opera^gal's story

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#151 Post by **Saysee** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 9:57 pm

I read a very good article about this but can't find it. The following is from Wikipedia:

Teeth move through the use of force. The force applied by the archwire pushes the tooth in a particular direction and a stress is created within the periodontal ligament. The modification of the periodontal blood supply determines a biological response which leads to bone remodeling, where bone is created on one side by osteoblast cells and resorbed on the other side by osteoclasts.

In other words, teeth hurt when they are being pushed into a new position, and hurt again when they're remodeling in the new position. The article I can't find explains this much better. I'll keep looking.

#152 Post by **opera^gal** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 2:48 pm

Saysee: I'm not sure if you posted to the correct storyline, but thanks for stopping by!

In my previous posting, the colour options did not work..so sad! Will try it again in another post down the road.

#153 Post by **opera^gal** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:30 pm

So it's been a week living with the joy that are elastics. Am I used to them? As much as anyone *can* be I suppose. Are they still uncomfortable? Yup! Have I seen any movement/improvement yet? Nope!
I'm definitely having a shift in my incisors, from the advanced position, back to feeling compressed top on bottom. I know the doc said it would be tweeked later, but it is seriously annoying at the moment.
Finally getting some cold weather, to get the holiday state of mind in gear. I thought the whole elastic/braces deal would result in an Ebenezer moment or seven, but so far, no bah humbug in sight.

#154 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 4:10 pm

Opera Girl:
Finally had a chance to catch your blog.....I've enjoyed your sense of humor. I'm writing this piggybacking onto the wireless network at my son's violin teacher. Her hubby is the maestro of our local symphony. If you ever get the chance to perform in Charleston (West Virginia that is), we have a great stage for live theatre.

I so understand about the hooks. I still have my lower surgical hooks. They hopefully serve no further purpose except poking where you don't want poked. I'm having all sorts of problems with my upper hooks. If the right side isn't poking, the left is. End result, I have ulcers or the start of an ulcer or a healing ulcer on both sides of my mouth. Maybe at my appointment on Thursday, I can convince my person to bend the top ones and remove the bottom ones.

Anyway keep smiling, you're closer to the end of this journey than you were this time last year.

Mike

#155 Post by **opera^gal** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:33 am

Thanks for stopping by iBorg. I've been to Charleston, WV, but at the time, it was only to the horse racing track...nearly bought a beautiful dappled gray gelding.
Hope you are able to convince the doc to bend your hooks back. I'm considering the same thing at my next adjustment. Heck, if they aren't going to be used for anything but were just *there* on the bands, I say bend them out of harms way! Give our poor inner cheeks a break!

#156 Post by **iBorg** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:45 am

Close but not quite the right town. Weird as it seems, with have a Charles Town (site of the horse track) and Charleston (site of a dog race track). We're a lot bigger and much more civilized area.

Mike

#157 Post by **opera^gal** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:57 pm

Ah, thanks for clearing that up.

#158 Post by **opera^gal** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:27 am

Took off my right side elastic this morning to have lunch and brush, only to cut the *^&#$ out of my tongue, due to the wire-tie premolar hook having snapped...called the doc and have an emergency appt for tomorrow afternoon, as she isn't in the office today. Office staff were very helpful and told me not to worry, that not wearing the elastics for a day won't disrupt my treatment plan and to go ahead and remove the wire-tie hook so it didn't do any more damage. I'm not thrilled with this having happened, but there is a silver lining to the bloody tongue cloud here:
1. I'll ask if I'm going to have to wear this configuration of elastics a longish time, if the doc can give me brackets with the hooks built in..
2. I'll bring attention to the fact that the forward advancement of my top incisors has been essentially nullified as they are touching the bottoms once again...and possibly get a solution..
3. I can change ligs, if I'm feeling like it at the end...or what I call the mini-bonus, as if I choose a wacky colour, it's not as long until the next adjustment to live with them...LOL

