6 Years Later

Hi everyone,

As you have probably noticed by now, my updates suddenly stopped towards the end of my treatment. It wasn’t a sign of things going badly with my braces, but my father suddenly got very sick and I didn’t have the time to continue blogging my journey.

I would just like to say that 6 years after my braces coming off, I can hardly remember what it was like. Sometimes I run my tongue over my bare teeth and think I am forgetting something (shouldn’t my braces be there?) or my tongue curls up in my mouth to wrap around the RPE that isn’t there. It is weird things like that. However if it weren’t for the blog I wouldn’t have remembered all these frustrations or procedures that happened to get the smile I have now. For what felt like forever, after the 18 months were over, it now seems like a blip in time.

I got my lower wisdom teeth out. It was done in the chair while I still had my braces on. It was pretty horrible. It was probably the worst part of the treatment. I had bleeding and swelling, and the pain lasted a whole week.

On the day my braces came off I had a job interview, and my grandfather had just passed away. As they cracked off my braces (yes, literally cracked) and ran my tongue over my teeth for the first time, they never felt so smooth, or so big! I looked in the mirror and they looked massive.

But you will get used to it.

As far as maintenance for my new smile, I always:

• Brush my teeth at least twice a day
• Floss before bed
• Have regular dental checkups and cleans (every 6 months)
• Wear my removable retainer EVERY SINGLE NIGHT

To date, fixing my smile has been one of the best things I have ever done. It had improved my health, my self esteem, and my sleep (yes even with the retainer).

So for everyone out there going through a similar journey, I hope this blog has helped. I also apologise for waiting 6 years before giving closure, haha.

And for a happy ending, here is a photo of me and my new smile, on my wedding day.

❤

Mrs M

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

Treatment Status: Damon 3 Braces – Upper and Lower (Day 137)
Discomfort: Ulcers around far back molars. Difficulty with eating certain foods. Slight pain in lower jaw.
Mood: Sleepy

They went in on the 1st of October, and I took photos today. Here we go! MY BOTTOM BRACES!

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

When they first went in, the front teeth had a bit more of a crooked wire. The wire is working on them, pulling them up as you can see from the arch, going from the middle out. My front teeth are so tender and loose.

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

To keep me from biting off my braces since my upper jaw is wider, the lovely lady dentist who put my expander in all those months ago put these orange stoppers ontop of my molars. It feels awkward and they hurt to chew with, so I have been avoiding lots of chewing at the moment till my teeth settle down.

Smile

However my smile now doesn’t look so bad 🙂 My orthodontist said it might be a bit of a gummy smile (showing a bit of gum) but I don’t mind. It’s a hell of an improvement compared to before haha.

Side View

Side View

You can see from the sides how much the bottom teeth may have to be pulled up to meet the top. At least this is what I guess the wire will be aiming for.

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

Because the brackets are so close together, it has been a bit mean on the inside of my lips…the front is a tender place, but the worst…

Owwie

When I got them on, I had to keep wax on, but now I am able to tolerate some of the bottom braces without wax like my upper teeth…all except here. The back 2 molars. The one with the hook is surprisingly not as bad as the one right at the back. That one is sharp 😦

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

Might as well show you how the top is going…

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

Even though it is the same wire as before…

Damon 3 Braces: Day 137

The orthodontist told me today that this was the 2nd last wire for the upper teeth, which is why. How cool is that?

Yaaay

Closed Mouth Smile

If you can call it a smile now haha.

Smile

Looks like I will have to smile with my mouth open.

Mouth Closed

Mouth finding it hard to contain it all…

Cheekbones

But cheekbones are looking more defined and symetrical!

Miss M

So I’ll just keep smiling.

Love,

Miss M

Damon 3 Braces: Day 124

 

Date: 30th September 2010
Treatment Status: Damon 3 Braces (Day 124)

So I’ve enjoyed almost a month without the Rapid Palatal Expander. It was lovely. Probably the easiest part of my Orthodontic experience so far…but now I’m ready to get back to work. Tomorrow I am getting my bottom braces, and yes, I am sure this time haha.

