Melissa's Journey - New update & pic pg. 14

Message

#211 Post by ***melissa*** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:39 am

hey pearls, thanks for stopping by.

i havent updated in awhile because there is nothing to update....i am still waiting around for the orthodontist to call and tell me my ibraces are ready

they said six weeks and im pretty sure it's already been six weeks now... a part of me wants to call and ask whats going on, but another part just wants to wait for them to call me (i am in no hurry to have a lisp and torn up tongue for 2-3 weeks or more). plus christmas is coming up and thatd wouldnt be so fun to spend it in pain and stuff... sooo ill just wait around a little more i suppose..
it does suck though having to make the monthly payments for my new braces and i dont even have them yet.

pearls - ill come check out your story very soon!

#212 Post by **shinyRiver** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:46 pm

I heard that when they take your braces off, they scrape away a layer of enamel. (Well they must take off a lot of it, because even brushing your teeth right after drinking soda can remove some enamel...) That's probably why the whitestrips might have been irritating your teeth. I know they aren't "good" for your teeth, but I've used them in the past and they aren't particularly bad either. I would ask your dentist or ortho about whether or not it's wise to whiten your teeth so soon after being debraced?

I'm especially curious because I'm looking into getting a zoom treatment done post-braces (that's 2+ years from now!). But it's important to me, because I think that if one is going to spend YEARS in braces in order to get that perfect smile, it better be PERFECT when it's over. Perfect and perfectly white! So I can totally see why you're going through all the trouble. And I can totally understand why you wouldn't mind not having braces over the holidays! Oh, what I would give to have my braces off, even if only for a day...

#213 Post by ***melissa*** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:19 pm

just a little update: im finally getting my ibraces (on top) as well as the clear (on the bottom) on Feb. 5th! thats in 2 days!!

im excited to start my journey back up again. its been a loong time since my other braces were removed! i had no idea it would take this long to get re-braced

but i only have about 1 more year to go now and i really hope it flies by! i will try to get pics up as soon as i get them on

#214 Post by **pearls** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:54 am

That's fantastic Melissa! I'm so happy to hear you are finally getting your iBraces on!

I only realised today that this forum is back up and running! I kind of forgot about it after I couldn't use it anymore!! But I'm glad it's back now because I can continue watching everyone's progress.

Good luck with your banding and try to take a picture to share with us!!

Pearls.

#215 Post by **rolo** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:20 pm

Good luck tomorrow!

I have the same combination you are getting. I've been really pleased with the results. It's really nice to be able to enjoy smiling during treatment.

Post and let us know how you get on

#216 Post by ***melissa*** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:36 pm

in-ovation c on bottom

getting re-banded on thursday was worst experience ever. i dont remember the first time being that bad

there was so many steps to do before she could put the braces on. first there was dry sand blown in my mouth...then i had to go to the sink and rinse...then a gross polish was put on... then she rinsed that out by just spraying water in my mouth and sucking it out through the spit sucker, but i thought i was gonna die by choking on the water, cuz i had my head back. then there was the process of drying my teeth with hot air (OUCH!) then the glue was finally applied. then she stuck on the ibraces on immediately by hooking a tray to my teeth with clay stuff in it. when the clay dryed, she pulled it off (TALK ABOUT PAINFUL.) and the ibraces remained glued to my teeth. the same process was done with the bottoms. she put the wires in and ta da, i was all set. by the my teeth really hurt, i had the grossest taste of sour play dough in my mouth (which i still have today and cant get rid of it,) and i could not speak. i tried to eat a sandwich when i got home...that didnt work out...i could not chew! none of my teeth touched. then i broke out in tears when i realized one of back ibraces had come unglued.

needless to say, ive been having a very hard time. its been 2 days and my tongue is very cut up and im just kind of regretting my decision to get ibraces right now. but i know it takes time to get adjusted, so we'll see...

#217 Post by **Memran** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:55 am

Hi Melissa!

Really sorry to hear about your bad time so far, but your teeth are looking great, and the ibraces are the ultimate in discrete!

I'm sure that once you get used to them, you will be really happy that you chose them. I've never experienced Ibraces myself, but I would imagine that your tongue will toughen up, just like the rest of our mouths do.

Hang in there, you'll adjust in no time!

