Loop's Story (with photos)

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#31 Post by **Loop** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:42 pm

Hi Manda

Yes, my front 4 teeth definitely felt wrong for about 9 days. Right now they feel pretty much back to normal and that I could use them to bite if I wanted but I won't for a while just to be on the safe side!

Don't worry too much, I'm sure they'll be feeling fine again soon!

#32 Post by **fyrelight** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 2:50 pm

While we're reminiscing.. those of you who had exposure or extraction under local anesthesia... did any of the docs terms scare you? I almost freaked out when he said something like "pass me the bone saw"... I'm sure my eyes must have bulged out of my head at that point! There was about 5 people in the room at the time.. most of them surgical techs I suspect. One of them (a not unattractive guy) kept comfortingly patting my hand frequently during it. That was sweet.

Another thing.. those shots in the roof of the mouth are KILLER... the rest dont bother me, but those are just hurty! Thankfully, I only needed like two of those and the rest were all in the front. It took them a while, so I ended u with several shots as they kept wearing off.

Probably due to me drinking so much water.. I'm a water-a-holic!

#33 Post by **Manda** » Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:04 pm

I sympathze with you Fyrelight! Those shots in the roof of the mouth are a buggar. They made my eyes water and groan in pain. Normally I am good at not showing my pain, but that was rough. I could feel it hit another tooth, it was totally gross!

As for the terms they were using, I specifically asked my oral surgeon not to tell me what was going on or to show me anything! They were pretty good about it. I have a weak stomach and I didn't want to know what they were up to! lol I kept my eyes closed and tried my best to ignore what they were saying. I could tell pretty much what they were doing though. I kept telling myself it will all be worth it in the long run!

#34 Post by **joplin** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 1:46 am

YIKES, now I'm even more happy about getting all that done under IV sedation! And I'm definately going to ask for that gel they use (usually on kids, byt hey, I AM a big baby at the dentist's) to numb the area they are going to hit with the needle. I asked for it the last time when they took out my w/teeth and I can't even remember the injection. Well, I probably was high on Diatzepam by when they dit it. It kicked in fast.
This discussion about loose teeth and the risk of losing them altogether is still making my stomach make somersaults...

#35 Post by **fyrelight** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 7:44 am

Manda, I know what you mean when they hit that spot in the roof of your mouth.. crunchy feeling as they hit the hard palate. They had to do BOTH of my canines, so they just shot right in the center of my palate way up high.. was SOOO hurty- I can usually handle shots too, but those I was sitting there going Ah ah ah ah ah trying to come up out of my seat.

Sorry, Joplin.. I'll shut up now..

I probably shoulda had it done under anesthesia, but hey, I'm cheap! It would have been like $120 for the first 30 minutes and like $60 for each 15 minutes thereafter. I don't know how long it actually took, because they did an x-ray and waiting on other patients and all.. but my husband said I was back there for a couple hours. My insurance covered the exposure COMPLETELY, including the local anesthesia, but any other kind I'd have had to pay for myself.

I actually had exposure done THREE times.. but the first time was the whole peel the palate back thing. The other 2 times, the teeth were ALMOST in place, and they just had to remove some gum and bone to uncover the teeth and LEAVE them uncovered so my ortho could attach real brackets to them instead of those surgical ones you get at first. The 2nd time failed.. my bone and gum regrew back within just a few days, thus the third time.

#36 Post by **Manda** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 8:11 am

Joplin, sorry we don't mean to scare you, you'll be fine. You've made it this far, this should be a piece of cake for you compared to what you've been through! As far as losing teeth, your doc has to tell you there may be a risk just to cover his back otherwise he could have a lawsuit coming his way down the road. The chances are slim to none, my oral surgeon told me this rarely happens. So don't worry, everything will be fine! I made it through without losing any extra teeth, and if anyone has bad luck, its me! lol

#37 Post by **fyrelight** » Fri Apr 29, 2005 10:25 am

Yeah, I didn't lose any teeth either.. You'll be fine. I'm not sure if you're one of those people that likes to research stuff to death and see pictures and all.. but if you are, I put up some links on the Oral Surgery board... This is the post:

viewtopic.php?t=3962

I know you're not doing exposure, but most of the procedure is the same... peeling back the palate, finding the tooth, uncovering it, etc.

I'm one of those "research stuff to death" people, so if its too much for ya, ignore it!

#38 Post by **kelly12300** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 4:45 am

Fyrelight I just want to say I looked at your pictures on your website and your progress is fantastic! Well done!

