orthodontist appointment

I had my first splint check-up appointment at Dr. Molen's office. He really likes how everything is looking. He shaved a few teeth, working on getting my bite to lock into place - because I had two teeth removed on the bottom he says the teeth don't line up perfectly - but that it was completely necessary to remove them for my jaw health.

Another piece of interesting information - the splint isn't for retaining my bite. He says he's not worried about the bite retaining itself or relapsing. The splint is to relieve pressure in my TMJs to stop the pain I've been having. Sure enough, it's worked! I have very little to no jaw pain anymore, and my range of motion has even improved to 2 and a half fingers!

I'm going back in May for another checkup... maybe that will be my last one?

sigh [part 2,862]

Sigh.

Braces? Still on.

Bands? New configuration, and now the side ones on 22 hours a day and the front ones at night.

Jaw? No end in sight to this blasted joint pain. On one hand I really don't want to bother Dr. Lee because she's said TWICE now that there's nothing she can do until the bands are off, but on the other hand I don't know how much longer I can go around in pain like this without going crazy. Off the deep end crazy.

Sigh.

thankful

For all you Americans out there, Happy Thanksgiving! It's funny, this year I am thankful for an odd thing.

I haven't said anything on here, but I've been a little discouraged again about the face. I'm still not quite used to it, and it's been pretty swollen between the root canal and new rubber bands and a minor sinus infection - which I'm sure hasn't helped the matter. However, today after running I decided to take the extra 15 minutes and blowdry my hair - after it was done, I realized that I really like my new face today. The new haircut accentuates my new jawline and new chin and it really is flattering. Maybe I should dry my hair more often :) So, I'm thankful for becoming used to my face.

I haven't posted a picture for a while, and I'm not sure it's even really changing much anymore, but here you go - along with pictures of the new rubberband configuration at my orthodontist appointment this past Tuesday. He told me that the reason for my root canal was a cavity that had become irritated, and there was really no way for it to become painful due to the shortening of the roots (phew!). They changed both of my wires out, gave me lots of new hooks again, added the metal lacing between the front brackets on top and bottom again, added some rubber tie-backs from my incisors to the back teeth to close those gaps again, kept me in my old rubber band configuration and added new crazy ones up front. I'm allowed to take them out while I'm teaching now to help aid with my jaw pain in the right joint, but he wants me to try to hit 18 hours a day, and then 24 (minus eating and brushing) on weekends and any breaks. Luckily, my next appointment is a month earlier than it normally would be - in mid January. Hurray!

Also, with the jaw pain/ lack of range of motion, the heated rice sock has continued to decrease my jaw pain. For the first time since surgery (edging on 5 months now) I can yawn without severe pain. Whenever I'd accidently yawn fully my right joint would SCREAM. Now, no pain! I'm not sure if it's the rice that has done it or if it's because my ROM has increased (still at 20 sticks) and now yawning doesn't strain the joint, but I'll take it.

orthodontist today

It was an uneventful orthodontist appointment today. I did lose the springs on bottom, and while I never thought I'd say this - my braces feel so small now! Playing the clarinet will be much more comfortable now (and my insane wax usage ought to level off). I'm in the same wire as I have been for the past few adjustments, and it'll be the wire I have surgery in.

He did mention that when he emailed Dr. Lee she wasn't specific in fixing the height of my bite (ie the gummy smile thing). He told me to make sure to remind her of this in our pre-surgical appointment (although, this seems WAY too close to my actual surgery... yikes). I must remember to ask her about this, though, as it's pretty important to me. I figure if I'm going through all of the dual jaw surgery thing, I might as well come out with a nice smile.

