Everything going well without the Percocet. I actually talked to a couple of people who said they get the itchies from it too but they like it?! So now I'm at the point where the stitches are starting to soften up and poking up at the ends. Maybe they'll be out by midweek or so.
Only 36 more hours until my ortho visit! I am more anxious than I am excited, at least until they (hopefully) put me at ease as far as the recommended course of treatment. Obviously I'd like to be out of them sooner than later, etc. We shall soon know.
Steve
Getting braced at 35.. before pics
Moderator: bbsadmin
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snaggletooth steve
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:04 pm
- Location: Florida
Ok I had the appt today. The Dr didn't have anything particularly stressful to say except that I would have to have all metal brackets for at least six to nine months (something about torque) and then they would switch the top six or eight to whatever I want.
They also proceeded with records and impressions. I didn't get a pano today because the dentist just did one, so hopefully they will get a copy of that.
Impressions were not too bad except I was worried it would grab onto my remaining stitches and get stuck. They didn't but man they sure stuck onto my top teeth. Thought they'd come out with the impression! Well maybe not that bad but spooky. No gagging at least..
So now it looks like Sept 6 for the case presentation, so another month of waiting. Problem is the Dr is going out of town the end of this month so we were delayed a bit. Oh well.
I won't know much else before then.. looks like mid Sept to get them on I guess. We'll see.
Steve
They also proceeded with records and impressions. I didn't get a pano today because the dentist just did one, so hopefully they will get a copy of that.
Impressions were not too bad except I was worried it would grab onto my remaining stitches and get stuck. They didn't but man they sure stuck onto my top teeth. Thought they'd come out with the impression! Well maybe not that bad but spooky. No gagging at least..
So now it looks like Sept 6 for the case presentation, so another month of waiting. Problem is the Dr is going out of town the end of this month so we were delayed a bit. Oh well.
I won't know much else before then.. looks like mid Sept to get them on I guess. We'll see.
Steve
Hi Steve,
I know your appt. with your ortho seems like such a long time away but the day will come soon. You might ask your ortho's office that if they have an opening before your scheduled appt. to call you to see if you are available on the day with an opening - or are you scheduled on 9/6/06 because it will take your ortho awhile to review your records due to his upcoming vacation?
I know you may be a bit concerned about the metal brackets but I think once you have worn them awhile you will be so use to them that you won't even want to switch to ceramic brackets. There have only been about 5 people that mentioned my braces (I have ceramic brackets) and I have found that I feel so much more at ease after they mentioned that they notice the braces. I'm still not sure if people are not noticing them or if they are just not mentioning them. I will be getting my lower braces on 9/7/06 and not sure if I will be able to get ceramic brackets, I forgot to ask my orthodontist at my last appt. I have heard that sometimes ortho's don't like to work with ceramic brackets on the lower teeth, not sure why. Although I prefer the ceramic brackets, I'll be fine if I have to get the metal brackets.
Good luck with your ortho treatment and keep us posted.
ssfw
I know your appt. with your ortho seems like such a long time away but the day will come soon. You might ask your ortho's office that if they have an opening before your scheduled appt. to call you to see if you are available on the day with an opening - or are you scheduled on 9/6/06 because it will take your ortho awhile to review your records due to his upcoming vacation?
I know you may be a bit concerned about the metal brackets but I think once you have worn them awhile you will be so use to them that you won't even want to switch to ceramic brackets. There have only been about 5 people that mentioned my braces (I have ceramic brackets) and I have found that I feel so much more at ease after they mentioned that they notice the braces. I'm still not sure if people are not noticing them or if they are just not mentioning them. I will be getting my lower braces on 9/7/06 and not sure if I will be able to get ceramic brackets, I forgot to ask my orthodontist at my last appt. I have heard that sometimes ortho's don't like to work with ceramic brackets on the lower teeth, not sure why. Although I prefer the ceramic brackets, I'll be fine if I have to get the metal brackets.
Good luck with your ortho treatment and keep us posted.
ssfw
Quad-Helix expander: 1/20/06 - 1/16/07
Upper braces: 5/19/06; lower braces: 9/7/06
Braces removed: 8/19/08
Received retainer: 8/26/08 - wearing retainer 24 hours/day
Next appt.: 11/18/08
Upper braces: 5/19/06; lower braces: 9/7/06
Braces removed: 8/19/08
Received retainer: 8/26/08 - wearing retainer 24 hours/day
Next appt.: 11/18/08
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snaggletooth steve
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:04 pm
- Location: Florida
ssfw,
It sounded like a combination of his going out of town and the fact that they are pretty booked. Not a big deal as long as I don't spend the money for this in the mean time. This house we just bought seems to have a way of consuming every spare dollar we had. It seems we've spend 110% of the remodel budget and are only about 80% through with it!
