IBRACES @ 34/35 years old...

If you want to share the detailed saga of your braces story, this is the place to do it. You can use this forum as a braces journal, editing and updating your posts as your treatment goes on. Remember to also visit the main ArchWired.com site for additional stories from other readers!

ATTENTION NEW MEMBERS: Do not post full-face photos or personal contact information on this website. We have had problems with people re-posting members' photos on fetish websites. Please only post photos of your teeth, not your whole face. Keep your email and your personal information private. Thank you.

Moderator: bbsadmin

Post Reply
Message
Author
onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

IBRACES @ 34/35 years old...

#1 Post by onecrookedtooth »

Hi everyone,

I decided a little while ago that I was finally going to fix the 'one crooked tooth' I have, that has always bothered me. I didn't think it looked that bad in person, but in photos, it often looked like I was missing a tooth.

Anyway... long story short, when I went to talk to a dentist about it, they highlighted that I had many other problems, and at that point I really started to see for myself how much the other teeth on that side of my mouth had compensated for this tooth, and became quite crooked as well.

I was referred to a great orthodontist, and fast forward a few weeks and I have just paid in full to have IBRACES (lingual braces) fitted. Can't believe the initial stuff has happened so fast, but turns out I need to wear an expander first so won't get braces on for several months at this point. Would love to hear about people's experiences with expanders and also bone grafting if anyone has had it done. I have an appt to see a periodontist in a few weeks, and apparently if I go ahead and have that procedure done, I will be able to turn the key on my expander once a day, as opposed to once a week. I'm a bit scared about the additional costs this will involve!

Thanks for checking out my little story. I think, like many on here have said, that I will soon bore those around me with braces talk, so it's good to have somewhere to vent etc, with people that understand.

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old... PAOO AOO

#2 Post by onecrookedtooth »

The Periodontist I was due to see in a few weeks had a cancellation this week, so I managed to get an appt much sooner. I didn't think I would consider AOO for a second, but figured I'd go along for the consultation anyway, and see what he had to say. He was an awesome doctor, spent ages explaining everything to me, and answered heaps of questions. I have found that specialist appts can be over in as little as 15 mins, but I was with him for almost an hour. I have decided I will have the procedure, as first of all, it's about half the $$ amount I thought it would be, and also because he said I really do need to add some bone in order to support the movement of my teeth. It will also speed up my time in braces, but trying not to speculate too much about that 'til I talk to my ortho again.

The thing that confuses me is I will be getting an expander in soon, and I am not sure if the surgery would happen much later down the track when I get the braces, or if it could happen sooner to work with the expansion. The periodontist said it could be either depending on what my ortho wants, I just wish I knew now.

I have been telling people about PAOO, and you should see their faces when they realise what I am saying, haha... it does sound pretty brutal

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old... EXPANDER

#3 Post by onecrookedtooth »

So, I have been frustrated this week... I was supposed to get my expander fitted two weeks ago, but there was a delay with its arrival, and no-one had called me to follow up. Also, it didn't seem that anyone was going to touch base with me after my periodontist appointment (he would have sent a report to my ortho), so I e-mailed the clinic manager to ask her what the ortho had recommended after receiving the report. He said I could have the AOO now (!) to coincide with the expansion, or later when I got my braces. I typically panicked thinking I should get it done right away before I got my expander in... but after sleeping on it, I decided if I wanted any part of my treatment sped up, it would be the braces part. I couldn't get in for surgery until early June, and I would rather just start making some progress now, even though it means I will be in the expander for longer.

My logic... aoo + expander means I could turn key on expander once a day (but installation of expander is approx 9 weeks away vs expander without aoo, I can have expander put in next week, so I will have done 8 turns of the key (once a week) by the time I get to the day it would have been inserted after aoo. And at least I will feel like things are HAPPENING. I have a tendency to doubt my decisions, and just a few nights ago, seriously started questioning my decision to get braces at all. Better that the process start, and then it's done, and I can't go back on my decision.

Would love to hear from anyone that did expansion without SARPE or AOO surgery. And also tips on hiding a gap created during expansion. I have a few special occasions this year, and I would rather not feel self conscious, presuming I get a big ol' gap in my front teeth :GapToothed:

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old... EXPANDER

#4 Post by onecrookedtooth »

So, I have been frustrated this week... I was supposed to get my expander fitted two weeks ago, but there was a delay with its arrival, and no-one had called me to follow up. Also, it didn't seem that anyone was going to touch base with me after my periodontist appointment (he would have sent a report to my ortho), so I e-mailed the clinic manager to ask her what the ortho had recommended after receiving the report. He said I could have the AOO now (!) to coincide with the expansion, or later when I got my braces. I typically panicked thinking I should get it done right away before I got my expander in... but after sleeping on it, I decided if I wanted any part of my treatment sped up, it would be the braces part. I couldn't get in for surgery until early June, and I would rather just start making some progress now, even though it means I will be in the expander for longer.

