Welcome to my first blog ever!
My name is Alexis, I am 24 and I just got braces. Wicked.
This blog will be used to rant and rave, vent, joke, laugh and embarrass myself while I take this two-year adventure to have perfect teeth. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I will ;).
So...my orthodontist tells me that I have an "open bite malocclusion due to vertical growth
pattern, narrow upper arch with cross bites and missing teeth #14,24,48. Impacted #38," and the way to treat this is to get "upper and lower braces and JAW SURGERY to correct open bite. Total time is 24 months with surgery at 12-18 months." My oral surgeon then adds that I will need 3 wisdom teeth removed. Wicked x2. FML. In basic terms it means that I have top and bottom metal braces to improve the spaces in my upper teeth and the over-crowding in my lower front teeth. Because I have an open bite (which means that my front teeth do not touch... I have to endure jaw surgery on my upper jaw (BEST DIET EVER) in about a years time.
My ultimate goal is to have perfect teeth by April 20, 2011 (a full two years).
April 21, 2009 was the day I got my top braces. I had reviewed a ton of videos on YouTube (I reco watching them before you get yours on), so I had "braced" myself for what was to come. Getting the braces on didn't hurt one bit. It took about 45 min to an hour. The worst part about the procedure was the disgusting taste of the varnish they apply to your teeth before the brackets go on. Obviously, I shouldn't have been moving my tongue around while they were applying this lovely tasting product...but I did by accident. Then I had to sit there for 1/2 an hour with arsenic tasting glue on my tongue. They take you through the "do's and don'ts" of how to clean your teeth and what to not eat, etc... and leave you with some pamphlets to look over and a fun little braces kit that includes a soft toothbrush, floss, plastic floss needles (to get the floss through your braces...like when your sewing), a fun little mirror (you know the cool kind that they always use at the dentist that you secretly always want to use yourself), a mini toothbrush head-thingy to get out food that gets stuck and wax (in case sharp pieces start poking you). They told me I did an "AMAZING JOB." I guess everyone does an amazing job if they don't cry and punch the orthodontist in the face? I must say I was a little proud of myself for not doing either of those things.
One of my best friends, Claire, advised me to take two Advil Extra Strength Liquid Gels (my favorite) before getting the braces on...and it REALLY REALLY helped (LOVE YOU CLAIRE! YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE BEST DOCTOR EVER). I continuously took those throughout the next few days and it really wasn't that painful. My teeth felt super sensitive and achy...but I chose to stick to a strict liquid diet (i.e. soup, Ensure, wine, vodka, tequila, etc...) and that helped a lot. Because I chose not to use my teeth, I think it subdued the pain exponentially...friends who had braces in the past warned me about the first 48-72 hours, but I lucked out.
Next came the bottom braces. I got those puppies put on this past Tuesday (May 12, 2009) at 8:20 in the morning. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am NOT a morning person...so this was extra fun. I tried to remember this time not to move my tongue around, but of course I did...and had to endure the lovely glue taste for a bit. This appointment took about 1.5 hours because they had to put the bottom braces on and tighten my upper wire a bit. It didn't hurt. However, I really didn't enjoy the part where my ortho shaved off some of the sides of my bottom teeth. He did this in order make room for my crowded lower teeth to move properly. He basically used something that felt like a drill and made my head vibrate so much that the ortho stopped and asked me if I was OK.... I told him besides the fact that he's shaving enamel off my beloved teeth, I'm fine. The bottom teeth have been a little less painful than the top. I attempted to eat delicious Montreal-style bagels with cream cheese and lox on day two and it wasn't half bad.
At the start, brushing was the most annoying part to me. I am an avid twice-a-day brusher, but having to brush during lunch too was a bit much. I understand why I have to, but I still don't like it. My ortho said that I only have to floss once a day (usually best at night) and this takes about 20 minutes or so to do. I promised myself that I will do everything in my power in order not to have rings on my teeth when my braces come off...so I will push myself to continue this process.
With both the top and bottom braces I have endured a bit of wire-poking from the back teeth. This really irritated my gums and needed to be fixed ASAP. I used the wax as a quick fix and then made an appointment with the ortho to snip off the excess immediately. It took about 5 minutes and all was better.
It's been a little hard to talk with the full brace set. Words with the letter "F" in them are a little difficult and every time I smile or laugh I have use my hands to bring my lower lip back over the braces...fun. I'm used to the top braces and they feel normal now, so I'm just waiting for the bottom braces to feel the same.
I guess I should talk about the jaw surgery part now....Well I have to get jaw surgery to correct my open bite. This will hopefully be done in April or May 2010. The surgery includes breaking my upper jaw and removing a piece of bone, then screwing my jaw back together. Awesome. This is where the "best diet ever" comes along. I am actually super excited for this surgery. This is probably because I've never had surgery and don't realise the pain and recovery that comes along with it...but I am really anxious to see the amazing results. I have an open bite, which means my back teeth are ground down so much because I never use my front teeth to bite or chew. This surgery will ensure that I don't misuse my teeth any longer and will improve the structure of my face. At the moment, along with the open bite, I have a recessive jaw and this surgery will bring my jaw forward and make my profile more pronounced :). Back in the day, they used to basically sew your jaw shut for 2-4 months for your jaw to heal...but the surgery I will have will only have me off work for about 2 weeks and they won't have to sew anything..just a couple of screws in my upper jaw (I will try to find a illustration of this procedure to post).
Anyhow...that's enough for now. I will try to update as much as possible to show you the progress on my teeth :)
http://ziedenbergorthodontics.com/
http://www.crescentoralsurgery.com/
My name is Alexis, I am 24 and I just got braces. Wicked.
