Revisiting adolescence through orthodontia

oops

2010-01-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

After almost 2 months of “perfect attendance”, I forgot my retainer this morning. Hopefully I survive until the end of the day. I’m too far from home to go back, but I feel “naked” without it. I am one of those odd people that really likes their retainer – I feel more secure with it!

Other than that, all is well. Loving the braces-free life!

Smile!

2009-12-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

It just occurred to me that I posted a decent photo on Facebook last night and that it might go well here too! :) I don't think I ever noticed before that I tend to smile more on one side of my mouth than the other - I'm trying to pay attention and make it more event... Oh well. This was at a belly dance thing yesterday afternoon...

I have been pretty good about wearing the upper retainer. It's not uncomfortable and sometimes I even forget that it's there. The real issue for me is eating in the car... I do that a lot because I'm on the go quite a bit. So, rather than dig out the retainer case, I've been just setting the retainer on my lap...and then completely forgetting it, getting out the car and walking away. So far, I've been able to find it each time - on the floor of the drivers side, next to the curb (in the dark!) at my parents' house, etc. Eek. I do the same thing with my cell phone sometimes - I'm lucky that nothing ever breaks!

First real winter day of snow today and a blizzard forecast for tomorrow. Fun!

retained

2009-11-11T08:16:00.001-08:00

The bottom braces are OFF! Naturally, I forgot to pretreat with ibuprofen, so it HURT when the gal snapped off those last few brackets, but I’m not complaining (too much). She cleaned the teeth off really well, then glued on a wire to the back of my bottom teeth. I’m aware that this is in leui of a removable bottom retainer, but I’m not sure if it’s permanent. Probably. She also fitted my upper retainer. Wow, this thing is so much more comfy than the one I had in college, the first time my mom tried to convince me to brace up. It’s not bothering me at all, other than the taste/smell. Ever drank nail polish remover? That’s what this reminds me of… well, what I imagine drinking it would be like… I’ve never tried it either. J I brushed it really well when I stopped at home, but it still smells. Hopefully that’s just the “new retainer smell” and will fade.

My orthodontist’s office recently bought a Flip camcorder and has been shooting little “thank-you” video clips for the newly-debraced to send home. Children send them to their parents, but they sent mine to my hubbie. I look ridiculous, but I’m sure he thought it was cute. Basically you just grin into the camera and say “thank for putting up with all my whining!” He’s buying me sushi tonight, and I’m so looking forward to not having it stuck all over my teeth!

I go back in 10 weeks to see if my retainer is doing its job and to get final photos taken. I’m post some before that, but I didn’t have time this morning…today I’m going to pop out this retainer and indulge in some long-missed junk food. Crunch ‘N Munch, Cheez-its (could have eaten those, but hated cleaning all the gunk off), Jolly Ranchers, and Sour Patch Kids! A couple days of this and then back to the diet… I did bring a nice juicy red pear for a snack as well – something healthy to bite into!

As I was typing this, my dentist’s office called. They have an opening tomorrow and can move my cleaning up from next week. 5 minutes later, they called back to confirm. Apparently, the second receptionist didn’t realize that the first one had just called. At least they’re thorough… J

weird, but wonderful

2009-11-03T10:41:00.001-08:00

Top braces are off! And most of the bottom, too, actually. All of my brackets are gone except for the bottom front 6. Dr. Weber and crew then sand-blasted all the glue off (well, that’s what it felt like!) and even lightly sanded the bottom of my two front teeth to smooth out the ridges that have always been there. I go back next Wednesday to get my retainers and have them yank off these last 6 brackets.

For those of you close to the end – it didn’t hurt like I was worried that it would. There was a little big of a twinge on the front teeth when they pull them off, but it’s not that bad. If you are worried like me, pre-treat with ibuprofen. I didn’t do that today and didn’t have any ill effects. I might next week though, because I was told the bottom front ones are more sensitive. They left those brackets on for an extra week because those teeth have the shortest roots and are most prone to shifting. Best to wait until I have the retainers ready.

Before I left, Dr. Weber’s team presented me with a gift bag of all the foods I was supposed to avoid while in braces. J Popcorn, sunflower seeds, peanuts, tootsie rolls, bubble gum, suckers, and taffy. Nice! What I really want is an apple and a Snickers. J

I have these remaining brackets completely encased in wax – the now-exposed remaining wire is really digging into my lip. I see no reason to tough it out – it’ll be “wax on” for the rest of the week.

I tell ya, though – this is the most awesome and weird feeling ever – and I love it!

The sun will come out...

2009-11-02T17:46:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow! Upper braces come off tomorrow! Did I mention that I'm getting the upper ones off tomorrow??? Yea!
5 bucks say that I am too excited to sleep tonight, wake up in a fog, and drive halfway to work before I remember the appointment.

Anyways, last night of elastic-ing the mouth shut before bed! (btw, I tilted my head in this show - I don't think my mouth is this lopsided anymore!)

In the chair

2009-10-26T12:16:00.001-07:00

Blogging from the orthodontist chair - my new phone rocks. Upper debanding next Tuesday!

and on and on and on

2009-10-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

Meh. 5 more weeks. Well, 3 weeks to check on my progress – Dr. Weber wants to see two teeth on the right side move a little closer together. Then another week until they take off the top brackets. Then yet another week until they have my retainers ready, at which time they will take off my bottom brackets, and I’m done.

I had sort of hoped to have these things off before our big Halloween show, but oh well. Better to get them as good as possible than to rush for vanity’s sake (yeah, still trying to convince myself of that!).

The receptionist asked me if there was any particular food that I was craving. I thought that was odd – I suppose she meant hard or chewy candy or something, especially since it’s October and so close to Halloween and all the sticky food that goes along with this creepy holiday… I told her hot wings – I haven’t been able to eat them well, without pulling the meat off the bones. But then again, at the point, I hadn’t have breakfast yet, so anything sounded great!

The light! Can you see it?

2009-09-24T18:42:00.001-07:00

The one at the end of this long orthodontic tunnel? It's on! I went in for my orthodontist appointment this afternoon. There was no discussion of delays due to my infection. The infection which has miraculously (finally) felt better the past two days... Instead, the assistant snipped off my back wires, wrapped my front brackets in thinner wire, and showed me how to use my finishing elastics! Yea! She told me I'd wear them for 3 weeks at night, but Dr. Weber came over and told me two weeks. So, I go back on the 5th of October, and then I'll probably have 2-3 more weeks after that and then I'm D-O-N-E.

My ow-ies are not gone, but they don't hurt nearly as bad. I haven't worn wax since Tuesday night (mostly because I ran out). They did, however, get rubbed open and bled all over the poor lady's hands and instruments while she was trying to put the elastics on... oops. Not that I could have controlled it, but I'm sure she was just as grossed out as I was. Ew. Dr. Weber had her take photos of the infected spots, so that they could compare them next time to see if it's not getting better. He thinks I'm somehow getting them caught in my teeth/brackets, because they are not flat against my cheeks, but raised - and may have to be taken off...which sounds painful. Hopefully not.

But nonetheless, almost done! Almost done! Almost done! Yea!

the scoop on the goo

2009-09-23T08:11:00.001-07:00

Stephanie asked for more info on Gishy Goo. While no expert, I can at least link you to their website. www.gishygoo.com J I meant to take a picture of my stash but toss the empty syringe before thinking about it. It’s basically a “flavored, thixotropic, polyvinyl siloxane silicone elastomer” that you squeeze out, roll between your fingers and gob onto your brackets. It tastes really great and feels pretty darn good. I don’t like the fact that it’s opaque and therefore highly visible when I smile or talk. At least with wax, the person you’re talking to doesn’t necessarily know what they’re seeing! J But comfort becomes far more important than style when your face is being shredded by brackets, am I right?

I have no clue where you get this stuff other than from the orthodontist. It was the first time they’d offered it to me, so maybe it’s new?

I officially ran out of the goo last night, and am wax-free at the moment. That’ll last until I need to eat or have to speak in a meeting at work. I bought more wax, but am trying to see how long I can go without. Back to the ortho tomorrow afternoon to get a verdict on the state of my teeth.

possible delay

2009-09-21T10:42:00.001-07:00

OK, I’m getting nervous about this. My mouth is still not healing from whatever infection this is – the icky cankers are still there, despite a new medication. I’m told this one takes a while to work, but it has been an entire week. I ended up going in to see the orthodontist last Monday because I was still in a lot of pain, so they switched me to a different treatment. Ooh, and gave me Gishy Goo, which I’ve never tried before, but is quite nice as an alternative to wax. Gotta love anything bubble-gum flavored. But still… this is going on 3 weeks now and I haven’t been able to floss much or wear my rubber bands…which undoubtedly means that I’m delaying my “release date”. I am scheduled at the ortho this Thursday to get the last route of torturous rubber bands and stuff put on, but I’m guessing that Weber will push it off until I’m less swollen and pained. Which means that everything gets pushed back. Ugh.

I just can’t figure out what I did to cause this. Surely it’s something I did or didn’t do…too many tomatoes? Too little of one vitamin or another? Who knows…

freak show

2009-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

So, apparently I am just a freak of nature. I saw the surgeon this morning (my xrays look great!) and he confirmed that it was highly unusual for anyone to get an infection like this. That means I’m incredibly lucky right? Maybe I should also play the lottery. Ugh. That would explain why Google wasn’t finding me very much information on “infected canker sores”. Great.

