Day 43: I'm back...

Because the surgeon was so kind as to take the splint out yesterday, today I got to go back to the Orthodontist.  I think these 6 weeks is (at least close to) my longest gap in orthodontist visits since I started with him 2.5 years ago!

I was really relieved to hear Dr R. say that everything looks good, I mean I picked my maxillofacial surgeon pretty much on his recommendation alone!  He said that he thinks I have about 6 months of work to be done and then I'll get my braces out! I'm super excited, but I know that my "6 month" splint took me 9 months, so I won't mark a date on my calendar, but it is still exciting to hear that there's a chance I'll have my braces off in the fall!

So first visit post-op, the orthodontist fixed the bracket that was broken during surgery (by the way the ceramic brackets do NOT come off easy!), he changed the wires and added a chain on both the upper and lower teeth (the silvery looking bands that go around each of the brackets in the picture), he also changed the band placement from how I've been wearing them.  The rubber bands definitely add more pressure and make it harder to open my mouth = harder to speak.  I do get to take off the rubber bands to eat, stretch, and to brush my teeth. Which reminds me I was able to floss today! Oh my goodness, until you go through this process you have no idea the joy involved in flossing your teeth and getting that true clean feeling.  For those of you out there not having this surgery, do me a favor and give your teeth a little extra TLC tonight and try to appreciate how easy it is to do things like opening your mouth wide enough to be able to brush and floss even those back molars easily. Then take a moment and appreciate just how clean it all feels... :)

Hello from snowy Virginia!

Hello from snowy Virginia!

Sorry I haven't written in a few months. My orthodontist decided not to change my wires in December which has actually lead to a wonderful 15- weeks of no changes to my mouth. Well any relative changes... I have noticed that my teeth have gotten straighter on the bottom and I am starting to get some gaps between a few teeth on the top.   Not hillbilly gaps yet, but I believe I will get there before this stage is done!

The headaches are starting to return a bit, I never thought for a minute I would miss that chunk of plastic splint, but I guess I didn't appreciate it enough until I had my first 3-day migraine in a year.  Too bad it wasn't a permanent fix!

But truly the best part in the last 15 months has been these past 3 weeks, my teeth have really dialed down on the soreness and I have been able to chew many more foods that have been challenging for the past year.  My front teeth still do not touch (and I don't expect them too until after the surgery) so there is no biting into a sandwich, but I've really been able to chew again with my back right teeth.  I've even been able to eat lettuce/salads and pizza this week!  Unfortunately its back to the orthodontist in another week, so I plan to eat everything under the sun in case the teeth sensitivity flare up again.  But I'm hopeful that maybe it was just so awful because it was the initial 6 months of braces and that the rest of this year will be a cakewalk...well that is until THE surgery.

2nd wire change for braces

5 November 2013

I just had my second wire change for my braces yesterday. And wow am I hurting today!  I know I was sore after the last one, but it still caught me off guard today.  I forget what gauge wire I am up to, but I was told that I am at a "medium level, the level at which they do most of the work."  And being the obsessive planner that I am, I asked again (like every time)...so how far out from surgery am I looking?  He told me that it is now looking like next fall at the earliest :(  which is fine, I believe in my orthodontist, I trust his outcomes, but I want this process over with! and he had told me upfront that it will likely be 1.5 years with braces before the surgery, but I did have the pipe-dream that I could graduate in May and get the surgery over with before I started a new job.

Anyways, my suggestions for the pain of a braces adjustment?  Take your pain medications regularly and on time. Ice packs. Take the day off after your get them adjusted (if possible! I say this as I head back to class). Definitely brush with Sensodyne toothpaste. And use your blender!  Your teeth are going to hurt so bad that you don't want them to come in contact with each other at all = no chew foods.

1st Adjustment of Braces

9/20/2013

Well I went back to the orthodontist for my first adjustment of my braces yesterday.  They applied 1 gauge higher tensile strength wire on my top teeth and 2 gauges higher on my bottom teeth.  Here is a website I found that explains the importance of the wire: All About Arch Wires.  It was sore yesterday after the adjustment, but really the pain started when I woke up this morning.  It feels like my whole lower jaw is swollen, to the point where I feel like it should be obvious to everyone I meet. Of course I cannot see a difference in a mirror so there is no way that anyone else can tell, but I just want to wrap my whole face in ice and stop pretending that I am a normal person today... but that won't pay the bills!

Did I mention that they placed some composite material on my molars with the braces application in July? If not...they had placed a little composite material on my molars so that with my night grinding (bruxism) I would grind away the composite and not my tooth enamel (one of the reasons most people with TMJ disorders wear night guards). Well apparently I had managed to wear it away significantly (grad school= increase stress = more night grinding) so they added a lot more composite to my molars.  I know this sounds great in theory, but the composite material is all that can touch now, so its like have 2 pencil points that prop my teeth apart and my mouth open. Which brings me back to eating, one of my favorite hobbies and something I can no long do :(  Can you imagine trying to chew food with a pen tip? So needless to say I am really bummed to be back on a liquid/no chew diet.  Looks like I'm headed to the grocery store to stock back up on yogurt, mashed potatoes, protein powder, and pureed soups.

Now after I've complained enough, I did get some good news from the Orthodontist!  I asked if it still looked like we were on track to schedule my jaw surgery next fall (2014).  My reason for asking is that I graduate in May and I would really like to give my new employer a heads up that I will need to take some time off for the surgery.  And Dr R said that every mouth is different . . .*usual spiel*. . . BUT that there was a chance I could be ready for surgery in the Summer or even maybe May!  Which means surgery sooner, braces off sooner, new pain-free life sooner!!! My response was that if it was possible for him to crank on my teeth harder now I would take more pain today to get it all over quicker...unfortunately it doesn't work that way. But I left his office feeling a renewed sense of hope and optimism for my future life!

Here's an (unattractive) but upward view of my teeth as closed as they can get... which is to say not at all :(