Nimo's leg of the trip.

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#46 Post by **jennandtonic** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 7:12 pm

Your treatment sounds like it's going great, nimo! Your top right canine has REALLY moved, you must be so stoked about that! Hooray for movement!

I have molar bands on my back teeth, so I only have to floss my front teeth. I don't envy those that don't have the molar bands.

And, here's a dancing banana in hopes that there will be MUCH more movement to come soon!

#47 Post by **nimo** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:49 am

I haven't been on the board much, I've been busy with other things...like getting my gall bladder removed.

Which has kind of screwed up all sorts of plans for all sorts of things.

But adjustment number three is next Tuesday, which shouldn't face any problems. Not sure what they'll do, hopefully tell me to run to the dentist and get that canine exposed immediately!!!!! The ortho still projected my surgery sometime in the first three months of '07, but I just can't see how my impacted canine will actually move that fast.

And now that I've had surgery for the first time (albeit relatively minor surgery), I'm scared out of my mind for my jaw surgery. For my gall bladder is was four tiny incisions, and the next day I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. But two weeks later the only thing that hurts is sneezing or laughing. Jaw surgery isn't just four tiny incisions, and it's a six week recovery time. I'm really worrying.

#48 Post by **nimo** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:30 pm

I did have those colic attacks, which was how they knew to look for gall stones. The attacks were definitely worse than the surgery. After surgery I could lay still and not feel anything, but there was just no way to not feel pain without drugs during an attack.

Plus, the doctors and nurses and even the anesthesiologists were really nice to me. They ended up keeping me overnight, and they let my husband stay with me all night long, which helped more than anything else.

#49 Post by **nimo** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:22 am

All right, adjustment number three on Tuesday. So here are the pics:
Day one:

And today, almost six months later:

As you can see the change is insane! Very drastic.

I'm not happy at all with those black ligs, I look like I got into a fight with a bag of Oreos. But the assistant didn't ask what color I wanted.

They accidentally popped off a back bracket trying to get the wrong wire in there, which was exciting. The top right canine has a wire tie, and I have entered the world of powerchains!!!!!! Just on two molars and that top canine, but the gap is closing over there. Hooray!!! He didn't change my bottom wire, just put new ligs on. Not as sore as last adjustment, which made the whole side of my face hurt. I think that's because the uppers are back down a regular wire. So now they're trying to move my midline (I'm off by about half a tooth, it looks like), and making room for that impacted canine.

#50 Post by **nimo** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:09 am

I asked the ortho about my impacted canine, and he said they have to make room for it on the side it's on. I can tell, now that the powerchain is doing its job, that the gap on the right is smaller than the one on my left, which makes me pretty happy. I'll be even happier when there are teeth instead of bare wires in those spots, because I always get nasty sore spots in those places, and as soon as one gets better, the other side flares up. ugh

That one horribly crooked lateral looks so good now I can hardly believe it. You can't tell as much from the pictures that it still has some straightening to do, which will also be helped along by the powerchain. My bottoms are sloooooooooooowly evening themselves out on the left side, just a little more to go for them.

It's silly, every time the ortho says to do something different I get a little thrill. I almost did a little dance in the chair when he said "powerchain."

#51 Post by **nimo** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 5:30 am

Okay, I've been slacking on pictures and updates, but life keeps getting in the way of things.
I had a bracket on my left top upper molar snap off for no apparent reason, which wasn't fun. The ortho didn't get to replace it until my appointment yesterday, and that appointment was postponed by 16 days from my original date. Bleh.
Anyway, teeth today:

And the lowers, which I've been waiting forever to get even:

For this appointment on the uppers he replaced that bracket, put in a new wire (same size, though, since he'd cut the wire short after I lost that bracket), powerchains on the right side in the same place, wire tie on the right canine again, and now a spring (terrific fun for my tongue to play with while I'm bored at work)! You can't tell by the pictures, but the powerchains are definitely doing their job closing the big gap and creating a smaller gap. The spring is to shove everything over to make room for my hiding canine and put my midline where it's supposed to be. The lowers got the same wire, I think, but he repositioned a bracket on the stubborn tooth that's taking its precious time to get to where it needs to be. He also replaced the wire ties on the bottom tooth that he re-bracketed.

So the great, fabulous, fantastic news: my surgery will most likely be March or April. I was becoming afraid that it would have to be pushed back, but apparently everything is a lot more on schedule that I thought it was. I'll go in for my next appointment at the beginning of January, and then go in only four weeks after that to speed things along (music to my ears!!!). I'm still not looking forward to surgery, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting it over with.

More good news: this adjustment is making my whole face hurt. Good because that surely means everything is working. My last adjustment was pretty mild, and while I don't enjoy being in pain (or feeling the Tylenol wear off), I like knowing that things are going where they belong.

And yay, I'm back to my silver ligs!

Still don't know when the canine exposure will be. And I find myself becoming hopeful that my lower teeth will somehow finish early and I'll get those off ahead of schedule (since they have fewer problems than my uppers). I'm sure that's all wishful thinking, but at this point it doesn't hurt to be hopeful.