However, 5 days into my course of antibiotics, my mouth does feel better, so that’s a plus. I pulled off all my wax last night, brushed and rinsed really well and carefully applied my night-time rubber bands (the first time in a week). I did not, of course, remember to put on lip balm or anything, so my lips managed to stick themselves together during the night and when I unpeeled them this morning, I bled all over the sink. Sorry, TMI. The lip balm is now ON, permanently! Hopefully this will all be even better by tomorrow night, when we go out to celebrate my birthday. Because I would like more sushi, not soup, for dinner. J

go figure

2009-09-06T12:56:00.001-07:00

Well, at least I'm not just paranoid, or overly wimpy. My fun little canker sores (both sides of my mouth, top and bottom) seem to be infected; I just came from the Urgent Care place up the street, where the doctor said "Wow!", tested me for yeast (ew) and prescribed a course of antibiotics for the next 10 days. I went from "normal wear-and-tear" spots that you get when your braces hit a new spot on your cheeks to horribly inflamed and white (ie pus-filled) sores that hurt so bad every time I move my mouth that I can hardly talk. Eating has not been fun, but fortunately for some reason, brushing doesn't hurt. My throat was feeling swollen yesterday, so we decided that it was bad enough to get checked out.

I don't get it - this has never happened before, so I don't know what I did differently this time to let them get all icky like this. :( Oh well, at least antibiotics will also clear up my skin, however temporarily!

The best thing (braces-wise) about having a pharmacist for a husband: homemade magic mouthwash...

I'm such a baby, I would suck on my thumb...if it didn't hurt.

2009-09-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

I hurt, I hurt, I hurt, I HURT! Gah, it feels like my braces have razor blades attached to them. I hope that something isn’t really really wrong. I don’t think I’ve ever had this much damage done to the inside of my mouth in a 3 day period. I even gave in and put wax on yesterday; I’ve really tried not to use the wax any more than necessary and am actually still on the first little container of wax that Dr. Weber gave me in Jan 08. I didn’t put any on today but I’m leaning in that direction. This is horrible. Did I mention that I hurt? Please feel sorry for me; my pity party is getting lonely. :P

still moving

2009-09-02T07:30:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning to the taste of blood; one of the brackets in the front not only rubbed my cheek raw during my sleep, it apparently ripped it open. Ow. Not the best start to the day. I’m drinking my coffee through a straw in hopes of not soaking my wound in French vanilla creamer; sucking on the straw hurts too, but I figure it feels better than eating will… L I suppose this is all a sign that the braces are still doing their magic – my cheeks should be fully callused against the old position of my teeth, so any new injury tells me that something has moved.

ouch!

2009-09-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have a tooth that hurts so bad – like “I have a cavity that will need a root-canal” bad. This is the part (well, OK, one of the many parts) or this ordeal that I hate the most. The horrifying feeling that something bad has happened to my teeth that will require more (expensive) treatment. Usually it turns out to just be some movement of the tooth that is causing the pain and/or sensitivity, but until the pain subsides, it’s impossible to tell. I’m sure it’s just the nighttime rubber bands pulling on this particular tooth that is the problem, but still… ouch. L I want it to stop!

I have an appointment with my surgeon next week to get X-rays and see if I’m “all good” (ie if he’s finished with me), and an orthodontist appointment two weeks later to get the final “stuff” done – I’m not sure what all they do, but it’s the last step in this process before removal, or so I was promised… J

nothing much

2009-08-27T09:17:00.001-07:00

Thanks are quiet in my braces-covered world. Or, mainly, I’ve just gotten whiny and haven’t wanted to fill a blog with complaints. I’m ready for this to be over! I know its just a few months more, but man, it’s dragging. What’d’ya do, though, right? Just wait…

Chin and lower lip are still pretty numb. Occasional tingles and I do notice when I managed to bite my lip instead of my sandwich, but otherwise, nothing.

Sigh…OK, I’m logging off before I get too Debbie Downer about this again! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Closer!

2009-08-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

The unofficial word from Dr. Weber was 3 to 3 1/2 more months. I go back in 8 weeks for my "finishing bands" (which the girl warned me are horrible! Anyone have any tips?). Ooh, and I got most of my hooks off. And got to floss sans wires while she took them off. Yea!

So, not before my birthday, but at least before Christmas! :)

update from my surgeon

2009-08-02T21:09:00.001-07:00

Totally forgot to mention that I saw Dr. Desa last week - he was extremely enthusiastic about how I am healing and thought that I should be very close to done with the braces (oh, how I wish it was his decision!).

I told him that a lot of my friends here were having similar experiences, so I wasn't so nervous that my progress was anything but normal. He was highly intrigued about the whole world of braces/surgery blogging....

Anyways, appointment with the ortho on Tuesday, at which I'm supposed to get some of these surgical posts off - hurray!

Ooh, and I won a limbo contest last night...after I cleared the last bar, someone told me to try even lower...I did, and smack my tooth on the bar. Ow. That's what I get for showing off!

for-e-ver

2009-07-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

Ugh, these things are never coming off, are they? I had my first trip back to the orthodontist since my surgery. Dr. Weber said I looked pretty good, then slapped some thicker rubber bands on my teeth and sent me on my way. I have one on the left that is to stay on all the time, and one on the right to wear at night. I didn’t even ask if he could estimate my “release date”. I am so ready for this to be over. It’ll be 18 months this week. I don’t want to be 30 With Braces, but the chances of getting them off within the next two months before my birthday aren’t looking so promising. Grrr…

My top lip is mostly back, but my bottom is still numb. For the most part, I’m eating pretty good, but a lot of food is upsetting my stomach – I much eat TOO well on Fridays because the last two Saturdays I’ve felt like ripping my stomach out. I missed the whole holiday on Saturday – my husband grilled 16 hamburgers and 12 brats for our family, and I didn’t get even one, I was so sick. But on the plus side, I’m still losing weight…it’s just not much fun! J

I’m changing the name of this blog to “My Adventures in WHINING About Adult Braces.” Sorry.

chewing, kind of

2009-06-29T08:44:00.001-07:00

At my appointment on Friday with Dr. Desa, he encouraged me to ramp up the chewing and work on my range of motion, so Friday night I had pizza and Saturday I had steak. OK, it was teeny tiny pieces of steak but nonetheless. Ah, progress. Unfortunately my poor tummy wasn’t prepared for the pizza… if you’re not there yet, please proceed with caution when you add things back into your diet!

weird

2009-06-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

OK, so I've emailed a couple of posts here, and they didn't ever show up. Just in case anyone thinks I've totally gone MIA; I haven't, I just apparently wasn't getting through. That's annoying.
Mouth is still mostly numb. Also annoying. Eating better, but still not back to normal. Lots of pasta...
I need to catch up on everyone's progress, but I also need to sleep, so I'll be back...soon!

mmm...food

2009-06-05T07:13:00.001-07:00

I had my 4 week checkup with Dr. Engel (Dr. Desa’s partner) on Wednesday and he told me to start leaving my rubber bands off during the day and to start incorporating soft foods in to my diet. I wasn’t sure, so I thought I’d better wait…about 15 minutes or however long it took my to drive to the grocery store and order a slice of meatloaf and two big scoops of mashed potatoes and mac’ n’ cheese from the deli. I ate it in my car in the parking lot, covering myself with towels and using the mirror on the visor for aim. This was not because I was super starving, but because I didn’t have time to go home and eat before driving back across town for dance practice… Got about half the meal down and thought it was best to stop so I didn’t hurt myself during rehearsal…but even though I wasn’t super-full, I also forgot what a number a drastic diet change can do on your digestive system…from 4 weeks of completely liquid diet to a big meal of meat and starches…the rumblings began! Eek. So, if you find yourself in this position, take my advice, and go slow!

The nice thing was that eating only half the meal, I had leftover for work the next day. Mmm…

The bills have started rolling in. My insurance has picked up 90% of the hospital bills, but have yet to approve the surgeon’s charges…hopefully we can get that resolved soon and without too much grief – I just don’t have that kind of change laying around.

creepy feeling

2009-06-02T06:57:00.001-07:00

Last night as I lay awake due to the rapid fire of nerves in my cheeks and chin, I wondered what it will feel like with the inside of my mouth wakes back up. I didn’t realize that my palate and gums were numb until I put food in my mouth and noticed that I couldn’t feel it and didn’t know if I was trying to chew the food (a small piece of cheese in this case) or my cheek. J Well, of course, no sooner do I have this thought that I learn how it will feel. Like a spider crawling across the roof of my mouth! Eek! I guess the nerves there are rousing themselves now too… Progress, yes…pleasant, no.

I became so fed up with the liquid diet yesterday that when I swung through Sonic to get a shake, I also grabbed some tator tots…which I then proceeded to break apart, flatten, and stuff into my mouth, only to push them around with my tongue until I could swallow them. Oh, the salt was so good… J

life on the liquid diet

2009-05-29T09:05:00.001-07:00

I’ve had a lot of people at work ask me what I’ve been subsisting on the past few weeks… While I started off with a lot of Slimfast and Ensure, I can only handle so much sweetness (and so much dairy). I am also in love with Naked fruit smoothies, especially the Mango (which I can get in ½ gallon jugs) and the Strawberry-Banana… Once again, that’s a lot of sweet. Life got a whole lot better when I realized how well canned soups blend up – for Memorial Day “grilling out”, I pureed a can of Campbell’s Chunky Steak and Baked Potato soup – heavenly. My favorite right now (it’s even today’s lunch) is the Chunky Chicken and Corn Chowder. Oh, so good. J I haven’t really been able to make myself do too much with protein powder or any other “healthy” (yet medicinal) products…I am super-duper picky and if I even get a bad thought about a food item, I can’t make myself eat it. I still can’t eat applesauce 20 years after my mom crushed a pill into it for me to eat (I had a hard time swallowing pills) – it tasted so bad that I still get that horrified sensation just thinking about applesauce…

I suppose the soup is also the reason that I haven’t lot THAT much weight. J A good or bad thing, depending on your perspective. I lost 10 pounds pretty rapidly, but I hit a plateau as I started dancing again and returned to work – the extra activity really spiked my appetite, so I’m eating a lot more.

