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

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#46 Post by **catfish** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:33 pm

Hi spinninglaura, thanks for reading my story!

It seems like I noticed the big changes in my lower teeth after about 7 months. But it might be less. The change is gradual enough that I didn't notice in my day-to-day observations. But when I took my pics for my story, that's when I could really tell. The most amazing part is that I can really feel the difference with my tongue!

I expect to have my braces for about another year, if all goes well. It probably depends on whether I have to get a tooth pulled. Hopefully I'll find out at my next ortho visit.

Good luck on your brace day, and I can't wait to see your pics!

#47 Post by **guji girl** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 7:22 am

Hi Catfish!

I just came across your story, your progress looks fab!!

Im getting my braces on tuesday and im very anxious.

#48 Post by **iBorg** » Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:15 am

Catfish:
Had a chance to catch up with your story. Your progress is great. I'm JEALOUS!

I understand the disappointment when a dentist you trust misses something or ignores it. I don't know if they think its a sign of poor care or they don't think its important. Either way, its very disappointing.

Mike

#49 Post by **catfish** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:47 pm

Hey guji girl and Mike, thanks for stopping by my story!

Mike, I am very happy with my progress. My next step is to find out if I need an extraction. I'm not afraid of getting one, I just want to know. And to get on with it.

Yeah, it's definitely a disappointment that my old dentist didn't catch the perio problem. He still got paid. I have to live with it forever.

Good luck on your own treatments!

#50 Post by **lifeisgood** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:27 pm

Hi catfish,

Nice progress! Btw, are those damons?

Sorry to hear about the old dentist and the perio problem... I don't know how much you are into holistic healing, but I've been periodically reading up on natural remedies and the body's natural self healing for the past few months, and here's a link which may offer insight:

oilpulling.com

In short, upon waking up in the morning, swish a little bit of unrefined oil in your mouth for 20 minutes, then spit and rinse with salt water. It directly improves the health of your gums, and if done correctly and consistently may also improve other symptoms.

I wish you all the best.

#51 Post by **catfish** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:33 pm

Hi lifeisgood, yes, I have Damons. So far so good with them.

I have to admit I was taken aback at first at the thought of "oil pulling" because I thought you meant petroleum! But I checked out the site and see that they're talking about sunflower or sesame oil. LOL Have you tried this? What have you observed?

I am willing to consider traditional and natural techniques for my health care. But I tend to want to see proof of efficacy before I try anything.

#52 Post by **catfish** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:26 pm

So I went in for an adjustment today. He took X-rays and went over my progress with me, and he decided not to change any wires. He said the current wire has more work to do on the left side. So I will go 12 weeks without an adjustment this time.

He said he doesn't want to pull any teeth, but he wants to consult with my perio before making a final decision. He's really happy with my alignment. I should be happy about this news, but I'm actually disappointed. The whole reason I got braces in the first place was to reduce the crowding in my lower front teeth, to improve blood flow to the roots in the hope that I will keep my lower front teeth longer. Removing the tooth would make more room around the roots. Plus my lower teeth really jut forward, and I was hoping that uprighting them would make them stronger. But he says my upper teeth jut forward, too. I guess uprighting my lower teeth could mess up my bite, and that would be bad. Oh well.

#53 Post by **BracedVeryLate** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:48 pm

Hi Catfish,
Your teeth look nice and straight in this short amount of time!!!

I had a similar crowded bottom arch, and I agreed to having one lower tooth pulled, because my ortho said if I didn't, my bottom teeth would jut out too far, and then the top ones would have a problem....

I should have gotten a second opinion, because I agonized over this - I hated to lose a perfectly good tooth. But despite all my unease, I am happy with what's going on. My gap is closing this month, and the bottom teeth will be pulled back. I put some updated photos in my story.

I think it's good to see if you can accomplish your ortho goals without losing a tooth. If not, you can always opt for the extraction later.

take care!!