#159 Post by **opera^gal** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 12:54 pm

Emergency appt. went without a hitch....well...sorta kinda. I took in the snapped hook, to show where the wire had broken, and they seemed shocked that it was out of my mouth. Ummm..your staff said it was ok to remove it! Poke prod poke prod bite down bite down bite down, and zipadee doo dah, the new hook was twisted TIGHTLY into place, as if the doc was going for the 8 sec rodeo calf tying score. I mentioned the sharp end of the top archwire and how it was shredding my floss, and the doc felt back there and SNAGGED her glove on the wire...yupYupYUP it's sharp! After clipping it, she apparently *lost* the clipped bit, and dug around in my mouth for a while, before pulling it OUT of my cheek with a tweezer-type tool. I did get a 'good job' on the elastic wearing so far, just before I was admonished for not wearing a coat in 29 degrees <lower with windchill>...ummm..coat rack in the waiting room?!? The doc was channeling my mother, from when I was a kid, walking to the bus stop mid-winter, with my coat WIDE open..LOL What a day folks, what-a-day!

#160 Post by **opera^gal** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 1:00 pm

D'oh! If any readers are wondering about the 3 points I made in a previous posting regarding the emergency visit:
#1 Asked about brackets with hooks, was told this configuration shouldn't last long enough to change them..
#2 The incisor issue is likely to be helped during the wearing of elastics..
#3 I nixed the idea of new ligs, when only one was removed to add the replacement hook, and the same lig was put back on.

#161 Post by **opera^gal** » Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:32 pm

Though it has only been two weeks with elastics, it feels like two months...the sheer monotony of putting them in, taking them out, putting them in, taking them out..seems to stretch out time to a snail's pace. I found the best way to make sure they are situated the same on both sides <tension-wise> is to twang them..if the pitch is the same or close, it's good to go. Of course, I do get looked at strangely for doing so, but this whole brace experience has been a bit of a 'look at the circus freak..Metallica Mouthicus..recently domesticated but still dangerous...kids, keep your fingers away and in your pockets!' Don't they understand, I only bite the ones I love the most???

#162 Post by **opera^gal** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:17 am

Three weeks with elastics and I am FINALLY seeing some progress..whoowhoo! Teeth that were open during the bite, are getting closer to closing and new gaps are opening to actually show some movement is occuring. Two more weeks of this, and maybe....just maybe..it will be enough to no long have this configuration. First time I can remember, actually wanting it to be January before the holidays have even arrived..lol

#163 Post by **Trish** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:50 pm

Hi opera^gal...
Glad you are seeing improvement with your elastics. I remember you telling me that your teeth were essentially straight when you started and you were doing this for your bite correction. I am curious whether or not they made your bite worse before you are getting better. My new wire has pulled my teeth in different directions and now I have spaces where my teeth used to touch. Also, when I bite down, I am only touching the right side of my teeth. It is driving me so nuts.

Anyway, is this what your elastics are for? I am not sure my ortho expected my teeth to open up like this, but we'll see at my next adjustment in february. I jsut got this wire last monday...maybe it will keep changing over the next few weeks, but until then....ugh!

have a good holiday...

trish

ps. you can see pix of what I'm talking about on my post (ready, I think) after my latest adjustment.

#164 Post by **opera^gal** » Mon Dec 21, 2009 7:17 pm

Hey Trish.. My elastics are to correct a crossbite and bring my premolars into line with each other when biting down. Yes, my original bite which felt 'right' for all these years, has been wonky since starting braces, and I suspect it will continue to be so until the correct bite has been achieved.

#165 Post by **opera^gal** » Fri Dec 25, 2009 8:02 pm

Santa somehow magically knew that my old Sonicare was on the way out...and popped a new one in my stocking! It's charging away, and I look forward to the 'gentle' mode on those days of adjustments. You done good Fatman, enjoy your naked holiday in Tahiti!

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