Hi friends! I'm back! Sorry it's been a while, I got caught up in the holidays! It was a good Christmas season, but a little exhausting. It's crazy how it all goes by so quickly every year.
A lot has happened since I wrote last, including getting my top braces on....twice! Dec 20 I went and had the top ones put on, only to have 8 of them fall off within 2 days!! I had 6 clear brackets put on the front teeth, and metal ones put on the rest, and since quite a few (8) of my top teeth are crowns or caps, the orthodontist didn't use the right bonding material, so they didn't stay. Of course, it was a Friday and although I phoned the office and left several messages about the braces falling off, I didn't hear back from them until mid-day Saturday. We had plans to go out that Saturday night, so you can imagine how pleased I was to have all the brackets hanging off the wire, just floating around in front of my teeth. I may have had a minor meltdown. I mean, come on!! How much can go wrong inside my mouth this year!?
Anyways, I managed to pull out the wire from my mouth (with the help of my dentist, Dr T) in time for Saturday night's plans, so I didn't feel like a complete freak....and as a bonus, I didn't have any brackets on my front teeth for the wknd. On the bad side, having just brackets with no wire is PAINFUL!!! The wire holds a lot of the bracket off of your cheek, or at least provides a sliding surface for it, but with no wire, the insides of my cheeks were ripped to shreds by Monday morning. Thankfully Dr. O got me in first thing Monday morning to get them all bonded back on, and they're all still in there 7 days later.
Having braces isn't as bad for me as I heard....after getting them put on properly. They're certainly more comfortable than having arch bars and wires on, but still no picnic. When talking a lot (like at Christmas) they really chafe the insides of my top lip, and food gets stuck in them like crazy!! I've never brushed my teeth (and flossed, and rinsed) so many times in one day in my life! The worst part about them is just being self-conscious. I told my husband that I feel like a dog wearing one of those cones around their neck. I know it's not so obvious as that, but regardless. I feel pretty embarrassed by them. The front ones are clear, but they still stick out quite a bit, and clear does not equal invisible. I am told I'll get used to them and eventually forget that they are there. I hope that's true, because right now they take a lot of energy to worry and think about.
I also got what's called a "bite plate" from my orthodontist, which is essentially a clear retainer (think Invisalign) but with the tooth surfaces built up quite high. This makes several of my teeth touch, rather than just the 2 molars on the left side, which was getting quite painful. It's been great to wear, I'm actually surprised how much I like wearing it. But, I won't be wearing it for long..........
Tomorrow is another surgery for me, the one I mentioned previously where my lower left canine tooth will be removed (#33) and underneath a bone graft will be done. This is the site of a fracture, and there's quite a bit of bone loss underneath. In fact, even though the canine tooth is attached, it's not anchored in any bone so it moves around quite a bit in there. Although I'll be further embarrassed by having a missing tooth, it will feel good to be rid of it at this point.
Unfortunately the surgery isn't until 2pm tomorrow, and I can't eat for 8 hours before hand! I'll be waking up early to eat and have my coffee, that's for sure! And then hopefully sleeping again to avoid those long, hungry and thirsty hours. Word to the wise: schedule as many surgeries first thing in the morning!!!
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