Catfish's Journey

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#91 Post by ***melissa*** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 7:52 am

Happy be-lated birthday, catfish!! =)

#92 Post by **catfish** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:10 pm

So I almost chickened out, but in the end I didn't. I got the turquoise! Although they look more like baby blue to me. But at least I didn't wimp out and get the smoke color.

This is the same powerchain setup I had before, and I can't tell any difference at all. I don't feel even a slight amount of pressure. You can't see it in the picture, but the lower wire has a notch in it just like the upper wire. So that tooth that's heading for the center has gone as far as it can go for now. I go back in 4 weeks and I'll get a new wire. That should make a difference.

#93 Post by **catfish** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:53 pm

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted an update since April! I knew I'd been gone for awhile, but I didn't realize it had been that long.

So fast forward to today. The gap from my extracted incisor is completely gone now - yay!! I have an interesting configuration of bands and hardware that did the job. I have a clear powerchain on the three incisors. Separate from that, there are two smoke colored bands (with a name I can't remember) on the rest of my lower teeth. There are two annoying hooks attached to my archwire, and these smoke colored bands connect these hooks to the bands on my back molars. My ortho says at my next visit I will get a new archwire without the evil hooks attached! And I will get a single powerchain connecting everything.

So I'm hoping that I'm nearing the end of this journey. My ortho hasn't given me an estimated debracing date though. I will ask again at my next visit. My original estimate was 2 years, and I'm well past that now. I'm still hoping to get debraced before I turn 50! Wish me luck on that!

#94 Post by **catfish** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:32 pm

So yet another adventure in my journey. My latest adornment is not related to my braces, but it is an important step toward getting a complete set of chompers. I got an implant in the space where I lost a molar during osseous surgery. I was surprised to see that it showed. I thought it would be covered by my gums until it was time to put in the post and crown. So it looks like a rivet in my gums!

I was surprised at how little it hurt. I thought getting a screw in my jawbone would hurt like crazy, but it didn't hurt at all!! The only pain was from where he cut away some gums, and the tenderness where I got my shots. And those things were both pretty mild (compared to what I expected and feared!)

I'm so glad this step is over! I was so scared about it when I was waiting for it, and now I know there was nothing to worry about! Whew!

#95 Post by **catfish** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:29 pm

So today was a banner day - I got a debracing date! I'm scheduled to have my braces removed on April 27th. I have two powerchain changes before then, so I have to pick my final colors. I'm so happy!

$+\+$

At today's visit, I got a new and final wire. The evil hooks are history, so my lower lip is much happier right now. For the first time I have a powerchain connecting all my lower teeth. I got clear, so it doesn't show up well in the picture. I might pick some fun colors for my last two powerchains.

I'm happy happy happy today!

#96 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:02 pm

YEAH!!!!!

Aren't those some wonderful words! In the next couple of weeks you're going to start looking and start wondering "Should I ask about this tooth?" Its a temptation that I'm battling.

Even if you do have a slight detour, aren't you glad you took the journey?

Mike

#97 Post by **catfish** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:58 pm

Thanks Mike!!

Yes, those were wonderful words! I was so used to my ortho saying it was too soon to predict an end date, I was ready to hear it again. What an awesome surprise to hear an actual date instead!

I've already been asking him about specific teeth!

I have one that is still wiggly, and he explained why that is and how it will firm up in the remaining weeks. My ortho is good about entertaining my questions.

And yes, even with the detours I have no regrets about this journey. I'm so happy with the way my teeth are turning out!

#98 Post by **catfish** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:10 pm

So it's been three days since my last adjustment, and my lower teeth still hurt too much to bite into anything. It's been awhile since I've had a painful adjustment, and I'm a little surprised that this one is lasting so long. But I've never had a powerchain along my entire arch (I've only had them on three teeth before), and I've heard others say the new powerchain can be painful, so I'm assuming that's the culprit. Adding the new wire with bends probably adds to it, too.

But I'm still super happy to be where I'm at today. Having an end date really cheered me up!

#99 Post by **ida** » Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:50 am

Hi Catfish,
Wow your teeth looks great and you almost at the end of your journey. I have the similar problem with bone loss. I have moderate bone loss mostly on my upper jaw. The ortho said he will be able to put braces on me but to move it very slowly. But afterwards i read in a tread somewhere that teeth will not be tight or rather wiggly after the braces is off due to the bone loss. Is this true? This scares me! BTW, are you in washington dc catfish?

Take care.

#100 Post by **catfish** » Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:23 pm

Hi Ida,

No, I'm in Washington State. Although I lived near Washington DC for 8 years when I was a kid. I lived in Falls Church, Virginia. Very different than the Pacific NW!

My bone loss is rather severe, mainly on my lower incisors. My incisors were loose before I even got braces, and I had a temporary splint that essentially "glued" them to my canines for support. I will have a permanent retainer on those teeth when my braces come off. So I can't really say what impact braces had on how loose those teeth are, since they were wiggly to start with.

#101 Post by **catfish** » Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:43 pm

Wow, I have a lot to update! I'll start with pics since they're fun. I went to my periodontist for a check up on my implant, and I got the all clear to move ahead with my crown. This is awesome news for me because I've been missing a molar for almost 4 years, so I've only been able to chew on one side for all that time. They took an X-ray of the implant, and they emailed the X-ray to me. So here's what it looks like:

The X-ray blows me away. It shows a root canal, a crown, a big filling, a bone graft, an implant, and braces. That's a lot of work! And SPAM! Here's what the implant looks like normally:

As for my braces, I'm on my last powerchain. I got pretty pink this time! I will have to take a picture later. I can't believe I'm so close to the end!

The other weird thing is that between now and early June, I have EIGHT dental appointments! I can't believe I have so many. They are for the permanent retainer, braces removal, hawley retainers, the crown on my implant, another follow up on my implant, and my regular cleaning. It looks like I need to add one more appointment on top of these, too. I get my retainer before I get my crown, so after my crown I have to have my retainer adjusted to fit around it.

So that's where I'm at. There's so much to do at the end of braces!

#102 Post by **ida** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:43 am

Falls Churh? I lived there for few years but now moved to Woodbridge and work in DC. Wow the x ray! You had bone graft done before, was it painful? I have to get one done on one of my tooth before i could proceed with the braces treatment. The perio office do not have IV sedation but instead she prescribed me valium and the laughing gas. You almost at the end of your journey. Pray that everything goes well with you.

Take care.

#103 Post by **ida** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:05 am

I mean osseous surgery. That's what i'm going to have because i have one deep pocket on one of the tooth, about 5-6mm.

#104 Post by **catfish** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:40 pm

Hi Ida, You lived in Falls Church, too? It's a small world! Thanks for checking in on my story and wishing me well.

I had osseous surgery a while back, and I had conscious sedation. But that was because I had to have the surgery on all of my teeth. I wouldn't think it would be too bad to have it done on one tooth without the sedation, at least I hope not. The recovery wasn't too bad. It was sore for a couple of days, and it took a little while to get used to the exposed root. But I used prescription fluoride toothpaste to help with the sensitive roots, and it helped a lot.

#105 Post by **catfish** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:31 pm

I went in today to get my bonded retainer. I have been pleasantly surprised that it is not a bother so far. I thought it would be hard to get used to, but it's really pretty smooth except where the wire is exposed, and even that isn't bad. He used a braided surgical stainless steel wire that he fitted to my teeth.

So I only have one week to go - I'm so excited! I'm on my last powerchain, and you can see I chose pretty pink for my last one. I'd been getting clear, but for my last one I had to do something different!

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Catfish's Journey - updated with pics 11-7-08 (page 5)

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