A mouth full of metal!

Last week I was fitted with 4 elastic spacers, put behind the teeth that have the brackets, and today was the day they were to be removed and my braces changed.

I was worried because on Friday, 2 of the spacers came out, and I was unable to get them back in. I wasn't able to call anyone until Monday morning and then it was too late to fit me in, so there was a big possibility that I wouldn't be having the treatment today as the gaps made by the spacers would have closed.

LUCKILY! there was just enough room. So now I have 8 brackets, which means the wire covers all of my teeth. This is to straighten my back teeth, as my bite is uneven after my wisdom tooth removal. My orthodontist told me that this wire is thinner than the last, but I don't know what difference that makes. I won't have to return to the hospital until the new year.

I'm so relieved that last week wasn't a waste of time. The last thing I need is to be set back 2 weeks, especially as I've got so far to go yet!

Well it's about time, under-bite!

After almost 8 months with braces which are designed to force my teeth to produce an under-bite, its finally happened. 

I can't relax my teeth without the bottom set overlapping my front teeth, and I can't even move them behind by pushing my jaw back anymore.

But although my once-straight teeth are looking pretty spacious nowerdays, I don't mind because it just means things are moving along, and before you know it I'll be ready for surgery!

       

It does however feel and look as though the one side of my teeth are making more progress than the other, which is making a rather large gap between my teeth, but I'm sure the other side will catch up.                                       

Look what I just did!

This here is my stitches, or whats left of them.

The one from the photo of the blog below was pulling and ripping through my gum. So I reached for my craft knife and scissors and snipped away.

I think I swallowed the rest.

It was oddly satisfying unthreading it from my gum!! I feel so much better now.


Next dental appointment is next Tuesday, 22nd for my spacers to be added.

Good night!

Couldn't Resist!

Not the prettiest of pictures, but I do want to record everything that goes on through out this journey!



 On the left here we have the deepest of my wisdom tooth excavation sites :), but aside from putting my phone in my mouth, this is as good as I could get.

Please excuse my unsightly tongue colour.

Now on my right is where I had my stitches. This freaks me out to touch, and I keep trying to brush it away when I clean my teeth!

So there they are, I couldn't manage a picture of my upper gaps, but you get the idea.

Hey theres something missing...Oh yeah 4 big fat wisdom teeth!!!

Hello! I've finally found the effort to turn on my laptop! Thank you for the lovely comments yesterday, my teeth removal went great!

Never been under anesthetic before, but I have to say, my experience was pretty sweet!

Woke up to my surgeon telling me to lie back down cause he needed to wipe the blood off my face, and with numb lips I think I thanked him... bit fuzzy there.

I was so tired when I woke, but I have to say I felt great! I just wanted to sleep but I made myself sit up and stay awake, after all, sooner I'm home, the sooner someone else can have this bed - they were crazy busy!

One of the lovely nurses' actually offered me a sandwich though. A sandwich right now? Really?

But no, all in all a great experience, only 2 stitches and no immediate pain other than jaw ache.

OH! and before I went in, I met with my surgeon, who'll be doing my corrective jaw surgery. He now is talking about doing my top jaw too?!?

Any one having bi-jaw surgery? Thoughts are REALLY welcomed!

x

6 hours to go!

I did plan to get an early night, but I think its fair to say that was never gonna happen!

In 6 hours I'll be on my way to hospital to have all my wisdom teeth removed. I've never been under anesthetic, but I'm not worried about the procedure, although I am little concerned as my mom says I'll have to wear one of those weird backless shirt things, and I just don't see why I have to take off my bra and T-shirt they're messing with my face nothing else! - its just so unnecessary!

But any how, the awkwardness of that aside, I can't wait for it to be over cause if I have to hear one more joke about how they should leave a couple of teeth in as I need all the wisdom I can get.....

So! Good night, and I'll be sure to post tomorrow!

x

So long, wisdom teeth!

I received more letters today, which turned out to be the dates for having my wisdom teeth out.

They'd given me a lot of trouble over the last few years, not the teeth themselves, but they kept rubbing my mouth and giving me painful ulcers and infections, not to mention the extra achiness this brought on my jaw. So I asked for my doctor to take them out earlier than planned, as otherwise I'd have had to put up with this for another year and a half, as my surgeon wanted to remove them 6 months before surgery as they won't fit in my mouth once my jaw is moved back.

I opted, no, demanded to be asleep for the process. As strong as my stomach is, teeth being pulled is a whole other gross story.

