Manglemouth's ONE MONTH before/after pics page 7

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#31 Post by **manglemouth** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:42 am

Thanks KK, I will check out that site tonight for sure! I can't believe there are that many

Marley, yes that's the plan. I will have space created between my front teeth and the canine on my right, and when i am done with the braces I will have an implant put in. Once the space is big enough, they will be able to put a fake tooth in the braces

#32 Post by **Marley** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:47 am

Oh thats good! By the sounds of it, mine won't be in until my braces are off. Haha.. thats going to be brutal! Waking around for a year with a huge gap.. Oh well!

#33 Post by **manglemouth** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:59 pm

Maybe your ortho just didn't bring it up yet? It sounds like a simple thing to just stick a fake tooth in the braces. I am worried about the gap a little bit too because that's in a really visible spot obviously! The only thing worse would be the front teeth missing! But I figure people can see we have braces on so noone will think anything of a gap. I know I wouldn't if I saw a gap between someone else's braces. Remember, we are our own worst critics

Keep me posted on your journey! It's always neat to hear from someone with a similar problem!

#34 Post by **manglemouth** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:31 am

I don't think I have brushed and rinsed my teeth as many times the past two weeks as I have in the past two days

I am paranoid about decalcification (and I don't even know what that really means LOL) or gum disease! Yesterday I told my husband to time me when I did my evening brushing routine...it took me exactly 37 minutes!

My ortho didn't show me how to brush correctly...I never thought to ask, so I am just doing it the way it seems right until my first adjustment when I can ask. Flossing is tough, to say the least. My gums are bleeding where the spacers were when I floss, so I try pay extra attention to that area. I used 4 thread flossers yesterday and probably 100 feet of floss LOL. Then I use the interdental brush to scrub all around the brackets - on all 4 sides of each one - and between teeth and the wire. Then I brush for two cycles with my Oral B brush, and each cycle is 2 minutes...yesterday I brushed for almost 5 minutes! Then the WaterPik to make sure there isn't anything stuck between the teeth that the previous methods didn't get. I can still only use it on setting 2 though, I hope that's strong enough. Anything stronger feels like it's too violent with my gums. Then I swish with Listerine/Peroxide for a minute, and the grand finale is a Fluoride Rinse.

All that adds up to about half an hour I guess! My favorite one by far is the interdental toothbrush. I even put toothpaste on it and everything foams up nicely that way.

And the funny thing is, I do all this...brush my teeth in the morning and rinse with Listerine, all day long I brush right after eating and I use the Listerine/Peroxide rinse in between...I feel like I can't possibly keep my mouth any cleaner, and yet it doesn't feel like enough. But I guess time will tell, and at my first adjustment they'll see if everything looks nice and healthy. I sure hope so! They sent me home with a picture of good brushing habits and bad brushing habits...the bad had holes all over the place where the brackets were taken off. I obviously can't get that picture out of my head, which is why I am soooo careful now

Still no pain, just a little bit of irritation around the bracket that is on my canine which sticks out the most. But that is easily fixed with some wax...wow that is instant relief when that is put on. And even though my friend who told me braces are such a nightmare, told me that the wax never stays in plays...and you end up eating it half the time......I haven't had any problems with the wax at all! My ortho told me to dry off my tooth/bracket before putting it on, and that really has done the trick. It stays put, it doesn't come off until I take it off, even when I eat with it on.

This hasn't been bad AT ALL!!! In fact, I really love it!

#35 Post by **BritGirl** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 3:49 pm

I've really enjoyed reading your posts so far MM. Great photos and you already have nice teeth already so the final result will be amazing.

