OK--This was not the plan!

[klobird]

Well, I went back to the ortho today--I was talking to the financial lady about my contract and she asked how things were going so far--and I told her about the archwire poking into my cheeks on both sides...and my husband snipping the end off. Oh boy, she was ticked..she said those wires cost $50 a piece (hmmm, I wonder what they are buying and why it is different from every website I have looked at--$185 average price for a pack of 1,000 NiTi archwires.)

So, anyway I told her "Well, it is what it is"--and then the assistant took me back and I told her "OH OH, I guess I'm in trouble now" and she looked at the ends and said there was no problem--she clipped the ends further and said that next time they would put an extended wire to get those very back teeth--that they don't even usually go back that far at first.

The financial lady also said to call the cell # in case of an emergency--that they would come in anytime and fix it...I told her I called yesterday, and they couldn't get me in until today--a normal work day...

I wish they would make things clearer--especially when you are new at all this...it may seem easy to one who has been to the ortho a lot--but this makes only about my 4th time in any ortho office. And dammit anyway, those effing wire ends were poking into my cheeks all weekend like needles on both sides--and wax wasnt really taking care of it because the ends would pop thru. I even poked my finger on the end of one before I went to the ortho this am--and it's still bleeding off and on. Ya, I guess I'm kind of pissed off too!

So anyway, they get ticked at me--the financial lady said that the archwire probably just slid because my teeth are moving and if we hadnt clipped it, they would have just slid it back. I'm glad she isnt the ortho assistant--she was kind of a complain today--I think she didnt feel good because she looked like s*^t.

Anyway, I'm glad I only have to go to this office every few months...I'm not sure how I feel about all of them. As long as my teeth get straight--that's all I care about.....I'm glad at least that I have a super,duper wonderful regular dentist and her staff is fabulous, or else I would think "here we go again, another sweetheart dental facility"....

[klobird]

Oh ya, and I did finally get a waterpik--will use it after work tonight!!

[Beauty is Pain]

haha, they are that expensive?! Wow, I never knew! heheh avoid using too much wax, or else your cheeks may not toughen up, just use some tropical gel like Oraljel or Bonjela, they kind of just numb the area (not like anesthetics) for about 3-4 hours, then reapply, this would get the skin toughen up. hopefully!

[klobird]

Ya Bip--I thought about the wax thing and not toughening up--I will try that today--I have Oragel.

This weekend I am going to get my friend to help me with the ticker thing--I don't even know what a URL is!
And I really want a ticker. It reminds me of when I was learning to sew when I was young--I didn't know what all the sewing terms were and it drove me nuts. I don't sew now...

OK, so this is terrible!!! I got on the scale today and I have gained 5 pounds!! Since braces!! It may be that I was so anxious that I wasn't eating that much before. I have a limit of weight that I try hard not to go over....YIKES...WAY OVER!!

And these elastics--I cannot remember to take them out when I eat!

OK here is my nightly cleaning routine...probably a little over the top...but I'm getting fast at it. And I have the list taped on the wall by the sink...ya, a little OCD...

1. Waterpik
2. Floss
3. Proxabrush (around brackets)
4. Regular brush
5. Mouthwash
6. Elastics
7. Wax, if needed.

In the morning it is just waterpik, brush, and mouthwash...really quick..I am finding that blue Crest Pro Health mouthwash is leaving color on my braces. I finally got a big bottle of the clear Crest Pro Health mouthwash.

[VancouverJude]

Hey Klo,

Oh dear, you haven't heard the controversy about Crest's Pro Health products? There are threads on archwired about the subject. Now to be completely fair the controversy began in three years ago, and perhaps the company has fixed the product somewhat, and I did see an online chart somewhere where the huge spike of customer complaints went down, but probably not if it's staining your brackets.

Imho the kind of dental health company that actually said to customers, "The brown stuff that's sticking to your teeth means the product is working." isn't for me.

Here's a youtube vid from a tv news segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWh8bfX3Ews

[klobird]

OMG!!! Well, I won't be using that again!!! If there is even a question with a product for my teeth, then I'm done with it. I have been working way too hard to get my teeth their best, not to mention the $$$.

What about Listerine? I have that too.. and I should probably get Act Flouride Rinse, like my ortho mentioned in his paperwork...

My teeth are getting more used to these braces. It's still weird eating.

I'm still really happy I got them--I think they make me a little less boring looking at 55!

[Beauty is Pain]

Listerine are good. WOW, you nightly routine are long...ah I don't have the time to do all the 7 steps, I skip out the brushing around bracket (the small brush thing), I just use my toothbrush. I could feel my teeth changing, the archwire is starting to poke out and also the distance the wire from the teeth has increased on one side (mhm, is that a good sign?!) hehe I am taking every little change as a good sign, keeping optimistic!

[klobird]

So it's been a week today...are we done yet??....

When I walk in the door at night, one of my very first thoughts is dinner--and then I think OK well I well just get this out of my mouth, then I can eat--and then it dawns on me...YIKES!!!

Since I don't have a ticker yet----1yr, 11 months, 3 weeks to go until braces off...maybe...

It's weird but I don't get the point of elastics--the effect seems so light that I wonder if they are even doing anything...
one thing about braces--there certainly seems to be no rush about anything.

