Pain.....

After my recent visit to the orthodontist, I realised that it is not as plain sailing as I first thought.

Although I am reacting well to the brace, the installation of the new stronger arches on top and bottom have caused me a lot of pain this time.  The main issue to me is that it is in the back teeth, so eating and chewing is now not pleasant.  I'm back on weetabix and soup.  Even brushing them hurts at the moment.  Which is annoying as I was allowed to have transparent bands again this time and I want to keep then as fresh looking as I can for a long as I can.

I'm sure it will pass quickly and I know that it hurts for a good reason, it is just when I have been quite used to minimal discomfort, this is a bit of a shock as I wasn't expecting a routine tightening to have this affect.

Oh well, I will just have to grit my teeth (or not!) and bare it, fingers crossed it doesn't last much longer.

At last another visit!

So for the first time since March I have had an orthodontist visit.  That is the first time I have been back since I had the bottom bracket put on.  I should have been every month, but as I have been travelling I have managed to miss my last two appointments.  My thought on this are that I will have to have prolonged treatment because of missing the tightening of the braces with new arches.

However, on seeing the orthodontist, it is clear that he doesn't think that this is the case.  He was shocked yet again on the progress that me teeth have made.  He says that the top progress is nearly there and the bottom have moved significantly since the installation.

I didn't realise this when I had the brace put on, but with the first two arches (the wire that attaches to the brackets on the teeth) you would expect to see little or no movement with the teeth, they are more to loosen up and get the teeth prepared to move.  However, the first two arches for me have nearly done the job! 

I asked how long it could take, he still can't tell me, but he did say that there are only 2 or 3 arch changes to go, so if I progress like this it is probable that he can do these each time I see him, wonderful news! 

I mean I don't mind having a brace, but I would like it to be off so I can return to normal eating and looking mike myself! 

Steady progress

All is quiet at the moment.  No visits to the orthodontist as I have been away when he is in Prague.  The 'naughty' bracket that fell off is secure still.  Not had any problems.  I'm fact I am annoyed, in my opinion, for the brace to be doing any good it should be hurting most of the time.  At the moment, the most I can hope for is the occasional tooth ache as it is getting dislodged again.

I suppose that I should be thankful, I have seen many horror stories where people have not been able to eat and are in constant pain and I am plodding along nicely.  I haven't been updating the blog as much as there has been nothing to report.  

I can comfortably negotiate my way through a burger and ice cream lolly, and there has been no foods I have tackled that have got the better of me.  Occasionally have have issues with things getting stuck, but a tooth pick soon sees to that.   Even the yellowing and staining is under control, with the assistance of stay white mouth wash and sensodine whitening toothpaste.

All in all, it is steady and pretty mundane progress! 

Oops, broke one.

So I have had my first problem with the brace and brackets.  Not long after the lower brace had been fitted, I was brushing my teeth and noticed one of the backers had come away from the tooth, spinning in the wire.

Panic stricken, as I knew that the orthadontist had now left Prague, I rang and emailed my dentist surgery for help.  I was worried that the bracket would drop off, or I would eat it by accident!  As the brackets are ceramic, if I loose one then a replacement has to be ordered from America, which is obviously not a quick event.

Thankfully they told me to come in later that day, and the normal dentist was able to repair it.  He used a different method of fixing, which used ultra violet light to cure the cement, rather than just telling my not to eat for a few hours.  I was surprised, and also cautious at this fix, thinking that it would not last.

A few weeks in and the broken repaired backet is still holding strong, and no others have popped off.  I think I am lucky that this is the first problem in 3 months, and I am hoping that they are now all set solid and I don't have to have any more repairs before I have them removed in hopefully 9 months time.

Progress!

When I was visiting the orthodontist to have the lower track fitted, he asked me how I was getting on.  I told him I was surprised how much they had moved.  He gave me one of those 'really, I think your are imagining it' type of looks.

However, after assuming the position in the chair, opening my mouth, all I heard was, 'wow, I need to fetch my colleague!'

To his astonishment my teeth are nearly now in line across the top of the front.  He told me that normally there is no movement with the first wire as it is mainly there to get your mouth used to the brace.  But to have this sort of reaction to it means that I may not take as long as first expected to have everything in line. 

This made me feel good.  Knowing that the first month of pain, discomfort, inability to eat properly has not been in vain. 

I am hoping that the top teeth carry on this transformation and the bottom teeth follow suit as quickly.

Just to show off, here is the picture again from the first fitting and two months later.  It still shocks me!  I love it when you can see visible results.  I know it is a long way off perfect, but so far I am happy with what has happened.

The second track fitting...back on soup!

I have now had the lower track fitted to my teeth.  I am also now back on soup and eating with 2 teeth.

The fitting appointment followed the same process as the one for the top.  Wide mouth frog device, driest mouth in the history of the dessert, pushing and pulling to get the brackets fixed on my teeth.  Again I have the anchors that are glued on the teeth rather than those that are rings round the teeth.  I defiantly prefer these.  Generally this process of sticking and gluing was alright.

Then came a painful bit.  The orthodontist removed the wire from the top set.  Pulling on my sensitive teeth, he then fitted the new wire.  In one word, OUCH!! When it takes 2 fully grown men to manipulate the wire into place on the brackets, you know it is going to hurt.  When you can't have the transparent bands and have to have white, because the transparent bands aren't strong enough to hold the wire in, you know it isn't going to have a pleasant after affect! 

And it doesn't.

He fixed the lower wire in too, this is a thin one like the one that was on originally on the top.  As my teeth are so crooked he couldn't even use a band to secure it on one part.  So I now sport a wire wrapped round my tooth holding the brace in place!

Here I am, a couple of days on, the pain is nothing like when the top was fitted, I only took painkillers for 1 day this time.  However my main issue is the nerve irritation, it makes me want to scream, it sort of itches and it is a constant dull ache.  I know it will fade, but I think it is going to drive me crazy first!!!

Anyway, here is a lovely picture of my wide mouth frog impression, showing my new top wire and bands and my shiny unstained lower brace.

I think I'm getting used to these things

Today someone thought I was 26!  I believe that these braces are having an affect on peoples perception of my age.  I am 33, so to be asked if I am over 26 I was flabbergasted!  It is not the first time either, a young lad on holiday also asked how old I was, I don't know for what purpose, but I can convince myself it was because I look younger now.

So people percieve that young people have braces, therefore does have other benifits other than straightening teeth.

I am also happy to report that eating is now nearly normal, they are still uncomftable, but I can just about bite, I can crunch things, I even ate a hard boiled sweet, well sucked it.

As for the staining of the bands, I was concerned as these bands are to be on for 8 weeks instead of 4, but I am pleased to report that they are still looking reasonable, obviously they aren't perfectly clear still, but they are offensive either.

The sensodine whitening toothpaste is ok, I am still finding a bit of build up and brown marks in places, to combat this I am still trying to find a good mouthwash.  So far I have tried Plax and Colgate sensative with no success.  I have just bought Listerine stay white, so we will have to wait and see the results on this one.

However, I am now concerned, 2 months in and the top track is ok, settled in quite well and returning to normal.  In a couple of weeks I have the bottom track fittted.  I am quite aprehensive of the wide mouth frog devise, the pain for the few days after and living on soup again.  Knowing it will double my cleaning time and make my bottom lip stick out more. 

I am also struggling with dry flaky peeling lips all the time.  I don't know exactally what is causing this, but it has to be some side affect of the braces, as it has never happened before, but we can see if the lovely spring and summer sun has any improvement on this.