#36 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:26 pm

Hey MM,
So glad you are still really upbeat. I will share some tricks that have helped with the cleaning and wax process. Since I am so petite (I never use the "S" word!), I was having trouble seeing in the bathroom mirror-- even the "petite" make-up mirror wasn't too helpful (and I have lousy vision). So I bought a mirror on a higher pedestal stand, so I could get really close to it and also aim it to catch moe light. One side is magnified, about $20 at Target. Also really helpful are the little "brush picks" by Doctor. They are thin plastic and very flexible with a thin end and a silly looking "brush" at the other end. The "brush" looks more like a miniture tree twig. I think they came from RiteAid. These are really great for getting the wax out of the brackets, and what gets stuck under them, and also between teeth. I also have a stack of old wash cloths and daily put a new one in front of the mirror to catch the slobber! And a half piece of toilet paper to capture the used wax and wrap and toss. Of course there is all of the other stuff everyone else uses, plus some sensitive teeth toothpaste which I sometimes need. Hope some of this will be helpful to you. Keep smiling!

#37 Post by **manglemouth** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:26 pm

The wax is a life saver! Just wait until you forget it's in and brush. I get that sinking feeling every time I brush and feel something come loose from my tooth and then flop around. Then I spit afraid to see what hardware I lost and it's only wax.

Been there, done that already

I totally forget about the wax, so one time when I was using the WaterPik I felt something dislodge and then saw a white square-ish piece in the sink, and of course I thought that was one of my ceramic brackets! Boy was I relieved when I realized it was just a clump of wax

You know what, I never thought about all the Listerine maybe causing the "stale" feeling in my mouth. You are right! That is probably why my mouth seems drier than it should be. I will replace the Listerine rinses during the day with saltwater rinses. The mixture of Listerine/Peroxide is a trip too ...I call it the Rabies wash! It doesn't just foam when you swish..it kinda keeps foaming even when you are done! I'm still spitting out a minute later, cause I don't want to swallow any of that foam LOL. Yuck!

Thanks BritGirl! I sure hope my results will be amazing. I still can't believe that I will even have straight teeth someday!

smallbutmighthy...hey I am s****t too

Since you don't wanna say the word! I am 5'2 and every single one of my friends is taller than me. Thanks for these great tips, you have great routine worked out there!
Umm, question though. You said to use those tree twig brushes for the brackets (by the way I know exactly which ones you mean, I bought these before I got the braces but haven't figured out yet how to use them, now I know!) to get what gets stuck under the brackets. Do you mean in that area between the bracket and the wire? Because the brackets, I sure hope are a solid piece on the bottom where they attach to the tooth right? I sure hope nothing can actually get into and under the brackets and right to the tooth? I never worried about anything other than around the brackets as I thought that's all safely sealed up with glue or cement or whatever they use to attach them. Please clarify, because now I wonder if I should pay extra attention to the bracket too. I never do anything other than brush over it with my regular toothbrush there as it already takes me forever to get to the actual tooth surfaces

Now, isn't there floss that doesn't require threaders? I go through these threaders like crazy, so that doesn't seem like a very cost effective choice for me. But I can't find anything other than regular floss in stores?

Oh, and my sweet hubby calls me Gophersid now.

Why does he do that? If you have watched the movie "Ice Age", you know what "Sid" sounds like when he talks! LOL I totally sound like that at times! Other times my "s" sounds create a whistle through my upper brackets that sound like "Gopher" from Winnie the Pooh. I am like a regular orchestra all on my own!!

#38 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 9:34 am

Hi MM,
Funny you mentioned "Ice Age"-- we watched "Ice Age the Meltdown" last night. Sid is a sloth, but I sure get the sound you are referring to. And my husband always has some sort of new daily comment re braces to make me laugh. ("Have you been able to pick up HBO yet?") And now my latest own drama was i tried a new hair color that i am not happy with, (had to make a 911 appearance to my hairdresser), so that is more food for the comedy routine. But laughing is good, and I am happy we have that.

