Bridging the Gap - Treating TMD...(Finally an update! p.5)

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#31 Post by **Meloho** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:02 pm

You and I should have bought stock in a elastics corporation. Do you try and eat with them on? I get lazy and try to eat with them but it doesn't work too well. I hate taking them out every time I want to chew something.

Your smile is looking very nice and it doesn't look like it should be too much longer before you have a Hollywood smile.

Lol! Love that stock comment! Yeah, I got a trashcan full of elastics at the end of every week...at least it seems like its full...

I've never deliberately eaten w/ them in; I once forgot them in and went to take a bite and remembered when I couldn't get the fork past them.

I don't mind removing them at all...one less thing to clean the food out of after eating.

And thank you for the compliment. Even though I never thought I needed braces, I'm glad I have them; some teeth were crooked and all my teeth were too much angled into the mouth, they needed to be expanded out. I hope the bottom expands out a bit when the bottom arch is installed.

So, it's been a while since I posted. I guess it's been a while because since I've gotten used to the braces, it's not as much on my mind as it used to be, so I don't feel I need to post too much.

My ortho clearly knows what's up, cuz my molars are still not quite meeting the uppers 100%, so it was fine to leave the bottom bite plate in another month. They are twisting so many different directions though, four lowers and two uppers. One upper twisted so much despite the archwire (all due to the elastics) that there was too much strain put on the lig and it broke. The next day, the lig on the tooth beside broke too, for no apparent reason. So I go tomorrow to get those ligs changed. I wonder if it's maybe cuz I've been wearing these for more than a month. Although, I have seen others on the board here who've had their ligs way longer (KK rings a bell, eh?).

So, I'll likely post some progress pics soon. I meant to a little while ago cuz they'd have been my one-month progress pics...oh well, so I skipped a month.

Oh well, Aug. 5 will make two months, so they'll be up for that. Later!

#32 Post by **Milk n Cereal** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:16 am

I just read through your whole story and loved it. Your teeth look very nice.

I hope everything at your lig changing today goes normally and well. What colors are you sporting? Looking forward to those pictures!

Oh and I must say, I love the look of your tickers! Very coordinated and pretty.

#33 Post by **Meloho** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:42 am

I just read through your whole story and loved it. Your teeth look very nice. I hope everything at your lig changing today goes normally and well. What colors are you sporting? Looking forward to those pictures!

Right now, my ligs are gold/turning brown but I'd love to try blue to see if it would make my teeth look whiter.

Oh and I must say, I love the look of your tickers! Very coordinated and pretty.

Thank you! I thought three might be too many, but hey, whatever.

I love your name - my favorite breakfast/snack food!

#34 Post by **Meloho** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 8:47 am

Well, I went Monday to have two ligs changed (btw, no one at my ortho's office called them ligatures...they're donuts

). He also did an exam, "open the mouth," "bite down," "open the mouth," "bite down." So now my adjustment's been pushed back another month.

I learned that he's aiming to erupt the molars higher than my front teeth, so that the molars all meet while I wear the bite plate. I imagine this is because they may lower themselves while the uppers are being brought down at a later time. I'm feeling better about the treatment and that's the main thing.

My ortho is only close by me (a 10-min drive) two days a week...the other three days he's in his other office about 40 mins away. So he was there Monday and yesterday this week...so guess when another lig broke? This morning...and he won't be back in his office close to me for over two weeks (holiday). If I want this lig changed, I'll have to go to his office farther away. (sigh)

#35 Post by **Milk n Cereal** » Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:05 am

For some reason your explanation of your ortho's words ("open the mouth", etc.) made me giggle.

I'm glad you're feeing better about your treatment. A find that a positive attitude makes everything better!

I wish my ortho was that close to me! We take an hour drive to get there every time. It's worth the drive for the final result!

I hope you find time to go get that lig fixed.

$+\+$

#36 Post by **Meloho** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:39 pm

Well, I know now that when a lig comes off, to just ignore it until my next appointment. At dinner today, however...a bracket came off, so I called his cell (which I was told to do) and his daughter picked up, saying they'd already left (I thought I could get into his other office tomorrow or something). Now I'm not sure...she's gonna ask him what he wants me to do when he calls her in a few days - I may have to go see a different ortho to get the bracket replaced (I have tucked away in a little container - glad I didn't swallow it). It seems like it's always something this last week...

#37 Post by **Laurie** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:04 pm

My ortho's office calls them "color ties".

#38 Post by **Meloho** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 11:25 pm

Color ties, that's fitting - why not stick w/ ligatures if that's their technical name though? Silly...like all the words for snow in...what language...Ah well, you know what I mean.

