Jenn's Braces Saga: THEY'RE OFF! Cavity issues. :(

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Website · #181 Post by **alexa** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 7:11 pm

Aw, that sucks.

But at least your teeth are going to be totally awesome...and you have less than a year left! 10 months...just a little over a school year left...that will go by lightning speed!

I think changing your ticker is an excellent idea...focus on that amount of time getting smaller and smaller!

Edited to fix my typo...

#182 Post by **jennandtonic** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 7:39 pm

Meryaten I am definitely trying to look on the bright side. It could be worse. However, I think right now I'm just disappointed because I had REALLY hoped to have these out before 2008 rolled around. And I'll get over it. AND I did treat myself to an indulgence--two dips of strawberry ice cream from my very favorite ice cream restaurant. And I have a big stash of M&Ms that I pigged out on, too. Shame on me!

alexa I am now unveiling my new ticker. I set the date for April 15th since there's no way to know the exact date. And when you say it that way about a school year, it ain't so bad!...well, I'm going to tell myself that, hehe. And thank you for the encouragement.

I took pics, not much change going on other than a smaller overbite/overjet. In fact, it's 2 mms smaller than last month.

I forgot to mention this in my post, but when they retied the wires on my lowers, they made them a lot tighter. I didn't have time to ask why, but I do kind of want to know what they're doing, because they didn't tighten the upper wires as well. I feel as if my bottom arch is a lot tighter and smaller when compared to my top arch. I know it's supposed to be a little smaller, but not that much! I also feel like there's not quite a real 'arch' shape to my bottom teeth yet, either. Take a look at the pics and let me know what you see...am I just being paranoid? Probably so.

The left is last month, right is this month.

#183 Post by **jennandtonic** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:54 pm

Linda thank you for the encouragement. And, your eyes are not deceiving you, my midline has improved 1 mm. I can't believe I didn't mention it! Last appointment it was about 2 mm off, this time it's a little less than 1 mm. Maybe I am being too critical, because sometimes when I look at those pictures I keep thinking that my six front teeth are in an arch while my back teeth are not. However, when I looked in the mirror, it's just a trick of light. Meh. We are all our own worst critics, I agree!

KK thank you so much. I'm certainly trying to see the brighter side of things.

Ken thank you for noticing the patriotic ligs! I was going to ask for white, too, but figured my teeth would cover the white part, wouldn't want the white ligs to get stained with mustard or something!

Thank you again to everyone for your encouragement. I'm feeling a lot better than I did. Not 100% as...I guess optimistic...as I was before, but I'm getting there.

#184 Post by **jennandtonic** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:59 pm

rage: True, it seems like the summer and fall go faster, so hopefully it goes by pretty quickly. And thank you for reading my journey!

Well all, I had not updated in awhile so I thought I would.

I've felt a little bit of discomfort in my braces. Not my teeth hurting, necessarily, it's mostly the metal against my cheeks. Usually I don't notice it, but lately it seems a little more prominent, at times I'm having to dig out the wax, something I haven't had to do in almost a year. At first I thought maybe I wasn't staying hydrated enough, so I started drinking more water, but it's still just a little bit uncomfortable. I'm hoping this is because my bite is changing (for the better! *crosses fingers*). It isn't all that bad, though.

As to gap closage, I don't see much change there.

Oh well, there is still plenty of time to take care of it. At least I'm not looking all jack-o-lantern like I was for awhile there, haha.

Otherwise, no real pain in my teeth, nothing exciting to report. Still 16 days to my next appointment...I'm not used to having such a long time in between appointments! I feel like I'm neglecting this poor thread.

#185 Post by **Tin Indian** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:12 pm

Glad your'e still around JT.
Not so sure about what to say other than hang with it. We are all thinking of you. I felt my brackets digging in for a while to but it faded after about a week. Here's to ya for having some gap closing soon.
Cheers- T.I.

#186 Post by **jennandtonic** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:01 pm

Thank you T.I...it finally started to feel more comfortable about 2 days ago, I don't have to use wax anymore, thank goodness!

KK--I hope so! I can't really see a difference, but then again I look at my teeth every day.

Linda21--It sounds weird, but I kind of like the gaps, if only because I'm looking forward to the day I can post a picture bragging about how they FINALLY closed, hahaha.

Thank you to all of you for commenting! For the umpteenth time, I don't know what I'd do without this site.

#187 Post by **jennandtonic** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:49 pm

So for the last day or so, it's been a little painful to brush along the botom left side of my mouth. Not PAINFUL, but uncomfortable kind of painful.

