Month 5 - Power Chains put on hold

This morning was the 5 month adjustment.  I was excited for this appointment since Dr. Black and Shelly have been discussing power chains for a couple of appointments already. 

1. The dental assistant (Shelly) had Dr. Black (my orthodontist) review my teeth with the usual "open/close/open/close..."  Once he reveiwed my teeth, he noted that my arch is looking very good and he is so proud of the progress my teeth are making. 

2. Dr. Black asked where it seemed my teeth were hitting when I bit down.  He noticed that my teeth were hitting in the back, not allowing my molars toward the front to touch properly.  He used this fancy paper and had me bite down on it several times.  This paper leaves a red mark on where my teeth are hitting, so he could "sand" them down with his hi-speed dental tool.  Once they sanded down the trouble spots, he had me bite down on that fancy paper some more.  I can actually bite down on I would say 90% of my right molars and 10% on my left molars.  I wonder if he is going to correct this in the near future of my treatment?  Hmmmm......

3. Once my bite was improved, he went back and forth in his mind on rather to move me up to the next wire (18) or leave me in the current wires (16).  He informed Shelly that he would like to apply chains to my teeth when I move up to the 18 wire, but would like to leave me in the 16 for now, and continue the wire ligatures on my two stubborn bottom teeth, since he felt they could move a little bit more.  He also checked my records to see how long I have had wire ligatures on those two teeth.  It appears going a weekend with a broken ligature wire in early June really affected my tooth progress. 

4. Shelly removed my wire ligatures and replaced them with new ligature wires on teeth # 23 and # 26*
She then replaced all the rubber ligatures on the remaining brackets with the same color I had (silver).  I really liked the silver and the bands appeared to be stronger than the colored bands, which broke more often and seemed to be stretched way past their elasticity... creating less movement in the 4 week time frames.

*Note: The blog post on teeth numbers, including an illustrated diagram is available under the posting "My Teeth in Numbers"

My next appointment is on August 9, 2011... where hopefully I will finally be moved into my next wire and also should have my upper and lower power chains.  Stay Tuned!!!

Month 4 - Wire Tie Delayed Progress :(

So, I have had my braces on for over 4 months now.... working on 5 months.  Boy have things changed alot since these metal wires were attached to my teeth in February.  First off, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates, as I have been busy with the kids getting out of school, the death of Jess's grandparents, and just alot of other things occupying my time.

I still have wire ligatures on two of my bottom teeth and regular elastic ligatures on the others.  I went in for an adjustment last week, and they had to hold off on putting on power chains on top and bottom, since one of my teeth moved back to the pre-braces position, after the wire ligature broke.  The dentist told me that there was a high chance of it breaking, since he had to tighten it down more than he normally would, and it put a weak spot in the wire... sure enough, it broke almost a week before my adjustment, but completely fell off the day before my appointment.  FYI: breaking a wire ligature even hours before an appointment can set you back by months on treatment.  But, my dentist was not open when mine broke, so I had no other options.

This time, Dr. Black had Shelly change the bands and put new wire ties on me... they are hoping I will be moved into Power Chains on my next appointment, which will be around my 5 month mark.  I am really excited for the Power Chains, since it would close two gaps that are forming on the top teeth. 

Unfortunately, I have no interesting news on the teeth right now.... I forget they are actually there, except when I am trying to eat certain foods and they remind me that they are in fact there. 

Stay Tuned for more updates.... instead of weekly updates, I am going to start monthly updates (depending on my schedule), since not much goes on.



This was taken at the Astros Game of me and Jess. Check out that smile on me!!! Looking much better already



Week 12 - Tootsie Rolls are a No No!

Tuesday, I was officially 12 weeks braced.  I was very excited about my adjustment appointment, so that I could discuss some concerns with my dentist.  I thought I would take this time to review my adjustment appointment in detail.

12 Week Adjustment:
Shelly, the dental assistant, called me back almost immediately to the room.  She asked how everything was going and how my mouth was doing.  I told her I was extremely excited about the dramatic changes on my lowers, however, I felt that my uppers are only moving side to side.  I also explained how I really dislike the huge gap it has created on my uppers, as it makes it where I do not want to smile.

She asked Dr. Black to come in to review my teeth, and brought back with her my molds from my records appointment, to show me how much they have changed. ( I actually liked that they included the molds, as it was helpful in seeing the changes. )  Next, Dr. Black reviewed my bite and discussed with Shelly the previous adjustment, in order to make a decision on the next step in my dental plan. 

Dr. Black instructed Shelly to leave the current wires on both upper and lowers.  My uppers had a new wire placed 6 weeks ago at the last adjustment.  My lowers still have the same wire from when they placed the braces on my teeth.  They replaced all the rubber bands on each bracket and replaced one of the two wire ties on my lowers. 
Dr. Black then checked my bite and noticed that I have a class II occlusion (slight over bite).  He also discussed power chains for in the near future.