Rob

#218 Post by **jenny101101** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:02 am

Oh Melissa, sorry to hear you've had such a rough time

.
Like Rob, I've never had ibraces but, as you well know,
it takes time to get used to something new and foreign in
your mouth. Hopefully you can get some encouragement
and support in the Lingual Forum about what to expect specifically
and we'll all be here in your journal to cheer you on!

I must say they are quite neat looking! Best of luck and keep
us posted.

#219 Post by ***melissa*** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:52 am

aw, thank you Rob and Jenny!

I dont mean to be all depressing and all, so sorry about that. It's just the beginning days...which are the worst.
I am already seeing some changes though, which is good motivation to keep on truckin'

I've been doing salt water rinses, so I hope those help very soon!

P.s...anyone know why we can't edit our posts anymore?

#220 Post by **Miss Smiley** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:58 am

Missy, I hope you're feeling a bit better about taking the journey again. Remember how horrible we felt the very first day? It will pass again and things will be super!

#221 Post by ***melissa*** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:50 pm

Thanks for the encouragement, Miss Smiley! =)

Today is my first day back at work since I got my new braces... I still have a pretty bad lisp. It doesn't help that a big chunk of my job duties include answering incoming phone calls. If I talk too long, it's starts to sound like I am talking with a bunch of food in my mouth. I really hope this passes soon. It's so embarrassing!

As I mentioned previously, one of my iBrackets came off right after I got home from the ortho on Thursday. I didn't call in immediately to get it fixed because I was feeling pretty lousy and figured I could go in the next day (Friday.) Well, I called on Friday and they were closed

It's been HELL having that little, sharp, iBracket there, pushing on my tongue every second of the day. I now have a pretty bad sore from that sharp bracket. I'd try to cover it with wax, but because it was soo far back, wax wouldn't stay on. I tried cutting the wire so I could take the bracket off, but nothing would cut the wire!!
Thankfully, after 4 days of putting up with it, I was able to go in this morning and they got the bracket off. The reason the bracket came off was because the molar is barely coming out of the gum and there's not much room for the bracket to hang on to. Not sure why they put a bracket on that tooth in the first place... but my ortho said they have to save it and put it on in a couple months (when the tooth errupts more.)

My mouth is starting to heal and it doesn't hurt as badly as it did. Thank goodness for that! Having cuts all over your tongue is not fun.

#222 Post by **Andromeda** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:42 pm

Wow doesn't your ortho's office have an emergency number you can call for when they are closed? I would imagine if something is really hurting you like that then they should make the time to get it fixed for you and not make you wait the whole weekend. Glad you got it taken care of though, and maybe you should check and see if they do have an emergency number just in case something happens in the furture... and don't forget - wax is our friend

Congrats on finally getting your braces again and I hope things go more smoothly for you from now on

#223 Post by ***melissa*** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:57 pm

Hi Andromeda!
Yeah they do have an emergency phone number, but it's my ortho's cell phone number and I was afraid to call it thinking she would get upset and tell me my problem was not an emergency... I am not exactly sure what an ortho emergency entails... guess I need to ask next time so I know in the future?

#224 Post by **Andromeda** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:35 am

I think an emergency definitely includes something that is hurting you. What could really be worse or more of an emergency in your ortho treatment than that? I've had things pop off and they would make me wait but if something hurts and you can't take care of it with wax or something, then they should take care of it right away. Don't be afraid to call, your ortho won't get mad at you (unless you call all the time or every little thing).

How's work going? I'm sure you'll get used to talking and won't have that lisp for too much longer. Ohhh the price we pay for beauty, hehe

#225 Post by **danish** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:01 pm

hi *melissa*,

Just read your story. Cool that you decided to change your ortho. The old office definitely does not strike me as a place where you would like to have your teeth fixed. The patient-ortho relationship is crucial. You don't always show up for adjustments with a happy face. It's trivial but a little empathy and some comforting words from the ortho in these situations make a difference.
Interesting about the iBraces too. If I had to start from scratch with my treatment, I would very likely try something like that. I can imagine what your tongue must have been like right after being iBraced. Some months ago my ortho discovered that one of my molars was rotating. To rotate it back in position he put a bracket on the side towards the tongue and attached some elatics for movement. Well.... after a few hours it was as if the bracket was cutting up my tongue. Couldn't speak properly etc. Eventually with LOADS of wax my tongue toughened up and I got used to it.
Andromeda is right. Thinking about the price in terms of discomfort, self-consciousness, frustration etc we pay for a nice smile. Haha. Speaking of beautiful teeth yours look really great, though. Keep trucking!

Danish