Tonight, while brushing, I noticed what looked like watermelon stuck where it had been uncomfortable to brush. I edited a previous picture to show you exactly where it was most tender:

Well, thinking it was watermelon, I used my teeny brush to try and get it out, and it moved a bit, but to no real result, though it did move a little. I used a toothpick, again, no result...except I started bleeding. I thought, well, that watermelon must be really stuck in there! So I started trying to get it out from a different angle...only to notice that this "piece of watermelon" was bleeding.

It's a part of my gums, all swollen up and a bit...I don't know, loose-ish, which freaked me out because that's never happened before.

I tried to take a picture, but can't get a good one.

Anyhow, I immediately called and left a message at Dr. Greer's office and told them my gums are swelling and it's kinda painful, that I'd like to get in tomorrow if it's possible, and if not I'll just wait. They're really good about fitting people in, though, so I'm 99% sure I'll be able to see her tomorrow.

I'll keep you updated, but I'm a little freaked out, how did my gums get like that?

#188 Post by **jennandtonic** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 6:38 pm

Thank you so much Linda, KK, Meryaten, and rage!

I called my ortho's office, and like usual they said 'we'll make room for you, come right in!'

So after work I went in, didn't even have to wait for a minute before she said to come on back, and first Anne took a look. She apologized beforehand saying she was going to poke a bit just to see if there really was any food caught in there. It hurt a little, not much, and she cleaned out the area pretty thoroughly. She was pretty puzzled, though, after not finding anything and told Dr. Greer, who was working on another patient 'Well, it's just weird that it's not red or anything.'

I told them I was worried it was gingivitis, as you had suggested, Linda, and Anne said she's not so sure, to wait and see.

So Dr. Greer finished with the other patient, and took a look. She fiddled with the archwire a bit, and told me that there was a wire tie that was touching the gum, which could have caused irritation, but she also kept asking me if I had popcorn or chips. No, I said, I've been really good about that, though normal food does tend to get caught there. She reprimanded me for my roughness in trying to fish out that 'food' last night. 'You scraped up your gum line there, missy!' Oops.

She didn't end up taking anything out other than the wayward wire, which is a relief---if only because I didn't have any pain meds to take before I went to the appointment, haha.

She told me she doesn't think it's an infection because it's not red at all or that painful, except where I scraped it last night. She figures it was either food that got caught and irritated my gum, or possibly that wire.

She recommended that I buy GlyOxide, which is supposed to help with the swelling, as well as clean out anything that could possibly get stuck there. If it doesn't go down by next week she'll prescribe me some medicine for my gums.

Annnnnd, as I was getting out of the chair, she goes 'Also, do warm salt water rinses! And plenty of them!' I thought 'hey, if only KK was here!'

As I already do the saltwater rinses, I'm thinking I'll just tack on one more a day and see how it goes.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, you helped me stay a little calm, because I was seriously freaked out about it! You gotta admit, it's a little unsettling to see gums swell like that. However, I'm much better now..and I've already bought the GlyOxide, so we'll see how this goes. And I think I'm going to try and see if I can get an okay picture of it.[/b]

#189 Post by **jennandtonic** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:40 am

Okay, it's been a couple of days, and here's another update on the swelling.

It has gone down just a little bit, and it doesn't hurt at all when I brush anymore. I can even get a proxy brush in between the swelling and the wire without any pain or discomfort, and while I'm still not sure why it's swelling like that, I'm not NEAR as worried as I was about it.

The GlyOxide....tastes....like puke! I use it after every meal, putting two drops on the area of the swelling and keeping it there for 2-3 minutes. It starts to fizz because it's supposed to clean that area out, and when it starts to fizz it starts having that really gross taste to it. This is the ONLY complaint I have right now, which is a blessing in and of itself. At least I'm not in excruciating pain!

#190 Post by **jennandtonic** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:01 pm

Sometimes things end up the opposite of how we all hope, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Her'es a really, really, really long post, ya'll!

First thing:

I JUST realized that on the picture I posted of where the swelling is, I circled the wrong side.

However, it's the same spot, just on the other side. I got a little digital-camera-side-disoriented there. Oopsie!

Second:

I had an adjustment today. A LOT happened, so I'll just go through the day chronicalogically.

As I was brushing my teeth this morning, I noticed that the gums on the inside of my left side were hurting a bit, and swelling, too, all around my second molar. It hurt as I brushed, then ached just a bit all day.

My adjustment rolls around at 2:30. They were backed up quite a bit because Debbie, the very efficient receptionist, was out sick.

