Ortho Visit..

My visit to the ortho wasn't very eventful and really wasn't what I was expecting. I didn't have any adjustments done, or anything like that. I pretty much just looked like a paranoid patient. lol!

I arrived at the ortho's office, signed in and waited to be called back. When my name was finally called, the ortho assistant asked me if I had any broken brackets and I told her that I felt like they were loose, since I had been biting on them on accident and I told her about my clenching problem as well.

We went back in the patient area and I sat down and she started pulling on my brackets and said that none of them were loose, she asked me if I could remember which one I broke, unfortunely I couldn't. So she pulled on them again and said no, they're just fine.

She called the ortho over, Dr. P, and she started looking at my mouth and wanted me to open and close to check my bite. She said well there's really nothing we can do about you biting your cheek, I might be able to just reduce the glue a little bit. So she used her drill thing and started taking off some of the molar buildups on both sides and had me bite down to make sure it was even. She just said, this too shall pass and the appointment was over.

I really felt a bit disappointed because I thought that I had wasted everyone's time, my husband and myself included. I just now know that I'm a paranoid patient. lol. I also know that these things are stronger than they look, and I just need to stop being  a spazz!

Dentist Visit..

As I said in a previous post, I like going to the dentist and really don't mind all the drills and instruments that they use. I had a dentist appointment for a cleaning. It went really well.

My husband and I had to wait for almost 30 minutes because the dentist office was super busy. That was sort of ok with me. I was able to read some more of Treasure Island, but I was also really hungry since I had not eaten any breakfast.

Finally, I was called back to the room and my cleaning began. It was going really well until the dental hygienist started using the ortho brush on my teeth that were still a little tender. Let's just say I wanted to jump out of the chair. lol After she finished cleaning my teeth, she started scraping my teeth... Which wasn't too bad. I think the part that hurt the worse was when she started flossing and she forced the floss in between two overlapping sore teeth. I groaned a little and just laughed it off...

After she was all done, my dentist came out, Dr. Bob. He was talking to me about my teeth and braces and finally started looking at my teeth and he's like well you're good to go. There are no cavities! I was so happy! Being a slave to my teeth is totally worth it. :)

He was also really surprised that I floss every night, which I thought was kind of weird, until he said that I should floss once or twice a week. I understood, I was like a floss overachiever. Oh well, I'll continue what I'm doing to keep my teeth clean and hopefully in the next 6 months, my teeth will be cavity free then too!

Day 28, Week 4: Upper Right Central Incisior has moved a little! =]

Well, well well! I've noticed that my upper right central incisor has moved a bit more! :D Before, it was overlapping my lateral incisor, now it's moving in line with the rest of my teeth. It isn't completely in sync with the rest but it's getting there!

When I see progress such as this, it makes me so glad that I took the plunge to get braces! I don't regret it one bit! :)

*I know I need a better camera. Once I dig my camera out of a moving box, the quality of my pictures will change. *

Dentist and Ortho Visits this Week..

It's going to be a busy next couple of days! In my previous post, I was talking about how I almost didn't get braces because I was told I needed a cleaning first. Well after my ortho put my braces on, I went ahead and scheduled a cleaning.. I really don't mind going to the dentist or maybe I'm just weird when I say that I actually like going to the dentist. It's just fun to me. lol Well there's an exception to that rule, the only time I minded going to the dentist was when I had an abscess and my dentist had to clean it out... Talk about being in PAIN....

Anyway, back to the story!

Since I've been having problems with clenching my teeth and biting the inside of my cheek, I went ahead and called Dr. M's office so I could let them know what's been going on... They want me to come in on Wednesday. I really was hoping that they'd say that I could come in on Tuesday because of my dentist appointment. My bubble was burst when the receptionist said, "No, the doctor won't be in on Tuesday, how about coming in on Wednesday?" I'm thinking to myself, ahh! Dr. M... You're not allowed to take a break! lol I said ok... and left it at that.

Of course, my overactive imagination decided it wanted to start up this morning.. and I started thinking, oh no! What if Dr. M. looks at my mouth and says okay, we're just going to go ahead and adjust your braces for you.... *runs and hides*

If he does make an adjustment, does that mean that when I got for the real thing, is it going to be a tighter adjustment? Well, I won't know until Wednesday...

Feeling: Nervous and Anxious

Hmm.. Sleep time is not a fun time!

