I just could not escape

[crooked rory]

I was a late bloomer growthwise, and as such, I faced intense bullying at school up through grade school. Needless to say I was terrified to get braces worrying people would give me a hard time. I remember in fourth grade fighting with my parents over it. Due to us being borderline poor at the time barely making the mortgage and having no insurance, I won (well, thought I did). Fast forward to high school, I had a semi-normal social life, but was still afraid of peoples perception of me. I was also a jerk, making fun of other peoples braces. I ignored my dentist telling me I needed braces. I still figured crooked teeth were better than 2 years of being a "metal mouth" and facing verbal retribution from those I harrassed. Fast forward again to college. Freshman year, I had a particularly bad experience getting some fillings and treated for gum swelling, so I just stopped getting dental treatment at all. This period was to last 10 years. Around 2004 things started getting really exciting My teeth started moving significantly, often causing pains. Especially between my top anterior incisors. Being 21 and unemployed with no insurance, I just stuck a credit card between them as needed, and this cause things to move to a less painful position, where it stayed until May of 2011. Now in late 2004 I got my job with great dental and medical insurance, but adult orthodontics were not allowed in the current union contract. Again I waited figuring it would someday become a medical need and put it off more. In 2007 we got a plan with adult orthodontics but at the time I was battling episodes of bipolar disorder, and figured why straighten them when I frequently planned on killing myself. This continued until 2009 when I got proper treatment. At that point, I did not care what other people thought, but I put off orthodontics again because my teeth no longer hurt. That was to be the last time I put it off though.

In May of 2011, my teeth really started to shift again, and the pain was at times excruciating. I found myself no longer able to eat Dorito's which I loved. The jaw pains stopped me from eating large sandwiches, which I also love. Nothing like a thick hero. Jaw pains were frequent, as was popping, clicking, and a few times even locking up. Thats when I decided I wanted them fixed, and started out with a dentist. One quick consult, the first dentist visit in a decade, and she wrote up the referal for my wisdom teeth to be removed That marks the start on my long road ahead to straight healthy teeth.

top.jpg

bottom.jpg

[klobird]

Hey Rory!! I just love your courage and bravery--this is a big step!! And you will never,ever regret it!! I think in a couple of months you will be shocked at the changes you will see--and that's when you really KNOW you did the right thing.
I can see that you are going to have a great smile!!!

[crooked rory]

Brace day went well for me. I got there for my appointment like 10 minutes early, and was since the office was just opening, I was the only patient.After Dr. B reviewed my models and x-rays, he had his assistant take a number of pictures of my mouth and facial profile. After that, I was in the chair, and he cleaned the front of my teeth and they started working. The acid stuff they used to prepare for the cement was awful tasting... He was unable to put a bracket on my right lower lateral incisor because the canine was in the way. He determined after reviewing the model and x-rays again that the lowest risk treatment would take that canine and leave the premolar which had better bone structure. He also said the upper right premolar would have to go. The whole process went smoothly and took like 90 minutes My bank managed to humiliate me though afterwards, as they rejected my debit card, which I had put in the $1595 I would need for my down payment. I ended up having to call the bank and authorize it as they had a $1500 purchase limit no one ever thought to tell me about. I came out with my mouth feeling full but otherwise fine. I also decided to buy an electric toothbrush that night.

braced1.jpg

braced2.jpg

braced3.jpg

The photos show how crowded they are and which brackets could not get hooked in.

[HeyBuckey!]

Congrats on your journey Rory!

Teenage years are the WORST! Thank goodness we managed to make it out alive. I think you'll appreciate your smile more once it's all said and done and your teeth are gonna look great!

[belistic10]

welldone for taking the plunge & getting them now, i agree school years are so tough. But definately good to do it now so you can enjoy a great smile for the rest of your life! i am in the early stages of treatment too, your teeth are going to look so good when finished!

[crooked rory]

Thanks for the support guys I am past that 1 month mark, and the movement has surprised me already. I finally have enough space to get in dental floss, which should help cleaning a lot. I am able to eat like anything I want to again, which kind of threw out my hopes of losing weight due to braces. My jaw seems to be popping less too, though that may have to do with differences in how I eat and not opening as wide. On the whole though, my TMJ seems to be getting a bit worse. When it does pop, it is much louder and considerably more painfull. I am going to ask Dr. B about it on Tuesday. I am wondering if this has to do with my Class III underbite worsening. I was told that it may get considerably worse during treatment, and possibly require orthognathic surgery to fix if orthodontic means are inadequate. Here are two pics taken on 10/23 (during lunch break, please pardon the bread on bottom teeth).

month1top.jpg

month1bottom.jpg

[belistic10]

thats great things sound like they are going well, except for the jaw popping etc. i guess it may just get a bit worse as things are moving, then stop again?? but wise to check with the ortho about it anyway. Thats crazy i look at your upper teeth & they look alot like my partners uppers (but long story he has a huge phobia of dentists) so there is no way in hell i will get him into one

you can already see some great changes, doing well!!

