mikesmile's Orthodontic Journey

[mikesmile]

I started my story a couple of month's ago in 'The Bracket Club' ("Preparing for Braces - Second Time Around'")
I'm done preparing now and even though I still can't quite believe it I'll be getting braced again shortly. I'm finding that it's a lot of fun documenting this journey & sharing with others - something that I didn't do the first time.....

To recap things.....I'm 53 and first had braces when I was 27. I needed them since I was 12 but my parents couldn't afford them - a common story I read about here on AW. My original problems were a crossbite, collapsed bite in front, tilting of some front teeth & crowding. I wore braces for 2-1/2 years (elastics for the crossbite) and things came out looking pretty straight. There was some pre-braces damage to my 4 lower front incisors because I had literally chomped then down due to the lack of overjet in front. When the ortho finished I trusted that everything was fixed & went home with my hawley style retainers, which I wore as instructed. Years passed ... the retainers disappeared and that was that.

Fast forward to my last dental cleaning in October: During the cleaning I mentioned to my hygienist that I'd like to have some restoration work done - an implant to replace a lost molar and repairing my front lower incisors, which have been getting worse and worse over the years! She took a good look noticing how my top incisors continue to smash into the lower ones during a normal bite down. Did they shift back??? I'll never know. Plus I'm a grinder, so they look horrible. She says "Mike, there's only one way you can fix the problem and that's with braces." I said "Who would want to wear braces again? Well my dentist came in the room and we discussed my options. The easiest (but certainly not the ideal) solution would be to grind down the top incisors so they no longer hit the bottom ones. Yikes!!!!! Then he can crown or veneer the bottom ones. I really want these teeth fixed, but felt this plan fell short. The hygienist had put the bug in my ear, so I started frequenting this site for support. Next I had a consult with my wife's orthodontist (now he's my ortho, too) and after patiently waiting weeks for him to discuss my case with my dentist, he presented me with a treatment plan. My dentist agrees this is the best approach: Correct my bite issues with braces first - then perform the restorative dental work once the braces come off.

So here's the plan: I have what my ortho calls "a collapsed bite / underbite." I'm going to wear braces (I chose all metal) for about a year. Not Bad . I'll get my top braces on first because the top arch needs to be advanced forward (creating a slight overjet) sufficently before the bottom ones can go on in a couple of months. Once the bottom teeth are braced, I'll wear elastics in a configuration which will move the bottom teeth back. When my bite issues are corrected, then I'll go back to my regular dentist for my cosmetic work to complete my smile overhaul. Well, here goes the plunge.....!!!

[mikesmile]

This is an attempt to send a quick picture of my pre-braced teeth.

[mikesmile]

Sorry, not really a great job with that picture. I'll take some more and show them, but had a little trouble with the whole thing. I should definitely have someone help me. Another thing I'll say is that in the front, my teeth are very damaged and I'm embarrassed about them. The bottom teeth don't show in this photo, but they are horrible. As I look at them in closeups they also look out of alignment. Despite having full braces years ago, I have bite issues that were probably never fully corrected. This first step (braces again) is my best step to a brand new smile. Now I wish I hadn't waited so long!

The c-o-u-n-t-d-o-w-n .... excitement & a touch of butterflies as reality sets in....



[/b]

[wycket]

Hi Mikesmile! B-day is almost here, and I know all about the excitement and butterflies you are feeling!! I'm sure everything will go great, and you'll be on the road to your new smile! This year is going to fly by..... I hope so too, since I'm 8 days into my 9-12 month 'sentence'! Keep us posted - I look forward to hearing about your progress!

[Kharmynn]

Just dropping in to check out your story. It sounds like it won't be too long until you have the smile you desire.
Good luck on your upcoming brace day.

[mikesmile]

Only 24 hours to go I can't believe brace day is almost upon me!

Thanks so much Ken, wycket & Kharmynn for your support. It's great to have. Yes Ken, you heard right I was planning to eat popcorn at the movies braced. I had a feeling it was a no-no It's so hard to resist that smell ... Well today anyway, I'm going to indulge in eating something on that no-no list for one last time.

I forgot to mention that my wife will be with me at the ortho's for the grand event. She has a routine appointment for her retainers. I sat in with her when she got her braces a few years ago. Now it's my turn to be in the chair.

[wycket]

Best of luck tomorrow! I'm sure you'll be just fine, especially if your wife is there for moral support! Looking forward to hearing how you're doing tomorrow!

[I love my teeth]

good luck tomorrow Mike!! Just read through your story, and at hope that when I get these braces off around age 40, I'll won't ever have to go through this again!! I've been putting off getting rebraced (was braced as a teen) for about 15years----I need to have BSSO, and didn't really want it!! So, now 15years later, my teeth are worse and guess what, I still need the BSSO, I should have done it in my 20's

older and wiser mom of 2 boys ages 5 and 9, going through a 24-30month brace sentence with BSSO

Congrats on the beginning of your journey--only a year, if that were me I'd be almost done!! It's going to fly by!

