Smile Like You Mean It-Rebelda's Story: Upd. Sep. 16!

Message

#61 Post by **Rebelda** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:23 pm

Happy New Year everyone!! So itâ€™s been a crazy year so farâ€”lots of partying and late nights. I canâ€™t believe how busy Iâ€™ve been since the 2008 rolled around, but I must give you guys an update. I had to make an early visit to my ortho because of that darn molar band that likes to pop out every so often. I went in on the 8th and got it fixed. Pictures were taken and the he said â€œok, see ya in 4 weeksâ€

#62 Post by **Rebelda** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:43 pm

Pictures Galore!!!
Not much change visually, but they're movin'!

Jan.08

December

Jan.08

Dec.07

Jan.08

Dec.07

Jan.08

Dec.07

Jan.08

Dec.07

Profile bite:

Normal Smile:

Photoshop'd smile:

#63 Post by **Rebelda** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:44 pm

Hey guys, so remember that thing I was talking about above my gum? Yeah, it's an abscess...f*cking wonderful! Guess what I get have done this Thursday? Yup...a ROOT CANAL!!! Has anyone else had a root canal done while braced? I've never had a root canal done, so this is going to be interesting to say the least. I've been told that it's not a big deal, but it's just one more thing I have to deal with before surgery. I don't even know how it happened! I know what causes an abscess, but I've taken good care of my teeth and now this....However, I am glad that I know what it is and they're gonna take care of it. Hopefully everything will go smoothly after I recover from that. Someone, if you have some advice or a story, please share. Wish me luck, people!

Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:55 pm

Hello Rebelda, I am new here and have only had my braces 2 weeks. I just want to wish you luck for Thursday. I also wanted to say your teeth look so awesome now. I read your whole story and wow. Its so amazing what can be done. I dont have any pics up of myself but my issues are harder to see. Its a bite thing for me. Anyways things are looking very nice for you. I will keep an eye on your progress. Just one more thing, thank you very much for your work in the military, I am one who is very appreciative of our armed forces, so thank you

. I will pray for you to have a speedy recovery from your root canal.

#65 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:39 am

I haven't had a root canal while braced but I have had plenty before ortho. I had two molars re-treated in one sitting (which was like having a root canal done all over) because originally they were done 10 years ago and left un-crowned with huge fillings. That was probably the longest appointment I've ever had, like 3 or 4 hours long, my jaw was more sore than my teeth. I have also had one pre-molar and one upper central treated. NO BIG DEAL! I was a little sore after the local wore off but nothing some OTC meds didn't take care of. I think I was more sore from having that root canaled pre-molar being extracted than the root canal itself. Rebelda, you'll do fine, just have some OTC meds on hand and you might want to stay away from hard/crunchy foods for a night.

#66 Post by **Rebelda** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 7:24 pm

SmileUnderConstruction:
Thank you so much for your appreciation and well wishes. I am definitely happy with my results so far and I hope that you make lots of progress.

Miss Smiley:
Thank you for sharing your experience. I will definitely have some meds on hand.

So it's gonna be a long commute just to get a root canal tomorrow...at least my hubby offered to go with me, just in case I wasn't feeling up to drive back.

Thanks everyone!

#67 Post by **Rebelda** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:41 pm

Good news to report...I'm not in pain! I am so happy that I feel good...The root canal was done without a hitch and I didn't feel a thing. The only thing that bothered me was the high-frequency "scraper"--it was one of the most chilling sounds i've ever heard. I do need to get a permanent filling installed (my ortho will need to remove and replace the bracket on the tooth) and it's scheduled for the 6th of February. I am very very happy that I got it over with and things are looking up again. So, I'll be seeing my ortho (hopefully) one day ahead of schedule. I really hope that they do more than just take pictures. We'll see.....

#68 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:05 pm

Very good! Told you you'd be fine! People should be more worried about the cost of a root canal rather than the procedure itself, don't you think? Next stop, FILLING! Hopefully they just put a filling instead of trying to crown it! Good luck!

#69 Post by **Rebelda** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:28 pm

Hola everyone...I finally got my (semi)permanent filling for that root canal the day before yesterday. As it turns out, my Ortho thought it would be best if I got a regular filling for now, since the crown would be fitted for the bite I have now and not for what my bite will be like after surgery. So yeah i got it done, no problem. Thank god. I had my appt today with my ortho...nothing very special--molds. The supervising ortho took a look at my progress and said I should be ready for surgery soon. I expect to hear from my ortho either tomorrow or Monday. I really hope he gives me the thumbs up so I can book my next surgeon appt. So till then...bye!

#70 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:07 pm

Nice progress! I can't believe how far your teeth have come in such a short time!

#71 Post by **Rebelda** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:59 pm

Check out this neat little trick! Yeah it sucks. Very uncomfortable. This is supposed to help tilt my molars back in. It's "unconventional" as my ortho put it, but let's hope it works. Yup, I got 3 bags of those little elastics today so I can torture myself for the rest of the week. I got a call from my ortho yesterday explaining what he wanted to do, so I immediately booked an appointment. I will be a making a future visit to my ortho's office to check the progress on Monday. I can feel a difference already, I really hope I don't have to do this for long.

Come on molars, move it!!!

#72 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:57 pm

How in the world does that rubber band stay there without popping off when you close your mouth? I know bands have cleats but I would think that the movement of the tongue would fling it out of your mouth or down your throat. Kudos to you for being able to land that trick.

#73 Post by **missnomer** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 6:05 pm

Rebelda,

After I saw your photo I thought that would be really difficult to deal with. Just for kicks I tried a couple of my elastics in a similar configuration. I had to go from outside hooks on my molar bands. I think my elastics are way too small for it because there was immediate pressure and my tongue kept getting in the way. I lasted about two minutes.

I hope your stay in these elastics is a short one. You are to be commended for being able to deal with this unconventional elastics config.

#74 Post by **Rebelda** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 7:34 pm

Miss Smiley & missnomer:

Yes it is quite interesting to say the least. I have to hook the elastic on the outer hooks of my molar bands: 2 on the right and one on the left (because i had the other on the left side taken out). Speaking is quite difficult and hurts the tongue. My tongue is trapped in a very tiny space--no fun at all!

Has anyone else had to deal with something like this? If so, how long did you have to wear it for?

#75 Post by **victor36** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:30 pm

Hi Rebelda,

When I first started treatment, I had to wear elastics in the back, but nothing quite like what you've got going there. Yeah elastics will break all the time back there, and I can speak from experience when I say eating them won't harm you.

I had to wear those for the first 6 months of treatment to widen my upper arch and narrow down my lower arch, it sucked but it worked. I hope this config is short-lived and effective at reaching your ortho's goals.

Till next time,

~Victor

Metal Mouth Message Board

Smile Like You Mean It-Rebelda's Story: Upd. Sep. 16!

oh man....more drama!

February update so far...