Did I mention the crazy dream I had a week or so ago? I’ve been having a lot of weird dreams lately (even without the pain meds!)… In this one, my bottom braces fell off. I went to the ortho and they told me that I didn’t need them anymore and not to worry about it. Then I go home and look in the mirror…and realize that only the wire fell out and I still have all the bottom brackets…and I now have 3 ROWS of bottom teeth, like some sort of alien. And they’re still crooked. Eek!

back to the grind

2009-05-28T05:54:00.001-07:00

Not having a pleasant week. On top of the "tingles" (which feel more like electric shocks sometimes), I had to go back to work...which is less of a distraction from my face and more of a complication. :P So tired and cranky this week!

On a good note, though, I did find these little disposable toothbrush thingies that are small enough to fit into my mouth and reach my back teeth. Phew! I feel so much better when I can brush! They were kinda pricey, but worth it during this hellish period of not being able to get my regular brush in my mouth without pain...

More advice please!

2009-05-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

OK, I have more questions for "those who have gone before me". Yeah, I'm sure I could have asked my surgeon, but I forgot and he just left for India for 3 weeks... So:

How long does it take these dissolvable sutures to actually dissolve?

How do you handle the whole oral hygiene aspect of this? I was told I was OK to brush my teeth, but it hurts to try to open my mouth wide enough to really do this, plus the toothpaste burns when it hits certain areas of my mouth! I spent the first two weeks just rinsing the heck out of my mouth with the Rx solution I was given and/or water as needed and brushing my tongue with a flat tongue brush. The Rx solution is known to really cause stains on the teeth, so I'm worried about that. I did manage to brush really well the other day, but like I said, it hurt and burned. Not fun! Any tips?

Oh, and if any of you liquid dieters have a Camille's Sidewalk Cafe nearby, their Tuscan Tomato soup and Banana Split smoothies are excellent! We treated ourselves to takeout last night...

2 Week Check-up

2009-05-21T14:08:00.001-07:00

Just returned from my second visit with Dr. Desa, post-surgery. He said I look fabulous (well, those are my words) and that my bite is great. I can ditch the outer-most rubber bands that I was wearing, and just wear the two up front. I had told him that the two outer ones kept disappearing during the night - either snapping or slipping off. He said I didn't need them. Yea! As for food, I will continue to drink my breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next two weeks, then start in on the soft foods for two weeks and then I should be good to eat most anything (avoiding super hard stuff, but I do that anyway because of the braces). I have another checkup in two weeks and four weeks...

My main complaint today is that my eye is watering. I'm assuming it's because I'm still a little puffy under the eyes and so the near contact is causing me to tear up. It's not all the time, but when it does happen, it's freaking annoying! :P Oh, well...

It's been a lovely day really. I had my first cup of coffee in two weeks (and spilled most of it on my shirt), but had enough energy and time to really get some stuff done - laundry, gardening, other yardwork, sorting through papers and picking up my office...it's been nice to feel almost normal!

As you can see here (aside from my lovely gardening sunburn), I'm still a little swollen in the nose and cheeks, but not nearly as bad as before. The feeling is coming back as well. I am still numb in the lips, chip, nose, and parts of my cheeks (mainly the center of my face) but everything is tingling away and I don't think it will be that much longer. I want my lips back - the whole food and drink on chin thing is getting old!

check-up

2009-05-15T12:03:00.001-07:00

Well, my first week post-surgery check-up with Dr. Desa was short and sweet. He poked around my gums, squeezed my cheeks and sent me on my way, more or less. He said I look "good", which I'm assuming is a relative term. I don't think I look "good" by any means. I look like a swollen muppet. But maybe that's just me. He said the swelling would continue to go down (phew) and that I should call him if it got worse (meaning I have an infection) and to keep wearing the rubber bands and eating. So, yeah, nothing too exciting. i go back in next week for a second (and I assume last) check-up, and then I'll be released back to my orthodontist's care.

need advice from those who have been there before me...

2009-05-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Post-Surgery Pals - question: I've been spitting a little bit of blood. Not a lot, but I'm not sure where it's coming from and wondering if other people had the same issue after surgery. I have my next appointment with Dr. Desa tomorrow and will bring it up with him, but my DH suggested I ask you all for advice.
I'm thinking it's from my nose. I'm pretty congested and figure it's the constant sniffling brought about my by Claritin D that's causing my nose to be extra dry. And since my nose is still pretty swollen and numb, naturally it would drain into my throat instead of, well, coming out my nose.

Today was the first day of near-normalcy. I slept in, but have actually been up and at the computer most of the day, working on the Jr. League yearbook (I'm the editor this upcoming year). It would be really nice to get it all done while on sick leave, but I'm guessing that I won't be all my reports in time... Now I'm going to drive (first time all week) to the library and to the Jr. League retail store to make some deliveries. And I'm thinking about getting a milkshake. Despite the lack of hunger, everything I've had this week has been pretty darn healthy. Time for something fun. Then back home to to laundry, my half of the household chores (aren't I lucky - he does the kitchen and bathrooms, I vacuum and dust), and maybe sew something. We did take a nice long walk with the dog last night (hour-plus) so maybe I'll try that again this evening... Who knows...the driving alone will probably make me nap-ready before 4 p.m. :)

Bruising

2009-05-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm turning yellow...

I'm attempting to smile in this one. Can you tell?

is it over yet?

2009-05-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I knew this was going to suck, but man... The only thing on tv all day are food ads. If I see one more Whopper Jr. ad, I'm going to attempt to scream (now exactly sure I'd make any noise at this point).

Tuesday night, the DH and went to a Science Cafe (basic concept is that they bring a scientist/doctor/etc to a bar and give a lecture while we drink - love it). This week was about the Science of Attractiveness. Generally speaking, the more symmetrical your face, the more attractive people will fine you. You know what? I am not attractive right now - the right side of my face seems far more swollen. There is definitely no symmetry.

I know, I'm just whining and feeling sorry for myself, and I'm going to be very happy with the results, post-swelling. Sorry to complain. Going back to bed... :) Happy Saturday everyone.

some pics

2009-05-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 6 - contemplating last cheeseburger...

Mmm..gonna miss this for a while

Thursday, May 7, Pre-surgery:

Friday, May 8, post-surgery:

The DH got a little drowsy too...

home...

2009-05-08T17:26:00.001-07:00

Surgery went well, I'm told. Pretty swollen and stiff today. I was
discharge from the hospital at about 1:30 and then had to stop by my
surgeon's office for a quick checkup.

I'm on the mini laptop in bed, but as soon as I feel up to digging my
camera out my bag, I'll post a few photos...a couple of Happy Aimee
with her last cheeseburger and a couple of me in the hospital, pre and
post op. I am so swollen, I look like Cameron Diaz...as Priness
Fiona from Shrek! One the bruising kicks in and the color is correct,
Ill be totally Fiona-fied!

--
Aimeé Owen

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. ~Kurt Vonnegut

thanks!

2009-05-06T21:14:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all the well wishes. The cheeseburger for lunch was great. The frozen mini pizza for dinner was awful, so my DH went and got me some Pizza Hut breadsticks at like 10:30 tonight. (I have until midnight, right?) I think I'm ready. OK, that's a lie! But I am tired, so I think my day is over...

Last day of eating for a while...

2009-05-06T05:23:00.001-07:00

I should have put makeup on before snapping this photo. Wow, my face is pink first thing in the morning! Well, there are my beautiful surgical posts. They sure make sushi fun last night, and my lips are torn up this morning. Oh, course, having used barely any wax in the past 16 months, I'm not about to start now.
Today is the last day of chewing, so my work buddies are taking me to Stella's, this awesome little hole-in-the-wall hamburger stand. They serve the burgers on napkins! :) Can't wait!
Then, I'll head to my last dance practice for a while, and try to get some major shimmy time in while I can...

I've been waiting so long for this - I can't believe it's tomorrow!

hooked

2009-05-05T20:11:00.001-07:00

My surgical hooks were put on today. The assistant that tried to put them on last week was giving tips to the one that actually did it today. Nice. :)

Two more days! Starting to get nervous... My wonderful husband took several days off work, and had been setting up our bedroom with the DVR so I can have more cable TV than necessary. :)

I grilled myself a big steak last night, had sushi tonight, and am going for huge greasy cheeseburgers with the work crowd tomorrow... I swear, I've put on 10 pounds in the past two weeks, but it should come right off...

kinda mean, i'nit?

2009-04-30T12:20:00.001-07:00

My dentist’s office gave me a “goodie bag” after my cleaning last week…the usual toothbrush, toothpaste, floss…and bubble gum. WTF. What kind of jerk puts gum in the bag of a patient with braces? That’s just cruel.

OK, I get that it’s a standard bag and it wasn’t done intentionally. I just think it’s kind of funny. J

7 more days

2009-04-30T05:35:00.001-07:00

I keep starting posts in my email and then running out of time to finish, so that last one was actually written days ago. We got the paid leave situation settled, went grocery shopping for some things that will resemble food, and right now I'm concentrating on eating/chewing everything around me and doing as much activity as I can. I am currently late for work, 'cause I stayed out too late at a concert and then had to get up 3 times in the night with our dog... So tired!

9 more days...

2009-04-30T05:33:00.001-07:00

I had my pre-surgical visit with Dr. Desa, my surgeon yesterday. We took photos, xrays, molds and impressions, and he walked me through the surgical procedures. Next Thursday I will go to the hospital for a LeFort osteotomy to correct my maximiliar hyperplasic and a sagglital split osteotomy to correct my mandibular hypoplasia. Big words = they're cutting my bones and moving them around.