This blog will be used to rant and rave, vent, joke, laugh and embarrass myself while I take this two-year adventure to have perfect teeth. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I will ;).
So...my orthodontist tells me that I have an "open bite malocclusion due to vertical growth
pattern, narrow upper arch with cross bites and missing teeth #14,24,48. Impacted #38," and the way to treat this is to get "upper and lower braces and JAW SURGERY to correct open bite. Total time is 24 months with surgery at 12-18 months." My oral surgeon then adds that I will need 3 wisdom teeth removed. Wicked x2. FML. In basic terms it means that I have top and bottom metal braces to improve the spaces in my upper teeth and the over-crowding in my lower front teeth. Because I have an open bite (which means that my front teeth do not touch... I have to endure jaw surgery on my upper jaw (BEST DIET EVER) in about a years time.My ultimate goal is to have perfect teeth by April 20, 2011 (a full two years).
April 21, 2009 was the day I got my top braces. I had reviewed a ton of videos on YouTube (I reco watching them before you get yours on), so I had "braced" myself for what was to come. Getting the braces on didn't hurt one bit. It took about 45 min to an hour. The worst part about the procedure was the disgusting taste of the varnish they apply to your teeth before the brackets go on. Obviously, I shouldn't have been moving my tongue around while they were applying this lovely tasting product...but I did by accident. Then I had to sit there for 1/2 an hour with arsenic tasting glue on my tongue. They take you through the "do's and don'ts" of how to clean your teeth and what to not eat, etc... and leave you with some pamphlets to look over and a fun little braces kit that includes a soft toothbrush, floss, plastic floss needles (to get the floss through your braces...like when your sewing), a fun little mirror (you know the cool kind that they always use at the dentist that you secretly always want to use yourself), a mini toothbrush head-thingy to get out food that gets stuck and wax (in case sharp pieces start poking you). They told me I did an "AMAZING JOB." I guess everyone does an amazing job if they don't cry and punch the orthodontist in the face? I must say I was a little proud of myself for not doing either of those things.
One of my best friends, Claire, advised me to take two Advil Extra Strength Liquid Gels (my favorite) before getting the braces on...and it REALLY REALLY helped (LOVE YOU CLAIRE! YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE BEST DOCTOR EVER). I continuously took those throughout the next few days and it really wasn't that painful. My teeth felt super sensitive and achy...but I chose to stick to a strict liquid diet (i.e. soup, Ensure, wine, vodka, tequila, etc...) and that helped a lot. Because I chose not to use my teeth, I think it subdued the pain exponentially...friends who had braces in the past warned me about the first 48-72 hours, but I lucked out.
Next came the bottom braces. I got those puppies put on this past Tuesday (May 12, 2009) at 8:20 in the morning. For those of you who know me well, you know that I am NOT a morning person...so this was extra fun. I tried to remember this time not to move my tongue around, but of course I did...and had to endure the lovely glue taste for a bit. This appointment took about 1.5 hours because they had to put the bottom braces on and tighten my upper wire a bit. It didn't hurt. However, I really didn't enjoy the part where my ortho shaved off some of the sides of my bottom teeth. He did this in order make room for my crowded lower teeth to move properly. He basically used something that felt like a drill and made my head vibrate so much that the ortho stopped and asked me if I was OK.... I told him besides the fact that he's shaving enamel off my beloved teeth, I'm fine. The bottom teeth have been a little less painful than the top. I attempted to eat delicious Montreal-style bagels with cream cheese and lox on day two and it wasn't half bad.
At the start, brushing was the most annoying part to me. I am an avid twice-a-day brusher, but having to brush during lunch too was a bit much. I understand why I have to, but I still don't like it. My ortho said that I only have to floss once a day (usually best at night) and this takes about 20 minutes or so to do. I promised myself that I will do everything in my power in order not to have rings on my teeth when my braces come off...so I will push myself to continue this process.
With both the top and bottom braces I have endured a bit of wire-poking from the back teeth. This really irritated my gums and needed to be fixed ASAP. I used the wax as a quick fix and then made an appointment with the ortho to snip off the excess immediately. It took about 5 minutes and all was better.
It's been a little hard to talk with the full brace set. Words with the letter "F" in them are a little difficult and every time I smile or laugh I have use my hands to bring my lower lip back over the braces...fun. I'm used to the top braces and they feel normal now, so I'm just waiting for the bottom braces to feel the same.
I guess I should talk about the jaw surgery part now....Well I have to get jaw surgery to correct my open bite. This will hopefully be done in April or May 2010. The surgery includes breaking my upper jaw and removing a piece of bone, then screwing my jaw back together. Awesome. This is where the "best diet ever" comes along. I am actually super excited for this surgery. This is probably because I've never had surgery and don't realise the pain and recovery that comes along with it...but I am really anxious to see the amazing results. I have an open bite, which means my back teeth are ground down so much because I never use my front teeth to bite or chew. This surgery will ensure that I don't misuse my teeth any longer and will improve the structure of my face. At the moment, along with the open bite, I have a recessive jaw and this surgery will bring my jaw forward and make my profile more pronounced :). Back in the day, they used to basically sew your jaw shut for 2-4 months for your jaw to heal...but the surgery I will have will only have me off work for about 2 weeks and they won't have to sew anything..just a couple of screws in my upper jaw (I will try to find a illustration of this procedure to post).
Anyhow...that's enough for now. I will try to update as much as possible to show you the progress on my teeth :)
http://ziedenbergorthodontics.com/
http://www.crescentoralsurgery.com/
((www.aboutteens.org/braces.htm))
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