Meghan's Braces Part Deux

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

I was right, my uppers need some work still. But my lower braces are gone! I'm going in for my temporary retainer at 3:15 this afternoon, and in for another appointment in two weeks. I hope the uppers will be resolved by that time, but no matter what, the braces won't be coming off then, I'll have to make another appointment for that.
One thing that disturbed/surprised me today - my permanent retainer is going to be a special retainer for people who have had bite work done, maybe just for people who have had Damon braces. There's a name for it, but I can't remember. It's one piece, with a plastic mold for your uppers and a plastic mold for your lowers, and it holds your jaw together while you sleep, with a little hole between the uppers and lowers for you to breathe, maybe for when you have a cold and your nose is clogged? I have to sleep with it for the rest of my life, and I have enough of a problem with commitment that that really frightens me. (I think my commitment-phobia also is why I'm afraid of veneers - the fact that they're irreversible terrifies me.)
Anyway, I'll spend the rest of the afternoon getting used to my slippery new bottom teeth, and trying to get some work done. Happy Tuesday!

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

Thanks Karen! It is nice to have naked teeth, even if it's only 1/2. Flossing was a treat last night - I love to have my teeth feel clean, and it's so nice for it not to take so long. As for the retainer, I'll check out those stories. I'm sure I'll get used to it, it was just a huge shock when I had understood from the beginning that I would be getting a permanent retainer and that would be all - very low maintenance, no worrying about losing it or breaking it. And not having my jaws locked together while I sleep. I'm not happy about getting a splint retainer, but you're right, it's better than getting braces a 3rd time.

Now I have some issues I'd like to get out of my system. I'm getting increasingly frustrated with my orthodontic care. Every time I can remember that my ortho has tried to correct something, he has either overshot it, or the "correction" has caused other problems that then need to be fixed.
So I got my lower braces off yesterday. A few weeks ago I mentioned that my lower right lateral incisor was twisted. My ortho took a look and agreed, so he adjusted the wire to correct it. Then, yesterday, I brought up that the one next to it - my lower right central incisor - was twisted. It had happened after he had corrected the lower right lateral incisor. He took a look, agreed, and said it could be done with the retainer. So the assistant took my braces off, gave me the temporary retainer (temporary until I get my uppers off and the splint retainer is made), and I thought everything was fine. After sleeping with the temporary retainer one night, the lower right central incisor is now fine - but the lower right lateral incisor, which was the original problem, is now twisted, again. I'm not saying it's wildly twisted, and I don't think anyone would notice except for me and my ortho (once I point it out, again), but I find it really annoying.
The same thing has happened with my uppers. Way back in November, I mentioned that one of my upper central incisors was poking forward in relation to the other upper central incisor. Since then, at every appointment, I have pointed this out. My ortho agrees, makes an adjustment, and without fail, the problem is "corrected," but then the other central incisor is poking out by the next appointment, and the whole thing starts again. It's been maybe 5 appointments where this has happened - and it happened again yesterday. For some reason he has not been able to get them even.
And I mentioned that there was open space in my bite on the left side yesterday - my ortho agreed, and said he'd "pull down" those teeth to make them meet. Well, he did, but I think they're down too far. Now there's only one tooth on the uppers that touches the lowers. And it hurts. And it has given me one great headache. I'm trying to get in to see him again today, but the office hasn't returned my call. In a way I feel really bad - I don't like making an annoyance of myself, and I think I might be their most troublesome patient. In another way, I feel like I'm not getting great care, and I'm put in the position of having to fight for it. My dad suggested that I talk to another orthodontist. When I had mentioned to the ortho's office at the beginning of my treatment that I wanted my ortho's partner to take a look (she specifically had been very highly recommended by people at my office, nothing against my ortho), they got very frosty. Apart from her, I don't know anything about any of the orthos in my area, so I would be flying blind if I went to one for a second opinion.

