LynnM's Story -- BRACES: the first 3 days ...

[lynnm]

Thanks for answering the question I forgot to ask, KK, about when to start saltwater rinsing again after the extractions.

I think I'm going to ask the dentist for a discounted fee after the extractions -- after all, there are four fewer teeth to take care of!

Also, I'm going to go every 3 months once the braces are on (going every 4 mos now), just to stay on top of it. I told the hygenist I'd take her to the movies if I won the movie passes the ortho gives out for good oral hygiene!

And ... ain't my hubby the best? He put all my favorite dishes on our dinner menu up to my extraction day. What a sweetie!

[lynnm]

The extractions are behind me and I'm on the road to recovery!

We arrived at the oral surgeon's a little early and she took an emergency case that morning. Between the two, I sat in the waiting room for 45 minutes. It didn't help my anxiety. When they finally got me in the chair and monitored my heartrate it was 90 beats per minute! They put me on oxygen mixed with something that would make me feel "floaty" while they set up. Well, it wasn't working and I asked her to crank it up. My husband kept his hand on my leg until they kicked him out - it was so nice to have him there. Then, the doctor sat down to do the IV. I tell you, that "put me under" medicine couldn't kick in fast enough for me.

Since I woke up, it's been smooth sailing! I came home and slept off the effects of the sedative. The numbness from the novocain wore off a little after that. One of the blood clots came loose. I chomped down on more gauze, which took care of that.

The thing that shocks me most is that I've had NO pain. Yes, I can tell I've had work done in my mouth -- the gum tissue is tender around the pulled teeth and the roof of my mouth is bruised (must be from the things they used to hold my mouth open). But, I've taken NO pain medicine. It doesn't seem right that you can have 4 teeth pulled with no pain. Maybe my teeth and bone structure aren't that strong? Anyway, I'm a little bummed -- I was looking forward to my first experience with Vicodin! The doc's got me taking antibiotics too - just as a precaution, I guess. I don't remember others mentioning that, so it surprised me.

I'll start up with the saltwater rinses in the morning - that should help with the tenderness at the extraction sites.

Other weird things ... my cheeks can tell that the teeth are different. The inside of my cheeks hit the outsides of my upper teeth differently. It's different to my tongue too - it can now explore surfaces of teeth that used to be blocked by the teeth they pulled out.

The most difficult thing is eating. I'm hungry and just can't get enough calories from this liquid diet to keep me from feeling light-headed and weak. I'm doing soup, yogurt, pudding, protein shakes, applesauce. I think I might finish up the pureed baby food my son now refuses. And, I finally hunted down a recipe for Indian rice pudding that I love at the restaurant. Maybe in a couple of days I'll be up for some overcooked pasta?

I'm soooo glad to have this step behind me! Thanks to all for the virtual "hand-holding".

[lynnm]

Got my separators in this past Thursday, March 15. Seems like there should be some joke here about "beware the Ides of March", but nothing comes to mind.

Anyway, they're bright royal blue. It took about 10 minutes for her to snap them in.

By that evening, yep, they hurt. I can really only tell if I let the teeth touch each other. It definitely keeps me from grinding at night! If I relax my jaw so none of the teeth hurt, there's really no soreness. The extractions hurt less though - doesn't seem right, does it?

I'm brushing and salt water rinsing. Today, I ate pretty normally -- PBJ sandwich, indian rice dish, etc. I think the soreness has peaked. Hopefully, it'll get even easier tomorrow.

Braces go on next Thursday - just 5 days. I'm getting excited! It's been YEARS that my bite has been off. I'm so excited to start feeling the changes that each bring me a step closer to having a normal bite!!

[RightMyBite]

Lynn,

It's great that you're able to take care of your teeth now, even when it sounds like you've got a full plate with your family! You and I share a lot of the same issues -- it's encouraging to know that there are others with similar problems going through the same things as I am. (I'll admit, I felt alone in the world when I realized just how weird it was that only my molars meet when I chew). Hang in there with the spacers; my teeth barely ached after getting braces on, compared with the soreness of spacers.

RMB

[LithpingLitha]

Lynnm, just read your story.
Congrats on making yourself a priority and going through with the extractions. What a blessing that the extraction sites didn't bother you much.
I look forward to reading more of your braces experience.

[lynnm]

Happy B-Day to me! I'm in braces! The appointment went smoothly and I'm so excited to have this process underway!

