almost sideways) but they don't line up with the uppers very well.

Before:

Another angle:

And after one day of braces:

I have metal brackets on all but the upper six front teeth. Silver ligs on all the metal and teflon wraps of some kind on the clears.

I have not yet figured out the secret to taking good shots of my arches. They used mirrors at the ortho office. Is that what those of you with such nice photos are doing?

#2 Post by **Lela** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:39 pm

Ok, not the greatest photos but here are they are:

Top:

And lower:

and a scary grimice:

I've made it through the first week

I don't have any bracket irritation anymore and chewing is painfree, still a little trickier then normal but not bad.

Flossing is a total pain, but I have been doing it every night. It still takes forever but I'm getting a little faster every day

Got to keep my new grafts nice and healthy

I can see a little change already. My two front teeth are almost lined up again. There was a ridge where one was out in front of the other.

#3 Post by **Stayc1803** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:21 pm

you have a pretty smile! i can see what you are talking about. i have a lil gum recession on my bottoms but havent been told nethign other than i had it. im starting my treatment at age 20. kinda nervous. got a q. since you only got ceramic on the upper front 6 was it cheaper? i was looking at getting ceramic on top and metal on bottom!

#4 Post by **BracedVeryLate** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:04 pm

Lela -- You have great teeth already - and so many!!! (just jealous because i had to lose a few - wisdoms were not cooperating)

With a little straightening, they will look amazing.

I am 41 and have had braces for 3 months now. I am used to it (mostly). Where I live, so many people have braces, it's no big deal, but I do wish i got the clear ones on the front teeth.

good luck

#5 Post by **Lela** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:36 pm

Stayc1803- Hi and thank you! I didn't have to pay any exrta for the clear brackets. It would have been the same price either way so I went with the more cosmetic option.

I didn't like the wire ties you see in the photos here though. I just went and had them changed today. The wire ends kept jabbing into my lips and were getting snagged on my floss (my floss is kind of fluffy). I had them replaced with silver ligs and they look really nice and no staining worries.

Keep an eye on those gums. I'd go for a consult with a periodontist just to be on the safe side. If you end up needing a graft, it's no big deal really. It sounds much worse then it is

More then likely there is some kind of preventive care you can do though. I waited much too long

Bracedverylate- Thank you for the nice complement

. Best of luck and a beautiful smile to you as well!

#6 Post by **Grutty** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:38 pm

Hi Lela!

You do have nice teeth, how long do you have to wear your braces?

I turned 40 this summer, and just got braced about a month ago. I have been lucky like you, and have had very little pain and irritation.

For me, the hardest part is waiting for my next adjustment. I want everything to move NOW!

#7 Post by **Lela** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 2:17 pm

Hi Grutty! Well my paperwork says 14-18 months. But from what I have been reading here that may not mean much, lol.

I understand the "hurry up already" feeling. How long till your first adjustment?

Here are the new silver ligs for anyone that might want another view of how they look on clear brackets. They are slightly more visible, but sooo much more comfortable then the steel ties. I can already tell it was worth the trade.

(took a better photo so I swapped it)

#8 Post by **jenny101101** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:16 pm

Hi Lela,

Welcome to AW and congrats on getting braced!!

You have beautiful teeth and I love your braces. The silver ligs look really good; hardly noticable at all!

I have self-ligating brackets so I don't require ligs but somedays I wish I did, just to add some colour!

I'm 33 and I've been braced for 7 months now but I remember the tenderness when I first had them put on. I couldn't floss for the first 3 days so kudos to you for doing it from day one! Sorry to hear you've had some perio problems but I'm glad to hear your taking care of it and all is going well

.

I look forward to following your story.....

.

#9 Post by **Grutty** » Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:58 am

I had to go to the ortho two weeks into braces for an "emergency" appointment (one bracket keeps popping off the wire) and they changed all my ligs then. They also pushed back my next appointment, so I wont be getting an adjustment for another 11 days. But who's counting?

I really like your silver ligs, I will ask my ortho about them. It only takes me about a week to stain the clear ones, must be the black coffee.

#10 Post by **Lela** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:46 am

Well, it's been one full month now. I don't see much in the way of movement yet. I think I'm pretty used all the hardware now and flossing is much easier and faster now that I have learned how to manipulate the floss threader

Still 4 weeks to go until my first adjustment.

My smile:

Bite:

Upper:

Lower:

Looks like I could use a little tooth whitening

I have some stains on the backs of my teeth that I never noticed before.

And just for fun:

Here's a nifty lig color "dressing room" I found. I like how they show the colors on teeth, it gives a better idea of how they might look.

http://www.smilesbysmoron.com/color.asp

#11 Post by **Temps75** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:48 pm

Lela, those silver ligs look great! It definitely makes me want to exchange my grungy "clear" ones for the shiny silver ones. I didn't even notice they were silver until I read that they were.

#12 Post by **Lela** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 1:22 pm

Things are starting to move! I have gaps opening up between the 6 bottom front teeth, several are not touching at all on either side. Not a lot of moving into place, but I guess they needed some room to work with. I have a feeling powerchains are in my future.
On the top the right lateral incisor has pulled out and is now lined up with the centrals. Guess that explains why it was so sore a week ago.

@2 days

@6 weeks

It's exciting to see some changes, even though they are kind of minor

#13 Post by **flesh-was-sweet** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:21 pm

WOW Lela - so much movement already!

Your teeth are lovely!

#14 Post by **Lela** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 5:58 pm

Today was my first adjustment. It's been 10 hours and my teeth are starting to feel it.

I got a new wire on top and just a lig change on the bottom. One of the bottoms (left canine) was tied with a wire tie and then she added a regular lig over the top. I guess this is supposed to help it rotate into place better. It sure is tender so there is added tenison on that tooth.

I went with silver ligs again. They held up to the daily coffee without looking the least bit worse for wear. And they barely show.

No visible change from the last photos so I won't bother taking another set of photos until after my Dec. 8th adjustment.

#15 Post by **Grutty** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 6:41 am

Hi Lela, your teeth are looking good, those laterals are really on the move!

I like the look of those silver ligs, I might ask for them at my next adjustment. I am a big coffee drinker too.