I had the chance to see all of my records photos and xray yesterday.. Man my teeth are bad! For many people braces are the end but for me they will just be the beginning of my journey. I'll try to get a copy of these photos and post the highlights. Can't wait to see my molds too LOL.
steve
It sounded like a combination of his going out of town and the fact that they are pretty booked. Not a big deal as long as I don't spend the money for this in the mean time. This house we just bought seems to have a way of consuming every spare dollar we had. It seems we've spend 110% of the remodel budget and are only about 80% through with it!
I had the chance to see all of my records photos and xray yesterday.. Man my teeth are bad! For many people braces are the end but for me they will just be the beginning of my journey. I'll try to get a copy of these photos and post the highlights. Can't wait to see my molds too LOL.
steve
hello steve from another floridian!!!
i just got braced august 8th. i'm 34 and like you i had no dental care during my childhood. i too developed a dental phobia. i had all my wisdom teeth out one by one, perio treatment, cavities filled. oh not so pleasant but i was glad for it all because i was able to get my braces right away.
when i first saw my molds i was tripped out.
i have metal uppers and lowers and i'll be getting rubber bands sometime soon. this is all very exciting and i can't wait to see the results. it may take 18 to 24 months.
best of luck to you!
lala
i just got braced august 8th. i'm 34 and like you i had no dental care during my childhood. i too developed a dental phobia. i had all my wisdom teeth out one by one, perio treatment, cavities filled. oh not so pleasant but i was glad for it all because i was able to get my braces right away.
when i first saw my molds i was tripped out.
i have metal uppers and lowers and i'll be getting rubber bands sometime soon. this is all very exciting and i can't wait to see the results. it may take 18 to 24 months.
best of luck to you!
lala
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snaggletooth steve
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:04 pm
- Location: Florida
Hope all goes well on the 6th.-
florencegal
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:20 pm
- Location: south-west UK
Good luck next week Steve for your case discussion with the orthodontist - I had mine yesterday and it wasn't quite so bad as I expected, a lot better than all that waiting anyway! I expected them to say "Oh dear, well you're going ot be quite a challenge" but they were very positive and made me realise that a perfect smile is achievable, even for me!
I hope the next few days pass quickly for you and you get a treatment plan that you're happy and comfortable with
I hope the next few days pass quickly for you and you get a treatment plan that you're happy and comfortable with
Hi Steve,
Your appt. to review your records is coming up in a few days. I know it seemed like a long wait for you. Hopefully if you agree to what treatment plan your orthodontist presents to you, you will be able to begin soon after. I do know with some patients, if spacers are needed, they place them at the same appt. and with others if spacers are not needed, they get their braces placed. Placing the spacers usually only takes a few seconds. Placing the braces can take about an hour or more. Unless, they have some time allowed on their schedule for this, you may have to make another appt.
Be sure to bring any questions you may have regarding your upcoming ortho treatment - such as pros/cons of getting braces, headgear needed, etc. Also, if you feel you need some time to make your decision, don't rush into it. It took me about 2 months to make my decision, mainly due to the visibility of the braces. Also, I knew I couldn't begin my ortho treatment until the beginning of the year due to the Flexible Spending Account (tax savings program) so I had 2 months to make the decision due to the deadline of the Flexible Spending Account program. I can't believe that it has been almost one year since I went in for my orthodontic consultation.
I agree with your post about seeing the photos, x-rays and impressions that were done at the records appt. I always felt my teeth looked okay prior to getting the braces and when I saw the various photos taken at different angles, I no longer felt my teeth looked okay. I also felt the same way after I saw my x-rays and the impression. My orthodontist always refers to the photos on the computer screen located at each ortho chair and I always feel a bit embarassed to see them but at the same time I know I am there to make my teeth look better. Seeing the photos and impressions of my teeth had a big impact on my decision of proceeding with ortho treatment.
Keep us posted.
ssfw
Your appt. to review your records is coming up in a few days. I know it seemed like a long wait for you. Hopefully if you agree to what treatment plan your orthodontist presents to you, you will be able to begin soon after. I do know with some patients, if spacers are needed, they place them at the same appt. and with others if spacers are not needed, they get their braces placed. Placing the spacers usually only takes a few seconds. Placing the braces can take about an hour or more. Unless, they have some time allowed on their schedule for this, you may have to make another appt.
Be sure to bring any questions you may have regarding your upcoming ortho treatment - such as pros/cons of getting braces, headgear needed, etc. Also, if you feel you need some time to make your decision, don't rush into it. It took me about 2 months to make my decision, mainly due to the visibility of the braces. Also, I knew I couldn't begin my ortho treatment until the beginning of the year due to the Flexible Spending Account (tax savings program) so I had 2 months to make the decision due to the deadline of the Flexible Spending Account program. I can't believe that it has been almost one year since I went in for my orthodontic consultation.
I agree with your post about seeing the photos, x-rays and impressions that were done at the records appt. I always felt my teeth looked okay prior to getting the braces and when I saw the various photos taken at different angles, I no longer felt my teeth looked okay. I also felt the same way after I saw my x-rays and the impression. My orthodontist always refers to the photos on the computer screen located at each ortho chair and I always feel a bit embarassed to see them but at the same time I know I am there to make my teeth look better. Seeing the photos and impressions of my teeth had a big impact on my decision of proceeding with ortho treatment.
