My Official Straight-Teeth Journey to begin December 6, 2016

[cocomacd]

So I'm starting my journal here, as well. A big thank you to everyone who is participating in this board...it is so nice to read about other people's journey and experiencing going through this. I'm not alone!

My journey begins this coming Tuesday at 9:30 am. I actually took the whole day off from work. LOL. After meeting three separate orthodontists, I found the one I love who came recommended by several people. He has all the credentials, so I feel pretty good about it. He made me feel very comfortable about the process, the journey, and the ultimate outcome. He also said that he really loves cases like mine because the end results will be really 'quite dramatic'. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds good, so I'm going with it! LOL.

Just to point out - I'm a 38 year old getting traditional (self-ligating) braces for the first time. Sentence to be 12-18 months.

*Severe overbite (bottom teeth almost completely covered by top)
*Moderate overjet on top
*Upper Crowding
*Lower Crowding
*Lower jaw smaller than the top / aka-underdeveloped lower jaw so teeth are all leaning in growing under the top jaw
*Impacted wisdom teeth removed almost 20 years ago, no space at ALL

I opted for no jaw surgery, and we will hope that elastics do some pulling the lower jaw forward. I am not expecting a perfect bite, but it will be a tremendous improvement and I'm really looking forward to straight teeth where I don't have to be embarrassed about smiling in pictures at the wrong angle.

I'm nervous about the pain, nervous about the bonding process (I've watched a ton of youtube videos though, so I think it will be fine, I'm just concerned about the tongue guard they put in - silly, but I choked once when I was younger, had to get the Heimlich, so I'm very cautious when it comes to foreign objects in my mouth when I have no control over it), nervous about how I might feel after actually going through it. Will I be wondering what the heck I've done? Will I think I look silly? Or will I be so excited about the prospect I've though about for two months now as I've interviewed Ortho's and looked at thousands of braces pictures and stories? Actually, years...I've always wanted straight teeth.

So, I'll post back again soon. Here's to Tuesday!

[tillybrace]

if it helps, i said no to jaw surgery and it sounds like we have the same problem, and the elastics have done most of the job. so much so that when i asked about jaw surgery recently, i basically got told that i didn;t need it anymore.
Congratulations and welcome to the club.

[cocomacd]

Thank you, Tillybrace! That is reassuring!

[aussietrumpeter]

Hi there,
I also was told that I wouldn't get a perfect result without surgery, but I will be over the moon just to have my overlapping teeth straightened. I was someone who used to be scared of a simple visit to the dentist and the thought of getting braces put on made me want to cry - honestly after several visits to the dentist, ortho and even periodontist, I sort of become desensitised to it all and got over my anxiousness.... I'll bet that once it's over you'll be saying to yourself 'what was I so worried about?'.

My ortho did not use the tongue guard thing.... I don't know why but probably every ortho is different. What's mroe, I got my top and bottom put on a month apart, and for my top braces the ortho didn't even use a lip spreader; he just put cotton under my top lip to keep it propped up. But for the bottom braces I did have it.

Good luck !

[Beckett]

My son had full braces at 15 and he has some sensory issues and severe gag reflex and he did great with the lip spreader/tongue guard thing. Fast forward 5 years and I'm in the ortho chair and it really wasn't bad. Toughest part is getting it situated around your lips and then you can relax a bit. Feels weird, but not in any choking way at all. The one my ortho uses has a constant gentle suction so you don't have saliva pooling in the back of your throat.

Put lip balm on before they start.

[cocomacd]

Thank you Aussie and Beckett. That is comforting. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous about that part and maybe if I voice my concern about it they could have another option. Time will tell, I guess. Two days to be exact! Lol. Check on the lip balm, armed and ready!

[tillybrace]

Thank you, Tillybrace! That is reassuring!

check my story to see how much my bite has changed without surgery

[cocomacd]

Thanks Tilly, I just checked it out. Some significant progress for sure!!!

[cocomacd]

Dec 5, 2016 - The day before bonding

I'm still undecided between metal or clear. I'll be getting the Self Ligating Empower braces. I don't know why this is such a hard decision for me...My kids (15 & 12) both told me to just get silver with colors ha ha... What do I do?? I don't want to be disappointed if I go one way and end up wishing I had gone the other. Originally I just said silver.

Now I just found out my husband will be out of town for work for part of the week, the day following bonding...who's going to take care of me now?! Lol. Luckily my daughter has stepped up to the challenge. She's 12, but an excellent nurturer. I'll get lots of extra hugs!!

Went to the store this weekend to stock up on supplies. Wax, travel toothbrush, all sorts of random suggested tools that will help, TYLENOL, ibuprofen...then on to mashed sweet potatoes, jello, oatmeal, cottage cheese, soups, protein powder and frozen fruit for smoothies. It's hard to eat healthy on this soft food diet..hopefully this doesn't last too long. Better go back tonight for extra wine! lol

More to come!

[Bracingmyself33]

Dec 5, 2016 - The day before bonding

I'm still undecided between metal or clear. I'll be getting the Self Ligating Empower braces. I don't know why this is such a hard decision for me...My kids (15 & 12) both told me to just get silver with colors ha ha... What do I do?? I don't want to be disappointed if I go one way and end up wishing I had gone the other. Originally I just said silver.