It was a bit painful with the torn gum from the drill, but that seems to have healed. Eating is easy, sleeping is easier without a dry mouth from the expander (why does it go dry and I sleep and all drooly when I am awake?) and brushing and flossing have been extremely easy!

I didn’t take pics right when I got the expander off so I will make up for it now. Enjoy RPE free pictures for the first time in a long time!

No More RPE!

Crazy, huh?! It’s so weird not seeing it there anymore. It’s done a great job though. Thank you RPE.

Smile

My smile is also looking alot better!

Look at the space!

How big does it look?! I’m so happy. Compared to my first pics, it is a huge change.

Side View

Side View

Remember how this arched up? Looks like its fixed good.

Compare

Compare bottom to top. The bottom braces are going to have alot to do. Next some pics of how my lower teeth are before my braces go on.

Damon Braces: Day 124

You may see since my top jaw is so much wider than the bottom, the side bottom teeth seem to be sloping in a bit. 2 of my bottom teeth have been sore and loose moving in too far.

Damon Braces: Day 124

It’s not showing very well in the photo, but the teeth infront of each molar have been moving. It also hurt to bite down on them or felt strange since they are loose.

Damon Braces: Day 124

Oh well, they are next on the list to get fixed. Will have photos of my bottom braces soon. Wish me luck!

Love,

(Formally Know As Mousetrap) Miss M

Removal of Rapid Palatal Expander

RPE Removal Date: 3rd September 2010
Discomfort: HIGH

I was called into the orthodontists room, and sat back where my lead orthodontist walked about the room inspecting everyone’s progress. He gave the go ahead for the male orthodontist at my side to remove my expander.

I was so excited. It was the moment I have been waiting for! Finally the go ahead! Today was the day! I thought he would get some tools and pull out the whole thing. But no…again I was wrong…

He got out the drill.

At first it didn’t seem so bad. I thought maybe, like with the hooks that were drilled off before from my expander, they needed to do this to make some room and then they could pull the whole thing out. INSTEAD he proceeded to drill the whole thing till it materialised into tiny metal filings.

And it hurt. A LOT.

It was a tough pressure, but that wasn’t what hurt the most. Because the roof of my mouth started to grow around the expander, that means parts of skin in the way were drilled too. I felt it the worst around the molar on the right. I also tasted blood. It felt like it lasted for an hour. More like half though…

Oh well, it had to be done. The moment finally came and it was gone. However the metal around my 2 molars are still there. I got up and rinsed and my spit was red. I rinsed alot to make sure all the metal filings were out, but the drilled skin was very sore…

But with the bad, comes the good…my tongue had so much room! I couldn’t believe it was gone. Neither could my body. Subconsciously my tongue curled expecting to come in contact with the middle part of the expander. It remembered how it would feel, but…NOTHING WAS THERE! I was amazing!

What about my bottom braces? They didn’t put them in, which was FINE by me 😀

Eating was a breeze. My top teeth are nice and steady since they have done most the moving already and are settling in. They gave me a new wire, but I don’t feel much difference compared to previous wires.

I think this will be a nice break for me before the fun begins with bottom braces. They have their work cut out for them!

Till next time,

Love,

Miss M 

Damon 3 Braces: Day 97

Where my previous post left off, I thought I was getting my bottom braces on the next day. However it ended up just being a rewire of the top braces. It worked out better this way, because if I had all my braces AND my RPE it would have been sad. 

Here are now pictures taken on Day 97 with my Damon Braces and my last day with my Rapid Palatal Expander.

Date: 3rd September 2010
Treatment Status: Rapid Palatal Expander (Day 156), Damon 3 Braces (Day 97)

Now I can say for certain that this is the LAST DAY with my Rapid Palatal Expander. I wonder how many times I thought it was the last day. I think there has been quite a bit of miscommunication on whats actually happening at my orthodontist visits.