Christine

[mikesmile]

Thanks so much guys for your support and encouragement I'm so happy to announce that as of 11:30 this morning.....I AM OFFICIALLY A BRACE FACE !!!!!

Today was a crazy and hectic day all around - both personally and professionally. I really was hoping for a low key brace day, being a friday and all, but it didn't work out that way. My appointment went great though, including panoramic x-rays, impressions and finally my top braces. My wife and 2 year old daughter were both there to watch. Of course my wife had her usual retainer appointment. The ortho and his assistant really took their time with everything, explaining every step. They are awesome! The only part of the fitting that was really unpleasant was how dry my throat got during the process. A couple of my teeth that had composite fillings (on the outside surface) had to be 'scuffed' before applying the brackets. The whole thing including the preliminaries took about an hour. At the end, the ortho assistant gave me my goodie bag and went over everything with me. When she came to the list of food no-no's, I was so bummed that I can longer indulge in nuts as well as some of my other favorite foods. Oh well, we have to make some sacrifices to have beautiful teeth !

I love the way the braces both look and feel. They're all metal, but today's metal brackets are so streamlined compared to years ago. Like a lot of newly braced people here on AW report, the wire looks anything but straight, and only enhances how out of line my teeth really are. So far eveything feels comfortable - just a little tightness when I bite down. We'll see tomorrow morning, won't we... I am amazed at how quickly my mouth is adapting to my new braces! I know it's because it's my second time, and actually a familiar feeling. Before today, I kind of thought I'd feel shy at first to smile - but found myself flashing smiles all day - wherever I went ! My wife loves them, and keeps asking me to smile She's in her retainers almost 24/7, so we look like a pair now - her in retainers and me in braces lol !

Eating has been fun ...not too bad chewing, but I couldn't believe the "leftovers" caught in my braces after lunch !

I promise to send some photos as soon as I can get someone to take some pictures of my mouth. Thanks again everybody...I'm so glad I took the leap !

[mikesmile]

Hi

Thanks so much I love my teeth for the well wishes. I'm sure you're in good hands now and your teeth are coming along great. It's so good that you didn't wait any longer. I can't imagine having any kind of surgery along with this. I had my wisdom teeth out the first time, but that wasn't bad at all. Yea, I think a lot of us regret putting off these issues until some damage is done.

I'm here the next morning and it's not bad, yet I haven't eaten anything, so I don't know about that. My teeth are definitely starting to feel tighter than yesterday, and a little achy but only when I bite down. It looks like my beginner's wire is doing it's work. The ortho assistant told me the minute the ligs are attached, the wire is activated.
It's cool to feel the work start immediately !

My wife tried taking some shots last night of my newly braced teeth, but they all came out blurry. We'll just keep experimenting....

[mikesmile]

Thanks Ken They really aren't bad at all. I'm used to the hardware already, and only minor aching. Last night I ate tofu-broccoli stir fry w/ rice (my wife is asian and a great cook). Eating wasn't bad at all.

[b]

Also, if you have a digital camera with a screen on the back, stand in front of the mirror and look at the screen through the mirror.

[wycket]

Congrats, Mike!! Welcome (back) to the club! So glad to hear you are feeling great and enjoying your braces!! I look forward to hearing more about your progress -- keep us posted!

[mikesmile]

Hi

Thanks ken and b for your photography tips. I'm still experimenting...

Thanks wycket for the warm welcome back. Now I really feel like one of the club here!






Here's a couple of pics that I took this morning. Just click to enlarge. Pardon the 5 oclock shadow. The top one shows how wavy my baby wire is and also how uneven the brackets are in their starting positions. It was explained to me, of course, that everything will line up when I'm finished. There is no space at all between my two front teeth. In fact, they are jammed together. One of them is longer than the other That's funny 'cause before my first ortho treatment, they used to be tilted outward with a space in between them. I can already see and feel some movement in the front.
The bottom pic shows a little of my front bite profile and how the top teeth have carved out the bottom ones. My general dentist says... "Your top teeth are kicking your bottom teeth's ass." This shows the serious damage that a poor bite can cause over a long period of time. They look worse to me in these photos than in the mirror.
Why did I wait so long to get braces?

Day 3 here. I'm feeling a little soreness, but not enough to reach for the pain reliever. One thing I feel lucky about is that I'm only braced on top so far. The other day when I was leaving the ortho's office, he reminded me that he will be putting the bottom braces on in a couple more visits. I remember, from before, having more initial pain on the bottom teeth after first being braced. Maybe some of you can confirm that.

My family and friends have all reacted favorably to my braces. Some people didn't even notice them right away. My little girl likes them and loves visiting the ortho's office. They have her scoped out as a future patient already. lol. That's a good thing and will probably foster positive feelings about visiting doctors or dentists in the future.

[cmone]

Congrats mikesmile! Hope you don't have too much pain!