#39 Post by **lazerbud** » Wed May 04, 2005 7:24 am

Hi all,

Read this thread with great interest.

I just found out I have an impacted canine. Since there are so many people who have first hand experience of this, I thought I'd ask a couple of questions.

1.) At what point did you decide to get surgery to remove/bring into place the impacted canine? Did the canine come out fully? In my case, it's lodged in my upper palate, and has only just made an appearance, I can feel the small tip with my tongue. Not sure if it's going to stay there or come all the way down?

2.) What are the risks of leaving an impacted tooth in place? Has anyone experienced speech trouble? Or pain in adjacent teeth etc.

Thanks so much for reading this and helping out!

#40 Post by **joplin** » Wed May 04, 2005 7:58 am

Lazerbud, it's always nice to get new canine buddies - welcome!

To answear your questions:

1.) When I found out my bite is so bad it needs to be corrected with braces. But because my impacted canines are in the way we can not put on braces until those canines are gone. So they need to go for the good cause of having my bite - and the obvious cosmetic problem along with it - fixed. If you wish you can check out my x-ray at http://www.geocities.com/jopliini/xray.jpg to see where the problem lies.

2.) No risks are necessarily involved. Many people sail through life with impacted canines with no problems. If the impacted canine does not bother you in any way, it can stay there, but you may want to let your dentist monitor it regularly. I was told that if I wanted to let the canines be and not pursue with orthodontics I should have regular x-ray check ups on them. In some cases impated teeth may invite cysts, so I've been told, but I have no detailed information about what may cause them.
Loop, Pam, Manda, EyeSpy and others, chip in if you know more about that issue.

Are you thinking of getting braces? How did you come to realize you have an impacted canine?

#41 Post by **fyrelight** » Wed May 04, 2005 7:58 am

Bud, I think your story is most like ELENI's.. her tooth was coming in on its own too... most of ours werent.

Her story is

viewtopic.php?t=535

#42 Post by **ihateteeth** » Wed May 04, 2005 10:40 am

so... i'm 15, just for the record
this morning i got braces and an expander thing? to fix my crossbite
you have to turn it with a key every day and it really sucks
i can't even swallow! they gave me advil to make the pain go away and i couldn't swallow it! are orthodontists like retarded or something???
my mom screamed at me that this is costing her money and that i shouldn't complain ("it hurts!!")
what a complain
i'm going to walk down to my orthodontist's place (about a 20 minute walk) and tell her to take it out and give me my money back. i'm not even kidding
if it stops raining i'm going to go do it. my boyfriend is being really supportive but still, once he sees how ugly these have made me...

#43 Post by **lazerbud** » Wed May 04, 2005 11:01 am

fyrelight : You're right, it's almost identical! Infact i found out about my impacted canine in almost the identical fashion!

Joplin : "Are you thinking of getting braces?" Not really, I'm going to be away from home for a while, I believe getting braces involves regular check ups, which I wouldn't be able to undertake, hence the option of removing the impacted tooth and getting a fake one in place of the milk tooth.

How did you come to realize you have an impacted canine?
Just like Eleni did! I felt a small dot on my upper palette, initially thought it was a piece of food or something, freaked out when I saw it was a tooth actually, went to the dentist who confirmed it was a misdirected canine and referred me to a maxillo facial surgeon who told me the rest!

#44 Post by **Loop** » Mon May 16, 2005 1:48 pm

Thought I'd post some photos of my mouth post-surgery.
After seeing these photos, I can't believe quite how bad (crooked) my teeth really are! Thank goodness this is a work in progress!

Look how crooked this little guy is!

This is the lateral tooth with the receeded gum, as you can see, there's quite a difference in the gum line between this one and the one in the picture above.

There is a dent left where they took out my left impacted canine! I can also feel with my tongue a dent in the roof of my mouth where they took out the right canine. I think these will fill in with time though.

Everything is pretty much healed up and back to normal now, I am biting again with my front teeth and just waiting for the next stage in treatment which is a lingual arch fitted on June the 1st.

#45 Post by **Dodger(UK)** » Tue May 17, 2005 11:12 am

Hi Loop - thanks for sharing your pics. Yes they do show the degree of overcrowding which has caused your teeth to shift somewhat from their ideal positions. Do not despair because I can speak from personal experience that no matter how crooked your teeth are, they will be brought to heel as soon as you start your ortho treatment. It will be good to chart your progress and see the rapid improvement you will make when you start your treatment.

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Loop's Story (with photos)

crossbite..