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badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

Good day all,

I've just started my "facial improvement" project. I'm 33 years old and have a significant underbite, crossbite, slight open bite and a my midline is off by nearly a tooth's width) and have some tooth wear due to grinding. The good news is that the alignment of my teeth is pretty good (some straightening required but not a huge amount).

I've ended up on this project due to a severe hormonal crash in December, when I found out my testosterone levels were very low. My doctor had no idea why, but my very loud snoring and frequent awakenings (every 1-2 hours) due to a very dry mouth suggest sleep apnea. I didn't like the idea of a mask and decided to delve further to try to find out the cause. Little did I know that I would find so much wrong. Eventually my digging lead me to the possibility that my bite was off and that may be contributing to my sleep interruptions and corresponding low testosterone levels. My sister knew a very good dentist, who practises neuromuscular dentistry and orthodontics and I consulted with her to confirm my thoughts. She confirmed much of what I had suspected (underbite, open bite and narrow jaw) but also found a number of other issues, namely the crossbite and midline misalignment, as well as informing me that my top and bottom teeth are canted inwards.

I just had an upper, fixed Schwartz-type appliance installed three days ago. Bite blocks were added as well (composite material on the biting surfaces of the molars) to keep my bite open a bit to permit the expanding upper teeth to clear the bottoms without interference.

I will also have a Schwartz expander for my lower jaw after the upper has expanded sufficiently to slightly expand the lower jaw and upright the teeth. Full braces will come roughly 2 months from now once sufficient gaps have opened up in my tight top teeth. Full treatment length is estimated at 36-48 months and possibly significantly longer, due to my teeth having very long roots.

I'll be posting pics as I progress on this onerous, but very necessary "project".;)

badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

Here's a picture of my installed appliance...it's definitely a mouthful.

jem · **Posted:** Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:01 am

Hello Badbites . Welcome belatedly to the board.

I had never appreciated that braces might be able to bring about an increase in one's hormonal levels. I had better warn my wife! Seriously, constantly interrupted sleep must be awful and I can see how it might badly damage your system.

It sounds as if you are taking on some quite onerous treatment and I wish you luck with it. Your first appliance does, indeed, look quite a mouthful and I hope you are getting to grips with it. You have excellent looking teeth already, so you can expect a great dental result as well as hopefully stopping the sleep apnea.

Jem

ashesgap · **Posted:** Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:57 am

I can't believe it's taking so long for you to get responses, The MeatalMouths around here are seriously slacking off.
Even though your treatment seems long now, time just flies by. Mostly because nothing stops because of the braces. Everything keeps moving along, just as if you aren't in pain, or have sores and can't eat. Keep the shelves stocked with advil, and any soft foods you can think of. You will eventually forget all the metal in your mouth, even though that doesn't seem possible at the moment.
What kind of braces are you getting? Clear or metal? And have you already gotten a WaterPik? Since that seems to be the only completely necessary accessory for braces.

badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

Thanks all for the replies...I figured I had fallen though the cracks.

Its now been three weeks with the appliance and while I consider myself mostly used to it, I still have occasional moments when I find it annoying. It just seems like, thankfully, those moments are getting less and less frequent. I never forgot that its there, though, I'm just getting less and less annoyed with it and more toward a feeling of acceptance. My cleaning routine is pretty much down pat at this point and seems to work well. When stuff gets stuck, however, it can be a pain (and take considerable time) to Waterpik out. The Waterpik is absolutely essential, IMO.

I had the three week appointment with my ortho on Monday...she added new buildups on my premolars to take the pressure off my back left molar (which had been taking the load and was frequently very sore). This has helped enormously (it took two rounds of tweaking to get them perfect though). I also have a date for my top braces...April 16. The bottom appliance and braces will follow about the end of July or whenever the crossbite has cleared. :roll:

I'll be getting the stainless brackets and a thin wire to start, which she said she would increase in size as time goes on.

I hope the forward expansion proceeds well, as she raised the possibility of reverse pull headgear if forward progress of the jaw is inadequate by the fall.

jem · **Posted:** Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:14 am

Good luck with your top brace on Monday!

Jem

Nancita · **Joined:** Sat Apr 14, 2012 5:58 pm **Posts:** 8

I went through a lot of prep work before I finally got mine in too. I currently have a bite plate installed and find eating/chewing to be impossible, how is that going for you?

badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

jem wrote:

Good luck with your top brace on Monday!

Jem

Thanks a bunch for the good luck, Jem. It seemed to pay off...the bracket install actually went quite well today. Brackets were bonded today in about 45 mins, with the archwire and ligatures going in on Wednesday of this week. I asked why there was a delay, and was told that the cement used was a self curing type that requires 48 hours to fully cure. The brackets are still feeling very foreign right now and are rougher than they likely will end up, but I've only had very mild cheek irritation so far. Elastics are definitely in my future as well, as only the front four teeth received brackets without hooks.

Nancita wrote:

I went through a lot of prep work before I finally got mine in too. I currently have a bite plate installed and find eating/chewing to be impossible, how is that going for you?