I'm getting pretty used to them. I read on my ortho's website that he encourages eating with the elastics--more time for them to work. That works for me because it's such a hassle to remember to take them out. I have had a mouthful of food almost every time I remember the elastics are there. So, that's good-they don't interfere with the eating, and don't break.

I also have to have wax on a spot way way in the back--the ortho asst. clipped it once but it's still poking so much that even when I put wax back there, my finger gets poked and bleeds. Even my finger is getting toughened up. Oh I know, I will wear wax on my finger!!

I am still so happy I have braces. I would get so upset if I had to get them off ..I love looking in the mirror to see if anything has happened yet...I don't see anything, but my co-worker who's daughter had braces for 6yrs said she sees a change in my jaw already...hmmmm...

[Beauty is Pain]

hahah I know! I am soo impatient, that seem like such a long time! I hope I get mine off sooner though.

Elastics, aren't they suppose to change your bite?? or something rather? What do they feel like? I am NOT looking forward to them!

[klobird]

Hey BiP,

My elastics don't feel like anything--that's why I wonder what they could possibly be doing. I really don't even know they are there.

What I'm worried about is the Forsus appliance I will be getting--it's permanent metal type elastics--well for several months anyway. The only good thing I can think of at all is that I wont have to continually be changing elastics. The icky thing to me is that it seems like the Forsus would be so hard to keep clean...besides I hear it's really not comfortable at all.
And I will just scream if he puts the bite turbos on at the same time!!!!

I've been thinking--the best way to describe my ortho is that he treats everyone like a mouth, not really any personal
touch at all...and he just moves from one mouth to the next....like I have said--I love my regular dentist. She calls me after every single appt to see how I am. And I have come so far from dental fear, and my self esteem has grown so much that she told me once that it is an honor to have me in her life!!! (maybe I already said that before...) Anyway, she's the whole reason I got braces--with her encouragement and support, I never, ever would have gotten them--and I am so glad I did!!!

[klobird]

So here is a list of my "things":

1. I am having itchy gums and teeth--it feels really weird. So I clench down and it helps--only I don't think I should be clenching, especially since I haven't used a night guard since I got braces.

2. My teeth feel oddly warm sometimes--like they really do have a sweater on them!

3. I am wondering how long I will have to tear up food--my ortho told me not to bite with my front teeth--like for how long Im wondering--until it feels OK too? Or does it ever feel OK too...??? Or Im never supposed to bite down on food?

4. I have been taking a lot of waterpik showers...I'm getting the hang of it, but sometimes I can't get to the off button fast enough--my mirror has never been cleaner!

5. Sometimes I feel outright claustrophobic in braces--it's not too bad though--just weird..

6. At the end of July, I have a 10 min appt one week, than an hour appt the next...I am wondering how much junk I will leave that appt with...like the forsus, bite turbos,new archwire, and I do know they need to get the last molar band in...
All of those appliances are freaking me out--and they have told me that they are all probable...do they put all those things in your mouth at once??????? Somebody help!!!!

[klobird]

Well, I am noticing my bite is getting weird...Like just a tiny bit off..That's about all though for now.

[Beauty is Pain]

Hey klobird! SAME! My bite has been feeling weird for the past 4 days!!

[klobird]

I need to journal this as a newbie before I forget about it.

When I was reading and watching youtube showing people who just got braces I heard the following over and over and I was terrified:

That when you get spacers in, it is the worst pain ever. Worse than braces, worse than anything. Like icebag bad...
I didn't have one moment of pain. The dentist said not to bite down, that that is when I would experience pain. So, I didn't . Pudding, oatmeal, noodles--anything I could suck down or mash with my tongue. No pain. At all....

That when you get braces on it feels like you have been hit in the mouth with a baseball. Again didn't happen. My sister and I went out for Chicken Teriyaki a couple hours after I got them on. (I later found out that I was only supposed to have soft foods for about 24 hours to let the glue dry--oh well...)

That the glue they use is nasty, nasty, nasty tasting. Just close off your mouth and breathe through your nose. Again, I have no idea what the glue was like--didn't taste it at all...

It goes on and on....and for those who may be reading this and don't have braces yet--I do understand that everyone is different.. I do understand that we all have different teeth and positioning etc. and that people will experience all kinds of different aches and pains... My pain ended up being with all the pokey things--and the pokey archwire that came out of the buccal tube and wouldnt stay in (on the weekend).

The thing is--the discomfort is short lived--a few days--I'm already forgetting about it--so many other unusual, interesting things are happening in my mouth...If someone said I had to get them off tomorrow, I would cry my eyes out...I love watching and excitedly looking in the mirror to see if anything is happening..I guess things start changing right away.
I see one top tooth moving in to a straighter position. I didn't even realize it was crooked!!

So if you are trying to decide if it's worth it---I think it really,really,really is--and I have barely started!

[klobird]

I just went to the orthos to get one final wire snipped (I hope!). Anyway I actually feel like a normal person in braces now!

So, I asked about my plan--I need to be able to refer back to it:

July 19---spacers for remaining bands

July 26-- new bands, new archwires

6weeks after that x-rays, repositioning of brackets (not all)

8 weeks after that Final stainless steel wires --Forsus this appt or next appt. (Right smack in the middle of the holidays!)

I'm really glad I asked--now I know what to expect. AND--the best part of all!!!!! I may never have to get bite turbos!!!!
I am soooo happy about that!!!