Overdue update - Isle of Man Mike's story with new pics

[chillin-in-grilz]

ok, thanks! I been seeing it all over lol. Seems to me lots of people on these boards are from the UK. Any Canadians out there:)

[Clairey Fairey]

The only thing she was not sure about was whether extractions would be needed. This appeared unlikely but given I have a grown an extra tooth from somewhere, extractions would not come as a surprise.

Wow an extra tooth, that is pretty cool!!

By the way, do have have an NHS dentist?? (even though you have a private ortho). If you do ask for a HC1 form and you could get money off dental treatment. If you haven't filled in this form already of course!

[mikecl]

The extra tooth was a definite shock and seems to be sitting next to one of my lower molars.

I will find out if the ortho has any specific plans for it on May 11.

I am off to see my NHS dentist on 23 April so will ask about the HC1 form and will see if I can get any money off.

The Isle of Man has a separate NHS but it operates on similar lines to the UK, ie clueless politicians, wasting money on non-patient related stuff and lack of dental care !

[Clairey Fairey]

The Isle of Man has a separate NHS but it operates on similar lines to the UK, ie clueless politicians, wasting money on non-patient related stuff and lack of dental care

Yep!! I just didn't want to be the first to say it!!

[mikecl]

Evening all

Just wanted to post an update following the second of two initial consults I had arranged and I have to say that I was totally unimpressed with the ortho I saw.

The first ortho I saw operates from a practice which has only been on the island for a year but everything was clean, really clean and all the equipment looked state of the art .

The second ortho operates from a well established practice but which is based in a converted house. This is not unusual I know but as a result it looked disorganised and and just a little untidy. I am sure it was clean but the impression was not favourable.

After the intial consult and the usual impressions and x-rays, the first ortho did not want to commit on possible options, ie, she did not rule anything in or anything out.

After a brief inspection, the second ortho decided I am a candidate for Invisalign and also said that there was no problem with my bite. (I think there is but I am not a professional). I know someone with a stack of experience can make quick judgements on their specialist subject (I do it all the time) but the speed of her decision just suggested a lazy and "one-size fits all" approach.

Her assistant and another of her colleagues were wearing Invisalign trays and I have to say that they are pretty hard to spot and the assistant said that they were okay to wear.

However, my gut feel is not a good one even though the cost would include any traditional braces needed to finish the job. It was just the laissez faire attitude that was such a put off and was in stark contrast to the attitude of the first ortho.

Even if the first ortho suggests Invisalign this won't bother me as the impression I got was one of thoroughness and that she would look at the impressions and X-Rays before discussing all of the possible options.

My intentions are not to do anything further until I have had my follow up appointment with the first ortho but as ever I would appreciate comments and all of your advice.

Has anyone else had a similar experience ?

Cheers

[mikecl]

Karen

Unfortunately we do not have a lot of options here on the Isle of Man so it's really only a choice between these two.

The more I think about it the more I don't like the second ortho. I forgot to mention this in my previous post but she didn't even spot the extra tooth I have - which was the first thing the first ortho commented on.

All in all not very impressive so hopefully the next consult with the first ortho on 11 May will go well.

Cheers

Mike

[mikecl]

As promised the first ortho I saw, Katharine, has sent a letter outlining her diagnosis and suggested treatment plan.

Although I have always thought that I could do with getting it was still a shock to see the ortho agree and confirm it in writing.

The ortho has confirmed that there is crowding of the upper and lower front teeth and that I have something called "Bolton Discrepancy". I have looked it up on the Internet but if someone could explain it to me using small words it would be much appreciated.

For the top teeth it's a case of a "slight separation of the upper front teeth" and for the bottom ones she has suggested the extraction of one lower front tooth to disperse the crowding. To be honest this has not come as a surprise but since it was over 20 years ago that I had a tooth removed (the smell of the gas is coming back to me !) I have no idea of what this would entail.

Following the extraction it would be braces for approx 18 months or so to create a "right sagittal and vertical overbite"; I hope this is ortho speak for a normal bite.

The proposed costs of up to £2,800 (incl the extraction) appear reasonable especially as over £4k was quoted to me for Invisalign treatment. (see previous posts for what I think of that consult)

My next appointment with this ortho is on 11 May so I have plenty of time to gather my thoughts and to add to the list of questions I already have.

My gut feel is what she is suggesting seems reasonable but I will fire off a quick email tomorrow to clarify a couple of things. For instance, the letter states that braces for the lower jaw are available in ceramic or metal but it doesn't mention whether this applies to the top ones or not.

As always your views and especially your words of encouragement will be very welcome and I will keep you all posted

Regards

Mike

[mikecl]

Following lunch time's visit to my normal dentist when he answered my questions about the Bolton discrepancy and after reading a couple of posts on the metal mouth forum under braces and self-image (viewtopic.php?t=18413) this morning,
I phoned the ortho to tell them I want to start treatment asap. This means that the extraction of one of my lower front teeth will be done on 4 May and the braces (ceramic upper and lower) will go on a week later, on 11 May.

I have to say that I feel so much better for having committed to the 11 May as the start date and while I am nervous I also know that I am doing the right thing.

Regards

Mike

[Clairey Fairey]

Good Luck with the extraction and braces Mike.

Sounds like our treatment is similar, ceramics, lower tooth extraction, even the same price!!

Hope all goes well, look forward to reading how it goes

[mikecl]

Had a phone call from the ortho to say that the extraction (of one tooth on the lower jaw) planned for 4 May has now been cancelled but that everything will start on 11 May as planned.