Dr. D. went over all the risks involved and answered all of my questions - what should I eat or not eat (soft foods and liquid, but no restrictions like I had with my tonsillectomy), do I need syrings to eat (yes and they gave me a couple, will my nose move or change? Dr. D. seems surprised by that last one -apparently no one ever asks, but yes, it will move a little, but he'll be careful. He's also going to clean out my si

Earlier in the day, however, I got a frantic call from my boss's boss. My paid medical leave from work had been denied! Turns out that Dr. Desa's office had yet to send in their half of the paperwork and it was due last week... I think we have that straightened out now - I sure hope so, 'cause my dear sweet husband was not thrilled about the idea of me NOT getting paid. Eek. Me neither.

The countdown has begun...

2009-04-24T18:16:00.001-07:00

My surgery is now 2 weeks away! Eek! I'm starting to get nervous...but still very excited. Mostly for the "vacation" from work, which is also very hectic right now.

My last couple of weeks:

So, after rescheduling my dentist appointment to June, I visited with Dr. Weber, my ortho...who instructed me to schedule a cleaning. Blah. Yeah, just did that...for after the surgery, and now I need one beforehand. Well, the dentist is booked, so I get on the cancellation list. Here are my issues for this particular sitaution: I live on one side of Omaha, and work on another (about a 20 mile commute). My ortho is near my house, my dentist is near my work...in order to get my teeth cleaned, I'm going to have to: wait for a cancellation (holding breath), get an appointment, go to the ortho to have wires removed, go to dentist for cleaning, go back to ortho to have wires replaced. Good times. Considering the fact that cancellation means "short notice", I'm guessing the changes of me getting an appointment that doesn't involve driving from work side of town to ortho side of town and back and forth, are slim to none.

Am I right? Yep. The dentist called Wednesday with a cancelled appointment. Well, first of all, I actually miss the call, notice is on the Caller ID, call back, and am told that I missed out and they've already booked the appt. Great. but they call back minutes later with another time. Thursday (yesterday), 10:15. Fine, except that I'll already be at work at the time, so I'm going to have to stop into the ortho before leaving for the morning. OK. Call the ortho - the earliest they can get me in is 8:25. Not OK. I should be at work by 8, so this is highly inconvenient and cutting into my vacation time! Oh, well. I make the best of the morning, get up early, get a much-needed early bird special oil change for my car, and hit the ortho.

Orthodontist assistant: "Hi Aimee! Do you know why you're here today?"
Me: "Yes, I'm getting my teeth cleaned today, so I need my wires popped out."
OA: "Uh-huh." (distractedly).
5 minutes last, after she has pulled my bottom wire halfway out, then started attaching things and putting it back in, I realize that I might know why I'm there, but she obviously doesn't. I'm trying to peek at my chart on the monitor and see something about pre-surgery prep. She's putting my surgical hooks on.

Me: "um, aren't you going to take the wires out? I'm just here to get the wires taken off for the day so I can get my teeth thoroughly cleaned."
OA: (blank stare) "Oh. I guess you said that. Let me see here... Your chart doesn't mention that." Then she rereads the chart and decided that she's reading the instruction for my next appointment....

So my 2 minutes ortho appt took 15. Oh, well.

At the dentist a few hours later...I'm sitting in the waiting room. I know that my regular appointment isn't for another month. I know that I just want my teeth cleaned because my insurance won't pay for this appointment and I can't afford a full checkup out of pocket. Yes, I know! I also know I can hear the receptionist and the dental hygienist talking about me like I'm not sitting 3 feet away from them.

After a slightly painful cleaning, I have extremely clean teeth. Stopping at the desk to pay, the receptionist pulls up my insurance again...and realizes that it would have paid for the whole checkup and will indeed pay for this cleaning. Oh. Well!

It was an irritating day, tooth-wise. Just little things, but the little things are the ones that really sting!

But that's OK - less than 2 weeks to go. Right now, I'm brushing, flossing, and eating everything in sight while I still can...

scheduling...

2009-04-06T06:22:00.001-07:00

My dentist sends me a reminder postcard when I have a checkup coming up. So I get my postcard in the mail this weekend…my appointment is May 21. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be ready to have my teeth cleaned 2 weeks post-surgery. They can’t squeeze me in before surgery, so now I’m going on June 15. Hopefully that will be enough time…

Continuing uneventfulness here. My braces are boring. Not that I should complain…

The braces return to Mexico

2009-04-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

Yes, I’m a slacker blogger again. It’s been super insanely busy lately, with work and all the other fun stuff that I do. My belly dance troupe broke up and we’re working to establish a new one, plus my dear sweet husband insisted that we take a few days off and go to Cancun. Well, if we must. So last week we took off for a couple of days at a beach resort, where we ate, drank, and sat on the beach to just relax – a very nice change of pace. Naturally, upon returning home, the craziness just started up again and it’s been nonstop ever since.

My surgery date is still set for May 7 – 5 weeks from tomorrow!

I've got a date!

2009-02-23T15:12:00.001-08:00

May 7. Whoo-hoo, coming right up. Today I met with Dr Desa, my surgeon, to see if he agrees with Dr. Weber that I'm surgery-ready, and he does, so we picked a date. Yea!

I was so looking forward to this consultation, and was in an optimistic mood about the whole thing...before I stopped by the library. I had some time to kill before the appointment, so I stopped by my branch to pick up some books that were being held for me...and ran into one of the employees that just happens to be in my Managing Collections class. I mentioned the surgery consultation and she said she had the same surgery last summer...and spent 5 days in the hospital...after losing a ton of blood. Eek. Good mood? Gone! But Dr. Desa assured me that the chances of this happening to me were slim and he'd never had that problem with any of his patients. Phew. But I could give blood at the Red Cross if I wanted to, to be on the safe side. Ack!

The good news about my surgery date is that Dr. Desa thought I'd be well enough by the 16th to sit through a class, so I can sign up for summer school! (Who'da thunk I'd ever be excited about THAT?) :)

rescheduled

2009-02-16T19:08:00.001-08:00

Did I mention that I did not, in fact, meet with my surgeon last Monday? His office called to reschedule because, as it turns out, my surgeon needed surgery...on his foot. So he was going to be out that day, and did I mind waiting? What do you say to that? Um, no? :) So my appointment is now NEXT Monday, the 23rd. Maybe.

holy #$%$, ow!

2009-02-03T09:14:00.001-08:00

Why, after a year, does the amount of pain I feel after a new wire still surprise me??? Ow!

Hold, please.

2009-02-02T08:07:00.001-08:00

Had an appointment with Dr. Weber (orthodontist) this morning. They swapped out my bottom wire so that I have the same thick wire on both top and bottom now. It was really an ordeal for the poor OA to get the bottom wire in – seriously, like 10 minutes of pushing and tugging.

But Dr. Weber says I’m looking pretty good and recommended that I call Dr. Desa (surgeon) and set up an appointment. Which I’m doing right now. I’m on hold. Apparently, Dr. Desa appointment calendar is booked through March! Grrr…that doesn’t bode well for getting a May surgery date, huh? This will not improve my Monday morning mood. L

OK, that’s better – the receptionist couldn’t find my file at first and didn’t get why I was calling. File found, purpose of appointment established, appointment set for Feb 9! One week! J Yea! Mood on the upswing…

not being lazy

2009-01-29T20:21:00.001-08:00

I'm not being lazy with my posts, I just have nothing exciting to report. As usual. Man, who knew braces would be so boring? (Ok, put all your hands down - we all knew this!) I have an ortho appt on Monday, at which time I will hopefully be referred to my surgeon and we'll set a date. I would cross my fingers, but that makes it rather difficult to type... :) Till then...

huh, who knows...

2009-01-12T15:37:00.001-08:00

Amazingly, my stress level over the weekend went through the roof, but the cold sore never quite materialized. It felt like the start of one on Friday, but now there's really nothing happening there. I'm not complaining, mind you! Just a bit confused.

I hope everyone is staying warm! We're experiencing wonderful 45 mile-per-hour "breezes" with snow at the moment... You can barely see across the street! I'm staying in tonight... :)

1 Year!

2009-01-09T20:33:00.001-08:00

I got my braces one year ago today! Figures that I'd pick a leap year, huh? 366 days down...

And as an anniversary present to myself, I'm developing a cold sore on my lip. Ugh! I haven't had one for years and it hurts! Totally stress produced, I'm sure. But still. Ugh!

missed one

2008-12-26T10:07:00.001-08:00

I also have a big@ss sore on my right cheek. Must be moving a bit on the top! Ah, progress…

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T05:53:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone had a happy holiday! My first braced Christmas didn’t get in the way of me chowing down on everything in sight… J

I do have a sore tooth, though. My front-most right side tooth hurts really bad. (Someday I should learn the technical names for all my teethies, but oh well). I didn’t have too much pain after I got my new wires a couple of weeks back, but I also developed a nasty sinus infection and was on a ton of Advil, so that’s probably why I didn’t feel anything. Distraction! J

I've got the Power (chain)

2008-12-10T08:29:00.001-08:00

Yes, I am a HUGE blogging slacker. But honestly, there’s been nothing to report. Until today! I had an orthodontist appointment this morning… I dutifully dropped off my “teen-appropriate” gift for the clinic’s Salvation Army gift drive and took my seat for my adjustment. New wires on top and bottom – I forgot to ask the gage but they are BIG. The poor ortho assistant was having a heck of a top jamming them into my mouth. Replacing both wires means that I get an opportunity to totally floss my mouth, which is always a plus. The OA had to tie on of my bracket doors shut because it just wouldn’t close… hopefully that’s not a bad sign! Then, dundundun…out came the power-chain. Hold on a minute… no one mentioned that! I also have a couple of bands on the top wire in the front, wrapped around these nifty little posts that are preventing me from comfortably pulling down my top lip. Oh joy! ;) Both Dr. Weber and the OA even recommended that I really down the Advil, because I’m going to feel this today.