Well, my ortho's daughter called me tonight and told me he said it wasn't an emergency. The things we learn - I just wish I'd have seen your comment earlier, Karen, then I probably would have waited to tell him when I go for my adjustment on the 27th. So, I'll just leave it till then regardless...he'll have been back at work for over a week, but if it's not a rush, I don't wanna be in sooner than he wants me. So what if that molar lags behind a wee bit...it'll catch up eventually.

#39 Post by **Meloho** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:41 pm

Alrighty, so here they are finally, my cruddy 2-month progress photos:

Photo 1 is of my bite with the bite plate in place. I hate how the pics don't turn out like I see in IRL; actually, I have about 1/4" of a gap left between my molars while wearing the plate, so I have a few weeks to go yet if the ortho wants them all to meet while wearing it.

Photo 2 is my bite w/out the plate. Because my arches need straigthening out, my midline is way off. The top arch would need to be brought out on the right and the front.

Photo 3 is my bottom arch to show how off it's getting...the front teeth almost look straight and the side molars kinds square off from the front. Oh well, it'll get fixed when the bottom wire is put in.

I've been noticing a lot of gum sensitivity, but I believe that's a common complain w/ the braces. Specifically, the bottom teeth that are covered by the bite plate give me a hard time, when I floss, there are two teeth that it feels sort of sticky when I get right under the gumline. And the gums around the lower first premolars often bleed a little.

But other than that, all's pretty good. The missing bracket hasn't affected much, I ignore it most of the time. Food wise, I still have a hard time eating harder things, like carrots, nuts, apples, etc., and biting into things like sandwiches is annoying...just don't do it in public.

So, it's all good, at least I'm not starving (far from it!). Later!

#40 Post by **cwatt1** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:33 pm

Hi Meloho!

Wanted to drop by and extend a very belated greeting. Just finished reading your fascinating blog. First off, I echo the sentiments others have expressed about your teeth -- they really are very nice looking! As you mentioned, your bottom arch is squared off, but the bottom archwire should take care of that when it's braced.

Your attitude is amazing, and I commend you for it with your having to deal with so many appliances -- the Nick-a-nator, the elastics. When my daughter was a teenager she had some issues with TMJ and was prescribed a bite splint, but we could never get her to keep it in her mouth! Plus she broke several of 'em -- not cool, since we had to pay extra for each one of them! Never did get the TMJ completely under control, but at least it doesn't bother her too much as an adult (at least not so far). Apparently it was never that severe.

It's great that you and your ortho seem to be on the same page at this point -- that really makes the treatment go much easier and enables you to not obsess about the changes that occur in your mouth.

Continued success! You are a fascinating writer and I look forward to future updates and pics!

#41 Post by **Meloho** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:01 am

Thank you cwatt1 and KK! Your support is greatly appreciated!

#42 Post by **Laurie** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:44 am

How much longer do you have the bite plate?

#43 Post by **Meloho** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:01 am

How much longer do you have the bite plate?

Until my molars meet while wearing it...I imagine another month or so. So I'll wind up with my front teeth not meeting, but my ortho said that he wanted to over-adjust because they would settle and lower down a bit again...

#44 Post by **mjbusch** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 4:36 pm

I have updated my site again since I got braces. I wanted to know how your treatment is going. My orthodontist said I would need to also get a rick a nator. Have you had any problems? I am worried it will make me lisp so I am researching on any alternatives right now. I will also have to wear vertical elastics that connect each molar.

#45 Post by **Meloho** » Sat Feb 02, 2008 2:52 pm

It has been a LONG time since I posted, I know. It's odd how when they're new, braces are all you think about...but life goes on and my obsessions have shifted elsewhere.

But, I will still post an update...My wearing of the elastics almost 24/7 has paid off, my molars are almost all touching. The upper right rear molar is not quite; my band came off it 2 different times and I had to spend a total of 2 weeks without any elastic on it, so it's lagged behind a bit, bit it's no big deal.

On Thursday I go for a cleaning and then we'll progress to the next phase, which I presume will be putting brackets on the lower front teeth (which means no more biteplate, YAAA!!!) and wiring them up. I have gaps all over the top arch and my lowers are crowded...hopefully they'll even out, maybe w/ the help of some powerchains, which I'm anxious to wear...lol!

I'll post any major developments as they occur.

The collage I'm posting is a bit old, it's from a month ago, and my molars are closer still from what the pics show. Hopefully I'll take a couple more before my appointment.