No extraction is good news but I understood this was required to create extra space. The ortho stated that I have something called a "Bolton discrepancy" which has led to crowding on the lower jaw.

Should I now expect something other than just braces to correct this ?

I have two appointments on 11 May, one at 9am to discuss the treatment plan and one at 3.30pm when it will start. I have absolutely no problem in doing what is required to fix my bite and smile and I am not really bothered whether it requires any additional appliances.

However, if anyone has any suggestions for what the ortho may have planned, I would be happy to hear them.

Cheers

[mikecl]

B - Day May 11th at 3.30pm

[mikecl]

Just a very quick message to say that my upper brace has been in place for about 45 minutes !

I will post something more comprehensive (incl pics) when I've had the time to sit back and reflect and what has just happened.

Initial thoughts are that it doesn't half feel a little strange but I am also very glad that I have done it. Hopefully I will still feel like that in the morning but the dull throb around the molar bands suggests maybe I won't be.

Cheers

Mike

[kirjax]

good job mike. Mine have been in place since around 9:30 this morning. Not that bad yet. A bit of tingling feeling in the front teeth actually. And I was able to eat fine. I know tomorrow may be a different story. Just keep popping the pain reliever and we'll be fine

[mikecl]

Thanks for the replies Meryaten and JT.

In order to treat the Bolton Discrepancy there will be a bit of IPR on the upper arch. I will also be losing one of my front lower teeth in the next month or so and then the lower brace will be fitted to close the gap and fix the over-crowding.

The first day in braces has gone pretty well - the molars have felt a little tender due to the bands and the front teeth feel over-sensitive but overall I am not in any real pain or discomfort - I was expecting a lot worse !

Eating has been strange and I have been running off to clean my teeth and the brace after every meal - keeping everything as clean as possible is my main concern with the whole process.

I've tried to keep to my normal diet - crunchy nut cornflakes went down okay at breakfast (with alot of milk) and I even managed a bacon sandwich at lunch and a curry tonight ! (I lost 7 pounds last week due to a mouth, throat and chest infection so I have a bit of leeway in trying to stay healthy!). I am also drinking a lot of water to wash everything down with and to keep as hydrated as possible.

I think this post will read back to front as I have still not really said anything about yesterday and how my B-day went .

Well to start with I was really nervous and it just got worse as the appointment got closer. As I was walking towards the ortho's office, I stopped a couple of times to think about things and I am not really sure how close I got to not actually turning up but turn up I did.

I only had to wait about 5 minutes before being greeted by Katharina and she was as friendly as ever. I knew I would be posting an update on this site so I wanted to make as many mental notes as possible about the whole process. However, there are really only (?) four things that stood out:

1. The two molar bands - This was the hardest part of the whole process - having to bite down several times on what looked like a little rubber hammer so allow the band to fit over the tooth was weird and caused a very heavy and uncomfortable sensation. I thought that having to do it once for each band was bad enough but then Katharina removed the Bands and I had to repeat the whole process as they were fixed in place.

2. Falling asleep - you may not believe this but after the bands were in place and the heavy uncomfortable feeling had subsided I just simply relaxed and spent the next 20 minutes or so dozing off as the brackets went on - I wasn't going anywhere and not having a lot of sleep the previous night due to nerves and a screaming three year old, making the most of a comfy seat and some relative peace and quiet seeemd the right thing to do.

3. First impressions don't count - during the time I was awake when the brackets went on, I remember thinking that I cannot feel a thing inside my mouth. Every drop of moisture had been sucked out and with the lip spreader on I just felt a little divorced from the whole process. However that soon changed when Katharina re-introduced some water into my mouth and removed the lip spreaders. My lips fell back to their natural place and then it was a case of "Oh my God - those brackets feel huge and those Bands are even worse - what the **** have I done ?"

4. The first look - Now that my mind was trying to come to terms with what I felt was an upper lip which must have been sticking out by at least a mile, looking in the mirror was the last thing I wanted to do. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The brackets are ceramic and being relatively clear and with a thin archwire they don't look that obvious and stranger still I took comfort from the fact that with the brackets and wire not being in a nice straight line my teeth do look like they need braces !

So that was B-day and I have to say that I am so very happy that I went through with it and I feel very positive about the whole experience

But this wouldn't be a post on Archwired.com without a few questions so here goes.

1. Katharina said that the ligatures would be attached next time out (15 June). The wire appears to be firmly attached to the brackets but is this normal ?

2. She also said that this first archwire is relatively soft and is just being used to prepare the teeth for treatment - from this can I am expecting a little more discomfort following the first adjustment – would this be correct ?

Hopefully you can see the following pic of the upper brace and as ever, I would welcome everyone's thoughts and comments.





Cheers

Mike

[kirjax]

Mike Good job!

you sound like you experienced some of the same things I did.

I hated the lip spreaders, I hated looking at myself after they were on, and I thought the same thing, dang what have I done!! I even told my ortho that I was backing out (joking of course) and he started laughing and said "already?....that was quick!"

I also hated the process of them putting on and off the molar caps. However my process was a bit worse bc I had a really sensitive tooth. And one molar she couldn't find the right size so she took it on and off literally 3-4 times before getting the right size!! Then it was putting them all in with that NASTY sour tasting glue! *yuck*

but all in all it wasn't too bad. I too have to wait for my bottoms. That should be fun....NOT!