Here are the photos:

Smile

 As you can see, the Archwire has straightened up. Meaning I should probably be getting a rewire tomorrow.

Rapid Palatal Expander: Last Day

You can sort of see on the left hand side, of the wires that were ground down, that some of my gum is growing over it. It is kinda tender, and with my bone grown in at my palate, the roof of my mouth no longer feels spongy in the middle. A friend told me when her sister got her expander out, she got many blood blisters. I hope I don’t get any, but it is possible I see with the way the roof of my mouth is sort of moulding around the expander…

Rapid Palatal Expander: Last Day

Nevermind that though. RPE, you have given my mouth so much space. My tongue no longer thrusts up at the back of my mouth, all the time because it cannot fit enough to lie down. It is pretty amazing having room for my tongue to lie flat now.

Smile 🙂

So thank you RPE. Thank you once again for the job well done! I can’t imagine what it will be like now without not feeling the metal bits and flicking the screw part with my tongue!

I hope I did an okay job of cleaning it, haha. Will find out tomorrow.

Love,

Miss M

Wow…107 Day Wait

Sorry Everybody!

I can’t believe it has been 107 Days since my last update 😦 So much has been going on. My dad had a life threatening operation, and I had to go through some medical checks myself. But all should be going well now.

I’m a bit sad going through my previous posts that I haven’t documented as much of the last 107 days as I would have liked. (107 days is alot. Is that right?) So to make up for it, I have taken ALOT of pictures of how my smile is going.

Don’t worry though, even though I haven’t posted it on the blog, I have been getting photos taken of my teeth. These include my expander being removed and my bottom braces going on! I’ve had to take time to adjust, but it seems to be going ok. Can’t wait to put up the photos and catch up with my blog! I will be working on it tonight to try to get it up to date.

I hope I don’t have a long break between updates again 😦

Love,

Miss M

Damon 3 Braces: Day 30

 

 Treatment Status: Rapid Palatal Expander (Day 89), Damon 3 Braces (Day 30)
Discomfort: Extra archwire poking/getting caught on my cheek.
Mood: Normal

 Well…it’s been a while. I didn’t mean for the break between posts to be this long, but a few things have changed. Before the photos, I’ll update you on the worries from my last post. 

My teeth were very sore and tender for a couple of weeks after my braces went in, and if they were touched or bumped (and I had a few painful bumps to one of my front teeth) it would hurt and feel like they have moved. 

Eating-wise I am sticking to soft foods to save myself the hassle. I can eat more foods now, but things like sandwitches and wraps I am having a hard time still. I think I will just skip those all together. I haven’t been having any bread much at all lately which I am very surprised about, and I don’t seem to miss it. 

Good news is, my lips are no longer burning and while they still might get dry, its not too bad. Inside of my mouth is also coping to the point that recently I don’t have to have wax on 24/7. It gets annoying when I talk and some just flies out off my teeth so I just go without during the day. At night I put it on though or else I get indents inside my lip from the archwire. 

I have also found the reason why the wax wasn’t staying on. They type my orthodontist gave me must not be very fresh because it is hard and difficult to mould/heat up. I bought some fresh wax and just roll it between my fingers a couple of times and it usually applies ok. 

There are times I have forgotten my braces and expander are there! This is only recent, but it is a nice start, however we will see tomorrow how I go, because I will be getting my bottom teeth braces in the morning! 

Anyways, here are the photos: 

Braces Day 30

The wire seems to be straightening out slowly. When I first had it it was such a mess I got sad looking at it…but now it seems to be looking better and better.

Braces Day 30

You can also see the difference in width between my upper and lower jaw! Here is the bite.

Braces Day 30

And here is my teeth ontop of each other.