Keep us posted.
ssfw
Quad-Helix expander: 1/20/06 - 1/16/07
Upper braces: 5/19/06; lower braces: 9/7/06
Braces removed: 8/19/08
Received retainer: 8/26/08 - wearing retainer 24 hours/day
Next appt.: 11/18/08
Upper braces: 5/19/06; lower braces: 9/7/06
Braces removed: 8/19/08
Received retainer: 8/26/08 - wearing retainer 24 hours/day
Next appt.: 11/18/08
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snaggletooth steve
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:04 pm
- Location: Florida
Getting much closer now... I'm just hoping for good news on Weds. I have $4000 saved up for this so I should be less than $1000 short of the total, unless they say I'm a special case. Better yet, since I do some contract work for them, maybe they'll sweeten up the deal. Mainly I'm just glad I've got it mostly covered and I can start saving up for the costmetic things (oh the irony of that misspelling!) that I need done when the braces come off.
I'm ready to get this show on the road!
steve
I'm ready to get this show on the road!
steve
Congrats Steve from another newbie AND I'm Floridian!
30 years old (come December) I had a choice (i think) to get braces as a kid and I decided against it (I already had glasses)
Anyhoo - I go on Thursday (9/7/06) to get braced. Funny because my consult was on 8/8/06 (around the same time as your appointments) and my original 'install' appt was for 8/30, but TS Ernesto changed those plans.
Something about the canines for me too...but I am soooo looking forward to 'normal' teeth!
Good luck
30 years old (come December) I had a choice (i think) to get braces as a kid and I decided against it (I already had glasses)
Anyhoo - I go on Thursday (9/7/06) to get braced. Funny because my consult was on 8/8/06 (around the same time as your appointments) and my original 'install' appt was for 8/30, but TS Ernesto changed those plans.
Something about the canines for me too...but I am soooo looking forward to 'normal' teeth!
Good luck
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snaggletooth steve
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 8:04 pm
- Location: Florida
Terrible news for me... not looking very likely I will be going forward on this journey. The Dr. has said my case is very severe and he's likely not willing to do a compromise - in other words he is requiring jaw surgery.
No way I can afford to stop working for any length of time to go through that and recovery, before even thinking about the expense.
To make matters worse, my missing molars won't help with my crowding because they said they cannot push the teeth back due to lack of supporting bone material. They want four more extractions and I'm not about to go through any more of those. Even if I did, this means even less teeth to chew with until ortho treatment is completed, and then even more implants/bridgework that I already would have a tough time paying for - and that's before factoring in the expense of jaw surgery/lost work.
The only good news is I wouldn't need headgear.
Forever snaggled I shall be.
Steve
No way I can afford to stop working for any length of time to go through that and recovery, before even thinking about the expense.
To make matters worse, my missing molars won't help with my crowding because they said they cannot push the teeth back due to lack of supporting bone material. They want four more extractions and I'm not about to go through any more of those. Even if I did, this means even less teeth to chew with until ortho treatment is completed, and then even more implants/bridgework that I already would have a tough time paying for - and that's before factoring in the expense of jaw surgery/lost work.
The only good news is I wouldn't need headgear.
Forever snaggled I shall be.
Steve
Dear Steve
I have been following your story and was excited for you. I am so sad to hear your news. Do you feel a bit misled by what you were told earlier (August 8th)? I am so sorry to hear that it will be too costly to get your teeth fixed. You could go for a second opinion but I don't know if you would think that it might be a waste of money if they had the same recommendations but you never know. The ortho might not be prepared to compromise but maybe you might for some improvement. Just a thought anyway.
The thought of having straight teeth is great and I can feel your disappointment but you know I am sure you have many great attributes that would far outweigh having straight teeth. If you decide not to seek any further treatment I would say just look after the teeth that you have. They have served you well so far in your life so keep them as best you can. From what you have said already you have been taking much better care of your teeth lately anyway so this is great.
Best of luck with everything.
Regards
Joney
I have been following your story and was excited for you. I am so sad to hear your news. Do you feel a bit misled by what you were told earlier (August 8th)? I am so sorry to hear that it will be too costly to get your teeth fixed. You could go for a second opinion but I don't know if you would think that it might be a waste of money if they had the same recommendations but you never know. The ortho might not be prepared to compromise but maybe you might for some improvement. Just a thought anyway.
The thought of having straight teeth is great and I can feel your disappointment but you know I am sure you have many great attributes that would far outweigh having straight teeth. If you decide not to seek any further treatment I would say just look after the teeth that you have. They have served you well so far in your life so keep them as best you can. From what you have said already you have been taking much better care of your teeth lately anyway so this is great.
Best of luck with everything.
Regards
Joney