#54 Post by **iBorg** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:09 am

Catfish:
I have agonized over this post..... Forgive me......

In looking at your teeth, I would not be happy if that's the final result. Yes they may be straight but the amount they jut out (which you mention as a concern) I don't find aesthetically pleasing. I would make a point to ask if he has intentions of uprighting them further. It almost looks like he is trying to "mask" a jaw deformity.

This may sound harsh. Forgive me. I had a similar masking my first orthodontic journey. I HATED my teeth for over twenty years because of it.

Mike

#55 Post by **catfish** » Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:01 pm

BracedVeryLate - Thanks for sharing your perspective. I know that pulling a tooth is a permanent decision, not to be taken lightly. If my lower front teeth weren't so loose from periodontal disease, I might be hesitant to lose one. But they are wiggly, one of them in particular, so I was hoping it would go.

Mike - Thanks for your comments, and I really mean that. I appreciate your concern for my feelings, too. But you are commenting on a problem I'm already aware of, so no harm done. In fact, I'm glad to hear that you see my point. My ortho seems to think it's fine, so I was feeling like I was the only one seeing the problem. Now I know it's not all in my head.

When I bite down on these tilted teeth, they feel weak. It feels like each bite is pressing my front teeth farther forward. I feel like if my teeth were more upright, they'd be stronger to bite on. I don't know if that made sense.

I will have to discuss this with my ortho again. I really don't want this as my final result.

#56 Post by **Memran** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:44 am

Hey just cought up on your story. Your progress is looking good

When I bite down on these tilted teeth, they feel weak. It feels like each bite is pressing my front teeth farther forward. I feel like if my teeth were more upright, they'd be stronger to bite on. I don't know if that made sense.

Makes perfect sense, and not just with teeth. Anything that is pushed at an angle would be weaker than if pushed straight.

My teeth, although lined up pretty ok on top now, are pushed quite far forward like yours. When I bite into something it feels much like you described. However I have some large extraction gaps which need to be closed, so my teeth will surely be pulled back a LOT

Rob

#57 Post by **Grutty** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:21 am

Hi Catfish,

I see what you mean about your teeth jutting forward. If I were you, I would talk to your ortho about it, and see if an extraction would allow him to upright your teeth more. You arent happy with your current results, plus you make good points about the future health of your teeth and gums.

I may be in a similar situation myself later on in treatment. I have more crowding in my upper teeth, and they lean out at an angle similar to yours. My ortho is going to try to straighten them without extractions, but told me that I may have to have one tooth extracted in order to push my front teeth all the way back.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide to do!

#58 Post by **iBorg** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:28 am

Extraction (s) or surgery may be justified. Then again, this may be a stage in the overall treatment plan. Would moving molars backward achieve a better result?

These are questions you need to ask. Understand in advance, the answers may not be what you want to hear.

Mike

#59 Post by **catfish** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 9:02 pm

Thank you everyone for your support and helpful suggestions! I've had my braces for over a year now, and this is the first time I've felt a hint of despair. Your comments have made me feel so much better.

AW rocks!

#60 Post by **catfish** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:22 pm

I had my appointment with my perio yesterday. Per my ortho's request, I talked to him about my progress and the possibility of pulling a tooth. He recommends that I don't get the tooth pulled, too. That was a bit of a disappointment.

But he did suggest that I talk to my ortho about IPR as a way to upright my lower teeth. I hadn't considered that before, so I wonder if it would help? He says if I have IPR to create spaces between the teeth, that would allow room for them to move more upright. I will talk to my ortho about this.

I searched on IPR in AW and it looks like most people consider it to be a piece of cake. I wonder if my periodontal disease will be a problem for me, though. Since those teeth are already loose, I wonder if the force and motion required for IPR will loosen them even more? I think I'll post this question on the Metal Mouth forum and see what feedback I get.

I'm feeling mixed about this latest news. If I can upright my teeth without an extraction, that would be good news. I wonder if that might shorten my sentence, too...