Anyway, pictures finally: Check out the [lack of] gaps on the bottom!

orthodontist appointment today

Not really an exciting orthodontist appointment today. I have the exact same configuration, just adjusted with a little more tension on my springs and new rubber bands. I was partly excited (hopefully I will avoid one of my killer post-orthodontist-appointment migraines because they didn't really change much)... but mostly disappointed because SHEESH do I want some of this metal out of my mouth! I have NEVER been a wax user, but as of the major metal additions I have been a real addict to the stuff - and I don't play trumpet or clarinet as much for my kids during class because I hate having wax in while I'm teaching.

Yeah, I'm a diva. So what?

More appointments, though. In the last week of May I have a last-minute checkup appointment to make sure everything's going as planned. Then on June 23rd I get my surgery hooks on - a full week before surgery (blegh), but that was the only date they had open as they go on a vacation right around that time. I also will be getting my impressions taken with the hooks in, which ought to be a BLAST!

My husband's leaving tomorrow morning for his training with the national guard. He'll be gone from anywhere from 9 weeks (if he goes to the first school only) to almost 60 weeks (both schools in a row). Ugh. I still have hope that he'll be home for my surgery, but it is quite bleak.

metal mouth extreme

I had an hour long orthodontist appointment today. And it wasn't one of those chat for a half hour before the real appointment begins appointment... it was an hour of people with their hands in my mouth and adding pounds of metal onto my teeth. Looky looky: if you look closely, my front 6 or 7 teeth are all connected by a wire that is twisted and criss-crossed around each bracket. Then I've got huge hooks on the top and the bottom. There are two huge springs on the bottom, working on closing those gaps, and there are "tie backs" on the top teeth - rubber bands hooked from the top hook to the back that I don't change. The archwire is a thick stainless steel wire. So. Much. Metal. I'm a tad worried about playing the clarinet with all of these things inside of my face! On the right is a better picture of the spring and the dreaded gap... there is a matching one on the other side. Oh, hey, and there's food stuck under the top hook already. Lovely. Already the extra stuff is rubbing against my lips and making my teeth sing more Wagner arias. Despite taking an extra-large dose of ibuprofen, my teeth are pretending themselves sopranos - singing the high notes!

Other than that, not a ton of change... My orthodontist seems really pleased with the overbite, which is sure a different reaction than my own. This new set of wires, along with closing the dreaded gaps, is trying to spread out my arches. My next appointment is in April, and that should be my last major appointment prior to surgery - perhaps some minor tweaking appointments after that. WHOA! I am more excited than I can possibly tell you that surgery is coming, but all of a sudden it seems like it's rushing at me at 100 miles an hour.

acupuncture and adjustment

Acupuncture was this past Friday. I had needles. In my FACE (and neck, shoulders, hands, and feet). It was a bit scary. The acupuncturist was very good - he made me feel very relaxed, asked me a lot of questions, told me he thought acupuncture would help (and he can also fix my I'm-suddenly-getting-old-or-something weird stuff going on like my hip being weird). The needles stung a little bit going in on my face, but nothing more than a pinch and a sting and it was over. He left Nick and I in a nice warm room to hang out for maybe 20-25 minutes with the needles in (good picture time). I didn't feel any immediate relief, which was a bummer because I was coming off of a doozy of a migraine, but the next day I woke up to no pain. Not even a little. In fact, I didn't really notice anything was different until I went to yawn and I winced and grabbed for my jaw joints like I usually do and realized it didn't hurt. It didn't last long, maybe an hour, but I now have confidence that it can work. He says that the relief will be more immediate and more long lasting as treatment progresses.

Then the next day I got the worst migraine I've had in a long time. Hopefully not connected... I still have it now and I'm contemplating missing school tomorrow it hurts so bad.

Adjustment was today. They x-rayed my teeth and took off a maybe 7-8 brackets on my lowers and 1 on my uppers for replacement. She put the same wire back in and I was originally disappointed (no pain no gain!) but immediately I felt the results.... and 8 hours later my teeth are singing Wagner. Whoo-eee! I was sad, he made a comment on my teeth getting a little discolored. I drink coffee. I LOVE coffee. I'm not sure how I'm going to give coffee up, but he's right. My teeth aren't as lovely as they once were. Any ideas?