Re the twiggy brush picks-- The brackets that I have that cause so much grief are the ones attached to the molar bands, and they have 4 very sharp long narrow cleats on each of them, 2 facing up and 2 down. This will be used to attach future gizmos (mentioned were springs for pulling the rotated tooth into alignment and into the space vacated by the tooth from hell). Anyhow, when I use wax there, i find that it is okay if I really press only a smalll amount of wax directly into the spaces of those brackets, thus evening out the surface and making it smooth but not a big glob. Then after eating, the wax gets hung up under those brackets and the gums. And lately I have had to use wax on a couple of the front ones which seem to be rubbing more against the mucosa. Those brackets are very small, but have the standard sort of 4 post configuration, so again, I push the wax into them and and around. And my dentist did say to make sure to brush well under the brackets. But those twiggy picks are good for in between the teeth too. Now I have spaces that I haven't seen in many years, and the food finds them! So that may help if you have small spaces when you don't want to take the time for a floss job. Re floss threaders, I just abandoned those becasue in the beginning I couldn't get them through the non-existent spaces. Just take your regular floss, use your fingers to pull an end really straight (like you were going to thread a needle) and bring it down from the top of a bottom wire, and when doing the tops, come up from the bottom. And beware the slobber!
P.S. I have shrunk to 4'11! Beware the Incredible Shrinking Woman! Talk about everyone being taller than me.

#39 Post by **manglemouth** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 7:04 pm

I am glad I am not the only one who slobbers! It's ok when I floss on top, but on the bottom...geez it's downright embarrassing

Thanks for the tips smallbutmighty, I think I won't buy anymore thread flossers either once I run out. I think all they do is make my routine take even longer!

Ok so I finally grabbed my hubby's camera and got a better "up the mouth" shot. I am glad because now I will be able to see the progress much better. I can see how NOT rounded my archwire is! Funny but I find that exciting in a way...the more uneven my teeth are, the more progress I get to witness

Here they are! Two things though: My open bite is not that bad, I just didn't have my mouth closed all the way! And that black spot on the back of my front tooth is the pin that holds my bonded tooth in place...skiing accident

What you can see really well here is how bad my midline is, because you can see the middle of my upper lip. UGH!!

#40 Post by **smallbutmighty** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 10:47 pm

Wow! What awesome pictures you took. I wish I could get mine organized. I finally go them to photobucket, but they rearranged themselves in the process and i can't seem to change them or add text so far. Very frustrating and time consuming.

#41 Post by **Nawners** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:51 pm

Great pics!! (Gophersid

...cute!)
Glad to hear you're still doing good... Doesn't seem like it's been four whole days yet!

#42 Post by **manglemouth** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:27 pm

Getting a bit anxious to see changes now, and I know that's really impatient as I have only had the braces on for 4 days now

But I can see very subtle changes. My front teeth seem to have this little tiny space between them, but what that's good for I don't know. Some spaces are incredibly tight now when I floss (mainly the bottom) and others got alot roomier, so I know things are happening, I just can't see them yet (not even when I look at all my pics. In fact it looks to me as if my archwire is getting even more crooked instead of getting closer to the arch shape)

Here you can see the archwire. To me this looks worse than before. But maybe that's because I need the two premolars pulled and the teeth are just being loosened now without really having any place to go. Cause I was wondering why they didn't pull before treatment started. But I am sure there's rhyme and reason to all of this.

The only thing I find really frustrating now is how difficult eating is. Not hard to chew or anything - slightly tricky sometimes but not too bad - but I reeeeeaally can't stand the feeling of stuff all over my teeth when I am eating. It's not that I find it gross or anything (well, it IS a little gross too) but just the feeling of taking a bite and only swallowing one quarter of it, and the rest is stuck in your braces. Especially the stuff that gets stuck above and below the braces is what drives me nuts. I'll furiously dig around with my finger and try to get the most of it out before i take the next bite. That is obviously very not ladylike and cannot be done in public. I think in public I will just have to take a sip of water with every few bites or so. I am sure this is an art that can be mastered somehow, cause braced people DO eat in public afterall!

