Robot Teeth! (pics)

[Robot Teeth]

These are the first decent set of pics I've taken since getting my braces on a week ago! I tried to do a couple that show my face, but I just can't seem to take a picture that shows all my teeth that doesn't contort my face into something strange and embarrassing.

A few notes:
-One of my front bottom teeth isn't "ligated" to the wire yet, and there are 2 or 3 more that are only half-ligated
-Those extra large ligatures on my first molars used to be neon blue. Now they're um... not.
-I ate a bunch of curried rice today, so I guess the light blue was a good choice, as they don't seem to stain.
-I hate my molar buildups! (those blue gobs of plastic on my molars)
-My upper teeth are decent, but the crowding on the bottom is pretty bad - at least in my opinion.
-In the first photo, there are Q-tips propping my lip up higher, so you can see my teeth better!
-I am just now noticing that my "cuspids" seem to have come down a bit, and my right side seems lower than the left.

[chocomorsel]

Nice uppers to start. Great arch. Bet you will be done in a short time if all you are working on is the lower crowding. Any bite issues to begin with?

[Robot Teeth]

Nice uppers to start. Great arch. Bet you will be done in a short time if all you are working on is the lower crowding. Any bite issues to begin with?

Thanks, I don't really have any bite issues, but I do have some improper wear on my cuspids. Surprisingly, the two teeth that my orthodontist said she'd have to "do the most work on" are my upper lateral incisors, because they need to be moved in a couple different ways. My initial treatment estimation was 12-18 months, but when I went back for my final consult, she said 18 months +/- 6 months. I don't care about the braces at all. I actually dig them. But these molar buildups have got to go!

[Huggypillow]

Those molar build up "DO NOT LOOK LIKE FUN AT ALL" i just pray i don't have to get them.

nice set of choppers they will look very nice when completed.

i got a "spring" on my front 2 teeth at the bottom yesterday to pull 2 teeth forward from behind.

in my head i was saying holy $%^&& when he was putting it in. my fingernails just about gouged a hole in the dental chair.

although funnly enough i had no pain later that night and none today with it and i was sure i would have.

dont really care to have any more of those spring thingies im a bit of a chicken.

[ladyrastafari]

what are molar buildups? curious about that..

[Kipepeo]

Robot, your teeth are so nice and white and a nice shape. They will look fantastic when you're done. You may have already said, but do you know what that bend in the top front is for?

[Robot Teeth]

Kipepeo, that is such a nice thing to hear someone say, so thank you very very much. I especially appreciate it because up until about a year ago, I was convinced that they were not in very good condition, mainly because I hadn't been to the dentist for so long. But once I took care of the 2 small cavities that I had, and gotten surprisingly positive feedback from my dentist, I realized that they're actually in pretty good shape!

You can't really tell from the angle that these pics are taken from, but I do have a bit of improper wear on my cuspids, and a bit less on my lateral incisors, but I think once everything is straight and my orthodontist files them a bit, they'll probably look pretty killer.

I don't know what the little kink in the archwire is. First off, I wish that it was straight, just for the sake of aesthetics. But I'm sure that it doesn't matter. I'm guessing that it is either just a midline indicator, or something that modifies the forces somehow, possibly because this is my first wire and it's light.

You commented that they're white - thanks again! I absolutely recommend Crest Vivid Professional White Strips (the best of the Crest strips). I used them for the 20 days right before I got my braces, and it was $50 well spent.

[Robot Teeth]

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it yet, but when I went in to have a popped bracket repaired last week, they put in a stronger archwire and hooked up the tooth that hadn't been ligated to the wire yet.

This morning, for the first time, I'm experiencing some soreness. It's not horrible, but it's apparent and has gradually increased over the past couple days while I've been camping. I hope this means that my teeth are actually going to start moving now. I just hope they don't get TOO loose.

I'm only having to use wax on my lower left 2nd molar, and only half of the time. I'm going to ask them to see if they can bend in the hook and/or round off the back edges of the tube. I don't know why they'd be designed with such sharp corners.

Eating is actually getting easier. I still want these molar buildups off though. I need my back teeth to get closer when I bite. I know I'm going to need elastics. Is this what those are for?

[Robot Teeth]

I got a Waterpik (the big one) for my birthday yesterday, and I absolutely love it! It is exactly what I needed. Anyone with braces that doesn't have one needs to check in to this!

[memsb]

I bought the small cordless waterpik. It hurt at first, in fact I managed to dislodge some gum from between my teeth! However i'm now used to it and feel i might want something more powerful. Does the big one have more variability when it comes to power output?

[Robot Teeth]

It's hard to say because I haven't tried the handheld version to compare the power. But I've got to figure that something that plugs in is going to have a little more kick than something that runs on batteries. The thing that helped me decide was that the plug in holds a lot more water. I love this thing! I wish I would have had one even before I got braces.

[Huggypillow]

Waterpicks are the way to go.

hey Robot teeth do you still have those molar build ups on or have you had them taken off?

If so how are they going for you

[drgnchsr36]

Nice uppers to start. Great arch. Bet you will be done in a short time if all you are working on is the lower crowding. Any bite issues to begin with?

Thanks, I don't really have any bite issues, but I do have some improper wear on my cuspids. Surprisingly, the two teeth that my orthodontist said she'd have to "do the most work on" are my upper lateral incisors, because they need to be moved in a couple different ways. My initial treatment estimation was 12-18 months, but when I went back for my final consult, she said 18 months +/- 6 months. I don't care about the braces at all. I actually dig them. But these molar buildups have got to go!

The buildups do get better. I agree, I still hate them though. But, after a couple of months.. I can sorta ignore them. I'm hoping to get rid of them soon though. Fingers crossed for next Tuesday.. but buildups are so much better than banging brackets together - that freakin' hurts!

[Robot Teeth]

Yeah I've still got the buildups. My first adjustment is in ten days, and from what I can tell, I don't think I've had much, if any, movement. So the front teeth would surely still knock the brackets off, and therefore I'm sure the buildups will be staying for a while.

I'm about 85% used to them, but I'd still like them off asap. I think they might have worn down a little bit, but I'm not sure if that's the case or if I'm just more comfortable with them now.

[drgnchsr36]

Yeah I've still got the buildups. My first adjustment is in ten days, and from what I can tell, I don't think I've had much, if any, movement. So the front teeth would surely still knock the brackets off, and therefore I'm sure the buildups will be staying for a while.

I'm about 85% used to them, but I'd still like them off asap. I think they might have worn down a little bit, but I'm not sure if that's the case or if I'm just more comfortable with them now.

Yeah, I felt the same. I was lucky though, at my first adjustment after I got them on, they were able to sand them down a little. Not all the way, but it's better than what it was....