I'm trying my best not to clench my teeth while sleeping. I know because I've been trying to prevent it, I don't sleep well at night. I tend to wake up a lot because I realize I'm clenching my teeth and I wake up and try to relax my jaw. That's just one problem though.

As I've talked about in a previous post, I'm still dealing with my upper teeth biting my cheek and causing me to have sores. I don't know if I'm like grinding my teeth now or what it is. It's just the craziest thing ever. I hate that I don't know. I figure I'll ask this question on archwired and hopefully, I can get some suggestions on how to at least protect my cheek while I'm sleeping at night.

I just hope this stops really soon. I would really love to sleep all the way through the night.

Orthodontic Terms

When I went to my consultation, I was seriously confused about all the Orthodontic Terms he used. So I'm trying to educate myself about my teeth and mouth. I'm slowly learning...

My orthodontist told me that I have a 8mm Overjet meaning my upper front teeth stick out 8 mms... Yikes! Then he said I have a Deep Bite meaning my upper front teeth covers my lower front teeth too much.. that's the part of the reason I have the dreaded molar buildups... *play doomed music * lol
I was also told that I have a Crossbite meaning my upper and lower teeth don't line up and I have some teeth that cross each other, upper and lower.

There's still some other terms I don't understand... so when I find out, I will be updating this post! :)

Sweet, Sugary Goodness that I can't have....

I would like to start out by saying that I absolutely LOVE chocolate! Before braces, I would eat chocolate all the time but I wouldn't brush my teeth afterwards... Sooo that's probably why I have so many fillings right now... lol.

Anywho, don't get me wrong, I love my braces but my sweet tooth is kicking me in the teeth right about now.... I just want a piece of chocolate, and I'll be a happy camper.. I know since I don't eat chocolate in moderation "a piece of chocolate" would turn into me eating the whole candy bar. =/

I'm trying my best to resist sweets, I really am, for the sake of my teeth. I don't want any cavaties... I have to keep telling myself that I'm stronger than my sweet tooth and I can make it through. It's all about self control!

I'm going to try to set a goal for myself... If I don't eat or drink anything sweet for a whole entire week... I'll reward myself with a small piece of chocolate and I really do mean a small piece. Lol.. I'm starting this Monday Morning!

*Wishes self good luck!*

Thankful

Somedays I forget to be thankful for the many things I have been blessed with. One thing I can say that I thank God for blessing me with is my braces. My braces have changed me in a very positive way. I used to hate my teeth. I would always cover my mouth whenever I laughed because I didn't want anyone to make fun of me. I used to get ridiculed for the way my teeth looked and that really brought my self esteem down. I used to just think that I wasn't pretty even though countless people had told me how pretty I was, I just couldn't see it for myself.

Since becoming braced, my confidence has just soared. I used to be really, painfully shy, most of it due to my teeth. I know longer feel shy and I feel more outgoing and not worried about how people look at me anymore because I have my braces and know that my smile is going to be really pretty soon. I show my teeth so much more and when I laugh, I no longer cover my mouth. It just feels great to no longer feel the way I have in the past.

I have a long journey ahead of me but things are definately looking up. I would just like to say thank you God!

Slave to my teeth?

There are days that I don't mind brushing and cleaning my teeth so much because I know that's what I'm supposed to do. There are other times after I've finished eating a snack, where I feel like I'm a slave to my teeth. Today I feel like the second sentence... I better get used to it, 2 1/2 years till these things come off. Might as well slave away for a pretty smile..

It'll be worth it in the end...

L <3

Waterpik :)

I ordered a Waterpik last week from Amazon and it was a little on the expensive side but it's so worth it!

I received my waterpik yesterday and when I got home I just had to try it out. I had to get the hang of how to use it because I sprayed water all over the mirror the first time I used it. After the water spraying incident, I finally used it correctly and my teeth felt so clean afterwards. If you don't have one, I would highly recommend it!

I think the coolest thing about the waterpik is the fact that it has different tips. I used the plaque seeker tip and the orthodontic tip and I didn't have a single problem with getting my teeth and mouth jewelry nice and shiny.

Day 21, Week 3: No New Changes

I'll have to take some more pictures for this week but so far, I haven't noticed any new changes. :(

                                                                         Front

   

                                                       Left                                                Right

                                     Upper Arch                                                            Lower Arch

I have been dealing with clenching my teeth at night. I was told that that is normal, since your jaw is trying to adjust to it's new bite. With me clenching my teeth, I wake up with sore teeth and it makes it a little hard to chew. Not only that, I've been biting the inside of my cheek in my sleep because when my teeth are clenched, my upper teeth will slide off my lower and my teeth will collid with my cheek. It's a painful wake up call! So I'm trying to train myself to keep my mouth closed but don't let my teeth touch while I'm sleeping.