Oh, and progress pictures. The gums keep swelling (the splints make it worse, I think), the overbite keeps growing, and the gaps keep closing. On and on.

adjustment today

As I said in my post yesterday, I had a lot of questions going into this appointment. But my orthodontist is so great - he read my mind before I could even ask them!

I will be surgery ready in.... are you ready???? APRIL! However, I can't take time off of school, so surgery will have to wait until June. But what a relief! He also explained what will happen in my next few appointments - the next appointment is a long one, repositioning brackets and getting my first set of stainless steel wires. After that, the focus will be on closing my lower gaps and achieving as much width in my lower arches as possible. He says that while they are working on my upper jaw, it's not as big a priority because it's going to be widened in surgery.

School gets out on June 16th with the 17th-20th being possible snow makeup days. I will probably shoot for the last week in June to give me time to prepare. My mom has a ton of vacaction time, luckily, so she'll be able to come up and take care of me the first week or two (my husband leaves for National Guard training in January, and will be gone for a year to two years in California... with no way to take time off). Thank goodness she'll be able to help - otherwise, things would be scary.

He also gave me a few splints, hoping to curb some of the severe migraines I've been getting lately from my jaw. They're pretty neat - I'll post pictures when I get a chance, and let you know how they work out.

Oh, and the gums? Looking fine. Whatever.

adjustment time

I had an adjustment this afternoon. I got my first set of square (rectangular?) wires, and I am hurting already. It seems like every tooth is throbbing, my head is full of pressure, and the roof of my mouth feels like it's going to crack open.

Wahoo! No pain, no gain.

ouch.

The braces are terrible. So terrible, in fact, that despite taking pictures for later reference, I was not sure if I could bring myself to show the rest of the world. But this morning, I have better resolve, better tylenol, and a better sense of humor. So, here we go. Huge, terrible, so big-my-lips-don't-really-fit-over-them braces. Yikes.

And they hurt like... well, they hurt. Last night was worse than this morning, except for my jaw. My jaw is deciding to declare mutiny on the rest of my skull and teeth and is throwing HUGE fits for reasons unknown. My top teeth don't hurt TOO terribly yet (though I already miss being able to "bite" into things), but that new wire on the lowers is movin' and shakin', let me tell you. Can't wait to see all the progress.

But MAN, do they look awful! If only my lips fit over them in any way.... Hopefully that improves soon.

braces (halfway)

I have my bottom braces on! The past week, I've had nightmares about missing my appointment somehow, and then on Monday morning Nick woke up at 10am... my alarm hadn't gone off! And my appointment was a half hour away at.... 10am. I've never once been late to an appointment of any kind - not kidding. I'm a get-there-twenty-minutes-early-just-in-case kind of gal, not a shoot from the hip get there whenever kind of gal.

But, everything worked out fine - my bottom teeth are going to take 6-7 months longer than my uppers (half of the time!), and he said there isn't really a reason to have my uppers on yet, in fact, that I could wait a considerable amount of time before getting them on. (However, I want them on NOW so convinced him to let me get them on at my next appointment, March 31st).

Other than being more disappointed in myself than you can BELIEVE, I'm doing great! The teeth are tender, but my lip is holding up well (all those years of clarinet playing, I'm sure). Eating isn't a problem, as I'm STILL crazy sick and can't hold anything down, so I don't really eat. (No worries, I'm back to the doctor this afternoon).

I can't wait to watch all the progress. He said that with this archwire, they're trying to shrink the gap, un-rotate my teeth, and eliminate some of the crowding up front. Sheesh!

On a final note, does anyone out there gave the Damon Braces system? And if so, is it weird that my orthodontist is allowing me to cut my own archwire when it starts to poke out the back? It sounds weird to me, but I'm not complaining.