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

My ortho called me back and was really nice. I'm going in tomorrow morning and he'll fit me in. I'm going to bake him and the office muffins for breakfast as thanks for being so accommodating. They've always been very nice and friendly and helpful - I just wish I were more confident about the progression of my treatment.

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

My ortho fit me in this morning. He took a look at my teeth, said the upper left lateral incisor was hitting the bottom teeth, and took out my wire to make a bend in it to push it out towards my lips. I told him that I could feel my canine hitting, and that it was bouncing up and down when I bit b/c it was loose. He took another look, and agreed! And bended my wire to correct that problem. I hope it works, I should be able to tell within another few hours. And they appreciated the muffins - my ortho has two offices, and the one I went to this morning wasn't my normal office, so now I'll have to bake muffins for my usual office in case they get jealous!

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

So I got my lower braces off two weeks ago. I went in today for an adjustment for my uppers and to get my lower permanent bonded retainer. The lowers are okay. I can feel with my tongue and with my finger that one of the lowers is slightly twisted, but it's miniscule when I look at it, so I let it slide. The uppers. . . well, I have a(nother) tentative de-bracing date set for April 17. We'll see if the adjustments my ortho made do the trick by then, if not, I'm going to get a second opinion. I'll try to post pics soon, but my digital camera isn't working at the moment.

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

Thanks, Linda! Like I wrote before, my uppers are scheduled to be removed in two weeks, but I kind of think they won't be. My bite's really uncomfortable right now, so unless it improves over the next 13 days, well. . .

But I have my permanent bonded retainer on my bottom teeth now. I didn't think it would bother me, but it's getting on my nerves after a day. The glue my ortho used to fix it to my teeth isn't smooth, it's rough, like very very very fine grain sand paper, or maybe a nail file. I can't stop playing with it with my tongue! So my tongue is pink (well, pinker) and sore. Here's hoping it goes away after a few days!

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

I hesitate even to type it for fear of jinxing myself. . . but for the first time, I think maybe I actually will get my braces off at my next "de-bracing" appointment! For those of you who have followed my story, it's been an extended road. My original prognosis was for 12-14 months, which would have had me de-braced sometime between early Dec. 2006 and early Feb. 2006. My ortho first spoke of de-bracing in November, when he told me I would have my braces off by Christmas (yes, Christmas 2006, not 2007). . . since that appointment, we have been "tweaking." I went in for another "tweak" today - my upper right central incisor had been hitting too hard on the bottom teeth. I actually think it had scraped some of the enamel off of my lower right central incisor. My bite was so uncomfortable that I think my lower jaw was straining to pull back so that it wouldn't hit so hard. In any event, my lower right jaw has been aching for the past day or two. My ortho didn't see anything wrong, but adjusted my wire so my upper right central is a hair forward. I can tell already that it's made a huge difference. My jaw is still sore, but I'm hoping that in a day or two it won't be. And my teeth finally look okay! I'll try to post a picture soon. My digital camera isn't working, but maybe over the Easter holiday I can get my sister-in-law to take a picture with hers.
So I'm tentatively planning a Hard Food/Hard Liquor De-Bracing Party for May 4![/i]

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

Sorry for the quality of the photo - it was taken with my brother's camera phone in a restaurant - at night without a flash. My ditigal camera is on the fritz, so this will have to do for now:



I think my teeth look pretty good. The only worry I have left is that my upper canines hang down a little too far and they look like fangs. It's impossible to see from the photo, so I'll try to get another one up here some how. I'm wondering if maybe my ortho's solution will be to file them down? Or leave them?

[jennielee81]

I'm going to jump in here, Meagen, and say he will leave those canine's where they are.

It is actually normal for them to be lower than the laterals. Look at my picture below and you will see.

There was a thread on here about that a while back and even the doc(s) who posted said that they should be lower.

Not sure how much lower yours are, but chances are they will be left that way. Usually when the canines are at the same level with the laterals and centrals, the teeth don't look natural. There are quite a few people who's laterals are long and in those cases, they will be about the same length.