 Motto for today: It'll be worth it in the end!

L<3

Day 14, Week 2: A little pressure and some movement... I think

Today makes it exactly 2 weeks since I got my braces. I'm feeling a little pressure on my front upper teeth, which is fine, that means it's moving! I also think that my lower front teeth have shifted a little bit. It's so cool and exciting.

Sidenote: I have 28 days till my 1st adjustment. That's going to be interesting. I'm really dreading it because I'm afraid of how it's going to hurt. It will all be worth it in the end!

L

Week 2:

Upper Arch                                            Lower Arch

Left Side                                          Right Side

     Front View

Day 9: Crest Glide Threader Floss

After having my braces a little over a week, I'm feeling great. I haven't experienced anymore pain and I'm able to chew and eat solid foods! Yay! =]

I was struggling a bit trying to floss. My lower teeth are so crowded that it would shred the floss. I was unable to floss my teeth in the back of my mouth because it was hard to reach and hard to get the threader under the wire. I posted on Metal Mouth Forums and a few interwebz people suggested I either get a thinner floss or I try Crest Glide Threader Floss.

Let me tell you, I bought the Crest Glide Threader Floss yesterday and it was amazing. The whole floss process was a little quicker as well as it was easier for me to get the floss under the wire because one end of the floss is stiff. I would highly recommend this product! :)



<3 L

Braced Up!

On Monday, August 1st, I had an orthodontic consultation appointment. I was thinking that all I was going in for the orthodontist to look at my teeth, tell me what kind of treatment I would need and tell me about their financial plans. Boy, was I wrong!

I went to the office and signed in and was instructed to be seated till I was called. I sat and waited and finally they called me in. I had some x-rays and pictures taken of my teeth and then I had to go sit in the waiting room and wait to meet the orthodontist.

My name was called and I went back into the office and met the Orthodontist. He was a really nice guy! He told me to sit in the chair and started looking in my mouth, calling off all these dental terms that I had no idea what he was talking about. After that part was done, we set down and he explained everything to me in layman's terms about what my teeth were doing and how we could correct them. We also went of how much it would cost. One of the things I remember him telling me was that I should probably go get a cleaning first before I got braces on. Well I was going to make an appointment for next week to get my impressions done but then I heard some good news!

I was told that I could get braces put on that very day! I was so estatic! I had waited for years to get braces and for me to go from consultation to having braces that same day, just amazed me! I thought about the cleaning and so oh whatever I'm sure it's fine, if it can happen today.

I went back in a room with a series of chairs and a few orthodontic assistants working on other people's teeth. I sat down in a chair and we were about to begin the process when Dr. M (We'll refer to him as that) came into the room and said how long has it been since you had a cleaning? My heart plummeted! I was afraid he would say, you can't have braces today because you need your cleaning first... I told him it had been about a year ago and he started looking at my teeth again and said well they look ok, go ahead. I wanted to leap out of the chair and dance, but I kept my excitement contained and thanked him!

We finally started the braces process! After the assistant cleaned my teeth, I rinsed my mouth our a few times. She started gluing the brackets on my teeth one by one and using this light tool to dry the glue. I had to rinsed my mouth out again after that was done. Then she put the wire in between the brackets and tightened it up. I didn't feel any pain whatsoever then.. I rinsed my mouth out one last time and smiled and saw I had a mouth full of metal. It felt weird to have a lumpy, bumpy mouth and when I would speak, my S' and F's didn't come out right. But I finally had them! :D

The assistant gave me instructions on how to clean my teeth, what I should eat and what I shouldn't and she also gave me a water bottle braces kit. I thanked everyone and went back to the front desk to make my appointment for my 1st adjustment. (I'm totally dreading it!)

I went in for a simple consultation and came out with a mouth full a metal and boosted confidence! I'm sure you're wondering did I have any pain! I had pain a few hours later and still dealing with some pain and I'm on the 3rd day. Hopefully, my pain will go away soon and I can start eating regular foods again. Soft food diet is not fun, when you LOVE to eat!

Even though, I'll deal with pain and discomfort, it'll all be worth it in the end, because I'll have a beautiful smile.

Before Braces

First Day of Braces