Now that the adjustment is completed, my teeth are a little sore, but nothing like when I first got braces.  Just the replacement of the bands create slight soreness, since my last bands were extremely worn. This was most noticeable at Easter, when I attempted to eat a no-no... tootsie rolls... and had to have Jess play dentist, when I slipped off one of the ligatures and had the wire move to the top of my bracket. Jess removed the band and reset the wire into the proper position on the bracket and reapplied the worn ligature.

Week 11 - Braces like a car??? Hmmm.... (metaphor of course)

11 Weeks into Braces!!!

Well, Week 11 is about here... and everything has been going good with the braces.  The dramatic changes, especially on the bottom just amazes me.  Oh yeah... check out those teeth!!!  My teeth are finally starting to look like teeth with braces... since braces always look better once the teeth start to straighten out.  Check out the progress in my pics to the left!!!  So Happy!!!



Braces - 11 weeks ago!!!

My bottom teeth have stopped hurting thankfully.  My top teeth have not hurt at all since my last adjustment, where they put a thicker wire on top... but last night they started to bother me.  It is not severe pain, and I can still eat no problem... they are just sore. I figure the teeth are shifting and they are to the point where they are shifting enough that my mouth does not like it.  But my mouth is just going to have to get over it... because I am loving the changes!!! 

I feel goofy when I smile for pictures though... it is like, my mouth conforms around the braces differently, so my smile is retarded if you ask me.  But I am hoping that will all change soon.  :)  I am really looking forward to about 1-1/2 weeks, when I go back for my next adjustment.  They wanted to see me next week, but since my dentist is taking off for Easter, I have to wait 6 weeks in between, instead of the 5 they wanted. 

Anyway, last night, while laying in the bed with about 4 sore teeth, I started wondering if this blog was as wonderful as it sounded in the beginning.Who really cares about the transformation of my teeth, right?  But then I thought, you know what... I really don't care if some don't like it... my goal is to help others by sharing my experience, because I know I was nervous but excited to get mine... and I still read blogs and updates from complete strangers, to see "is this normal?" or "are my teeth shifting fast enough?", and etc.  So, if I end up only helping one person in my experience of blogging about my "Wired Smile"... well, that is one person I managed to help or one person that maybe feels they are not alone in this. 

Before I go, I wanted to touch base again on oral hygeine.  I must admit, when I first got my braces on... I was gung-ho on keeping my smile pretty and brushing so much... that I am sure I was over brushing.  I look at it like getting a new car.... when you first get a new car you wash the car constantly.... wipe away smudge marks, check for dings and scratches from those damn buggies at the parking lot, armor-all the crap out of the inside, vacuum the interior, and even douse the car in new car and leather scents to keep it looking and smelling great.  That is kinda how I treated my braces.  Now that I am a little further into them... I have died down on the excessive cleaning.  I still brush my teeth at a minimum twice a day, still floss at night, use my water pik, and try to keep them looking great, but not obsessing like I did before.  So, I guess the moral of the story is... you know how your car still runs great and looks great, even if you miss an armor-all session or a vacuum???  Braces are kinda the same.  They still are great, as long as you keep up with your scheduled maintenance.  Think of brushing your teeth like having to fill up your car twice a day (just thankfully not as expensive as gas... just time consuming!), flossing as cleaning out the trash from your floor board, and going to the dentist as your oil changes which come every so many miles.  :)  

*Tip of Advice: Get yourself a good Sonic Toothbrush with Braces and buy extra heads... as you will go through them fast.  I personally use Sonicare Healthy White.... and I really like it.  As for flossing, I really find it easy to use Crest Glide Threader Floss... just sit infront of the TV and floss, in 5 to 10 minutes... you are done... and they come in individual packets... which makes taking them on the go a breeze!

Week 10 - Hate this Gap!

Well, in 2 days I will officially hit 10 weeks since my braces were applied. Wow, how time flies by. It amazes me how much my teeth have already shifted... especially the bottom teeth. I really don't have much to say about how my teeth are doing, mainly because I have gotten so used to them that I actually forget they are there. Well, except when those wire ties poke me, which they occasionally do.

There is one thing that is driving me nuts though.... on my top teeth, I have noticed a large gap is creating. Last night, I showed my really good friend, Shelly, who happens to also be my dental assistant. She said, it is normal since I have such narrow teeth, and they will apply a power chain once my top teeth get straighter, which will close the gaps. What a relief.

One interesting thing is how often people like to point out my braces... but it doesn't bother me. 2 weeks ago, Jess and I went to a new tattoo shop to get his flames on his wrist fixed, and I got 2 new tats. Anyway, the guy at the desk mentioned how he wished I could meet his son, since he is also new to braces and he hates them. He said his son hates them so much, that his son actually got pink bands just to make his braces funny.

I thought I would post a before and after of my progress so far, since I am so proud of the progress I have made!

Before

 10 Week Update

Weeks 5 & 6 - Hello Wire Ties!

