Expander in! Update

[Airbraceface]

Well, spacers are still in but tomorrow I get them changed! That will be nice. They feel hard and sharp on my right side.

I still am having a hard time chewing but I have gotten more daring with my food. I have pizza for lunch today. I can eat the toppings and the crust is soft so I can mush it in my mouth till I can swallow.

Tomorrow's Appointment:

I get spacers out and bands placed
New set of molds taken with bands placed
Bands taken off and spacers reinserted

Thats okay, hopefully things will go fast from there. The assistant said that spacers would be worse then the expander but from what I have read on here, the expander is hell! Any words of wisdom? I need a pep talk!

I will let you konw how it went tomorrow!

Laura

[Airbraceface]

Well, I went and had the spacers pulled out. They did not come out easy and that was of great concern. If they don't come out easily they did not do their job properly.

So then we tried to place bands. OMG that hurt so freaking bad. I can still feel the pain from it jaming into my right gums. She could not get the far right tooth on so she placed the rest of them with some trouble then went back for the beast. We finally got them all on and balanced out, this hurt because I had to bite to get them even.

We did another mold on the top then we had to pull them off. The assistant was yanking on my jaw to get the back right one off. I actually think I am bruised, the others all came off fairly easy. She then placed the spacers againg and it hurt worse then last time. I am in so much pain. My gums are really swollen where the bands were and can't bite down again. I hate this! The assistant asked if I would be back next week or did she scare me away. I told here I would be back and I know it wasn't her fault. My teeth just don't want to move very much.

I will let you know how it goes later this week. A few more days and the expander is placed.

[Airbraceface]

I am down to the last three days of my 2 week spacers ordeal and my whole left side of my mouth is freaking out. Everytime I bite down or move my tounge to hard, my teeth crack. I feel this crack up into my jaw. Is this normal? It makes this cracking feeling and at first I thought it was just the tooth moving but it just feels so wrong. Also, my gums around one of the teeth making this noise is really swollen. I am at work and I have no salt water to relax it, oraljel is not doing a thing and I am getting worried that I am recking my teeth. What do I do?

[AMinTX]

I am down to the last three days of my 2 week spacers ordeal and my whole left side of my mouth is freaking out. Everytime I bite down or move my tounge to hard, my teeth crack. I feel this crack up into my jaw. Is this normal? It makes this cracking feeling and at first I thought it was just the tooth moving but it just feels so wrong. Also, my gums around one of the teeth making this noise is really swollen. I am at work and I have no salt water to relax it, oraljel is not doing a thing and I am getting worried that I am recking my teeth. What do I do?

Yikes! I didn't have to get spacers so I don't know much about them. I would call your ortho to see if that's normal! Let us know what they say.

Angela

[Airbraceface]

Update,

So, last I posted my teeth were cracking and driving me crazy. I called the ortho and they said it was just the teeth moving with the spacers causing that noise

They did tell me that if my gums continued to bother me I could take the spacer out since my appt was the next morning. Well I was trying to reposition it to relieve some pain and it came out! So I placed it back in and everything was fine.

Yesterday I was freaking out about my expander being put in, I could barely eat anything. I got there and we fit the expander in and then cemented it. That was all good! When she turned it I was like WOAH! She then told me that I have to crank the expander twice a day for two weeks!

So I went to work and all of a sudden I started to feel really bad. I had taken two extra stregnth tylenol and it did nothing. Needless to say I left early. I went home and took a 7 hour nap! Ate a cup of pudding and some really really soggy cereal and went back to bed.

I woke up this morning and only my tongue was sore. Not to bad! I ate breakfast and brushed and flossed my teeth then cranked the beast twice and woah! Now, it doesn't hurt too bad, just some facial pressure but nothing horrible. The biggest trouble is talking and swallowing. I feel like I am going to choke if I swallow anything thats not liquid. I have been brave! I had a sandwich yesterday, took me 1.5 hours to eat but I did it and I also ate crossants!

Some good news! I can already see a gap in my front teeth! Pictures to follow soon!

Thats it for the weekend, I have my boyfriends grandpa's funeral this weekend and a long drive to Idaho.

Laura

[metalmom]

Congrats Laura!! I've been out sick for a few weeks so I missed you!!! I'm going on month 3 with my expander. It's been a long journey to say the least.. I am only cranking mine one turn, once a week. My Ortho is big on slow process... I know they're all different. Most days I'd kill for one like yours! haha Great job that you're eating with the expander. I wasn't able to do that for a while. Honestly what you're feeling now should be as bad as it gets.. I still get some pressure in the nose, lip, etc.. but mainly just a throbbing headache the day after kind of like I got punched. haha

Good luck with all of it and keep us posted!!

[METALMOUTHPOOH]

Hey girlie

Just checking on ya

How are u doing.... Watching biggest loser still?

Talk to u soon

[Airbraceface]

Photos from Day one!





Everyone says they don't see why I need braces but you can see the full on photo my cross bite isn't great..

[Airbraceface]

Thanks Karen!

Yeah, my teeth are pretty boring compared to some peoples I enjoy reading everyones stories alot. I love looking at the pictures and seeing that it isn't what everyone else thinks about your teeth, its what you think!

Update,

SO I have had this expander in for a week now and its not plesent but its not horrible. Some days I wish I could remove it just for 5 minutes then plug it back in. I am having a hard time flossing around the brackets but its because the glue got on them. I have to remember to tell the ortho that next week.

When I crank the expander I get this overwelming rush of pain for about five minutes then it starts to go away. This pain also comes if I bite down too hard. This morning I woke up and my face felt really swollen, the ortho told me that things like this would happen but I feel like I have a head cold. Its really annoying! Also, I have pain inside my right nostral and the bone on the outside of my eyes feels like its brusied. I have been sniffling all day and I just want to take a nappie poo!

Again, I know this is all normal I just needed to tell someone who cares!

I have 30 minutes till work is done and then I am off to Ellensburg for the weekend! Some friends and booze will help the pain J/K... or am I?

[Airbraceface]

So, today I went to the ortho and we checked the expander. He said it was looking good but he wanted me to continue to turn it another 2 weeks. I expanded from a 45mm upper to a 49mm and I have a 1.5mm gap in my front teeth (pictures coming soon).

I don't mind the turning, it doesn't hurt very bad. I am just bummed out that I have to make this gap twice as big. The worst part about it all is that the day after my next appointment I am going to Vegas. I am going to be in Vegas with a 3mm gap in my teeth

My boyfriend laughes at me all the time about how big my gap is. Its not hurtful just a cute tease. When I get upset about the gap he tells me to remember how great my teeth will look when its all done.

Till then,

Laura

[Cinnamon]

Hey Laura! You have beautiful teeth and your results will be stunning!! It sounds like your expander has done alot of work already. Congrats on getting started!

It sounds like you've got the right attitude regarding the gap - you are going to love how your teeth look and that the gap will be a faint memory in no time!

Have fun in Vegas and keep us updated!