Getting used to headgear

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#1 Post by **PARR** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:36 pm

So 24 plus hours in now. Thursday AM had back molar brackets clipped and banded brackets with tubes placed. Then new arch wires, and then the power chains replaced, then the headgear...upper arch bow, lower arch side j hooks.

Very weird even now to have these metal "rods" between my lips. Slurping all the time. A lot of metal in my mouth suddenly. Stranger than the first day of braces. Also odd to turn my head and feel the tension in my mouth change. Then of course came how to drink? Quite messy shooting liquid in your mouth with a squeeze bottle.

Even with pre session Ibuprofen, within 5 hours I was more sore than I have been so far. I hurt but also it feels good to chew gum...teething pain. Last night I did puddle my pillow with drool pretty well.

Today at work and at the gym I got sympathy looks and a few "Is it worth it?" questions.
Talk about lisping now!

The upper bow is less painful today than the lower hooks, which of course move more as the lower jaw is more mobile.

Out in public I got lots of stares. I'm tall and built and look like a thug (not cute at all). This gear makes me at best more intimidating.

One great feature-your blue tooth cell is really secured to your ear and going nowhere.

#2 Post by **iBorg** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:28 pm

I appreciate your first 24 hour report. Knowing that HG might be a good thing to move things forward (backward) as well as what I'd be volunteering for if I tell Dr. P I'd like to start it will help me make an informed decision.

Your earphone thingy comment brought a smile. So should every HG be so equipped?

Either way, I'm impressed that you're committing to the 24/7. With my job teaching, that just wouldn't be realistic. Tell Chief to be nice to you.

Mike

#3 Post by **VistaXP** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 11:01 pm

I thought head gears were in the past already. What are they for? I always find head gear a little creepy.

#4 Post by **Kerridwen** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:35 am

To move the molars back. There are alternatives (usually more expensive) tho.

I'll stick with my headgear if my ortho lets me...the first week was awful. I'm still sore from time to time but it's okay...I'm getting used to the pain now and I can feel my molars move (after eight weeks in headgear).

#5 Post by **Lisa65** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:32 am

I always find head gear a little creepy.

I'm sure that really helps those of us who are required to wear it.

#6 Post by **Lisa65** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:34 am

Glad you are coping OK with it PARR, and kudos to you for wearing it in public.
I will get mine on Thursday, but I'm pretty sure I will not have the guts to wear it out of the house.

#7 Post by **Clo** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:28 am

Wow, what a brave thing to so quickly go out wearing the HG. I had mine for about 6
months, and that was not enough to even dare to step outside. But then I was lucky
in this way that I do have a home office. So I could wear it enough inside the house.

The blue tooth device gave me an idea. You could install some extra communication
hardware to kinda hide the HG. Then you could have a strange expression on your
face. People will think you are a very important person always in contact with some
very important organization. Sorry, couldn't resist. Best of luck !

#8 Post by **Lisa65** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:53 am

like this, Clo?

#9 Post by **iBorg** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:39 pm

Vista:
You may wonder why in the world would an ortho or an adult would even consider headgear. My reasons are simple. I need space opened on my top for implants and I need the teeth in the lower arch moved backwards so that my insurance will pay for surgery. Even with just some small movement of my lower jaw backwards the improvement in my TMJ is so great my ortho and I'd have words if she wanted to end the elastics (class 1). Unfortunately they're moving the top molars forward as well as the lower jaw backwards. While Dr. P tried to maintain the space with springs (actually they should expand the space for the implants), the space is closing up.

I'm left with three choices. A pendulum, implants or headgear. I grind badly and sleep with a bite plate that shows I still have a major grinding habit when I sleep. Without the bite plate, I'll probably damage my teeth and can't have both a bite plate and a pendulum. Scratch the pendulum. I'm not sure I want to pay almost a thousand dollars for implants that Dr. P is not sure would work. Plus after ortho, surgery expenses and implants, I need to be economical about something in this treatment. Scratch the implants. If headgear will move the teeth as needed to make the insurance company happy and I can actually have surgery this summer, I'd be looking at seven or eight months wear. HG seems like a good choice.

Mike

#10 Post by **PARR** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:30 pm

I'm not a businessman, I'm a health care professional. If I can't wear headgear in public I'm pretty sorry. My patients wear braces splints casts, prostheses etc, use crutches canes wheelchairs etc. My headgear is nothing in comparison.

Also I want what is within reach ... all my teeth in that great alignment I've never had. So I can do this.

Yes I can understand there are a lot of professions where one simply wouldn't want the hassle of such a visible apparatus. I do take them off to eat meals and to sing in choir rehearsal and Sunday services.

So 48 hrs...still real sore...chef says I'm morphing into a mouth breather...well when your lips are held apart by an erector set in your mouth what option do you have? Bought the Christmas tree and did the shopping. The checkout kid had more elastics than chef when he smiled at me so...hey, just one of the gang. Need to buy some garland to deck my gear for the season.

#11 Post by **HeadgearJoe** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:05 am

good morning , like we chatted before you will find you do get use to it , an not that many peoplle will say much to you about it , other than ones that are wearing headgear themself or have worn it , an drooling yea man wish i could say it goes away totally but it doesn't that to will get better , my orthodontist tryed to fit me with upper an lower hg but my jaw joints just couldn't take it ,so he installeda lower lipbumper , with i wore 24/7 along with my upper facebow that at time i was in 22 hours a day , well the lipbumper is gone the elastics are still there an my hg hours are down to 10 to 12 hours a day on a much lighter setting just to keep things in place till the braces are removed an the retainers are fitted , hope to be finished with in the next few visits an it's looking like i will , (+=+=+=HEADGEARJOE=+=+=+)

#12 Post by **HeyTeach** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 6:29 am

Wow way to go! Back in the days before cable, a kid with headgear was a great asset to the family as TV reception was better when you hooked him up to the antenna circuit. Just wondering if your cell range is better? (lol, joking...no dude don't pound me...arrrrrggggghhhhh)

#13 Post by **gunter8888** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:18 am

I am always impressed by people who approach their treatment with a "Whatever it takes" attitude. We're paying a lot of money and we have some lofty expectations. Why not do anything we can to make it as successful as possible?

Kudos PARR!

#14 Post by **HeadgearJoe** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 2:10 pm

i bet your tv reception is better than mine , i only have the one facebow i wear , also man did you get you a headgear pillow or a feather pillow to sleep on they realy take the pressure of the darn thing sleeping

#15 Post by **PARR** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:13 pm

Nearing the end of the first week and the soreness has lessened quite a bit or I'm used to it. Yes I have a good pillow: I use one of those weird neck position pillows and carved out a face space. Sleeping is no issue. I must use twice the chapstick now that I used to to prevent cracked lips. And brushing and flossing is a bit more time consuming around the new gizmos in the back of my mouth. But all in all, it is tolerable. Not yet at the point of this is normal.