Week 5 really is great. No pain at all. The only thing I notice is a wire poking me in the back. There is a bracket driving me bananas though... it is one that I kept hitting with my teeth when I bite down, so Dr. Black had to shave down the bracket a little. Well, it was enough to not allow  the band to  stay hooked, so that wire moves alot in the buccal tube. Because of this, I cannot eat well on that side.

Week 6 means adjustment! They put a new wire on top, replaced the bracket that I mentioned earlier, and kept the same wire on bottom... but they added 2 wire ties on 2 of my bottom teeth. These replace the colored bands on those specific brackets. They did this in order to rotate those teeth. I was not fond of the pain associated with it, but it wasn't bad. 

My teeth did hurt for about 3 to 5 days, mainly the front bottom teeth thanks to those wire ties. I was happy to replace the bands too! My daughter went with me, since she was not allowed at school that day and was treated for the L word.... yep... Lice. Anyway, I picked pink bands on top and Kayleigh picked Purple  for the bottom. I like incorporating her in this experience... plus she thinks I am cool for wearing funky colors as a mom. I must say, the actual adjustment itself wasn't bad at all... only pain were those wire ties from the pressure.

That is about it for now! Stick around for more updates, pictures of progress, and new experiences I discover!

Weeks 3 & 4 - Crest Chemical Burn???

I would say week 3 is AWESOME... but I would be lying.  The braces and my teeth are great... but I am having other issues with my mouth now.  Let me fill ya in on this lil dilemma...

I decided to really push my oral heath into high gear and use this time as a perfect opportunity to teach my daughter oral health basics, which she lacks.  Our adventure started at our local Wal-Mart (which is not a supercenter like most... we are still working with old school Wal-Mart). Anyway... Kayleigh and I spent several minutes down the toothpaste aisle looking for children's flossers, her and the boys new spin brushes, new toothpaste for both her and the kids, more mouthwash, etc...  I have used Crest Pro-Health before with no issues... and I decided to pick up Crest Pro-Health Clinical Gum Protection for myself.  I really wanted to make sure I was taking care of my gums and teeth.  Afterall, I did just drop 4 grand on these puppies in my mouth... better take care of the teeth, so I do not throw my hard earned money down the drain. 

Fast Forward through the weekend... I used the new toothpaste and noticed it did sting and burn when I used it... but I figured... it may just be I am not used to the power in it... plus my new sonicare toothbrush finally came off the easy start mode, so it was at full power as well.  Even when I used my mouthwash, it was burning... and this was not changed from the type I just ran out of.  Even though I was experiencing these issues... I kept on using it.

Fast Forward to Monday Morning.... I wake up in the morning, and notice my lips are swollen.  Now, for those who know me... I have naturally larger lips...good kissers ;)  ... but these lips were alot bigger and my bottom lip on the inside was hurting, like my braces cut the hell out of it.  I brushed my teeth in the morning, like always, got dressed and did my face for work... and headed into work.  By the time I got to work my lips were extremely swollen and very painful.  WTF!!!  I started to think that maybe it was the toothpaste causing this.  The next day (Tuesday) was my 3 week check up.  I decided NOT to use the horrible toothpaste Monday night or Tuesday morning, because my mouth was in sooo much pain.  When I went in for my appointment, the dentist points out that yes... I have a chemical burn on my lips from my toothpaste.  A Chemical Burn?  Why is this toothpaste even on the shelf if it causes such painful blisters and such, only after a few days of use? 

So my mouth is on fire and hurting so much from the toothpaste burns, and it is time to change out my rubberbands.  OUCH!  I know Shelly meant well, but she kept pressing against my bottom lip, which is where the burns were the worst.  It took all I had not to cry as she put on my new bands.  I chose to get Green Bands though... in honor of St. Patty's Day which was right around the corner.  Pretty Cool I thought.  She starts to put the bands on (Dark Green and Light Green) alternating between the two colors... but the lighter green color kept breaking upon application.  She managed to get the light green on every other tooth on top, but the bottom, she put all dark green, since yeah... light green had its 'nuff.

Teeth felt great after the appointment.  They were a lil achy and tight (especially the next day), but nothing major.  I think the soreness was masked by the excruciating pain I was experiencing because of that toothpaste.  I noticed that a light green band broke almost immediately on my top teeth. Shelly said it was fine, and not to worry.  And the bottom bracket on one of my molars won't hold the rubber band... Dr. Black had to cut off one of the hooks on it, since I like to bite the bracket. 

Fast Foward to the next week... my teeth feel awesome!  The toothpaste burns have healed finally and I can hardly feel my brackets.  I did however, manage to get a chicken wing (the flat, not the drum) bone stuck on my back bracket at work... I forgot I had braces and was having issues cleaning the meat off the bone, so I turned the wing sideways to chew with different teeth, and the part of the wing where the bones meet hooked onto my bracket, and I had it stuck at work.  That was interesting!!!  Ha Ha.

I go back to the dentist at 6 weeks with braces.... excited!!!