Chewing is a bit rough, mainly due to the composite buildups on my premolars. I'm sticking to soft foods that don't require much chewing. The best I can hope for is to mush the food a bit with my molars, that don't quite meet. I find swallowing a challenge...most of the time my swallowing motion seems to encourage food to be driven forward under the back edge of the appliance. I need to make a conscious effort to try and not swallow normally with my tongue (which forces the food forward) each time I swallow (difficult to do) to minimize the food that ends up under the appliance.

jem · **Posted:** Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:37 am

Glad to hear the bracket installation went well. The bonding material for my brackets was cured instantly by use of an ultra violet light and my archwire was fitted straight away.I think that is the experience of most people on this site, so perhaps there is something special about your bonding material?

Having hooks on all your brackets does not necessarily signify that each of those brackets will bear elastics, although it does give your ortho the option.I have hooks on the brackets on my canines but have no bottom brace, so there should be no question of elastics and I think the hook just comes as standard on the bracket.

A fixed bite plate must be very difficult to keep clean. How do you remove food which has got underneath it?

Good luck,

Jem

badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

jem wrote:

Glad to hear the bracket installation went well. The bonding material for my brackets was cured instantly by use of an ultra violet light and my archwire was fitted straight away.I think that is the experience of most people on this site, so perhaps there is something special about your bonding material?

Having hooks on all your brackets does not necessarily signify that each of those brackets will bear elastics, although it does give your ortho the option.I have hooks on the brackets on my canines but have no bottom brace, so there should be no question of elastics and I think the hook just comes as standard on the bracket.

A fixed bite plate must be very difficult to keep clean. How do you remove food which has got underneath it?

Good luck,

Jem

No idea about a special nature of the bonding material, but the assistant did say its very, very strong when fully cured. It simply may be an extra strong adhesive, but I'll ask.

As for the hooks, I had discussed the use of elastics at a prior appointment and my ortho confirmed that they would be used extensively to close my open bite toward the end of treatment. I'm expecting the lower brackets to have the same configuration (I get the lowers brackets and appliance in 3 months or so). At least seeing the brackets now gives me an idea where she plans to use the elastics.

Cleaning definitely takes longer with the appliance, but cleaning isn't too big of a deal. I waterpik between my teeth and in the cracks of the appliance (where it has opened up) to get water underneath. Finally, I blast vertically along the occlusal plane where the appliance meets the teeth. Most of the time that's sufficient, but sometimes extra attention is needed for certain teeth with stubborn trapped food. My ortho is very pleased with my level of cleanliness, so if she's happy, I'm happy...

I will say one thing though...these brackets are a pain to brush. I'm hoping they get easier to brush once the wire has been installed, but as of now, they offer great resistance to the brush and hang up the bristles much of the time.

Robster1970 · **Joined:** Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:22 am **Posts:** 1

Hi everybody! Got my initial consultation with my Dentist on Thursday to discuss getting Inman Aligners.

Have just joined here and this looks like a great group to belong to for advice / war stories / success stories / moral support

Looking forward to "meeting" all of you fellow metal-mouths!

badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

Thin wire (0.014) was put in this morning. As soon as the first ligature went on, I could feel the pressure. The only real discomfort at the moment is the right incisor...it's bracket was placed slightly higher than the others to correct the tooth, but as a result, it hurts considerably (I'm glad the thinner wire is being used first). I'm not looking forward to tomorrow though...sure to be ample amounts of pain.

Pictures attached for your viewing pleasure.

jem · **Posted:** Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:36 am

Looking good, Badbites!

I also have a 0.014 wire and understand that these small wires can achieve a great deal of levelling and alignment-although the level and alignment of your teeth already looks pretty good.

Brace plus appliance looks quite a combination. I hope you get used to them quickly and make good progress.

Jem

badbites · **Joined:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:35 pm **Posts:** 35

jem wrote:

Looking good, Badbites!

I also have a 0.014 wire and understand that these small wires can achieve a great deal of levelling and alignment-although the level and alignment of your teeth already looks pretty good.

Brace plus appliance looks quite a combination. I hope you get used to them quickly and make good progress.

Jem

I find it amazing that such a thin wire can cause such an ache.

Having both the appliance and the brace is interesting, to say the least. It definitely makes me more appreciative of the ability to chew solid food...one thing I won't take for granted again. I tried to chew a small, soft piece of chicken with my lateral incisor...big mistake. It felt like I had just bit into a red hot coal...I'll be sticking to even softer foods for the forseeable future.

I'm used to the appliance now; just need to get accustomed to the brace (which, aside from the aching, is happening quickly). In 2-3 months, I get the lower appliance (which will also be fixed in place) and the lower brace....which should be even more interesting... :roll:

I just need to keep focused on the end result...and how good it'll be...

maeby · **Posted:** Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:44 pm

Hello, badbites! I'm glad you're getting used to all of that mouth gear! I hope all goes well. Congratulations on being over a month into your journey!

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