However, I didn't wait that long, just 15 minutes.

Francis, one of the two dental assistants, took me back to the back and took some panoramic x-rays. After that, she sat me down and asked me about the gum situation while she took out my bottom archwire. I told her, honestly, that the original swelling had gone down a bit, not much, and that this morning I noticed some more swelling around that second molar. She started checking all my molar bands and noticed that the band to that left second molar was quite loose. She told all of this to Dr. Greer, who came over and sat and watched while Francis finished taking out my archwire and took out all my ligs.

Then Dr. Greer took over, sending Francis off to do reception duty. She said quite a few 'hmm's' and asked for my panorams. She goes 'oh. Well hmm.' Then said that she was going to take that band out (and POP! she did. It didn't hurt, as it was already loose), and she said that my treatment might slow down a bit. I asked what was going on, and she said that a shadow showed up over that second molar on my panorams. I asked if it was a cavity or infection and she goes 'nooo, noo, nothing like that.'

She showed me the x-ray and poined out my second molar, where there was indeed a shadow. She also said that the roots of my teeth were a bit peculiar. Whereas the roots are usually two pronged and go straight down, the roots on a couple of my teeth vee in together, and she said that, while she's not exactly sure what's going on with the tooth, it's possible that the root wasn't all together formed or healthy and that it's 'protesting' against the movement.'

I asked what that means, how long my treatment is going to prolong, and she said she isn't sure, as she hasn't had a case much like this before--at least not with this swelling and the roots shaped like that. She asked if that was okay, and I assured her I'm not asking because I want these off right now and that my first priority was healthy teeth.

But I ain't gonna lie, for a minute I felt like crying. I have no idea how long my treatment is going to be set back if this swelling doesn't go down!

Meanwhile, she scraped all the cement off that tooth, and the swelling started to bleed a bit. It was pretty uncomfortable!

She took out my top archwire and called Anne over for 'repos.'

"Repos...is that repositioning?"

"Yes, missy!"

She popped the brackets off on both my lateral incisors, both of my canines, and one of my premolars on the right side. It pinched! Ouch!

She asked me if it was okay to sand down the glue on my teeth, and I said sure...then she said 'I'm tired of those ridges and bumps on your teeth. Is it okay if I even those out?' Like I'm gonna say no!

She then asked for her diamond sander thing, and started singing 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend' while she evened out the ridges that have been the bane of my existance since I was seven.

Look at the results...the left is last month, the right is today:

Just one teeny tiny ridge that they'll even out at the end of treatment. My two front teeth are gorgeous! AAAAAH!

Ok. During the repositioning--which took forever--she told Anne and me that she wanted a partial bracket on the bottom that would go from my right third molar to the left premolar, leaving that second premolar completely open and no pressure on it. I am to stop elastics, and hopefully this upper archwire quickens things along so I'm not too far behind on treatment.

So, an hour and a half after I walked in, I walked out.

I finally was able to get some pictures of my swelling:

This one is blurry, but I only wanted to show the swelling that cropped up this morning anyway, so look behind the second molar at the gums:

Now, a clearer side view:

Obligatory stuff:

So. Sorry for the long post.

Lots of up and downs, but I am still very optimistic about my treatment.

I just got done with this huge long post, then Archwired has an error. I hate those errors!

At least I was able to copy and paste this to Microsoft Word before I lost this post.

#191 Post by **jennandtonic** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:18 pm

Thank you KK and (newly NAKED) Linda, for your encouragement.

The initial swelling has not gone down at all yet, but the second outcrop of swelling went down pretty much immediately. I continue to use the GlyOxide and swish lots of warm salt water, but the swelling just ain't disappearing! I'm not impatient, though, I expect it will go down in the next month.

The thing I'm not all that happy about is my bite reverting back to a not-so-good position. I could feel the change almost immediately. I can't find a comfy position to close my teeth together, which is kind of annoying, and I'm back to my old chewing habits from before I got braces. It's a little bit of a bummer because I know it's going to take time to correct the bite again. However, I'd much rather have these problems than have to resort to more drastic measures to fix that second molar.

#192 Post by **jennandtonic** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:50 pm

I have not been on here recently much at all.

One, because I was gearing up for school, which started on MONDAY! These last few weeks have all been about shopping, finding my books online, and working, hoping to stretch out every dime to be able to pay for all that stuff, hahaha. (especially since my financial aid did not come through this year, which I was a little cross about. Especially since they waited until TWO WEEKS ago to tell me!)

Two, I was crossing my fingers, hoping one day I'd look in the mirror, and that swelling would be gone, and I'd dance down here and post about it.

