My road to straight teeth - updated 03-Dec-08 *PICS on p.7*

[victor36]

My ortho measured the distance in gaps of tooth extraction sites. Apparantly gaps are closing but it goes sooooooooooooooo slow. A real downer to be honest. I do not see anything but then I see my teeth every day and woudn't notice!?

hi danish,

wow, your teeth are making awesome progress! All you have to do is look at the old pictures from page 1 and see how far you have come. Great job!

~Victor

[Miss Smiley]

I can tell just by looking that your extraction gaps have gotten smaller! Your teeth look great!!!!!

[jojo]

hey danish!!

I have a very similar upper arch and in two weeks I will be having my first upper biscupids extractacted...I am NOT looking forward to it...I am terrified because I had two lower molar extracted two weeks ago and I was in so much pain...I just hope that it is not as bad. I am glad to see your progress..it amazing! and that gives me courage to go and get it over with. Look forward to seeing more pics!

Take care,

Jojo

[Katt]

Wow your teeth are looking great, I'm having some brace envy right now.

[Wired Skull]

Hej Dansken.

En granne från Sverige som hilser. Looking great. There sure has happend a lot in those month. Isn't it great to notice the changes and know that this was a correct decision to get braces.
I haven't regreted one time. My teeth looks so much better now and I would as you said recommended it to anyone. Too bad you have to pay for it out of your own pocket as an adult.

Hang in there and you will see that your gaps will close. I've had elastics for about a year and there have been a lot of movements. (No extractions though)

Hilsen, Wired.

[danish]

10th adjustment on 05 Sep 2008.

Well...time to remove the dust in here and bring an update regarding my progress. My last update was back in May Hehe

Treatment is going OK. Gaps are cosing and teeth are slowly moving to their proper places. Unlike the initial months into treatment with lots of movement this gap closing business is quite a challenge. Movement is so slow that you hardly notice it. I stopped taking monthly pictures in order not to be disappointed with movement results. However, teeth are moving. My ortho has on several occasions said that he doesn't want to accelerate things unnecessarily in order to be on the safe side.

Gaps on the bottoms are almost closed. On the uppers there is still some work to be done.

To close the gaps I'm still using the coils but with a stronger pulling force than in May. At night I'm using elastics from my #3's in the upper jaw to my #7's in the lower jaw. Biggest change is that I got rid of the TPA. Yes Baby!!!!

I noticed that I had to re-calibrate my tongue after removal of the TPA. At work I had some difficulties with saying "Step throat " to a customer on the phone which was kind of funny.

Treatment with fixed braces is supposed to be finished around New year. Then it's retainer time. Damn... I'm looking forward to that... In the meantime trying to stay positive and busy with other things than checking out my teeth in the mirror

Here's some visual:

Front:


Upper:
Look- no TPA!!

Lower:


Side views:



Ok friends..... I'll be back in October which will be my one-year anniversary in braces

[cosmicgirl]

teeth are looking great danish - but can I just ask you one thing - why did you have to say step throat to someone on the phone? What does it mean?
just curious....!

[cosmicgirl]

ps - am V happy you're free of the expander - absolute nightmare!

[danish]

hi cosmicgirl,

I work for a Danish travel insurance company and we have a lot of clients in the US needing medical assistance. Hence the use of the word

Danish

[cosmicgirl]

ah - strep throat. Got you!!

[Lily]

I have a question, I'm closing up some gaps on the bottom with springs, similar to what you've got happening at the moment. Once your gaps are closed at the front, won't there still be a gap at the back? or do they move those teeth too?
I've been trying to think about how to ask my Orthodontist without sounding like I'm questioning his treatment so I thought I'd ask you seeing as you're near the end of your treatment Your progress is amazing, well done!

[danish]

good question. I have been wondering myself..

From what I understand gap closure works from both ends. Eventually the coil spring will be attached to molars at the back and thereby closing the whole thing.

Danish

[danish]

Hi cosmicgirl,

Yes, of course. "strep throat"..!!! *LOL*
English is a tough language. hehe

Danish

[Lily]

good question. I have been wondering myself..

From what I understand gap closure works from both ends. Eventually the coil spring will be attached to molars at the back and thereby closing the whole thing.

Danish

Ahh that would make sense! None of my back molars have any brackets attached to them so that's why I'm a bit concerned! Maybe they'll put brackets on them and close them up towards the end?

[danish]

don't worry. My ortho didn't put brackets on my back molars to begin with either. However, he did so some months into treatment. Can't say why everything was not fitted to begin with. Maybe a question for your ortho? Hehe

Don't be afraid to ask your ortho about the treatment. First of all it's your teeth, innit? Second, it only shows your interest. After all, fixing your teeth is a team work between you and the ortho.

My ortho is always joking that I will be able to open my own dental office after treatment because I ask a lot about my orthodontic treatment

Danish