Braces Day 30

Side view: The arching is really starting to get sorted out 🙂

Braces Day 30

Other side looking good too.

Braces Day 30

My RPE still hanging in there. It looks even better now the braces and RPE are working together.

Braces Day 30

Been getting some ulcers though in the inside of my lip…

Will let you know how tomorrow goes,

Love,

Miss M

Damon 3 Braces: Day 2

Sorry for the late post! I’ve been adjusting to my new braces so I will be making the posts for the days missed now.

Date: 18 May 2010
Treatment Status: Rapid Palatal Expander (Day 61),
Damon 3 Braces (Day 2)
Discomfort: In pain. Sore teeth, and chaffed inner lips.
Mood: Sad

Today was much worse than yesterday. My lips feel like they are on fire, and my teeth are definately moving or something. They are so sore. I had to have panadol to even get me thinking I can even get to work today it was so bad.

Well I did manage to get to work, but most of the day I was very very tired. Sleeping had to take place on my back and I kept waking up in the middle of the night. I also think I’m getting an ulcer or something inside my lip. Luckily I found some Bonjella to put on it before I go to sleep tonight. Hope it helps.

Ate pretty much the same food today. I think pasta and yoghurt will be my saviours. I might write up a post just about foods soon, but first here are clearer photos of my new braces:

Braces Day 2

I only have them on the top teeth for the moment. I will be getting the bottom ones towards the end of June.

Braces Day 2

See that pointy hook kind of thing? That is drilling my life right now. My lip gets caught on it, and it scratches the inside of my mouth. Lips on fire is what I said. They are also feeling very dry. I’ve been using lip balm and bonjella to combat this.

Braces Day 2

Other side. Has a hook thingy too. I think the different colours on the brackets stand for sizes.

Behold the Motherload

Top half of my mouth has been completely wired up. It was a thunderstorm the day I got them…hope it doesn’t attract lightning haha.

Braces Day 2

From yesterday however, besides the discomfort, I am pleased to see changes so soon. It can be noticed best on my two front teeth. They are separating again! I hope this is good news. Also it doesnt seem to stick out as much against my lip. Another good sign I hope. And I hope I am not just imagining it.

Cleaning time has doubled, but is easy once I have the routine downpat. Oral Irrigator (best ever! SO Easy), electrictoothbrush, water pick, floss, fluoride rinse and they are feeling pretty ok.

Still haven’t gotten the hang of the wax yet 😦

It’s going to be a long 14 months!

Love,

Miss M

Damon 3 Braces: Day 1

Sorry for the late post! I’ve been adjusting to my new braces so I will be making the posts for the days missed now.

Date: 17 May 2010
Treatment Status: Rapid Palatal Expander (Day 61), Damon 3 Braces (Day 1)
Discomfort: In pain. Sore teeth, and chaffed inner lips.
Mood: Horrified

THEY LEFT IN MY EXPANDER.

I am devistated.

After driving around for nearly and hour just to find parking at my orthodontist, and walking 3 blocks in the rain I made it. I was ready. When they called me in, the room was quite empty. I’m used to seeing the room full, but I guess that is how it is in the afternoon rather than the morning when I usually go.

One dentist I hadn’t met before, and her assistant were waiting for me. She asked me if I was still expanding, and I said no. She and her assistant then proceeded to work on sticking the brackets on my teeth.

Wait a second. What about my expander? Shouldn’t that come out first?

They didn’t seem to worry it was there. They kept at it, applying adheasive to my teeth.

Oh, maybe they want it all in so the expansion is supported well before they pull it out…

After half an hour, the dentist exclaims “All finished. We’ll book your next appointment soon for the bottom teeth’s braces.”

All finished?! What about my expander?

“What about my expander? Will that come out?”

She looked at me. “We would like to keep in in there for just a couple of months. ”

A COUPLE OF MONTHS?!

“The archwire is a weaker one, so we want to be safe until a stronger one goes in.”