My logic... aoo + expander means I could turn key on expander once a day (but installation of expander is approx 9 weeks away) vs expander without aoo, I can have expander put in next week, so I will have done 8 turns of the key (once a week) by the time I get to the day it would have been inserted after aoo. And at least I will feel like things are HAPPENING. I have a tendency to doubt my decisions, and just a few nights ago, seriously started questioning my decision to get braces at all. Better that the process start, and then it's done, and I can't go back on my decision.

Would love to hear from anyone that did expansion without SARPE or AOO surgery. And also tips on hiding a gap created during expansion. I have a few special occasions this year, and I would rather not feel self conscious, presuming I get a big ol' gap in my front teeth :GapToothed:

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old...

#5 Post by onecrookedtooth »

Spacers went in on Tuesday, and yesterday I got my expander in! So happy that things are finally happening, but it will be a long journey I know.

So far really struggling to eat and even drink with the expander in. It feels so huge in my mouth, and it's just really hard to swallow. Getting it put in wasn't too bad - took about 30 minutes, and the dentist was really gentle.

Think I will have this thing in for 6 months or so, so I know I will get used to it... just got to get through the next few days. Hopefully lingual braces will be a walk in the park after this thing!!!

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old...

#6 Post by onecrookedtooth »

Sore tongue today... can't hep but jam it up against the expander!

Almost thru my first week though.. woo :D

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old...

#7 Post by onecrookedtooth »

Things are so much better with the expander already. I managed to chew food yesterday! My teeth have been a bit too sensitive until now, so it was nice to have a (soft) bread roll for lunch, although it still got stuck all over my appliance. I turned the expander on friday evening - I actually have a 'super screw' expander which is awesome as you are not turning the key towards the back of your throat. I was particularly worried about that as I have a terrible gag reflex, and even brushing now seems to set it off.

Has anyone recently had ibraces/incognito braces fitted? I would love to hear how long they took to arrive after the orthodontist made your impressions etc. I am guessing it can take about 6-8weeks, so once I get my expander out, I will be wearing a plastic retainer while my braces are made. While I hope it doesn't take 8 weeks, I might take a little trip during that time while I don't have to worry about anything breaking or popping off in my mouth. I am going to have AOO when I get my braces on, so I will need to see the ortho and the perio every 2 weeks after that, so no big trips during that time.

onecrookedtooth
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:41 am

Wilckodontics and harmony lingual braces

#8 Post by onecrookedtooth »

Several months down the track...

Expander came out a while back, wore a retainer until my braces were ready. Had my top braces on 2 Mondays ago. I ended up with HARMONY braces as my ortho thinks they are the best out at the moment. Getting them on wasn't bad, except for the thing they use to keep your tongue back - once I got used to it, it wasn't so bad though.

2 days after getting top braces on, I had AOO (we call it PAOO here in Australia). This went soooo much better than I could have ever imagined. Other than some very amusing swelling, I felt pretty good within a couple of days. Procedure took 2.5 hours, I wasn't sedated - but the time flew by. My ortho came to the appointment too, and the chatting between them gave me something to focus on.

Got my bottom braces on 5 days after surgery, and this is when I started to struggle a bit. While they were gentle with me, having my mouth open while the braces fitted seemed to aggravate my gums a bit, and I was a bit miserable for the rest of the day. I stopped taking pain killers 6 days after surgery, but continued to ice my cheeks after my braces fitting caused me a bit more pain.

All in all, it went very well - and I wanted to share this as I read some horror stories before having my surgery, but my experience was nothing like this. My only issue now is the wires of my braces poking me! I have been using wax/silicone to help with this, but unfortunately have swallowed the wax several times when I've tried to eat. I have a check up in 2 days, and if my stitches haven't dissolved, they will be removed. I will ask them to fix the wires, and all should be well.

Lastly, haven't been able to brush my teeth since surgery, but the mouthwash they gave me is awesome, and makes my teeth feel very clean, and I haven't had any staining.

Hope this helps anyone considering having AOO. I know everybody's different, but I think it's important for the good experiences to be shared.

... and call me crazy, but I swear my teeth looked different within a couple of days! I cannot wait to see how different they look in a few months :tingrin:

ItsFreyja
Posts: 386
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:27 pm
Location: USA

Re: IBRACES @ 34/35 years old...

#9 Post by ItsFreyja »

Congrats! I'm glad everything's going so well for you. Your thorough and positive report will be valuable for folks who come here looking to learn more about the AOO procedure.

P.S. Don't hesitate to call your ortho and have him squeeze you in for a quick wire snip any time they're bothering you. It only takes a second and you shouldn't feel you have to put up with poky wires!

Post Reply