PrincessFunnybook's Story

[PrincessFunnybook]

Hello all. I introduced myself over in the other section, but I thought I'd start a blog-type thing over here, detailing everything.

I'm a SAHM, and after needing braces for 20 years (and my parents not having the means to take care of it) I've finally gotten over my fear of all things teeth related and jumped in, head first. I haven't smiled with an open mouth for 20 years, and I feel like I've completely forgotten how!

I got my top braces put on yesterday (12/9/09). The spacers in my bottom molars are still there, because not enough room was made down there to put those deals around my molars. We'll try next week, and hopefully some space will be made. The spacers are more painful this week, probably because they're larger than the first ones they put in last week.

My top teeth are in a lot of pain. I woke up this morning feeling like someone had kicked me in the teeth! All of my front teeth feel like they're loose, and from reading the boards here, I know it's normal, but it's a very disconcerting and strange feeling. Not sure that I really like it! I haven't eaten today so far, but I did manage some lasagna and peas last night, without too much trouble. I'm thinking about a nice bowl of mushy oatmeal for lunch!

I bought myself an electric toothbrush, and I charged it up overnight, and when I went to use it this morning it scared the crap out of me. Waaaaaaay too powerful to use on my sore toofers! Even my normal toothbrush with very little pressure applied was painful. I took my time, and it wasn't too bad. This too shall pass!

The ortho has decided against bottom braces for 2-3 months, because of my crossbite. He mentioned starting to fix the top first, and then going after the bottom teeth. It does appear to me that I'd just wind up hitting the bottom brackets with my top teeth, but I'm having trouble seeing how a couple months will make much of a difference.


I have a bracket on the tooth next to my front tooth, but that doesn't have arch wire yet, and the same tooth on the other side doesn't have a bracket yet. I do have the arch wire running to my vampire tooth, and you can see the hole where they extracted my baby tooth. I went for the very jaunty band colors of hot pink and orange.


You can see the bottom teeth will need a lot of work, but my ortho said that the improvement on those teeth should move along at a good clip. I'm really hoping so! I am disappointed that I'm having to wait to get the bottom braced, but all good things to those who wait, right?

Thanks again to everyone for being so supportive, and helpful!

[whiskers00182]

I had the same thing when I first got my braces, no bracket on the tooth beside my front tooth. It was 6 months before I got mine! I hope you get yours faster!! When I finally did get my bracket..wow..it moved so fast I barely knew it!!! I too didnt get my bottom braced at the same time as my top, i was very disappointed too. I got mine put on 2 months after the top was placed. The moved FAST though, like in 4 months they were relatively straight..and they were very crowed in. I didnt have any teeth pulled though, thank goodness! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

[whiskers00182]

The ortho has decided against bottom braces for 2-3 months, because of my crossbite. He mentioned starting to fix the top first, and then going after the bottom teeth. It does appear to me that I'd just wind up hitting the bottom brackets with my top teeth, but I'm having trouble seeing how a couple months will make much of a difference.

i too have a crossbite and my ortho said that they wanted to get the top fixed a little first before placing the bottoms. I know what you mean about not seeing any differences in a couple months time to be able to even place the bottoms, but what happened with me is they gave me bite blocks so i couldnt bite down on the bottom brackets. not sure if you will have those but maybe thats what they will do in order to place the bottoms.

[PrincessFunnybook]

Whiskers: thanks for commenting! I have been considering asking my ortho about bite blocks, and I think I will for sure now, when I got back next week. I'm really hating the whole "hurry up and wait" deal going on right now. After needing braces for so long I'm anxious to get the show on the road, as I'm sure you were!

[PrincessFunnybook]

Went to the ortho yesterday, to get my lower molars banded. I was soooo looking forward to getting the spacers out of my teeth. I hadn't really changed the way I was eating, or the type of food I was eating, and honestly, they'd become more of an annoyance than anything else.

So, I get there, get in the chair, and I'm told that the ortho wants to put more spacers in so they can band another molar on each side. I was a little disappointed, to say the least, especially because I hadn't been told at the last appointment. (I like knowing what to expect!) Thankfully, the bands went around my molars easily, and there wasn't much problem at all.

Here's the lame thing: my teeth have gotten even more crowded (I'm surprised it was even possible!) since the spacers went in, to the point of making flossing very difficult. Now they're trying to cram more spacers in, where there is veeeeery little space!

I'm laying on the chair, while she's trying to force those damn spacers in, my eyes are watering like a sieve! I'll give her credit though, she was a trooper, trying to get those things in there, even though she broke piece after piece of floss. After trying the right side she gave up, but she did actually got the plastic kind in the left side. She only got the one in on the right side half way and she gave up, only to get the metal kind of ring spacers.

I thought the plastic kind sucked before.....was I in for a whole new ball game. The metal kind of spacers, of which I now am the proud owner of two, are completely cutting into my gum, and the round ring on the one side hits exactly on the corner of the corresponding top molar, which makes my bite (even more) open. Which means I can't chew at all, because if the teeth hit, it crams the metal into my gum, making it bleed. I'm even having to change the way my mouth moves when I talk because I hit the teeth together while I'm talking, causing a lot of pain. Because of how screwed up my bite is in the first place the left molars aren't closing either, so the best I can do while eating is cut my food into teeny tiny bits, and kinda gum it with my tongue until it gets soft enough to swallow. I had told myself I didn't really want to change the food I eat too much while having braces, but I see a nearly liquid diet in my future very soon.

My next appointment is the week after Christmas, so I'm looking at having these damn things for almost 2 weeks. The assistant mentioned that hopefully within a week they'd stop hurting my gums, because room will have been made for them between my teeth, and I'm really trying to keep my chin up and my fingers crossed for that to happen. As it is I'm bummed out that I'm losing weight and will miss a great deal of Christmas dinner. I'll allow myself to be down a little about it, but I know it's for the greater good, and I need to not be a wimp. It does make me smile to realize that I'm actually looking forward to having plastic spacers! Here's hoping for a Christmas miracle.

I hope everyone has a great rest of December!

[cheyeaitsxchelsea]

Hope everything goes smooth! :]]

[crazybeautiful]

Spacers are a pain, but you'll soon be rid of them

Your teeth are very much like mine were- except mine were more crowded on the top and slightly less so than yours on the bottom (check out my blog below, or thread on here to look at my pics if you like) - it was hard for me to floss in some spaces anyway, and for a while it got worse, but once your braces start to do their job it will get much better.

My canines also came down quite quickly once we got round to moving them (since I had so much crowding I had expansion surgery first)

Good luck