KiwiGirl's Journey- Two Weeks with Braces!

[kiwigirl83]

I have already introduced myself under another topic but I want to have a separate little journal where I can monitor my progress and keep myself motivated. Would also be great if people are able to get encouragement and reassurance out of watching how my teeth improve

Right- this is going to be mortifying but I have to post some pictures of my teeth so I can see where my starting point is. Note to self: the current state of your mouth is as bad as it is ever going to be, things will only get better from here!! lol

You can see how overcrowded my poor bottom teeth are:



Little Miss Gappy! Hehe. This is one of the molars that has gone- the corresponding one from the other side has also gone:



You can see how the upper teeth don't touch the lower teeth AT ALL!:




On that last picture you can also see my cap (left hand front tooth). When I was in primary school, I was playing a game that involved putting a coat over your head and running in the direction your friend told you to. Being young I hadn't quite got my North, South, East and West figured out...Friend said run North, I ran South into a, ahem, brick wall. Had to bid farewell to a very new, very perfect adult tooth!! Doh! Anyway, I always thought that my cap stuck out far too much but turns out that the cap is in the right position- it's the natural tooth next to it that is in the wrong position! Sure this will get sorted during my long orthodontic journey though!!

Anyway, I have had three wisdom teeth removed and two molars.
Im having sets etc done on 13th August and then my braces will go on on 20th August.
Then 1year-18months later I will be having scary jaw surgery- possibly on both bottom and top jaw, but maybe just bottom.
Then braces a little bit longer...
Then retainers for a bit....
Then a perfect movie star smile!!! (hopefuly) Woohoo!!

Sorry for the long post! Good luck to anyone going through the same stuff. Stay happy, stay motivated and keep smiling. It will all be so worth it!!!

xxx

[chillin-in-grilz]

Wow that sucks of loosing a perfect adult tooth. I cant wait to keep following along with your progress. You are going to see amazing chnages:) Myself I had not so wonkey teeth and I am amazed at my results so far.

Best of luck with your journey to a perfect smile

[Laurie]

I had a nice chip out of one of my teeth from a childhood playground incident! Follow-the-Leader isn't all it's cracked up to be!

[chillin-in-grilz]

Lol that game is a classic

[kiwigirl83]

Yeah- it was very unfortunate! Getting that sorted out was probably the single most painful thing I've ever experienced. Apparently, I was a smidgen away from hitting a major neve (ouch!!)

I will keep everyone updated on my progress. Will also put some better pics up when I have my braces put on. The ones above are the best I could do with my webcam!

Thanks again for the encouragement everyone and thanks for the great advice KK- I really appreciate it xx

[cwatt1]

Hi Kiwi,

Luckily you didn't twist your neck at an awkward angle when you were a kid! Amazing all of us somehow survive all these crazy childhood mishaps.

Won't be long now until Aug 13 and then Aug 20! Here's wishing you every success -- look forward to following your blog.

[kiwigirl83]

Oops- didn't see your post there jtlang. I've not been on here for a week or so as I've had nothing to report.

I have had braces on before, in the UK when I was about 15, and they did improve my teeth slightly. However, my dentist in New Zealand, where I live now, says that braces alone will not sort my teeth out.

I don't actually think that my teeth look that awful and it's only me that notices that they're not perfect but my dentist says that my teeth will last longer if I have them seen to. The jaw surgeon and the dentist also came up with a whole lot of other reasons to have surgery, many of which I cant remember, lol.

Apparently, I have a pretty small lower jaw so surgery will lengthen that and then I think that they are bringing my jaw forward so that my teeth will meet.

To be honest, I know that I'll be scared when I get to the surgery date but....I'll only be out of action for a couple of weeks and the result will be a perfect smile. This is the second time around so I want to put 100% into it and get the best result I can

Also, my dad is contributing quite heavily towards the costs so I have to make the most of it and get a good job done! Hehe

Anyway, sorry if that explanation isn't very articulate. I didn't actually understand an awful lot of the dentist-speak but they are amazing professionals and I trust them to do a great job

[kiwigirl83]

Well, yesterday was a day of ups and downs.....

I had a great day work-wise, I couldn't seem to put a foot wrong. There were lots of 'well dones' and 'excellents' which is always good!

Then, I left to drive to the dentists. Now, I have only had my license for a few weeks and have only driven on my own a handful of times so every time I drive solo at the moment it's a bit of a stressful time for me!!

Anyway, I managed to get myself to the ortho without any mishaps and was feeling pretty good, cruising along in my little red MX5 (pride and joy!). Then I turned into the carpark......and stalled in the entrance......doh! Then, I was faced with a cramped carpark with very few spaces. I chose a space and proceeded to make a hash of parking quite possibly one of the easiest cars to park in the world. Meanwhile, a boy many years too young for me, sitting in the car next to my space, attempted to chat me up (or something!) RAAARRRRRRRRR

Then came the brace impressions and the dreaded spacers. I had expected the impressions to be fine but hadn't taken into account that having them done would REALLY hurt the wounds that are still present from my surgery two weeks ago. Nevermind- it was ovr pretty quickly.

