New Braces at Age 66

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TCCZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:10 am

Re: New Braces at Age 66

#31 Post by TCCZ »

Well I had my ortho appointment today and all went well. The Ortho is very pleased with the progress and I am as well. My bite is much better and I use the word flat as in the top teeth sit flat on top of the bottoms. They removed the power chains from the top but the bottoms are still there. The elastics on the right stay the same and are worn at night only. They changed the elastic on the left to a triangle instead of the box I had before and I have to wear these 24 hours a day. My teeth are a little sore on the left side but the right are not very sore at all. Nice as no problems eating at all and no Tylenol needed at all.

They mentioned that at my next visit in 6 weeks we would begin talking about retainers. Could this mean the treatment will be ending before my next birthday in November, that would be really nice. I did not take any pics this time since taking a pic of the left triangle was a little hard to do.

Well until next time, stay safe.

TCCZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:10 am

Re: New Braces at Age 66

#32 Post by TCCZ »

Hey guys, I hope everyone has been well. It's been awhile since I have been on, so here is the latest updates. I have had 3 Ortho visits with the last one yesterday. I am not posting any new pics since the look of my teeth has not changed. My mid-line is corrected, my underbite is also corrected and I am wearing elastics at night only with a class 2 triangle on my left side and a class 3 triangle on my right side to keep those things in place. Now as I said before since I did not go through the surgery to widen my upper palate, he is currently making adjustments to my upper back teeth including the molars and I have to say my teeth are screaming again like when I first started. I rarely needed Tylenol but I have been using them a lot. When he is done with the tops he will finish up with the bottoms.

It has now been almost 18 months in and I have to say I am pleased. We went over the retainers I will have to wear and when I am done I will have to wear them 24/7 for 2 weeks and then at night. The assistant says I will have to eat only soft foods for the two weeks but nothing new there. I dream of potato chips!! Of course then I will have to have the implants done along with the crowns and they estimate I will need at least three set of retainers, maybe 4 when all is said and done. I went with neon colored elastics since they are easier to find when I shoot them all over the bathroom. The other day I even found two elastics on my driveway. Ha Ha, they are everywhere. My last Perio appointment went well with all 2's and 3's, a 4 and three 5's which were on the teeth the Ortho is currently moving.

Well that is all for now, take care and stay safe.

TCCZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:10 am

Re: New Braces at Age 66

#33 Post by TCCZ »

Hey everyone, I hope all is well. I had my ortho visit 06/01/2021 and all is progressing well. Again no pics at this time since there are no visible changes but when I have my General cleaning this month I will post a few as they will be looking good.

So where do we stand now since I am now over 18 months into this and not regretting it for a second. Since I have passed the align and level phase I am now in the mechanics phase where the ortho is moving my teeth to the final and correct positions. They made only one adjustment to the upper arch wire and I like looking while he bends the wire. It is anything but straight, Ha Ha. He has now started working on the bottom arch and my teeth were sore again, who knew. I can tell what teeth they work on as they hurt more than the others but it goes away in a few days. They broke off a door and you get a tie when that happens but no big deal. My teeth feel good and my bite gets better and better.

I am back to 24/7 elastics with a triangle on the right and a straight one on the left. The elastics are only a pain because I have to wear them while eating and they can break and I have to stop eating and replace them. I still have power chains on the bottom front teeth but I changed the color to bright green and the same color for the elastics. I did this since wearing masks is just about over since I am vaccinated, I am making a statement and proud of the braces. Second they are easier to find on the bathroom floor. Third, I give the ortho green money and I get green elastics in return, LOL.

From what I can tell I should be done within the two year treatment schedule and within a few months I should get to the detailing stage where they make minor adjustments to fix bracket positioning errors. I have to admit I am getting antsy because I am no spring chicken but from all I have read and learned this takes time and nothing I can do about that. It is what it is.

Well that's all for now and hope everyone stays healthy and safe.

TCCZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:10 am

Re: New Braces at Age 66

#34 Post by TCCZ »

I have begun thinking about my meal plans since there is light at the end of the tunnel.

After the two weeks of wearing retainers 24/7 and just eating nothing but soft foods, this is my first week of meals:

Day 1 - Weekender bag of potato chips with dip.
Day 2 - 24 extra crispy hot wings with french fries.
Day 3 - Whole pepperoni pizza.
Day 4 - Surf and turf dinner with crusty bread.
Day 5 - Big hamburger with Fritos.
Day 6 - Caesar Salad with tons of dressing and croutons.
Day 7 - Crunchy snacks, nuts, vegetables, apples, etc.

I figure I will gain 6 pounds but that is less then half of what I lost while in the braces.

TCCZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:10 am

Re: New Braces at Age 66

#35 Post by TCCZ »

Well I just came back from the Ortho and all was well. He made only two minor adjustments and said he was just nitpicking. My midline is perfect, underbite gone and my teeth are flat with no low or high spots. He put power chains again on the bottom and added them to the top. He is bringing the top front teeth together but it is a very minor adjustment. After he told the tech the things needing to be done, he gets up and says surprise, your braces come off on August third and you get your retainers on 08/05. He says I like to surprise people, and asks are you surprised? Well heck yes and I could not stop smiling.

The total time in braces will be 21 months and I am pleased to say the least. Now I just made the appointment with the general dentist for my replacement crowns which will be on 09/28. Since I have to wear the retainers 24/7 for two weeks it gives me a month to eat real food before starting the next phase. They will fix the bottom arch first and then the top. I have to find out when the Perio wants to do the implants since you have to wait 3-4 months for the implant posts to take before you can get the final crowns put on.

Well that's it so far and I am off to the store since they have a buy one get one deal on my potato chips. I can say with complete honesty that the weekender bag will not survive the weekend, LOL.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

TCCZ
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 10:10 am

Re: New Braces at Age 66

#36 Post by TCCZ »

Well I had my appointment on 08/03/2021 and the braces are now off and I got my retainers on 08/05/2021. The braces came off pretty easily and the scraping to take off the glue was to say the least noisy. It was not painful and all I felt was pressure. They removed a lot of the built up stain and polished them. They really look good and now the second phase begins with the crown replacements. I also have an appointment with the Perio to get started on the bottom left implants. I would love to post some pics but my Windows does not want to open any of my pics so I will have to work on fixing that and I will post the pics when I figure it out. I have to wear the retainers 24/7 for two weeks and my teeth were sore until today. I then wear them at night and the more I wear them the better. The retainers fit like a glove and kind of builds up a suction when on and they are tough to get off.

All in all this was an interesting endeavor and worth the trip. Well that is all for now and I will keep you updated on getting the pic problem fixed.

Take care and stay healthy.

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