I was surprised that my very back molars are still naked. So, I've got bands around the next molars, ceramic brackets on top, and metal on the bottom. They went with light wires .016 on top and .014 on the bottom. She really had to work to get the wire in on my crowded lower front teeth, so I'm sure that's gonna be sore tomorrow!

It seems like they're going to level the teeth and get them all rotated in the right direction first. Then, they're going to close the gaps from my extractions. This seems a little different from the approach others are taking, but I suppose it doesn't much matter in the end.

After thinking about it, I'm bummed about those back molars not being hooked in. When I close my mouth, I only get contact on the very back molars on the left side -- it holds the rest of my teeth apart and it's why I ultimately decided to get braced! I was so looking forward to getting contact so I can eat more normally and rest my jaw in a neutral position. He says we'll probably band those in another 2-3 appointments. And, I can't wait to get rid of this overjet - the brackets really emphasize it and it's hard to close my lips over the braces. Oh, well, I've lived with it this long, so I'll try to be patient.

After ten hours in braces, the teeth are a little sore, but probably less sore than the separators made me. Of course more teeth hurt. My chewing teeth hardly hurt at all. My tongue is practically raw on the sides. Yes, he ground down those cleat things on the tongue side of the bands, and I can't feel anything sharp with my finger, but my tongue sure knows it! I can't even figure out where I'd try to put wax. Guess I'll bump up the salt water rinses and see if I get used to it.

Well, I'm off to do my new nighttime oral hygiene routine. Got my notes from KK! I'm anxious about this. I haven't looked at my teeth up close in 3 years! Really! That's when I realized all the recession and damage. It made me so embarrassed that I just couldn't look at my own teeth. I've been brushing and flossing by feel, but I don't think that's going to cut it now.

Stay tuned for pictures, I have to wait for my camera to come back from Australia (my husband took it with him on his business trip).

[RightMyBite]

Congratulations on getting braced!

[Carolinahigh12]

I am just starting my journey on the orthodontic path and it has been wonderful reading your story. I appreciate the information on the extractions!!!!

[lynnm]

Thanks linda21, KK, Carolina, and RightMyBite for checking in on me. I've been in Braces about 3.5 days and I'm feeling lucky to say, it's been really easy!

My front teeth are sore on the top and barely sore on the bottom (must be those light wires they started me with). The discomfort is so slight that I haven't even considered taking Advil for it. The molars don't hurt at all, so I'm eating pretty normally. Between the sore fronts and extractions on the sides, I can't bite anything. So, I cut everything into bite-sized pieces. Like I cut my morning english muffin with a pizza cutter! It takes longer, but it's not a big deal. Also, my tongue is almost used to the hardware back there - let's hear it for saltwater!

The feeling on my top teeth is weird. Sometimes, it feels tighter, or slightly more pressure on the left, sometimes on the right. Seems like it alternates. I like to think that it's the wire "memory" tugging at my teeth to pull them into the arch! Wish I felt more on the bottom, there's definitely more work to do there!

I'm trying KK's nighttime cleaning routine. The first night it took me 25 minutes, and 30 min the second night! Can't wait until I get better/faster at this!!! At this rate, I will spend a week's time just doing the nighttime cleaning routine in my first year.

I have a few spaces where I just cannot get floss through. Yes, I've got the floss threader and the skinniest, slipperiest floss I can find and the contact between my band and the next tooth is just too tight. Also, my front two bottom teeth are so crooked that the brackets are at 90 degrees to each other and the floss threader doesn't fit between. I'm using this flosser thing made by WaterPik (http://www.waterpik.com/products/SpecDi ... Nbr=100262) that the ortho gave me. I thought it was stupid when they showed it to me, but it's my only option for these tough spots. It's gotta be better than nothing, right? I'll know I'm getting tooth movement when these spots get easier to floss!

Nobody really notices my braces. Friends and family are interested and look (esp. at my sparkly purple ligs!), but no one else notices. My daughter swears she's going to stop sucking her thumb when she turns 4 so she doesn't have to get braces. My 20 month-old son tried to pull them off (cut that out, it's $50 a bracket to put them back on!). Other than that, no one has said anything and I don't feel like they're staring at my mouth. Wonder what my hubby will think when he's back from his business trip?

Anyway, it seems like braces are quicky becoming part of my life. I'm anxious to see some movement and wish my 1st adjustment weren't 10 weeks away!

[RightMyBite]

The stories about your children are so cute! I hadn't even thought about the fact that little ones like to pull at just about any kind of jewelry -- and to them, "sparkly"="jewelry"!