Other than that no complaints. No pain at all. I had a little bit of soreness when they were first put on but that's now gone too. I really hope that at my next adjustment they will put in a thicker wire and give me the go ahead to have my premolars pulled. Then things can finally start moving and shaking!!!

#43 Post by **shell1426** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:21 am

Goodness...I am absent for ONE WEEKEND and look at all I miss! Work kicked my butt Wednesday and Thursday and then all weekend I spent (since I only get 2 weekends a month off) with Rodney. Your pictures look great...now just steal the hubby's camera for the remainder of braced times and you'll always have awesome pictures!

Here is my bit of advice since everyone has given you the obvious! I hated using the threader, too...it was soooo monotonous and timely. I ABSOLUTELY L-O-V-E Crest's Glide Floss and I now use the Crest Glide Floss with a built in threader and I L-O-V-E that even more since I have braces! Dentakit has a generic brand Glide Floss but it's a box of 150. I get mine from Rite-Aide (haven't seen it at Wal-Mart and haven't looked at Walgreens but they probably have it). You gotta try it. The food thing will get better...how do you think I feel with braces AND an expander! Food and spit are always getting caught in my expander. It doesn't even bother me when stuff gets caught in my braces! You will become a whiz at getting it out as soon as it's stuck. Well it's time to go home and get some sleep! I will talk to you later! Hope your week is great!

#44 Post by **manglemouth** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:22 pm

Hi Denise and Shell

First, I can not really imagine having an expander on top of braces, how does ANYTHING end up in your stomach?

I am sure with time I will just get used to this, it's just a little rough right now. But I have vowed to stay away from spaghetti. That is the worst as far as I am concerned because they just seem to neatly line up in a row above and below the braces...no thanks to that, I bought Elbow pasta today for that reason

Also I bought the Crest Glide Floss today with the stiff ends, I can't wait to try them out! Does anyone seriously love their interdental brush? I DO!!!

That thing is made for paranoid people like me. I love how you can brush around all the brackets and in between the smallest spaces. The best part is on my lower brackets caue they are really close together. A normal brush, even an braces brush, would not get in there at all. But that interdental brush just squeezes itself in there, and I dip it into a glob of toothpaste every few teeth so it keeps foaming up nicely....ahhh it's like a carwash cycle for my teeth! I have never appreciated a clean feeling mouth as much as in the past 5 days LOL.

Shell, hubby is back out of town but guess what? I did it. I stole his camera. I made him take ours and took the one I gave him for Christmas

Which makes no sense at all cause now he's the one who has the big bulky one on the road, and I have the little compact one. But a brace face's gotta do what a brace face's gotta do! I NEED PROGRESS PICS!!! But I guess I am gonna start taking them only once a week. It's unreasonable to think that anything is gonna change visibly in 24 hours ...as much as I keep checking the mirror for it

Well, off to do my half hour evening brush routine!

#45 Post by **manglemouth** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:43 pm

Ok so I think my braces make my face look better in some way, and I can't figure out how. I know braces can make you look younger (and my husband insists they do), but can they change the way your face looks in other ways too? I have experienced this a few times now, I think I am getting checked out

And I would think that they are simply taking a second glance because I have braces and they wanna look at the braces (especially since I have ceramic on top so people kinda wonder what that is in my mouth)....but no, a couple of times I got looks when my mouth was closed and I wasn't talking or anything! This is cool. Can't put my finger on it though. It's like they finally make me look friendlier. I have sooo often been told that I look grumpy when I am not at all...I think it's because the corners of my mouth naturally go south a little bit rather than north! When I look in the mirror, the braces do indeed fix that a little. I have a naturally fuller look and my mouth doesn't look so "stern". LOVE IT!!! How grumpy must I have looked before if I am getting such different reactions ever since my braces have been on? My braces are a 24/7 ego boost right now! Great, now I don't ever want them out again

Not only are they fixing my teeth, they are apparently giving me some kind of Angelina Jolie pout

This would be me loving life