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

Message

#106 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:45 pm

YEEEEAAAA!!!!!!

I see caramel corn in your future.

And whole apples.

And nacho chips.

Mike

#107 Post by **catfish** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 7:05 pm

Mike - you got your braces off? How did I miss that? Did you post pics somewhere?

Congratulations!!

#108 Post by **Memran** » Wed Apr 21, 2010 11:37 pm

Wow Catfish! Thats great news!

That retainer does look manageable, hopefully that is what I will get shortly

#109 Post by **catfish** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:52 am

Oh man, my appointment is in half an hour! I'm so excited! Here's how I look going in.

#110 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:20 am

Hopefully by know you're almost wire free (still got to count the retainer). Congrats on your new smile. Curious question for all those who questioned your brace decision. Was it worth it?

Mike

#111 Post by **OhNicole** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:46 am

I just noticed that today is your D-Day, congratulations! It's my D-Day too... just a couple hours to go and I'm soooooo excited!

#112 Post by **catfish** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 4:20 pm

Woo Hoo!!! I am a happy girl today! 2 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days later I have naked teeth! The braces removal went really well, and I'm already used to my new slippery teeth! I was concerned the removal would be painful because he uses a tool that blows cold air. I have so many exposed roots due to periodontal disease, I feared the worst. But my ortho kept my roots covered with his finger so it didn't hurt a bit. He's awesome! So here's the pics:

Before:

After:

Next step: retainers. I picked the translucent pink for mine so they wouldn't show. I'll get them on Thursday. He's hoping he can adjust the retainer after I get the crown on my implant. I hope that works, otherwise I have to buy another retainer - ouch!

Mike, thanks for the congrats! You posed a good question, and I'm having a hard time answering it. My reason for getting braces was to hopefully slow down the perio and keep my teeth longer. I'm not sure I'll ever know if it was successful. But I am noticing that my lower incisors (the teeth most affected by perio) feel stronger when I bite into things. Apparently removing one and making the others more upright has added some stability, so I'm very happy with that! Plus I like that my lower right "fang" is tucked back in where it's supposed to be.

Nikki, thanks for checking in, and congrats on your D-Day too! I'll be checking your story for an update.

#113 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 4:45 pm

Looks like a good....no GREAT result.

I'll admit I'm still learning to eat again. I keep on thinking it will be a pain to clean brackets forgetting I don't have brackets. I hope you don't suffer the same "problem."

Mike

#114 Post by **OhNicole** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 7:58 pm

Yayyy that look great! Congratulations! Isn't it a great feeling?

#115 Post by **catfish** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 8:03 pm

Hi Ken, I'm sorry to hear you say you're not expecting such a good result. What do you think will be wrong with your result? I hope you are pleasantly surprised with a happier outcome than you're expecting!

I went in for my retainers today. They didn't feel as bad as I expected. I thought they'd be uncomfortable, but they're just big. Like having a bite of food in your mouth - it doesn't hurt but you keep waiting for it to go away! I am having one tooth hurt a bit now that I've had them in for a few hours. I hope that's a normal, transient thing. If not, I'm stuck until Tuesday because my ortho's office is closed until then.

Another thing I didn't expect was that they tasted bad and my lips were burning for a few hours after I got them. I'm assuming it had to do with whatever they disinfect them with after they make them. I came right home and brushed them with toothpaste, so they taste a little better now.

So now I'm on the next step of my journey, and I hope I get used to it soon. I really hope I can learn to talk soon!!

#116 Post by **iBorg** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 8:19 pm

Catfish:
If your retainers are like my biteplates, the plastic they're made of has a taste to them the first couple of times you wear them. I would recommend something like Retainer Brite to keep them clean. My biggest challenge with my retainers (Essix type) is getting them so they taste "clean" after sleeping in them.

WE both have something to

about!

Mike

#117 Post by **catfish** » Thu May 06, 2010 8:51 pm

Well, today was a bit of a disappointment. I went in to get my teeth cleaned, which seemed like it should be an innocuous event. I was bummed to hear my pocket readings were much deeper than my last visit. I had several 4's and several 5's, one of which she said was really probably closer to a 6. These are the worst readings I've had since my osseous surgery. So it looks like my periodontal problems have activated again. I have to go back in two weeks to have them checked again, and they will put tetracycline in the deep pockets.

This was really a bummer visit. They said it could be because I just got my braces off and my teeth are shifting as they get used to the retainers. I hope this turns out to be true.

#118 Post by **iBorg** » Fri May 07, 2010 4:08 am

I can see the disappointment...

Let's hope that they're rigt and as your teeth adjust to their new home without the barbed wire of brackets those pockets close up.

Mike

#119 Post by **jensceana73** » Fri May 07, 2010 10:27 am

Hey, your teeth look GREAT!!!!!!!!!!! So super J-E-A-L-O-U-S!!

#120 Post by **catfish** » Thu May 20, 2010 7:09 pm

Well, the pocket situation got worse instead of better.

I had my follow-up today, and the pockets are now 5's and 6's. And lots of them, too. He's having me come in for the deep cleaning next (root planing? Is that what it's called?). It's the one where they only do half of your mouth at a time, and you have to get numbed up for it. 1-1/2 hours for each appointment. What a bummer.

He asked me if I was clenching or keeping my teeth together at rest. I said no, I'm sure I'm not doing that because I'd bite on my retainer and it's uncomfortable. He said to watch for it anyway because it's a huge contributor to deep pocket problems. So I started paying attention and guess what - I am clenching! I'm not keeping my teeth together at rest, but I'm actually clenching a lot. How can I have this habit and not even be aware of it??? So now I have to figure out how to stop it. That's going to be hard since I do it without thinking about it.

AAAAAARRGGHHH!!!!!!