No…NOOOOOOOOOOO T-T

And that’s what happend. The girls at the front desk took my monthly payment, showed me a video on brushing and flossing, and gave me a bag of goodies. The lady was nice enough to give me extra wax. “That looks painful. I’ll give you some extra. Just have some panadol on hand.”

She also threw in a new toothbrush. Never can have too many of those. She also recommended using the electric toothbrush I have. In the bundle also came cute little travel sized floss and toothpaste, floss hoops and another sampler pack of water pick brushes. It also came with some fluoride treatment which was great because I have almost run out.

I felt strong pressure on my teeth and it was difficult to close my mouth or talk because my lip gets caught on the braces. It looks a bit funny how I have to pull my lip over my braces when I want to close my mouth again.

Driving home it really began to hurt, and probably foolishness on my behalf believing I would be faced with a lesser evil by having the expander taken out and just the braces, made me a bit upset.

So I introduce to you, my Organometallic Mouth

Metal Mouth

I was pretty exhausted during this day so I didn’t take the time to grab better quality photos. These were taken on a camera phone.

Smile?

Side View

Side View

With the braces on I can actually see how crooked they are by the archwire. Because of my fangs sticking out, the metal and wires are in the way of my lip so it is getting quite sore. Wax hasn’t seemed to work very well compared to the expander. It keeps falling off because the brackets are so small.  And pressing it on is a problem because the pain is quite bad. My teeth already feel loose!

Dinner was ok. I had beef tortellini which due to the expander I have learnt to swallow whole! I’m glad the expander has given me an opportunity to develop a way to eat that works for me. I also had yoghurt which was awesome and cooling on my sore mouth.

We’ll see how it goes tomorrow with better photos.

Exhausted,

Metal Mouth Miss M

Rapid Palatal Expander: Day 60 (Final Day)

Treatment Status: Rapid Palatal Expander (Day 60)
Discomfort: Ulcer on the roof of my mouth, next to expander bars, front right side tooth is very tender.
Mood: Eager yet worried

Tomorrow is the day I end my journey with my Rapid Palatal Expander. I’ve just gotten used to having it, and there were times I forgot it was in my mouth, but not longer.

It is good timing though. I’m starting to get an ulcer or something on the roof of my mouth from the expander. It is very tender and sore. It is going to be such a relief when I am finally separated from this thing.  I can’t even imagine how I would be if I had to go through the whole 4 months. Lets hope I have similar luck with my braces which I am getting tomorrow.

So I present you the last set of photos featuring my RPE: 

RPE Day 60

Farewell RPE. Thank you for expanding my palate, and helping me get a broader, more attractive smile…

Teeth Reunited

The most significant change since my last post would be from my two front teeth…they are back together! The gap is gone! No more whistling throught them while talking, and no huge bits of food getting stuck in between. But they were easier to floss though haha. They look like they were before my treatment. The one on the right is quite sore though.

RPE Day 60

 My front teeth and my bottom teeth also meet now when I close my mouth like this.

RPE Day 60

My other teeth around the two at the front seem to have come down a little lower down now, too.

Right Side View

 This is the side that sloped in more. When you compare this one to the next photo you will see the difference. There is still a bit of a slope and a bit of work here for the braces to clear up.

Here’s the left side:

Left Side

See what I mean? The teeth are more even horizontally, where on the other side it seems to arch up a bit. I’m impressed how this side has turned out.

My Bite

Here is my bite again. It is looking more normal. Deep bite is non existant at the moment. Hoping it stays that way.

No more closed mouth smile...

And another thing, I can’t smile with my mouth closed anymore! No more hiding teeth… on the left of this photo you can also see one of my fangs that stick out. When I close my mouth like that it always sticks out!

Goodbye Expander…thank you for all you have done for me. It has been an experience.

Tomorrow, helloooo Damon 3 Braces!

Love,  

Miss M