But it was all worth it when Dr. Weber said the magic words “I think we are close to thinking about surgery”. “How close is that?” I asked. “Oh, about 4 months.” 4 months! Yea! The end is near! I asked if May would work, since I’m taking some grad school classes this coming semester. Yep, that’ll work. At my next appointment in February, I’ll be referred to my surgeon. Woo-hoo!

I hope everyone is doing well. I plan to catch up with everyone’s progress this weekend – I’ve been posting via email because I’m just NEVER home – I’m a horrible online blogging buddy, I know! Ok, time for more pain relievers…

Brrr...ouch!

2008-11-09T15:56:00.001-08:00

Hmmm...do you know what does not feel good? Having metal bonded to
your teeth in wintry weather, especially if your teeth are already
cold-sensitive! Ouch! I learned this fun lesson while shivering my
way through the Nebraska-Kansas football game yesterday, and then
again today while running in the Bagel & Beer Run up and down the
sides of a ski slope. Holy crap! I'm going to have to invest in some
sort of heated mouthguard or something...'cause that would be
attractive... :-#

Happy Sunday everyone!

2008-10-30T08:05:00.001-07:00

Since I got my braces on, I’ve been marking the days off in my planner. Today is Day 297. Wow! Doesn’t that seem like a long time? Then I was flipping through my to-do list/general note-taking notepad that I keep in my purse and I found my notes from the original appointment with my orthodontist, Dr. Weber – it was over a year ago that I had my initial diagnostics done (Oct 16). Time is really flying by…just wish it would go a little faster! :-#

the pain, the pain

2008-10-16T20:58:00.001-07:00

Ugh. 5 bottom braces crow-barred off and reattached. My jaw hurts so
bad right now, and it's been two days (and many many ibuprofen)! And
to add insult to injury, I spaced on the state of my molars yesterday
and packed a salad for lunch. Um, yeah, can't chew that! :P

I hope everyone is having a better week than me!

Sorry, thought I'd whine to someone else besides my husband... :(

mmm...

2008-10-01T08:21:00.001-07:00

OK, I’m sure this is weird, but does anyone else just adore red peppers? I’m been munching on them all morning. They are crunchy without being too hard – perfect when you really need that texture, but won’t hurt your teeth. And they’re tasty! J

No new orthodontic news… I have my new appt on the 14^th to move some bottom brackets around, but other than that, my mouth is pretty boring at the moment…

instant pain - just add new wire

2008-09-15T10:36:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning, I turned on my trusty SonicCare toothbrush, ran it over my teeth, and OUCH!, hit a majorly sensitive tooth. It was one of my front bottom teeth, and man, I could barely touch it. By now, I should be used to such pain and not so concerned, but as usual, my brain had blocked out all previous painful experiences so this seemed horrible. What if it was a cavity? What if I’d injured the tooth? Augh!

Nope, it wasn’t so bad on Sunday and today is fine. Must have just moved a bit. Huh.

And of course, that tooth won’t bother me at all, now that I’ve got a new wire on the top teeth. O.M.G. The last new wire (bottom) didn’t bother me at all, even after they repositioned a bracket (which, come to think of it, was probably on the tooth that hurt on Saturday…hmmm…). I got a new rectangle 18.5 wire on top this morning, and less than 3 hours later, it is making itself known. Eek.

I go back in 4 weeks to have several more bottom brackets repositioned, or “repo’d” as the orthodontist’s assistant kept saying. I was a little worried that they were going to take them back for nonpayment… J The ortho was using big words like “gingial” and “mesial”…huh? Oh, well. Whatever does the trick!

mouthwash problems

2008-09-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

So, earlier this year, in an attempt to buy an alcohol-free (and therefore less-stinging) mouth rinse, I purchased a big bottle of the Crest Pro Health stuff. Naturally, being the total noncommittal type person that I am, I’ve used it like 6 times. My DH, on the other hand, started working his way through the bottle a month or so ago. He emailed me this week claiming that his bottom teeth have turned brown and that there have been numerous reports this year of this particular mouthwash causing stains.

Has anyone else had this issue? I suppose if I’d used it like I was supposed to (oops), I might be having the same problem, but I also wonder if I’d have noticed because of the brackets… Oh, well, back to good ol’ burns-like-fire Listerine for us!

mmm...apples

2008-09-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

Mmm…my CSA share this week included some apples. I don’t think I’ve had an apple since I got my braces on, partially because I try to buy local fruit and they haven’t been in season until now, and also because I wasn’t sure if I could handle them… but I can. Me and my trusty paring knife.

I finally got to sit down last night and catch up on the other braces blogs that I follow. Wow, it sounds like a lot of people are having a difficult go of it right now. Hang in there, guys! It’ll get better. Whether you’re having insurance problems or surgery complications (or just irritated gums) I’m rooting for you!

Owwww...

2008-09-04T06:27:00.001-07:00

Must be moving again on the top row. My top lip isn’t fitting properly over my teeth this week. My poor cheeks are all scratched up and I’ve had some tooth pain. I suppose I should be happy! :-# I have my next orthodontist appt in approximately 11 days. I can’t believe it’s been almost 8 months! Dr. Weber told me it’d take 12-16 months to get “surgery-ready” so that puts me in the January –May timeframe (a large window, I know).

I hope everyone else is doing well. I haven’t been home much lately, so I desperately need to do some catch-up reading on my braces-buddies’ blogs…

no news...is no news

2008-08-27T07:53:00.001-07:00

Nothing much happening on the braces front. I have an ortho appt in September to get new wires, but other than that, it’s pretty boring… Sad that all the brackets and wires feel…normal. I no longer have trouble eating anything in general and I’ve become (probably annoyingly) comfortable at picking at my teeth in public. (Ew…) J I hope everyone is having as easy (and as boring) a time as me with this whole experience. This is less like an exciting adventure and more like just waiting in traffic. I’ll get there eventually but right now I’m going nowhere fast.

back...

2008-08-18T12:52:00.001-07:00

We’re back from Mexico, the braces and me… I was a wee bit lazy with the dental hygiene on this trip. I’ll blame the infrequent flossing on my severe lack of nighttime coordination – hey, that’s what daiquiris do to me, what can I say! At least all my brackets survived the bowls and bowls of chips and guac…

Beuno

2008-08-10T04:26:00.001-07:00

The braces are going to Mexico! :-#

At least if I'm out of the country, I have a valid excuse for not posting...

Reunited...

2008-08-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

Well, the 10 Year High School Reunion came and went this weekend. It was a little weird to be around my old classmates again, but I had a good time overall…and strangely enough NOT ONE person mentioned the braces… Some of the guys are typically less than polite, especially when consuming alcohol, so I don’t know what was up with that… but I guess better ignored than mocked, right?

a good pain

2008-07-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

I’m thinking that repositioning that bracket did the trick, ‘cause my bottom teeth were sore this weekend! It’s a “good” pain, though, isn’t it – the awful feeling of progress? :-# A slightly tingly sensation… I was starting to miss that! Yea for movement!

adjustment

2008-07-17T09:53:00.001-07:00

I had an ortho appointment this morning. They scheduled it for 7:30 a.m., which meant I got to “sleep in” until 7 (it’s within 2 miles of my house). I’ve starting carpooling to work and have been leaving my house at 5:30 a.m. to get to work at 6. Eek. We did not carpool this week, but I’ve been attempting (poorly) to maintain the same schedule. So far the earliest I’ve made it in to work was 7… Not so good.

But I digress. Back to my appointment – Ortho Asst looked at my teeth and decided Dr. Weber needed to examine me in case he wanted to move a couple of brackets. Seems my bottom front teeth are stalling and are still too crooked. Not good. After waiting for 20-25 minutes in the chair, fortunately with a good book, Dr. Weber approached and declared yes, they would move a bracket. He first scraped my bottom teeth for a bit, to ensure that there was no extra composite stuck between them, hampering their movement. Then he removed the offending bracket, reglued it in a slightly different position, and sent me on my way. At my next visit (about 8 weeks), they’ll give me a new (copper?) wire. Hopefully I’ll have some progress before then… my bottoms do feel a little tighter already. A little tingly even – a good sign.

Dr. Weber also commented on my somewhat stained front teeth – probably due to coffee. Oops. I’ll brush harder, but I’m not giving up the morning joe – it’s too dangerous for all the other unaware drivers that share the morning commute with me!

Hope everyone is doing well is The Land of Adult Orthodontia.

The ortho pity party

2008-07-08T06:21:00.001-07:00

Join in the fun!

Why is it that you won’t even notice your braces for days on end (well, almost not notice them) and then you’ll wake up with huge sores on your cheeks that last for a week? It’s like my brackets turned into razor blades overnight and sawed apart the inside of my face. Ouch!

My teeth must have moved a little bit. I’m not actually seeing any visual progress as of late; it seems like it happened all at once in the beginning and has now slowed to a crawl. I have an adjustment next Thursdays, so maybe the ortho will see something I don’t…

Sorry to whine. I’m just a little glum about the approach of my 6-month point – it feels like it’s been a year already and the end is nowhere in sight!

Anyone want to join my pity party and add your complaints? C’mon, it’s fun! ;)

the braces go jogging

2008-06-30T12:41:00.001-07:00

I was out jogging this weekend with my dog, and was passed by another runner. As she went by I noticed her teeth and said “I like your braces!” I swear, she shot me the dirtiest look! Like she thought I was making fun of her or something! Really, like a non-braced person would even say anything – or notice for that matter, right? Only us tin-grins are looking for that sort of thing and would be brazen enough to shout at a total stranger.