I hope this helps you! viewtopic.php?p=139489&highlight=#139489

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

I will probably have to reschedule my de-bracing appointment! Something has come up at work that means it's likely I won't have time to have them taken off! So my tentative de-bracing date really is tentative!

JennieLee- Thanks for checking in and thanks for the link. It's so interesting! One of the "problems" I have is that my laterals were bonded to make them larger. My ortho bonded them temporarily, just for my braces treatment, and my dentist will do a more careful and permanent job in a few months. I'm not happy with their shape right now - they're very clunky and lopsided, and are just about the same length as my centrals. Before they were bonded, my laterals were a very pretty small oval shape, and were significantly shorter than my centrals - I very much prefer that look. I'm really hoping that my dentist will be able to do a better job - my ortho just bonded them for purposes of my treatment, it's a very rough job and it took maybe 20 minutes. So I'm hoping that when my dentist does them, he'll pay more attention than my ortho did to how they look and make sure that they're not the same length as the centrals - I totally agree with the discussion you sent me that it's a more delicate, feminine look when the centrals are a little bit shorter.
But even with my looooooooong laterals, my canines hang down significantly lower than my laterals, AND they hang down significantly lower than my centrals! It all just looks loopy - seriously like I have fants. And I'm worried that once the better bonding is done, and my laterals are finally the right length and in scale with the rest of my mouth, that my canines will appear even more enormous!

[jennielee81]

Oh ya, that would be off!!

I am VERY curious as to why the ortho would bond your teeth before treatment! This then puts you where you are today, not knowing how your teeth will look post braces! From closer inspection of your picture, your canines don't look abnormally low....but it's hard to see clearly.

Do you have any better pictures of your canines now? Maybe your bro can take another picture of them with his phone outside in the daylight.

I would certainly hope you had an appointment with your dentist for the same day as your debonding so that you can get it all done at once and have your beautiful smile to show off.

Good luck to you both in getting your debonding date rescheduled SOON, and in getting the teeth to look the way you want them to!!

Jenn

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

It was part of my treatment plan from the beginning to make my laterals larger. Apparently they were abnormally small, and that was part of what was throwing my bite off - with such tiny teeth my upper arch wasn't large enough to fit right with my lowers. So my ortho first created some space around my laterals by using springs, then, once enough space had been created, he put the bonding on. He couldn't bond them before treatment began, because there was no room. I asked if I should have my dentist do the bonding and skip the temporary bonding entirely, but he said that wouldn't work because he had to put the brace on top of bonding and he didn't want to sand down the permanent bonding when he takes off the brace. And I couldn't just have the bonding done after the braces came off because the bonding had to be there to hold the space during my treatment. So it's a little unusual, but I think it makes sense.
And I can't get the better bonding done immediately because my ortho wants a little time first for my teeth to settle in where they are now before anything else happens. So I'll have my big, clunky teeth for a few more months.
As to the pictures. . . maybe I can get someone from work to take one. . .

[jennielee81]

That does make sence! You explained it so clearly!

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing your finished smile!

Jenn

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

Good news? It turns out I will be able to make my de-bracing appointment tomorrow. But, I'm stressed about my canines. Once my laterals are "fixed," my canines, especially the left one, will look gargantuan. Like fangs. Has anyone ever had his/her teeth look worse after braces than they did before?

[Meghan's braces Part Deux]

Good idea, Karen! And probably I was being a little overdramatic. Probably my teeth won't look worse post- than they did pre-. I don't look, like I've been griping to my friends, like Dracula. I'm also wondering if maybe my ortho can fix it via a retainer - the guilty canine is still loose, so maybe it wouldn't be too hard to jam it up a few milimeters. Guess I'll find out tomorrow morning! And I'm going to try to get someone at the ortho's office to take a last braced photo tomorrow, as it isn't likely I'll see anyone I'd feel comfortable with taking pictures of my mouth before then. I can't believe it went by so quickly!