#52 Post by **nimo** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:33 pm

So on my last adjustment before January the ortho said they're shooting for March/April surgery. And of course, on the last appointment I had, he said, "Okay, we're ready to bring that canine down finally! Which is going to push back your surgery!"

I'm so frustrated.

Yesterday I had my appointment to see the dentist for my consultation about my canine exposure. First they sent me to the wrong doctor. Then they couldn't find my records. Fortunately the doctor I needed was right there, and was able to schedule me a new appointment for Thursday (tomorrow) and scheduled the 7th for my canine exposure. And they found my records. They took x-rays, and to my untrained eye it looks like that canine should just be able to slide right on down into place. But who knows how long it will take?

So I'm frustrated because if I don't get my surgery in the next year and a half I may never get it without paying for it myself. And everything basically has to be done before I leave here to go to my next base, which it's not looking like it will be.

#53 Post by **nimo** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:10 am

My canine exposure was yesterday. I had a much better time getting my teeth pulled. They gave me a gazillion novocaine shots, which made me feel sick, and they almost put off doing it until I could see the oral surgeon and be sedated. But I told them that I would be fine as long as I was given time to relax, and they were able to do everything.

The canine is pretty much exactly where it needs to be, aside from the fact that it's not down with the rest of my teeth. I don't think they even needed the chain that was attached to the bracket. The ortho just wired me in (which was uber painful, even with all the novocaine). So now where the space is for that tooth I have the regular wire, a spring keeping the other teeth where they are, and another wire.

I brushed my teeth when I first got home, which was a HUGE MISTAKE!!! The toothpaste stung and stung. But I took the pain medication they sent me home with and took a big old nap, and when I woke up everything was better. A little bit of pain, but nothing I couldn't handle, and I've been staying on top of taking the medication and keeping the pain from getting bad.

I wanted to add, the psychological factor in all of this seemed to be the worst part. I can handle fillings, I could handle the idea of getting my teeth pulled. But the exposure was them cutting into actual gums, with blood and stitches and all that awful stuff. I usually like to be a little bit informed when I go into the dentist, but yesterday I kept picturing all the bloody photos I had seen, and when the dentist started talking about cutting...I was done for. I kept wishing for my iPod so I could drown out all the talking. I also kept wishing the dentist's assistant would stop jabbing me in the mouth with the suction thing, never mind her trying to rip my face off with the retractors...man, I'm so glad she doesn't work with my regular dentist/orthodontist.

#54 Post by **joney** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 11:52 am

Hi Nimo

Just checked out your story, you've sure been through a lot and come a long way. Good luck with the healing, hope the next few days get more comfortable for you. One step closer with everything.

Regards
Joney

#55 Post by **jennandtonic** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:32 pm

Oh Nimo I'm so sorry that your canine exposure hurt.

But it's just one more step on the road to straight teeth! And the more progress made, the sooner you can have that surgery done.

Let us know how it's going, Nimo!

#56 Post by **nimo** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:09 pm

The swelling has gone down quite a bit, so I can actually tell what's going on in my mouth. One side of my gums is stitched up like Frankenstein. It's kind of freaky. The stitch on the other side actually bled a little when I brushed yesterday, but the bleeding stopped right away (by the time I rinsed with the anti-bacterial mouthwash they gave me it had stopped), and it didn't hurt. I've been keeping an eye on it, but there hasn't been anything new.

My upper left molars are pretty sore. I attribute that to the fact that they were already a little sore when I went in for the procedure, and now they have new hardware moving things around even more. And the new wire sticks out eeeeeeeeever so slightly, so it's being pokey. The ortho is always really good about clipping the wires short, so I think that it's a matter of this wire being really thin and hard to clip short enough.

#57 Post by **nimo** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:34 am

So here are my teeth about a year after getting my braces. You can't really tell, but my canine is actually coming down!!! I'm very excited about it. I was afraid it would decide not to move at all. And the ortho said they don't normally attach the wire and everything right after the procedure, but I'm really glad he did. Hopefully this means surgery won't be as far away as I feared!

#58 Post by **todddutton** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:01 pm

Well done. I'm so glad you made it through your surgery okay. Your teeth are looking fabulous. I hope your "new" tooth moves quickly into place. Good luck!

#59 Post by **nimo** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:22 am

At my last appointment the ortho told me he's leaving, but there will be a new ortho in AUGUST. I'm definitely not happy about that.
Anyway, here's the newest pic:

I still stand by my conviction that my exposed canine has been the worst part of this whole experience so far. The ortho was pulling so hard on that canine at my adjustment that I thought he was going to pull it out.
But the good thing is that it's coming down fast. I had it exposed about a month ago, and it's almost all the way down. There are wire ties on both my front teeth, the exposed tooth, and the molar behind the canine. And one of my bottom teeth has a lig in a figure 8 on top of being wire tied.

#60 Post by **jennandtonic** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:49 pm

Wow, I'm sorry that your ortho is leaving! But at least you were given advance notice, you hear all these horror stories about orthos who don't let any patients know before dumping their care on another ortho.

Good progress on that canine! I'm sorry it has been so difficult, Nimmo.