But while she was glaring at me, I just grinned really big so she could see my braces, too. She softened and laughed. We had a quick how-long-are-you-in-for convo and she continued on her way…

trendsetter

2008-06-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

A lady I know at work ran up to me today to show me her new braces. Yeah, that’s right – I’ve inspired someone. ;)

Notice the lack of photos? I finally got a hold of the photographer about their whereabouts – he said he thought he sent them to me, but mailed out another disc yesterday morning – we should have them tonight. J Even if I hate them all, I’ll post one for you all to see… :-#

blah

2008-06-10T15:29:00.001-07:00

Nothing too exciting going on here...no appointments, no toothaches, just the usual cycle of eat, floss, brush, rinse and repeat. I gave those pix another try today. Nope, still don't like 'em. They don't slide between my teeth as promised...you just can't replace floss...

One bit of news since I last posted - I had some professional photographs taken! A local photographer was looking for belly dancers to pose for a contest entry he's putting together, and I volunteered. I warned him about the braces ahead of time, but he was very enthusiastic nonetheless. It was a lot of fun - I usually hate pictures, but he made me very comfortable; it was easy to smile. I haven't seen them yet, but I can't wait!

But other than that...this whole experience is starting to get old. I'm a bit bored by the braces. I know this is all about patience, but I've lost mine. Blah.

The amazing braced belly dancer

2008-05-24T07:07:00.001-07:00

A friend and I got hired for a birthday party gig last night at an Indian restaurant. I thought it went pretty well - all the diners seems to enjoy watching me...but then it occurred to me that they might just be staring at my braces! :( Ugh, even when I'm all dolled-up and feeling pretty, the braces manage to knock me back to reality like THAT!

Oh, well.

Just a quick update on the Tung Brush. Several people commented on the whole "bleeding" thing. It's not like it was a ton of bleeding - it was more like I scraped a little too hard. And it actually only happened the one time. You know all the little bumps on your tongue? I basically scraped off one of those, I think... Hopefully that makes sense... ??? Overall, I'm really enamored by the brush - it feels like it gets a lot more gunk off of my tongue with much less effort that using my regular toothbrush.

Now, those pix are a different story. I'm not good with flossing apparatuses, I guess. I need to stick with my regular floss - Oral-B Super Floss. I freakin' love this stuff. I couldn't get the hang of those floss threaders, but these strings come with a stiff end so you don't need a separate threader. The Oral Pix, oh those damn Oral Pix. True, I only tried one, but I managed to stab myself in the gum and let me tell you - that was some blood! Maybe someone else will have an easier time with them, but I just don't think I have the dexterity for poking little plastic swords between my teeth...

Happy Memorial Day weekend, all...

No pain, no...well, no pain

2008-05-15T10:46:00.001-07:00

Wow, so far, nothing hurts. Maybe it’s too early. I had my 3^rd official appointment at the ortho this morning at 8. Only the bottom wire was replaced, moving me up to a 14.25. There was some minor trouble getting the farthest back two doors shut, due to my incredibly small mouth, I’m sure, but other than that it was a pretty smooth appointment. I ate a good breakfast – Camille’s Sidewalk Café “Original” breakfast wrap – eggs, bacon, cheese, and tomatoes in a jalapeño-cheddar tortilla….mmm – in anticipation of not being about to chew the rest of the day. But, 4 hours later, nothing really hurts. I’m almost disappointed! :-#

My next appointment is in 10 week, July 22, at which point Dr. Weber will probably move some brackets around – no new wires.

Dr. Weber also gave me some “Opal Pix” – basically flat sticks for flossing. (I think my enthusiasm to floss while the wire was off took him by surprise. I’m flossing regularly, really I am. But flossing takes FOREVER, so the chance to floss my entire bottom row in less than 30 seconds is THRILLING. Ah, the sorry state of my life…) Anyone else try these yet? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

The Tung Brush is going well. I can’t say that I’m noticing a huge difference yet, ‘cause I’m a big tongue-brusher anyway. The packaging warned that my tongue might “get sore and bleed”. Eek. That’s not really what you want to see on a dental care product… Basically it’s just a toothbrush with a round flat head. The bristles are stiffer and shorter, for better scrubbing power, I guess. I’ve been using it for 2 days, and last night my tongue DID bleed a little, so if you’re going to try this product, be prepared! The package also claimed that it wouldn’t trigger my gag reflex, but that’s a joke! :-# I will post again about my breath – we’ll see how much of a difference this makes over the long haul. Grade so far: B+

Nice and clean

2008-05-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went for my first dental checkup and cleaning since being braced. Wow. It took FOREVER. The hygeinist said I was doing a good job of cleaning, but ortho is just that much harder to keep clean and I still had a lot of buildup. Oh, well. No cavities, as usual. :)

Tonight while grocery shopping, I had the foresight NOT to buy a ton of food that required chewing. I'm getting a new wire on Thursday so I am expecting several days of soft foods... In March, right before my first new wire, I bought a huge tub of organic baby salad mix. Stupid! Hello, braces to Aimee!!! You can't eat salad without working teeth! :-# Lesson learned. At least my husband enjoyed several days of baby spinach... This time I stocked up on Stoneyfield Farms Caramel Yogurt (SO good!) and Naked smoothies...

Ooh, and I bought a tongue brush. Well, it's a Tung Brush. Anyone use one of these things before? I feel like I still have icky breath and maybe I'm just not getting all the gunk off the back of my tongue... we shall see...

slacker

2008-04-28T08:37:00.001-07:00

I’m being a blogging slacker. Does anyone else just go through periods where they have a lot to say and periods where they just don’t? I’m in one of those “quiet times”. The Braces are fine. I had a slight toothache yesterday in a tooth that has moved quite a bit, so I’m not too worried about it. I feel like I have been eating a ton lately. I’m not entirely sure if I’m eating more than normal, or if I’m just spending more time eating due to the careful-chewing factor. Eating actually wears me out sometimes!

I have a cleaning in two weeks and an adjustment a few days after that – I’ll get a new wire, I’m assuming. I wish time were moving faster. While I preach patience to everyone else, I really possess very little myself! I just want this to be over! I’ve gotten increasingly aware of people staring at me. Since I don’t really notice The Braces as much – I can talk and eat without too much hassle – I forget they are there and then wonder why people are looking at me funny. Then I remember! Damn metal mouth! Last week I attended an art tour and made the mistake of trying to socialize while snacking on chips and guacamole. Everytime I took a bite, someone would try to talk to me. Grrr…

I got a letter about my 10 year high school reunion. I was planning on skipping it, mostly because of The Braces, but I’d kinda like to go. I don’t get home very often, plus its during our County Fair, which my husband has never witnessed. So, maybe I’ll suck it up and go. I’ve done quite a bit with my life since high school – may as well go back and rub it in, huh? :-#

How is everyone else doing?

minor irritation

2008-04-11T11:20:00.001-07:00

I’ve got some irritated gums, just on the top right side of my mouth. It seems to be minor; I only just now noticed after brushing up post-lunch… I hope it’s nothing serious! I have a dentist appointment in about 4 weeks, and I’m praying that my streak of no-cavities checkups continues unmarred now that I’m in braces. I haven’t had a cavity since high school. I’ve got good teeth – they’re just kind of ugly. J

A week or so ago, I was experiencing another kind of tooth pain – a weird every-now-and-then oh-my-god-that-hurts throb along the left side of my mouth. When I described it to my husband, he told me I’d described the pain he gets before needing a root canal!!! It has since disappeared…for good I hope. Is it me, or does everytime your mouth hurt feel like the first time? Like, you don’t recognize the pain as a kind you’ve felt before? I’m guessing that’s what happened – I’ve probably felt that same sensation several times and just didn’t recognize it… That’s the theory I’m going with at least – it seems to be the least scary!

Ooh, and on the progress front, I’ve noticed that the space between my bottom 1^st molars and my wisdom teeth has closed significantly. I’m not getting crap stuck in there nearly as much! Heck, they can take the braces off right now! That was definitely high on my list of things to fix…

Ugh

2008-04-08T08:03:00.001-07:00

You know what doesn’t go well with braces? A monster cold. I went to bed so sick on Sunday night that I didn’t even brush my teeth. That’s pretty bad! I’m much better today, but still coughing like mad. Ugh. At least it’s not the flu… L

Finally...some photos

2008-03-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I promised pics like 2 months ago... :-#

First of all, a refresher on the "before" - my "orthodontic mug shot" if you will.

Ugh, I absolutely abhor photos of myself. And OF COURSE, I didn't wear makeup the day I got braces, since I figured I'd be drooling everywhere... So, sigh...here's the only photo I got on Braces Day before I went to the ortho:

And after I got back home:

And here are a couple that I just took. I apparently don't have any kind of macro setting on this camera, so I apologize for the crappy shots...

Man, that looks so creepy - you can see my eyes. I look like some sort of screaming freak. :)

As usual, I majorly need lip balm, but you can tell from the "befores" that my top front teeth are much straighter, and as the nice lady at work said "not sticking out as much."

So, there you go! Enjoy! I'm certainly not.... ;)

I'm such a trendsetter

2008-03-21T11:58:00.001-07:00

A coworker stopped me in the bathroom today (where I was brushing my teeth…again) to ask how long I’d been in braces and what I thought of them. She was thinking about it herself, but always thought she was too old…I guess I inspired her to reconsider. :-#

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2008-03-17T11:52:00.001-07:00

Mmm…you know what goes well with braces? Corned beef! And what doesn’t go well at all? Raw cabbage!!! A group of us from work went out for the traditional corned-beef-and-cabbage meal and were served, basically, a wedge of raw cabbage that had some beef broth poured over it. (hehe – I’m glad I’m typing this, ‘cause braces or not, I can’t saw “beef broth” without tripping all over my tongue…). It was not pleasant – I vainly attempted to chew through a chunk of cabbage, but no go. Ick. I wouldn’t have wanted to eat it even if I’d been physically able to! J Fortunately the meal was also served with some well-cooked new potatoes and baby carrots – very braces friendly!

oh yeah

2008-03-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

That’s right, I’m eating a Girl Scout peanut butter sandwich cookie for breakfast… several, in fact. It kind of hurts to chew still, but I don’t care!