NO SUCH LUCK! The darn thing only went down a little.

Anyhow, I had an adjustment today, and as I update at every adjustment, I guess I'll go ahead and update.

Dr. Greer immediately asked about the swelling, and scrapped her hopes for rebanding that molar this time. While it's not paining me at all, she's still wary about banding the tooth because she's not sure what's wrong.

She was definitely not happy about my bite, but there's nothing she can do with elastics or wire on the bottom because, again, gotta keep pressure off the tooth.

She put in an "8-2-2 wire with torque" on my top teeth and left the bottom teeth alone. My top teeth are tender, I know I'm not going to be chewing for a few days. That's okay! Pain equals progress....right?

And truthfully, right now, I need a distraction from the thought that progress is being halted by that stupid molar.

She asked me to remind her who my dentist was, and asked when my last appointment was. She said that though Dr. Brooks, my dentist, is not practicing temporarily (he had a hip replacement and is recovering--I knew about this since April, but apparently it's taking longer than he had planned), Dr. Greer thinks that I need to see a dentist about the tooth. She said that just looking at the tooth, nothing is wrong with the gums or the tooth, but there is a reason for the swelling, and in order for my treatment to progress, I need to have it looked at. So she said that she could recommend a few dentists.

I told her that I'm on my mother's dental plan (until I turn 24), so I would have to check with her to see if there was a list of certain dentists I needed to consider. She said she wanted to check out the list and make a recommendation based on that, because she's quite picky about who her patients see, and whose patients see her.

So I called my mom, as she's the one who has all the info on our insurance. She remembered a dentist she saw about 10 years ago, Dr. Hermen, that she had liked, and checked to see if he was on our health plan.

And when she called Dr. Greer to go over the list, wouldn't you know it, not only did Dr. Greer recommend Dr. Hermen, she's having lunch with him on Monday! She said she'd broach the subject and get back to us.

And I want to get this done ASAP, so I'm crossing my fingers that Dr. Hermen agrees to see me, even though he's not my official dentist of record.

Anyhow, I'll post pictures soon. Right now, I've got to get to my homework--heading into the third day of school, and I'm already behind!

#193 Post by **kiwigirl83** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 6:34 pm

Wow- that sounds like a bit of a worry for you. I hope that it doesn't set you back too much and it all gets sorted out.

I had to have a dodgy shadow looked into before I got started on my orthodontic work. It was just over my capped front tooth. Apparently, when the cap went on when I was ten years old a little bundle of bacteria had got in and had been imprisoned ever since. Then, when I was in my 20s they suddenly decided to make a fuss and all kinds of weird stuff happened (a little white blister appeared on my gum etc) I was totally perplexed and couldn't afford the dentist as I was at uni. Anyway, eventually got it sorted when I left uni- the dentist had to dig into my gum and scoop all the nasty things out. EWWWWW.

Anyway, enough about me- just love telling that gross little tale!

Hehe.

Your teeth look beautiful, especially after you had them evened out (although, to be honest, I think they looked great before as well) Good luck with the rest of your treatment- I will keep checking in to see how you're getting on. Take care

#194 Post by **MommaDucky** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:14 pm

jennandtonic: I just caught up on your posts... it took me a while, but I did it!!!

First off- your progress is amazing. Your story is inspiring, and it was great to read. You've obviously overcome a lifetime of obstacles and you've worked your way through to doing what is right for you! You really should be proud of yourself for all your hard work.

Secondly- upon reading through the last 18 months of your journey in quick succession, I found several posts where you seemed absolutely sick of having braces. What I'm wondering is, how do you get yourself through those times? For me, I've been in braces for just under three months, and I'm pleased to say that at this point, I haven't felt totally tired of them... yet. I'm sure that once I've been wearing them for quite some time, and my progress starts to slow, I'll begin having some of those days. Is there anything you do that helps see you to the end of the day when you start feeling down about it? All I can think to do (whenever this starts happening to me) is that I'll just have to reassure myself that this is the right choice, and I should be happy that it only takes two years to be able to enjoy the rest of my life with a beautiful smile, etc. But for me, I've found that I don't necessarily respond well to self-affirmations..... I guess I just want to prepare myself for what is (almost inevitably) to come!

Again, you've made beautiful progress, and I'm sure it will feel like no time at all and you'll be finding yourself in that dentist's chair getting those suckers taken off for good!

Hoping you are well.

#195 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:36 am

YIKES! I hope that all works out, you seem so much better and not worried. THings might be looking brighter ey?!