Now I just found out my husband will be out of town for work for part of the week, the day following bonding...who's going to take care of me now?! Lol. Luckily my daughter has stepped up to the challenge. She's 12, but an excellent nurturer. I'll get lots of extra hugs!!

Went to the store this weekend to stock up on supplies. Wax, travel toothbrush, all sorts of random suggested tools that will help, TYLENOL, ibuprofen...then on to mashed sweet potatoes, jello, oatmeal, cottage cheese, soups, protein powder and frozen fruit for smoothies. It's hard to eat healthy on this soft food diet..hopefully this doesn't last too long. Better go back tonight for extra wine! lol

More to come!

Welcome to the club!

And yes, sweet potato and wine never disappoint...

[cocomacd]

Day 1 - Braces are On!
So....its official! I went for my appointment this morning and didn't chicken out. The other best part is...I didn't die! LOL.

I'm a fairly anxious person, so the waiting to go back was almost worse than the actual procedure. I would say the very worst part of the whole thing was having to have my mouth propped open for what felt like thirty minutes. It was pretty sore having it open that long. My tongue also got really dry. Also very unpleasant, but bearable.

Basically, I got to the Ortho's office and filled out my initial paperwork. We went through the do's and don'ts of having braces and what my life will look like for the next couple of years, lol. And then....I waited. I actually got up to tinkle THREE times. I didn't drink THAT much coffee, so I think that was mostly nerves. Did I mention I was nervous?

Finally, they took me back. The tech went through the whole process explaining what she would be doing before she even had me sit down. We watched a couple of videos and then she had me sit. She rubbed something on to my teeth to open up the pores and then had me brush. She then fitted my mouth with this obnoxious apparatus that holds your mouth open in all its glory! LOL. She continued through her process, adding agents and bonding materials, etc...finally adding the brackets. The orthodontist came in then and placed them precisely in the spots he wanted them in. She used a light to cure the glue (are my teeth getting tan?) and took out the weird mouth appliance. Um....weird. Weird, weird, weird. But...not as awful as I thought it might be.

She had me rinse before placing the archwire. Luckily this time, it got a pretty bendy wire to just get my teeth used to having something on them. Next month, I will go back to get the lower teeth bonded and change out the top wire. I'm a bit more concerned on that appointment for the pain factor, but at least now I know exactly what to expect.

It feels like my brackets are sticking out past my nose...but I know that's not really the case. And from far, you really can't even see them. So now, I'm feeling mostly just pressure. My teeth honestly feel a little loose, which I heard was common, but maybe its just that they all move when I bite down. They advised the real pain would likely start in the morning.

Went home for lunch, that was a strange experience and definitely something I will be getting used to. I may hide away toothbrushes all over my house. LOL. Oh, and drinking is different...so far I have slobbered half of my water out onto my chin like my mouth was numb. Yet, it wasn't. At this point, I'm about five hours in and am mostly just feeling annoyed like there is something in my mouth that shouldn't be. Hopefully that is something I will just get used to - they assured me it would.

Day 2 - The morning after, lol

Well, I woke this morning anticipating a pain that I couldn't get out of....and to my surprise, there isn't any significant pain! Definitely feeling some discomfort if I bite down firmly, but not anywhere near what I was expecting.

Last night, I ended up going to my workout class at OTF (Orangetheory Fitness, which I LOVE, by the way), and felt a bit self-conscience of the braces. This is a new location, so most of the people are new, and don't know each other well enough to know whether I actually had the braces before, or not. I knew people weren't looking at them, and really because they are clear, they just aren't THAT noticeable, but I still FELT awkward. I can tell I am trying not to smile too big so people aren't staring at my mouth...even if they really aren't.

After I got home from OTF, I had a little vegetable soup which went down surprisingly well. I'm still concerned that every time I eat I will end up with half my dinner stuck in the brackets. But I think that will just take some time to get used to as I work out the remnants kinks.

As I was sitting on the couch, zoning out with some random tv show, I realized I wasn't actually feeling the braces against my cheek. I sat there knowing I was thinking about it, but it was a bit surprising to me that I was starting to get used to it, even on the first day.

I haven't experienced any irritation on the insides of my cheeks yet, I anticipate that will come, but maybe I'll be the one case in the history of braces that it doesn't. Wishful thinking! Today I don't feel quite as irritated with wanting to rip them out, lol. Just getting used to my new life. I think I'm glad we just did the top yesterday, so its giving me the opportunity to get used to it w/out being TOO overwhelming.

Keeping up with Tylenol for now, just in case.

[Bracingmyself33]

Sounds like your first two days were pretty smooth sailing! It took me around 2 weeks to get used to mine and boy, I was constantly depressed! Can't believe it was 5 months ago... And yes, sometimes you'll forgotten the braces are even there!

[cocomacd]

Thanks bracingmyself33! I might be ready for those sweet potatoes and wine tonight!!

[Bracingmyself33]

Frankly, I was devouring almost anything after the first 2 weeks... What changes is the eating style, that's all.

Be brave and take the first step!

[cocomacd]

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