Glad that's not me!

2008-03-10T12:31:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday I discovered something worse than being an adult in braces…getting married as an adult in braces! I apologize to any of you that have had to experience this, but I just don’t think I could do it! I met this girl with braces at the Young Professionals Summit I was helping at, and she told me she was getting married about 18 months into her 24 month treatment. Eek. Fortunately for her, the photographer told her he could photoshop the pictures… Phew!

Still sore today, but not as bad as the first day after the new wire…I’m chewing, kinda, and I’m not on an painkillers today. I should be chomping on Girl Scout cookies within days… (can you tell that I’m obsessed?) This time was definitely better than the first few days of braces, so I guess Nabukay was right – it just gets easier after each adjusment…god, I hope so! The next few times should be a breeze…

A rough adjustment

2008-03-07T07:03:00.001-08:00

Well, yesterday was the first wire change. The highlight of my appointment was flossing without a wire - it's amazing how much faster that goes! :-# Then the ortho's asst. put on a rectangular "14" wire on my top teeth and a "16" on the bottom. Does anyone know what those numbers mean - could you enlighten me please?

The most disappointing part of the appt was having the ortho tell me that I wouldn't be ready for surgery for 14-18 months. I thought he originally said 12-14, so this wasn't well-received news. I'm not exactly patient sometimes, but I guess I have no choice but to be...

My next adjustment isn't for another 11 weeks! That seems like a long time... At that point, they'll put a 14 on my bottom teeth too.

These new wires caused immediate discomfort - I couldn't even chew the soft fruit offered at my Jr. League meeting last night, never mind the 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies I finally received. Grrr... :) At least I like soup and smoothies...

changes and self-consciousness

2008-03-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

I’ve had The Braces for oh, 54 days, and apparently there are some noticeable changes. Enough for people to comment, at least. My dear husband keeps saying that he can tell a huge different in my top front teeth, but I usually suspect him of being overly enthusiastic about everything. So today this lady I work with stopped by my desk and told me that, while staring at my profile in a meeting last week, she noticed that my “front teeth don’t stick out like they used to.”. Um, thanks? I know she meant it to be nice and all, but it struck me as akin to telling someone who’d lost weight “Gee, you’re not as fat as you used to be.” While true, it doesn’t make the person feel that good – did I look that bad before???

I’m having a rather self-conscious day. Not only do I have braces, and people commenting on how my teeth aren’t nearly as ugly as they were, but I’m struggling through the middle of an upper respiratory infection and a bout of facial dermatitis – my face is bright red and feels like it’s on fire. Yea. And the nice lady at work pointed that out too. The cold is making me whiney, and I’d love to rest my face on my hand and sigh, but it hurts too much. I think I’m going to go home and have myself a pity-party with some ice cream and Robitussin… Sorry for the whining…

3 more days until the first new arch wire… J And the arrival of my Girl Scout Cookies!

8 more days

2008-02-26T08:22:00.001-08:00

Until my first official ortho appointment – I’m not counting the first trip in that resulting in clipping off the wires on both back bottom teeth. THIS appointment will actually produce results! I’m getting a new wire! Woo-hoo! (OK, I’m sure I’m the only one that finds that exciting). In the mean time, my teeth have gone from perfectly happy to horribly sore over the past 3 or so days. Today I had to use wax even, ‘because my cheeks are screaming bloody murder on both upper sides. Eek. Must be moving again.

I’m going to see if we can establish any provisional timeline for my treatment while I’m at the ortho, based on my progress so far. I didn’t bother asking at the bonding… My dear husband keeps telling me that my teeth have shifted noticeably, but of course I just see the crooked teeth still.

In other news, my Girl Scout cookies have not yet arrived, so I haven’t had a chance to experiment with those yet. I will probably get them next Thursday after my appointment! Figures, but that’s when I usually see the mom that I ordered them from, so it would only make sense… Hopefully the new pain from the changed arch wire won’t kick in until the next day and I’ll be able to enjoy a couple of hours of cookie goodness.

Ooh, I bought some new eye makeup the other day – some silvery gray shadow and a new “steel” eye pencil…and now my eyes match my teeth! :P Great…

mmm...toast

2008-02-21T06:53:00.001-08:00

I have been avoiding toast because I figured it would be too crunchy. If I can’t bite into bread crust, surely toasted bread would be worse, right? Nope! Phew! I love toasted bread, especially toasted locally-baked sourdough bread with a healthy smear of butter… and it likes me! Toasting it made it easier to eat, to my pleasant surprise. Yea!

And now on to my Paranoid Orthodontic Fear of the Week: does any one have any issues when eating Girl Scout Cookies? I ordered several boxes without even thinking about the fact that I was getting braces, and I know they will be delivered soon. Finding out that I can’t eat them is likely to cause a bigger meltdown that the thought of going without Valentine’s Day chocolates… I don’t normally eat a lot of cookies or other junk food (and I don’t consider chocolate a junk food – I’m thinking more like baked treats and other packaged crap, not chocolate). Oreos in particular occurred to me as a real no-no for braces. Just look at what they do to unadorned teeth! So my concern is whether Thin Mints and Tagalongs will cause the same problems… I sincerely hope not. If I must, I will just indulge privately where no one can see the mess they create! J

I realized the other day that it’s been a good six weeks since I said I’d post photos of myself with the new bling…and I’ve totally spaced on it! I got some pics back from our belly dance troupe photographer last night. We had a “hafla” this weekend (a belly dance party) and she took some pictures of me dancing. Ugh. Not only did the light totally wash me out, but The Braces do NOT photograph well. If I could get any less photogenic, they could use my picture to scare mice away… BUT, for you my braces friends, and for the sake of being a total masochist, I will try to remember to post the least bad of these, as well as the ones I took when I first got bonded, just as soon as I’m home for more than 5 minutes…

Holiday-schmoliday

2008-02-18T08:30:00.001-08:00

I’m at work today. It’s technically a government holiday (President’s Day) and I normally get this day off since I would at a government facility. But, I’m at work. What the heck does this have to do with braces, you ask? Well, in planning for a Mexican vacation this summer and the estimated time for recovery I’ll need for my jaw surgery, I’ve determined that I’m going to need more PTO and vacation days that I currently have saved up. Soooo…I’m probably going to be at work for the remaining holidays this year, or at least as many of them as I can stomach. My company is great in that if you don’t use the holiday on the designated day, you can save it for later. And if I wanted to, I could work an extra hour each day for the rest of this pay period and add a second extra day to my PTO bank. Hmmm…nah.

I thought it was hard to get up on regular Monday mornings…but trying to drag myself out of bed on a Monday that I’m not supposed to work was much harder! J At least it’s nice and quiet in my office today…

If I’d stayed home today, I could have caught up on some serious blog-reading time. I’m such a slacker. But blogs are now blocked from my work, so that favorite of lunchtime and coffee-break hobbies of mine is no more… Hopefully I’ll get caught up soon – I’m dying to see what the rest of you are up too. Oh, well – Happy President’s Day, y’all!

Not so sweet...

2008-02-15T07:23:00.001-08:00

I cried and cried yesterday. I’m a total chocoholic – it’s a disease people! – and my sweet husband knows this. He’s an enabler. J He buys me the biggest box of chocolates he can find every year for Valentine’s Day. This year he was careful to get one free of nuts – mostly crème-filleds…and alas, many of them are still to sticky for me to eat. I was crushed. Talk about a V-day bummer!

It’s going to be OK, though. I’m going to eat them anyway.

I hope everyone had a happy Valentine’s Day…

I dream of toothpaste...

2008-02-05T07:48:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else have dreams about brushing their teeth? I have yet to dream about my braces (which I find odd) but in my dreams lately, I’m constantly stopping to brush or floss! This can’t be normal… :-#

Snip snip snip

2008-02-04T15:43:00.001-08:00

Well, my errant archwire did not stay in place after Saturday’s little episode, so I left a message with Dr. W.’s office and scored a mid-afternoon appointment today. The OA glanced at my wire and decided that the only solution was just to clip the back-most sections until I am ready for a heavier gauge – at this point, the back brackets aren’t doing much anyway. She also thankfully snipped the bit of wire on the top back bracket that has started to poke my cheek. Phew! I have a nice-sized sore there from a week’s worth of scratching and poking. The OA comments that my teeth have moved quite a bit in this first month, so that’s good news! In 4 weeks, I’ll head back in for a heavier wire, but until then, I’ve got these two bare spots between my first molars and my wisdom teeth*. It feels deliciously nekkid and I’m anticipating an easier month of flossing since that’s were the majority of my food bits get stuck! (Yes, eeewwwww…I know!)

*Can’t remember if I went over this bit of dental history before or not. When I was 19 and first (1 of 3 times) considering braces, my dentist yanked out all of my second molars. He decided that my wisdom teeth were coming in straight enough to keep and that rather than remove them, I should just get rid of the 2^nd molars and make room. Huh. Brilliant, right? Nope! My wisdom teeth did come in pretty straight, but not straight enough to NOT leave a gap between themselves and the 1^st molars big enough to fit half a bite of whatever I eat. That’s right – instead of wisdom teeth, mine are smart-asses. I think I look forward to closing these gaps more than any other improvement, at least comfort-wise.