[crooked rory]

I got my first adjustment done on Tuesday 11/1/11, and it went pretty good. They put the bracket on my lower right outside incisor, which they could not do before with the canine in the way. They also put on new temperature sensitive wires to replace the "trainer" wires put in in September. I am not getting any powerchains just yet, though I did not ask why. The whole thing took maybe 30 minutes. There were two other patients in the treatment room (it has 3 chairs), but Dr. B did most of the work himself, except putting in the wires. He had two assistants, so nobody was unattended. Very efficient operation. I was the only adult present though I chatted about the recent crazy weather with the parents of the other patients when my mouth was free. I tried to pick ligs the same color as my bright orange safety jacket, but under normal light, they are yellow. There was little discomfort afterwards, and I ate a big sandwich. The upper right wire started poking me the day after and being so busy I did not call until today. They told me to come in, and clipped the excess off of the wires. Now I am comfortable again

[crooked rory]

My second adjustment was on 12/13/11, and went pretty well. I got alternating red and green ligs, and they look pretty good. I am amazed by how straight my teeth are already. Dr. B put a powerchain on 3 of my bottom left teeth to try to make room to pull in the left bicuspid, and finally tied in theupper left canine to pull it back. The pain was bad this time, and I could not eat normal foods for 3 and a half days. Thank goodness for the local Dairy Queen and their milkshakes. Then on Friday, my tummy was not ready for as much solid food as I ate at a Christmas party because I threw up at it that night. See my post about vomiting and braces for more on that. Even still, I lost about a pound and a half pound that week, so I was very happy about that.

[crooked rory]

I got my third adjustment yesterday, 12/22/11. It was not an expected one, it was an emergency one to fix broken stuff. My favorite co-worker offered me some caramel popcorn, and it looked so good I succumbed to the temptation. It turned out the hard caramel was sharp enough to cut a ligature, and pop out a wire on the other side. Heather, the ortho assistant said I was naughty for trying to eat that. Since that that left lower premolar is tilted so far in and the wire still does not seat all the way in, she put in a metal tie-wire instead of another ligature. This will not get damaged as easily. While I was there, the ortho asked her to look at the movement since that last visit, and since it was not quite what he wanted, he redid the lower teeth. He took off the ligs and put on a powerchain from the left front premolar to the right front molar to shift my midline to the right and make room for the back left premolar to come in to alignment. He said it should also start to bring in my underbite. I looked at my chart when waiting, and saw he diagnosed a class III skeletal/dental, and I did not know hoe to read it, but the numbers 2mm and 5mm were floating around. I assume the 2mm the amount of underbite at my teeth, and the 5mm being the underbite at my jaw. I will ask him at adjustment 4 next month. They were very nice, and wished me and my family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years, and I of course did the same for them.

[crooked rory]

I got a sudden horrible sensativity to the cold in my upper right canine today. I was in a restraunt, and had a slice of pizza and cold soda. This actually went fine, and I was talking to my mom while she finished eating. I took a sip of soda, and it felt like someone was twisting it with a pair of pliars and crunching the surrounding jaw area at the same time. Oddly enough, I can put plenty of pressure on it and even bite down hard on my finger with it with no tooth pain. I bit down as hard as my fingertip would allow figuring I would not damage the tooth that way. It went away, but a glass of cold milk had me screaming. My parents were so startled, I am normally pretty quiet. It was the most intense dental pain I have experienced, as far as I can remember. It is only in that one tooth, though it seems to radiate up the root into the roof of my mouth too.

Is it possible that when the temperature sensitive archwire cools down and gets flexible that it lets the tooth twist back against the nerve or something? I have an appointment with my general dentist for a cleaning/checkup on friday, and am going to ask her then. Has anyone else had something like this happen to them? Did it last? Mine goes away when it warms up.

[Bron]

Hiya Rory, I have just started having the same issue in the last couple of days! It is the wierdest kind of pain to try and describe isnt it! I am off to see my dentist too! I am worried that maybe the tooth has cracked under the pressure and will need to be filled!!!
Good luck with yours hope its not major!

[crooked rory]

Yikes, I saw went 9 months checking my post. I really only lost 7 months due to the stroke. My smile looks the best I ever have seen My oral hygene is the also great, and have no gum issues. I have closed all of the extractions. I have spreader spring out to bring in to the front, and should be at the appointment since they are spread

I am scheduled for with a large Atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale to have a catheter procedure. I kind more importance by cardiac (heart) surgery, but I will still schedule the orthodontist before my heart surgeon if possible.

[BetsyBug]

Rory,
Its so good seeing you back. You sound like you are recovering well from your stroke (did the heart defects cause the clot?)
Its great that your teeth are getting more and more straight. I just got two coil springs today, I'm hoping they don't cause too much pain. I assume I will have them at least til december since the ortho mentioned having them for christmas.

lets us know how your ortho appt/ and your cardio appts go

[crooked rory]

The stroke is cryptogenic origin, so it is unknown causes. The having a stroke though and finding a atrial septal defect and foreman patent ovale is likely. I find it that scary with knowing where the clog is. They checked me with ultrasound, and and never found anything. I just have fall apart apart when the clot busting drugs.

I am going to Dr. B, my orthodontist, on 10/5/2012. I want it as soon prior as it can be done. I do not to not have anything with my braces on my cardiology surgery so I do not have a popping wire. I want to be most comfortable the best I can. I am going Dr. E for the heart surgery on 10/9/2012. Please for prayers or best wishes.