Then the dental nurse put the spacers on. I was kind of uncomfortable while they were being put on but they didn't feel too bad for the rest of the afternoon. However, my teeth are really aching today..Any tips on getting rid of the pain? Have taken a couple of paracetamol today which has taken the edge off but any other tips would be much appreciated! Actually looking forward to the braces going on so I can get rid of these demon elastics, hehe.

Anyway, the appointment was over really quickly and the nurse was nice. I do wish that my ortho had separate rooms for each patient though. My ortho is set out a bit like a hairdressers so that you're sat next to other people having their teeth seen to. Makes me feel quite self-concious, especially when I feel like the only older person in a room full of teenagers

Right, thanks for listening to my moan I will let you know how my brace day goes (possibly with more moans so you have been warned!!) Hope you're all happy and making good progress with your teeth!!

xxxx

[joney]

Hi kiwigirl83

Sorry I can't help with the spacer question as I didn't have them, I believe for a lot of people they are very uncomfortable for a few days then settle down a bit. I believe that chewing may help. Hope you get some relief from them soon.

I just wanted to say that your bottom teeth remind me a bit of mine when I started out, although mine were worse as I had the added bonus of one incisor completely hiding behind the others. Nine months down the line and I now have a lovely (though by now means perfect yet) lower arch.

I am curious if your teenage brace experience included your lower arch or did they just tackle your upper arch? I had a retainer type brace when I was a teenager, upper arch only, but alas no retainer to keep things in place so my teeth just wandered about all over the place.

Cheeky young lad chatting you up - that one made me smile.

Regards
Joney

[kiwigirl83]

Yeah, I guess I would have been flattered if I hadn't been so stressed about my awful parking, hehe

In all truth, I have actually had braces on TWICE before. I had a retainer when I was in primary school so.....I must have been younger than ten. However, my braces kept getting broken through various mishaps so I think they just gave up! I remember all my friends were fascinated with it as I was the first to get one

When I was a teenager they put fixed braces on my lower and upper teeth. Although, after hearing what my new dentist had to say, I don't know why they bothered without taking some of my overcrowded teeth out first. Ah well, those braces made a bit of difference so I guess it was worth it.

It really is those bottom teeth that bother me- my top teeth look fine apart from the fact that one front tooth is a bit behind the other. You can't see my bottom teeth unless I grin really really widely but I know they're there in all their crookedness!

[cwatt1]

Sorry about the spacer discomfort, Kiwigirl, but keep thinking about that kid trying to hit on you -- should be good for a few smiles Well, you know how we men are, especially at that young age... a sucker for a pretty face

[kiwigirl83]

Hehe, yeah, the orthodontist carpark was probably one of the last places I would have expected to be chatted up but there you go!!

So, I've had my spacers in for a couple of days now and I'm still finding them pretty annoying. All of my teeth are really tender and it's still difficult to chew. But at least the discomfort means that something is happening!

I'm getting a tad nervous about going into work when I have my braces fitted. I'm a public relations exec so I have to do lots of networking, meetings with clients etc. Looking good is pretty important in PR as you are representing other companies and people so I hope I don't look too unattractive when I am braced up.... (Sorry, I know that sounds a bit shallow!)

I'm also a bit worried as I have an all day event management workshop the day after my braces are fitted where I will have to mingle with new people and probably have to do a lot of speaking/group work etc. I'm concerned that I won't be able to speak properly and also that I am going to be very hungry as not sure I will be brave enough to tackle the usual muffins/sandwiches etc that are usually on offer at this sort of thing!!

I'm not as bothered about my work mates seeing the braces. I have been surreptitiously introuducing them to the idea to prepare them for B-Day, hehe. I have been dropping into conversations the fact that my teeth are sore because I'm going through orthodontic work so hopefuly my braces won't be a big surprise to most of them!

Apart from all the worries, I am really looking forward to getting the braces on and getting this thing started. I have mentioned that in PR the way you present yourself is very important, especially at networking events. With a brand new shiny, white, straight smile I will no doubt have more confidence, look better and will be reeling those clients and contacts in hehe. I can't wait.

[Miss Smiley]

I have learned that the more I cover or try to hide my braces, the more people notice them. When I just talk and laugh normally, people say, "Oh, you're wearing retainers? " or don't even mention it. So just be your PR self and I think your busy days will be just fine. Who knows, you might have more people talking to you.

[kiwigirl83]

Hey, thanks for the positive comments! I'm sure I will just get on with things and get used to the braces. Also, I never took into account that the braces could actually serve as a bit of an icebreaker at events so thanks for opening my eyes to that Smiley!!

jt2lang: I haven't had the surgery yet- that's a little way off yet. They're going to do the surgery while I'm wearing my braces. However, I have had two front molars and two wisdom teeth taken out already, which is a good start

[markybwoy]

Hi kiwigirl!

Dropping hints about your braces is a great idea, I just turned up at work one morning with metalwork and a slight lisp and the funny comments I got were probably just more about shock than mean.

I sympathise about the spacers, they wear you down as it is a non-stop feeling. Once you have your braces on, the adjusting comes in waves, a few days at a time which is much easier. The snag with spacers is that they seem to press constantly and after 7 days, you really, really want them out! Warm salt water helped me, I think the rinse relieves some inflammation or swelling which makes the spacers experience seem more tight.

As well as all the tip tops above, don't forget to rest up as well. Sleep is the best healer of them all.

I'll be checking in after 20th - keep smiling.