Anticipator's Story - Debanded 5/23/07

[Anticipator]

Today was adjustment 11 and I went into it quite concerned with my situation (read last entry for details).

The agreement from last appointment was that we'd do bonding today to address the discrepency in length of incisors and laterals.

This actually took a fair amount of time, and ortho addressed a few teeth I wasn't even concerned about, however it was totally worth it to walk out of the office today for the first time in probably 15 years without a chip in my front tooth.

Some of the bonding material on my upper right canine already flaked off on the car ride home, but I can live with that. My main concern was the fact that my left lateral was longer than my left incisor and that my chipped right incisor was somewhere inbetween the two in length. It didn't look too bad when I smiled because the top teeth blended in, but it was noticible (to me at least) when I was talking or had my mouth open.

Ortho also sanded down my "pointy" left lower canine which I think was the origin of my bite feeling uneven, since it was making contact with the upper jaw earlier than the right side.

So, between bonding, sanding, and lower archwire detailing my appointment took roughly an hour and was the most time I've spent in the chair (and in lip retractors) since the day I got my braces first put on.

Non-confidence inspiring moment of this appointment: My lower teeth which she concluded were completed as of last appointment and not touched were this time given multiple detail bends.

I'm not sure I should be glad that she caught whatever it was that needed fixing this time, or concerned that she apparently overlooked it last time.

In other news, it appears that the assistant who was there for my first consultation and impressions has returned, which is nice since she's the most qualified staff member. Unfortunately she has been absent the entire time I've been having treatment and returns right before I'm likely to finish. Why couldn't she have come back when I was stuck dealing with the rough assistant who always stunk of cigarette smoke?

Okay, that's about it. Final note, still in upper and lower powerchains "7 to 7" meaning all 28 teeth.

[Anticipator]

Had what I suspected would be my last adjustment today, and scheduled my debanding appointment for May 23.

I had a new assistant, she was nice enough to tell me my teeth were yellow.

I definitely plan on getting my teeth whitened, even tried to set up an appointment today for when my braces come off, but their schedule couldn't accomodate me.

In addition, after my appointment today I tried to book a cleaning with my dentist for after my braces are off... I'm really overdue. No go. Nearly a month in advance and they can't get me the day I want. Second time in a row I've gotten turned down. Time for a new dentist.

Oh well, I've been told to expect braces removal, final photos, and impressions for retainer at my next appointment with retainers to be delivered a week later.

I asked about the week delay, they explained that's standard for them. I'm a little concerned about it, but they're the experts so I'll trust their judgment.

I'm overall happy with the appearance of my teeth currently, only concern I have was that one of my lower incisors is sliiiiightly higher than the other, I brought this up and they said it was the teeth shaping that was the problem.

Oh well, I can live with that imperfection. I hope.

I'm not entirely convinced that this will be the end, I've read too many stories on here of people getting surprises, but we'll see.

[Anticipator]

There's tact for ya .... not! But as you say, you'll be getting them whitened anyway, so never mind her. It's possibly a good thinkg though that you have had to wait a while before the whietning appointment - I seem to recall some people saying that it is better to wait a couple of weeks as the teeth can be quite sensitive soon after the braces come off, so it's good to let them settle down a bit.

Yeah, I'm actually pretty blunt myself, so I really didn't take it personally. It's something I've known and wanted to fix for a long time. I was just thinking about the way the assistant phrased it and the ultra-sensitive world we live in today and how it seemed out of place.

It'd be reeeeeally nice to be able to have teeth that I'm totally proud of -- clean, white, aaannd straight when my braces come off. People will want me to smile for them, show them my results and I'd rather have a complete package for them, not just a "work in progress."

I suppose I'll have the next however many years of life to be happy with my teeth though, which should be consolation.

Do you know yet/have you discussed with teh ortho what sort of retainers you'll be getting? Btw - a week seems to be pretty common - don't worry too much.

I was told upfront by my orthodontist that they do not like bonded retainers. The week turnaround for retainers makes me suspect it's not going to be an essex as those are usually quicker and easier to make from what I've read here (some people have gotten same day delivery on them).

I think I'd prefer a hawley based on my own estimations of the pleasantries of having my teeth able to contact each other and the lack of plastic covering my gums. They seem more durable and while I'm concerned about the speech thing I've heard from everyone, I've also heard the you can work past it with practice.

Plus hawleys just seem more "official." They were the sign you'd finished your journey during all my childhood years when my peers were going through the process, I'm not sure that I'd feel I completed this properly without them, if that makes any sense to anyone else.

[sifumacho]

i'm pleased to hear that you'll be dabanded soon,Anticipator..
hopefully you'll put some pics later..really want to see the comparison..good luck ya..fighting!!

[Anticipator]

I'm officially debanded.

For everyone reading along, it happens exactly as everyone described it...

- Popping brackets off is more or less painless but unnerving because of the actual "popping" noise.

- Scraping of glue off teeth wasn't horrible but the smells and sounds aren't pleasant. I also had a little sensitivity in the back teeth, nothing painful, but again not pleasant.

- First look at teeth is overwhelming... as predicted yes they look big. No they don't look like mine. Mine are still covered in metal and powerchains in my head. I'm assuming I'll get used to the look, I got used to looking at braces after all.

- First brushing at the office was sooooo nice. Brush contacted all parts of teeth, no working around wires and powerchains and brackets, oh my!

- Impressions and x-rays are just like you've probably had when you got consultations, nothing surprising there...