So! good bye teeth on the 8/11/11 at 7:15am!

Wish me luck!

Next appointments

Had my letter arrive from the hospital, by 'first class' post too! It contained the dates for my next appointments, which I instantly thought were wrong as they were so close together.

First one said 22/11/11, the next 30/11/11. So I called them. I wish I hadn't, as the receptionist not only confirmed they were correct, but told me what I'd be having done on each appointment.

I'll be having those horrible spacers put back in, followed by bands, top jaw to bottom jaw.

She couldn't have just said 'Yes dear, there's no mistake.' but no, so now I'm making the most of being able to eat solids, waiting until I get the spacers and end up on a liquid diet of achiness.

Ah well, it's all for the erm...greater good?

x

My teeth so far

So this is a kind of relaxed smile I suppose, you can see how my smile is lopsided, and the side on MY right is what I call my bad side, its a totally different shape to my left.

 This is actually my good side. Not a lot to say about it really..

I think I class this as my good side because my jaw doesn't stick out as far as it does on my right.

 Bad side with a bit of brace on show.

A rather wonky bite. You can see from this how my jaw will have to be moved and shaved.

 Theres my lovely gap in the middle, specially made for getting lettuce stuck between it in public :)

My front teeth haven't moved much, they are still pretty straight, although I feel some pressure on my front 2, it feels like they're trying to overlap.










So there it is, my mouth at 7 months in to my treatment.

Well thanks for telling me!

It will have been a whole month on the 13th since I was last seen at the orthodontic hospital to have my braces changed and tightened etc. I was getting concerned as I was yet to received my next appointment letter whether its in 3 weeks or 6, so I called them.

It turns out the doctor I've been seeing has moved units, and is not assigned to me anymore, therefore I have no further appointments made as of yet, and not only was I not told this, but had I not called to inquire, they would not have added me to the new list of patients waiting to be reassigned to a doctor!!!!!

That's the NHS for you... but still, I can't complain too much, I am lucky enough to be given this treatment free of charge.

I do hope I get an appointment soon, you know when your braces stop feeling tight anymore? thats what mine feel like now.

Argh.. work

I work part-time at a fast food restaurant which has supported me through college, university the lot. But since having my braces, its become more and more uncomfortable to talk to customers for 9 hours, well, more so than usual, because my braces rub my mouth so much. I also get very embarrassed when customers can not understand me due to my slight brace-induced lisp, I mean, you try saying 'sweet and sour sauce' with these things stuck to your teeth!

Oh well, I'm off there now! x

Just to give you an idea...

Okay so here is are a few of what I like to call my worst photos ever, taken within the last 3 years, all pre treatment. You should all feel very lucky to see these, as they've never before left my hard drive.

A/N: That is not my boyfriend btw :)

 This is the best example of the problem with symetry, or lack of it rather!

 The above is what I would consider my 'good' side, as you'll see when compared with the shot below my face decided that one matching profile just wasn't enough.

 My teeth did well in overcompensating for my jaw, its amazing I don't have an underbite really.

Closed mouth. Its the safer option.

So this is pretty much what I'm dealing with.

Lets Start at the Beginning...Well Almost

Okay so I'm currently 7 months in to my pre-operation dental treatment which consists of a lovely set of braces who's current goal is to ruin my teeth beyond recognition - and they're succeeding! But no they're very necessary for my treatment.


From as far back as I can remember I have had an asymmetrical jaw. The aesthetics of this presents itself with my chin leaning more towards the left and slightly protruding forwards- but no under bite might I add. 


Now I hope you're aware I am not getting this surgery out of vanity. The real problem is the jaw itself and the damage that has been done to the muscle having to take the uneven strain of my jaw opening everyday. One doctor so helpfully described this to me as a chest of draws which has one side of the runners misshapen or damaged, which when pulled open would cause bumping and clicking. This is exactly what my jaw does. Click! Click! Click!


This is known as TMJD (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder) and it doesn't exactly cause a light headache, believe me! Everyday I have a continuous Dull, aching pain, which is interrupted and replaced by the sharp 'Oh My Gosh Make it Stop!' pain which occurs when my jaw clicks and pops.


So..Basically I have been waiting all these years for the doctors to agree that I'm ready to start surgery, and I'm pretty sure I'm ready. Either way its a bit late now- my teeth have already began to move ready for my jaw to be reshaped and moved backwards!


Treatment Started: March 
Treatment Finished: can't quiet see that far yet


But I'm generally optimistic :)