Sunshiney Saga

[SunshineRay]

I had my 3rd adjustment yesterday. Wow, time really does fly! My one extraction hole is almost totally closed but the other one is moving slowly. The ortho used the word awesome for my progress. He said he has 2 other adult patients that are on the same track.....once they had extractions the mouth was like ahhhhh and everything spread out to normal. I am very happy with my progress!

At this rate I really hope we go with the 12 mos instead of 18. I still dont like them but they arent a hassle anymore since Im in a routine. I'm glad that I went through with it.

[TrustGodAuburn]

Sunshine, I just went through your story, your progress pics are amazing and encouraging to me. I'm on day 17 and I can't wait to see some changes. I definitely have pain here and there and it changes from day to day as to which tooth hurts. I hope that means things are moving!

[Tobilei]

I've somehow missed your last 3 updates!!!???!! Wow!! They are looking fabulous!!! Glad you're still not really getting any pain or bother I still don't like mine either, but I don't hate them quite as much as when I first got them on. Good luck with the bathroom reno's!

[chichi]

Congrats on your "awesome" progress! I still don't like mine either, but I think I've accepted them as much as I'm going to

[SunshineRay]

Thanks guys! I am happy with the progress too!

[SunshineRay]

Thank goodness for this thread. I just got a new phone and the photos wouldnt transfer at the store. I got an iphone so it doesnt take an sd card.....to make a long story short. I put it into my husbands phone, text the pics to me, deleted his sent text as to not clog it up. Saved from my text to phone then deleted again so it wouldnt clog memory. Created a new folder named braces. Moved the photos. Notice I have them in 2 diff places now so I delete one set and it deletes both!! Grrr! I love comparing my progress so I was pretty bummed.

Tuesday is my 4th adjustment....woohoo. Hopefully only 8 more to go!

[TrustGodAuburn]

How did your last adjustment go?

[SunshineRay]

Thanks for asking! It was pretty uneventful, like normal. I didnt take any advil this time so I was a little worried but I still didnt have any pain. One thing that has been bothering me since the adjustment is I keep feeling the edge of my molar band and its sharp. I had only used wax 2 times before but Ive had to use it 2 times in the past few days. It feels ok today so maybe it was just me obsessing over it? who knows.

Have a good weekend!

[Anna5]

Hello!

What a great progress have you already made, Sunshineray!!! Keep up the good work!
You said that the ortho recommended surgery to you, why? Did they recommend SARPE or another surgery?
I am sure you will get a great smile with braces alone, regarding the amazing progress you have already made. I wish you very good luck with your treatment, keep us updated!

Anna

[SunshineRay]

Hello!

What a great progress have you already made, Sunshineray!!! Keep up the good work!
You said that the ortho recommended surgery to you, why? Did they recommend SARPE or another surgery?
I am sure you will get a great smile with braces alone, regarding the amazing progress you have already made. I wish you very good luck with your treatment, keep us updated!

Anna

One ortho said he would only treat me with surgery and another said it would be the best results. I think I saw 6 in total and the others never mentioned surgery. Honestly I dont know what type of surgery because I knew I wasnt going to get it from the start. I would have done nothing before getting surgery....just my view on me and my life. Like I said earlier, Im only 4 months in to a 12-18 mo sentence and Im already happy with things. It can only get better!

[SunshineRay]

Remember how I had so much trouble and pain with the TAD insertion? It fell out. I bit into something Wednesday at lunch and it instantly felt weird. I got home and told my husband and looked all around in the mirror and didn’t see anything. I get up Thursday morning and the bar that connects the screw to the tooth….was unhooked. I was driving an hour away from my house to take my Mom to the dr so I had the day off work. I emailed the ortho office with no response so at 10am I called. The ortho was not in the office and was leaving the country for vacation the next day but he wanted me to come in. I get there and he is amazed but not in a good way. The screw had actually came out of my mouth. He was hoping it was home in my bed since I noticed it when I woke up. I never found it by the way so I guess I did swallow it. He gave me instructions on it I felt sick etc because worst case scenario it could lodge/tear my stomach blah blah. He’s making me feel like this screw is huge! (I googled later after my husband insisted there was no way I swallowed a 3 inch screw, lol)

Anyway, he didn’t know if he should insert the TAD since he had the whole office clear or wait until he came back. He decided to wait in case anything happened to it while he was gone because no one else in our area works with TAD’s. I feel good about that decision but as much pain as it caused me (tears!) the first time I was kind of hoping to do it while no one was there. So yeah….I get another one in 2 weeks and Im dreading it. This was the side that caused the problem also. I will be taking Advil and maybe even valium. haha

[chichi]

Oh no! That sounds terrible I'm sorry you have to go through the insertion again. Maybe it won't be as bad since you're an old pro now, right? One can only hope...

[SunshineRay]

Positive thinking, right?! I believe half of the problem was the ortho being with too many patients at once. I was quite anxious by the time he got to me. And he said he will be putting the new one in a different spot. For now, I am a little more optimistic....until next week.

[TrustGodAuburn]

What is a TAD? This does not sound fun at all!!!

[chichi]

It's a temporary anchorage device. From my understanding, it's basically a screw that's screwed into your jawbone.

To quote SunshineRay herself:

Temporary anchorage devices, or TADs, are small titanium anchors used in some orthodontic cases to help achieve tooth movement more quickly, efficiently, and with as much comfort as possible. TADs are used to help straighten teeth in situations where braces alone are not enough. TADs are also used as an alternative to headgear.

TADs are place without the use of a needle. A strong anesthetic is used to numb the gum tissue and the jaw surrounding the area the TAD will be placed. Once the area is numb, either your orthodontist or an oral surgeon gently places the TAD through the gum tissue and firmly into the jawbone. The placing of a TAD is quick, with very little to no pain. You may feel slight pressure as the TAD is placed; however, within a day, you will no longer be able to feel the TAD. Your TAD is removed once your treatment is complete, or when it is no longer needed to help straighten your teeth. Removal of a TAD takes just minutes, and is completely pain-free.