- had just a touch more rebonding and contouring done to my front teeth, same as the previous session, nothing overwhelming.

- Retainers will be delivered next week. I opted for upper and lower hawleys, and chose bright orange colored acrylic. Receptionist told me that I'd be wearing them for six weeks straight and then once a week for life. We'll see if that's the same Rx that the orthodontist will give next week when I enter a whole new set of mouth hardware.

Webcam is not being recognized by XP right now, so I can't take any pics, and couldn't get any final shots of braces on, but I'm over it.

I've currently got a set of Crest Whitestrips in and hoping to knock off some of the yellowing that's occurred over the last year and a half.

Anyway, that's my current status.

[Anticipator]

Congrats!!! And glad the debanding appointment went so smoothly for you!! We'll be looking forward to your pics, once you get the webcam issue sorted

Let us know how those Whitestrips treat you.

Whitestrips worked out pretty well -- about halfway through the pack and definitely a difference. however I lost my last taste of free teeth this afternoon when I picked up my retainers.

They're both Hawley's. Initial impressions (pardon the pun) are that visually they're way smaller than I expected, of course when they're in my mouth they feel much larger. The bottom retainer was able to pop in and immediately put pressure on my lower incisor which was already escaping from the arch. The top wouldn't fit, and had to be taken into the back where it was presumably shaved somewhere. It was a tight fit when getting it in, and I requested a tiny bit more rounding on what seemed a sharp area.

The saliva increase is causing me to swallow more and as a result I'm feeling bloated and burping. Yes, gross. I know. But I'm doing this journal for other people to read and anticipate the process and procedures, not just for myself.

Anyway, speaking's been difficult. I'm gagging a little -- mostly when speaking-- and definitely slurring. I will not be 100% by tomorrow when I return to work after a pleasant 11 day vacation. I'm more worried about drinking than about speaking though. Today was also my first attempt at drinking with the retainers in, and I'm struggling with the fear of choking on the top retainer when trying to swallow. I don't care if customers can understand me or not. That's their problem. Being able to stay hydrated is my priority though, and I don't want that being interfered with!

I really hope I'm able to get used to all this soon. Being uncomfortable from an adjustment is inconvenient, being unable to talk and being in fear of vomiting and choking is much worse.

It's only been five hours now, I've got the rest of my life to adjust. Anyway, just updating for those of you who've been regular readers and lurkers.

[lionfish]

With the bloating, the belching and the slurring, everyone will think I've been hoisting a few too many pints!

Well, at least you'll have an excuse!

What am I thinking? Not quite sure......

[Miss Smiley]

CONGRATULATIONS! Didja get plain pink hawleys or did you go bold?

[Anticipator]

Okay, it's been three full days now since I've been wearing my retainers and things have improved dramatically.

checklist:

gagging - gone

nausea - gone

burping - dramatically decreased.

drinking - no longer fearing choking.

speech - much improved, still a little awkward and slurred. Like most things orthodontic, it's easier when hydrated. I'm hoping it will continue to improve, it has to, right? I mean there're pleanty of perfectly intelligible people wearing retainers. It just takes practice, or rainbows.

As for the color, I opted for orange since I wanted something fun. It's opaque orange and if I had to do it again I think I would've gone for a transparent orange. It's also not quite as bright as I'd hoped for. More of an "orange sherbert" than standard hunting "blaze" orange that I thought would be easy to keep from losing.

Pictures will come as soon as my computer will allow me to take them.

My computer is not the most hospitible, even after I brought in an expert to fix it up, it's still not 100%, but that's another topic.

Anyway I really wanted to post this to give a full evaluation of the first few days of a hawley retainer instead of giving any readers false impressions of how impossible it is to deal with one. My experience was unpleasant initially but has become far easier with each passing day.

[Laurie]

Good to hear those retainers are getting less and less pesky! Especially since that's what I've been informed that I will be wearing in two years!

[Anticipator]

I was very worried about speaking with the Hawleys - very apprehensive about the lower, but that's proved to be largely a non-issue. It made me a bit gaggy initially, but only briefly. I am sure the upper will cause speach issues, but I also know I managed to get t hrough those as a kiddo when I had a Hawley-like removable appliance. So all indications are that we'll be fine ... given time, and practice!

The lower is less of an impact for me. I've come to the conclusion that English involves a lot of use of the tongue creating and maintaining a minimal distance from the upper palate to create hard consonant sounds like "S" and "T" sounds. My tongue just has to learn where the distance now exists.

Just for kicks I tried blowing through some French and I managed to have minimal inconvenience. Do you think I write off a trip to Paris as a deductable medical expense?

[Anticipator]

Had my first retainer check yesterday.

I had a piece of the bonding from my chipped upper incisor come off overnight last week. While my ortho agreed to replace it at this appointment, I was told that it likely wouldn't hold any longer than the previous (two months or so) because of the position of the tooth it's on in relation to my bite.

I was told at the beginning of the appointment that I might have to get a vaneer if I wanted a permanent solution, however when I asked again at the end of the appointment I was told that reshaping the tooth is probably a better solution.

I don't like either choice, and may have to look into realistic long term options because I've come to really appreciate how much nicer my teeth look without a chip in one of them.

My top retainer "could be a little tighter" and was adjusted accordingly while my bottom retainer is apparently fine. The adjustment has made my front upper teeth a little sensitive but not as bad as adjustments with braces.

I was told I could move onto night only wear and that I wouldn't need another appointment for four months.