Powderpuff's Story (overbite)--Pictures, 3 Pages

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#16 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:53 am

Hi Powderpuff,
I found chewing to be difficult at first, too. I became aware of the fact that I had been in the habit of chewing fairly forward in my mouth, and that was over the banded teeth, and they were awfully tender. So i made a point of chewing as far back as possible, alternating sides with each bite. It was slow, but that is how we should be eating anyhow. It is important to chew thoroughly because mixing the food well with saliva is part of the digestive process. And sometimes the "chewing" was mashing soft bites against the roof of my mouth. Avoid spaghetti. Even though it is pasta, it doesn't get ground up into very small pieces. Little pieces (like worms!) will tend to get lodged below the lower teeth brackets and gum line, and it can drive you nuts trying to move them out and around with your tongue! SOme baked goods (especially crakers and the like) turn into a hard paste and stck to the tops of the teeth and brackets, so beware of those also. To try new items that you would normally bite into, break them into smaller than normal bite sized pieces.
Good luck, you are doing fine and it will be better soon!

#17 Post by **powderpuff** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:40 am

I had some lunch today. Soft cooked carrots, new potatoes, and cheesy spinach. Also had some strawberry shortcake which was the easiest thing for me to eat. WAs nice to have something sweet

I also found that LSU sucks b/c they have those automatic faucets that never turn on when i need to rinse my toothbrush lol. My goal this week is to find the good bathrooms that have old fashioned nobs.

The pain has been coming in waves. Like last night it was almost unbearable but then settled down. This morning it was getting bad but now, after lunch, it is very moderate. Maybe it was b/c i met up with old friends to show them my new grill. hehe. It seems that talking helps relax my mouth a little.

I have a few little scabs around my gumline on the left side. Is this normal for having braces or am i being too rough with my electric toothbrush (Sonicare)?

Thanks everyone for your tips on chewing. I'm glad to know that not only me has dealt with these peoblems.

Also...Does invisalign hurt this much? My mom-in-law is wanting to get that but jeez...if they hurt as much as my braces there's no way she would ever wear them!

#18 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:14 pm

Hey, Powderfpuff, I forgot to warn you about spinach and parsley! They can get lost in your mouth for days if you don't waterpik.

Hope you have one. If not it is a wise investment for the rest of your dental health life. USe it at the ned of the day after doing everything elase that you do. You will be suprised at what get left behind. I don't have a sonicare, but if you have scabs at your gumline, that sounds like you might be overdoing something. Or is it congealed blood? I think a talk to your dentist or ortho iwould be a good idea.

#19 Post by **powderpuff** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:02 pm

I wish my camera wasn't in the shop getting fixed....I would send a picture! I don't have a waterpik right now. Is it possible to get one for about 20-ish dollars?

#20 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 1:33 pm

Probably near that price range. CHeck at Wal-MArt or even some dollar stores and the like. The one I have is probably nearly 15 years old, and it doesn't have any fancy settings on it. It has an on/off button and the part that you hold in your hand to shoot the water in your mouth has a little turning knob that controls the strength of the water jet. And that doesn't have to blast at you to be effective. "Let your fingers do the wlking"-- insteasd of driving around to various places, call and ask if they carry it and how much it costs.

#21 Post by **powderpuff** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 4:36 pm

Well the brushhead is pretty new but the blood scabs have almost disappeared.

Usually when I update on here, the pain is very minimum. I am not getting any sores on the inside of my mouth so I guess it's a tradeoff.

My bottom inscissors are already flush straight (they were a bit ziggy zaggy before). I'm sure it's simply the pressure but it's super cool.

Flossing took quite some time today. Have trouble getting to that last tooth before the little hook thing.

I think the pain goes down right after I eat so I think that is good.

I am still taking 3 tylenol a few times a day and I took some tylenol Pm's last night to make sure I got enough sleep to heal up.

#22 Post by **powderpuff** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:00 am

Last night I went out with friends to 80's night at our local bar. We had a friend down from New York and she's going back up Sunday so we wanted to celebrate. Well I had a few drinks which usually I'm fine with but the smoothie king and 2 slices of roast beef I had yesterday was not holding me up. I slept at my cousin's house on my back.

That morning.....

Mouth was soooo dry. I think I had a little blood on the inside of my mouth too. I am starting to get excess rubbing now that it's all dried out. I am drinking lots of water and using lots of lip balm to hopefully return my mouth to former condition

Does anyone take L-lysine tablets to help with sores? I took them before b/c I can bad cankers pretty often but I wonder if this would prevent them from getting bad.

#23 Post by **powderpuff** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:30 pm

Here's a silly picture I took of me with my camera phone

Day 1:

As you can see...no pain yet...

Wow I just noticed my gumline is uneven haha

#24 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:32 pm

Good picture, Powderpuff! The pink is a good color for you. Might be a good idea to increase your vitamin C intake-- about 1000 mg of "ester-C"- divided into 2 500mg doses during the day. The "ester" is easier on your stomach. Also look for a product that isn't just ascorbic acid, but citrus bioflavinoids. Natrol is a good brand and can be found in places like discount buying clubs as well as health food stores. This should help heal your gums.

#25 Post by **powderpuff** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:17 am

Oh I found new pictures on my Orthodonist's website...

So here is before the braces

Here's the pararamic x-ray. You can see I have a wisdom tooth lodged in my skull. Only have 3.

Here's me trying to smile at the ortho's visit. I was kinda scared but now with braces my smile is super wide now. (can't help it hehe)

Here's my overbite. My front upper teeth lean back so that is my main concern with my teeth. Once it is straight up and down I'll be very satsified.

The top has nothing too crazy going on from this angle.

There's mild crowding on the bottom as you can see in this picture.

Here's one of many closed smile pictures. It's going to be open for now on! (maybe not when I'm heavy on the wax though)

#26 Post by **powderpuff** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:10 pm

Yay for Braces!!!!!

...and green eyeshadow...

#27 Post by **Patricia S.** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:58 am

Congrats on your braces! Your arches look really good to begin with. I look forward to reading your progress!!

Will they be removing your wisdom's? I had to have all four of my removed before I could even start my treatment.

Patricia

#28 Post by **powderpuff** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:07 am

The orthodonist said I can take my wisdom teeth out when I want to....The bottoms aren't impacted or anything...The dentist wants me to wait until I get the braces off but I was planning on having them removed this summer. I am not sure....Dueling dentists hehe

#29 Post by **powderpuff** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:11 am

I had to have all four of my removed before I could even start my treatment

I was blessed with only 3 !

#30 Post by **Patricia S.** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 10:12 am

lol, yeah I have had three different drs look at my wisdoms. Make sure whoever does the surgery is an Oral Surgeon. Some dentists do the surgeries, but I found the Oral Surgeon did a better job and was able to keep me A LOT more comfortable than the Dentist did!!