Lingual braces, Wilckodontics & the Forsus at 32

[LAinDC]

I'm 32 and I got lingual braces back in April 2014. Then I had the Wilckodontics procedure on my lower teeth and now have the Forsus Appliance too to correct my overbite by bringing my lower teeth forward.

At first (like many others), I had speech problems after getting the lingual braces, but after a few weeks spoke fine and have since. I've even been filmed for an interview and you can't see the braces or hear any abnormal speech. The Forsus Appliance is a pain, but I'm getting used to it. You can't see it either, but occasionally people notice that something is different and I get plenty of laughs when people see just how much metal is in my mouth, but it is very undetectable unless I show them (only for close friends and people I want to let know).

For the Wilckodontics procedure, I had to have it in order to enable my lower teeth to move forward. They also had to place a bone graft in front on the bottom in order to give my teeth somewhere to go when they move forward. Fairly soon after the Wilckodontics procedure, which required me to go under anesthesia, I was able to work (had procedure on a Thurs or Fri and was back in the office on Mon). They gave me narcotics, but I only needed Motrins, but for like a month though.

Must haves:
Waterpik flosser
A positive attitude & pain tolerance
Smoothies (took a few weeks to be able to eat solid foods after the Wicko procedure)

All in all, my treatment should take 2.5 years. I should have the Forsus for 7-9 months (hopefully the time goes by fast!!!). I decided to get braces to correct my bite. My teeth are pretty straight already even though I've never had braces. My son is almost 12 and he has almost the exact treatment plan as me as he inherited my straight teeth but bite issues. He'll get braces next week and will eventually get the Forsus too. He won't need the Wilckodontics procedure because he is young and his bones and teeth will move without that stimulation.

[Askme]

Wow! You have definitely been through it all! Seems like you are over the worst of it. The Wilckodontics is something I was considering however the periodontist I went to practices Piezocision which is meant to do the same thing as Wilcko but does it through small cuts in the bone and then tunnelling beneath the gums to add bone where needed.

It's meant to be less invasive although I am having this treatment done on the top and bottom 10 teeth so am not looking forward to it one bit. But if it halves my treatment time then it will be worth it.

[dantocanada]

Holy crap! You had Wilckodontics on your bottom teeth on Thursday and were back at work by Monday? And no narcotics? Wow, you must be made of steel. I had it done on my top arch just before xmas and was off for 2 weeks. I was in agony and high on Percocets for about 10 days of it. It always amazes me how people handle pain so much differently.

[LAinDC]

Thanks for your replies! I really do feel like the worst of all of this is over. I have not heard of Piezocision. It sounds promising & hopefully gives you great results. In my case, I was a borderline case of needing jaw surgery (to move lower teeth forward), so by getting Wilcko, they could make things move in an adult (and avoid jaw surgery that I wouldn't have opted for). The springs (aka the Forsus) is probably the most annoying part of all of this, but at least it doesn's rub the insides of my cheeks anymore (I think it toughens up and the irritation goes away). I went in today to my regular dentist for a cleaning and I was actually surprised that I didn't have any sensitivity when they used that sharp tool to clean at the gumline and in between teeth. I did feel some bleeding though. I go in for cleanings every 4 months to prevent any cavities, otherwise before braces, I usually went in every 6. It was somewhat difficult for her to clean around all this stuff I have going on in my mouth with the Forsus, LOL! It's crazy because I've read about people having longer term sensivity (and not being able to chew solid foods) after undergoing Wilcko/AAO procedures, so I guess I got lucky.

[LAinDC]

Dantocanada - Since you had the procedure over the holidays, you should be feeling better now. Even after a few weeks, I remember having some bad sensations with certain cold drinks or hard foods from time to time. I recommend rinsing with lukewarm salt water. I'm still doing that daily even though it's been almost 3 months since I had Wilcko. For me, the area in the front bottom where they made the incision to place the bone build-up took the longest to heal. I feel great now.

[dantocanada]

Oh, yes, I am feeling better now. I'd say about 98% back to normal (tiny bit of sensitivity eating hard things). But the 10 days after the procedure were pretty rough - the worst pain I've ever experienced. I have a Palate Expander now, so like your Forsus, I agree - this is the worst part. Because I have to deal with it for 4 months and it makes eating and talking difficult.

[Askme]

Hey Datocanda,

Did you have Wilcko done for all your teeth or just a few? I had Piezocision done yesterday for all teeth (well the 10 upper and lower that are being activated) which is similar (but less invasive than Wilcko) - I posted a link on my other post.

I am quite swollen around the front of my face but pain is fine. During the procedure, my Perio did mention that the bottom teeth looked tight an he may need to do the full Wilcko for the lower jaw but thankfully he didn't. So can only imagine what you went through.

[dantocanada]

I had it done to my top arch - so all 14 teeth. You can read about it in detail here...

http://www.archwired.com/phpbb2/viewtop ... 15&t=48021

I've been following your Piezocision story, and I have to admit I think I would have preferred that. However, it was never offered. I hope you don't experience the amount of discomfort I did during recovery...the first 3 days weren't bad - it was days 4 - 9 that were the worst.

Also, wow, it seems like you were awake for your procedure...I couldn't have imagined that. I was asleep for the entire thing. Mine took 6 hours for the top teeth alone!

[Askme]

Dantocanada,

Just read your blog. Wow! It was definitely a hard road for you but worth it in the end no doubt. To be honest I was only aware of Wilkco through my own research and it was only when I consulted this particular periodontist that he made me a ware of more recent developments in this area i.e. Piezocision. When he described how the approach differed, I was........I'm in. My Ortho is from Egypt where apparently this is very popular so he was quite surprised I found a Perio doing this in Australia.

My main motivation to get AOD was to get more bone added to support tooth movement (rather than extractions) so the increased speed was just a bonus. I'm at day 2 now and while I still have a lot of swelling (I look like Marlon Brando in the Godfather right now). I'm able to eat fairly normally although I can't brush the outside of my teeth so not to disturb the stiches but the inside is fine.

I'll keep you posted how I go. Cheers