Totally off-topic story: since my ortho is all the way out by my house, I got to take a nice long break from work. I stopped at our local wine store, where my husband and I are members of their Wine-of-the-Month Club, to pick up our Feb selection. The nice old couple that runs the joint offered me a wine tasting (free samples of 4 weekly wines). I declined, saying that I shouldn’t because I was heading back to work. The old man laughed and suggested that if I was heading back to work, perhaps I should have TWO tastings instead! Sigh…I guess wisdom does come with age… :-# (And no, I did not partake before going back to work, don’t worry…but I certainly thought about it!)

A word to the wise...

2008-02-03T08:56:00.001-08:00

At a big party, surrounded by the Beautiful People, avoid the SPINACH DIP. It does not like braces.

There will be Braces

2008-02-02T16:47:00.001-08:00

I've had my first orthodontic mishap.

Just as my sweetie and I were settling in to our seats for the nearly-3-hour flick "There Will Be Blood", I noticed that something felt...wrong. A run of my tongue over my braces alerted me to the fact that the arch wire on the back left side was extra springy today - it was out of the bracket. I willed myself to just leave it alone until we got home, but man did that make for a long movie!

Now, as far as I can tell, the offending bracket (on my back molar) doesn't have a "door" like the ones on the other teeth do (these are the Damon braces of course) - the wire just seems to slip underneath. So...I managed to slip the wire back under and am hoping for the best. If it doesn't come back out before Monday, I'll call it good, but if it does, I'm off to the ortho for a repair. It doesn't feel exactly stable, but I'm kind of wondering if it did before or if I just never paid that much attention to it.

Of course, this is on my "good chewing side" (I'm a lefty), so this is already dimming my mood as we head out the door to a food-laden birthday party... Grrr...

Anyone else have this problem with the back bracket? Any advice would be appreciated!

Uneven

2008-02-01T09:45:00.001-08:00

Hmmm…when I run my tongue across my top front teeth, it feels like my right front-most tooth (I don’t know tooth names yet) is now sitting lower than the left. I suppose it was probably sticking out farther in front before, so when they both started to move back, it would be lower… It just feels weird. I’m not complaining – any movement is progress and I know that my bite will probably get even more f-ed up in the months to come.

One thing I wish I’d done before the braces is to have bleached my teeth. They’ve never been very white – I am a reformed smoker and I love my coffee. With the metal brackets, they just look BAD. Sigh… I am planning to do some heavy-duty whitening after this whole ordeal. I’d always figured “what is the point?” since they are so crooked, but now all I can see is everyone else’s pearly whites.

Another sign of progress – I have a tiny bit of wire poking out of the back on the left side – I don’t think it is enough to go in for a trim, but it is enough to scratch my tongue up when I mess with it…which I’m trying not to do…unsuccessfully! I’m going to have some BAD habits before this is over!

Have a good weekend, all!

I must look like I care...

2008-01-31T09:02:00.001-08:00

Have you noticed since getting braces that everyone you talk to has an orthodontics-related story to tell you? I’m just over 3 weeks into this adventure, and I’ve probably heard 50 stories about “when I had braces…”, “my husband has braces”, “I hated my braces…”, “my daughter just got her braces off…”, and so on. I realize that people are trying to empathize with me, and while I’m glad to have a “conversation piece”, I can see this getting old fast!

Just because I have braces does not mean I care. J

(Now, of course, my fellow “friends in braces”, this doesn’t apply to you! If you are actively participating in the whole metal mouth experience, I welcome the chance to listen to or read your stories and comments!)

must be moving a little

2008-01-29T12:32:00.001-08:00

Ouch. I woke up this morning with a giant aphthous ulcer inside my lower lip (that’s a canker sore for all of you whose significant others don’t spout medical terminology at you constantly). I’m 3 weeks into this fun stuff and I haven’t had to use much wax…other than some lower lip irritation, there haven’t been any cuts or scrapes. My suspicion is that my teeth must be moving a little and this is a not-yet-scraped-by-a-bracket spot on my lip – therefore being more sensitive than the other already-toughened areas. Grrr…

Since I’m already talking about gross-icky mouth topics, does anyone else feel like they have constantly heinous breath? I hope to gawd it’s not just me! I brush like 4-6 times a day, I floss, I rinse – I’m pretty darn thorough, but I always feel so …uck! Stinky! I’m kinda thinking it has to do with eating less, and perhaps not drinking enough H2O? I better go fill up my water bottle again…

Anyways, just wanted to whine a little… :-#

Left or Right?

2008-01-24T14:46:00.001-08:00

A bit of trivia from ArchWired: If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. Left-handed people tend to chew their food on their left side.

I am left-handed, for the most part (I write left handed, but I throw right-handed, no clue why…) and yes, indeed, I chew on my left side. I just figured it was because my teeth meet better on that side! I guess I’ll find out when all the teeth are straight and everything is where it’s supposed to be if this fun fact is actually true…

Not much to report...

2008-01-23T09:35:00.001-08:00

I’m getting used to the braces now…sometimes I don’t even notice they are there. Particularly when I’m jogging or crafting – intense concentration on other activities seems to distract me from my mouth… Sometimes, though, it feels like they are bigger than the rest of me – particularly when talking or in any public situation.

I think I’ve started clenching my teeth when I sleep…does anyone else do this? I’m pretty sure I didn’t do it before, but my mouth feels kind of stiff when I wake up… I hope that’s not going to cause a problem!

I haven’t noticed too much movement in these first two weeks. Today it did seem like my front bottom teeth, while still crooked, were not as crowded as before – like there is enough room now for them to rotate without touching. That’s got to be progress, right? :-#

I’ve been pretty good about eating – I’m now eating real chewable food for the most party. I had chicken twice this past weekend with no issues. Last night I attempted pork chops, but they were a no-go – I had to hand mine over to my husband to finish. Thank god for mashed potatoes! I did weaken in my soda resolve and sipped a Sprite last night. I used a straw, so there was minimal tooth involvement –surely that can’t do too much damage. I’m mucho paranoid about staining and bracket-glue weakening… Having braces does make you think about your diet, though, doesn’t it? Now, instead of debating caloric content or grams of fat, I’m thinking “Gee, is this really worth brushing my teeth for?”

I hope everyone else is having a great week! Congrats to Stephanie for getting her lower brackets put on! Whoo-hoo to progress!

I chewed! (Gesundheit!)

2008-01-15T17:10:00.001-08:00

Tonight for dinner, my dear husband made me some ravioli and I chewed it! I chewed! Not well, mind you, but still - my teeth were definitely involved with the eating process. I had to puff out my cheeks every time I bit down, 'cause they kept getting nipped by the front teeth brackets. I don't think I'll be eating in public for a while. :-#

I'm suffering from the dry lip thing that Michelle spoke of a while back (if you're on my blogroll right now, I've read your ENTIRE blog from the beginning...I'm a crazy ortho-blogger stalker...). My problem is a combination of the winter air and some habitual lip chewing, I think. Well, that and the fact that I can't rub my lips together to put on lip balm - that's definitely a problem. Maybe I should buy stock in a lip balm company - as fast as I'm going through this stuff, I could retire on the dividends.

Fun with jaw surgery

2008-01-15T09:36:00.001-08:00

Michelle asked what kind of surgery I’m having and when. I’m not sure when exactly I’ll have the surgery, but I’m hoping for next Christmas so that I don’t have to miss much work (and I can use whatever sick days I have left – they don’t rollover year to year). I had planned to get my braces on in early December, but had to wait until the start of the new year for flex-spending purposes… L So that might push my saw-the-jaw date out a ways… Based on the letter my surgeon, Dr. Desa, sent to my insurance company, I’m having LeFort osteotomy with bilateral split maxilla with bilateral sagittal split osteotomy advancement of the mandible. Since I’m still kind of new to all the technical terms, I’m pretty sure this means that I’m having my lower jaw moved forward quite a bit and my upper jaw moved up a little. I was told that it would be about 10 days off from work (mainly to avoid scaring my coworkers) and that I would not need to be wired shut. We shall see… :-#

Rough weekend

2008-01-14T07:01:00.001-08:00

This weekend hurt. Not only do all my teeth still throb (how long does this last??? It’s been 5 days!), but I’ve scraped the heck out of my lips and cheeks. I’m really trying not to whine about it TOO much, because I know that just turns off people, plus it’s not like I didn’t do this voluntarily… Sigh… Not to mention, some of the pain is just my own darn fault. Yesterday at a meeting, I was absolutely starving, so I caved and tried to eat some “real” food – chocolate chip cookies and potato chips. (Yes, stupid, I know!) I couldn’t chew, so I tried to mash the bits I broke off between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. Ouch! Mistake! Now the top of my mouth is shredded! Grr…However, on the way home, I had a sort-of soft food epiphany… Spaghetti-Ohs! Man, they were good. I haven’t had spaghetti-ohs in like 10 years, but they don’t have to be chewed and they are heaven after several days of oatmeal and mashed potatoes.

Does anyone have a problem flossing right after getting braces, or right after an adjustment? My teeth are so sensitive that I can’t slide floss between the front two without almost screaming. I’m taking the hygiene thing pretty seriously, but flossing is not fun. Fortunately, with my new Sonicare toothbrush, there wasn’t much between my teeth…that was seriously the best purchase ever! I also realized just how seldom I’d used mouthwash B.B. (Before Braces) – the bottle under my sink had expired in July 2006… With all my scrapes and cuts, I was a little wary of the mean burn of Listerine, so I went with the Crest Pro-Health stuff (plus it was on sale). Not too bad…

I hope everyone had a nice weekend – I went to my husband’s new band’s second gig. It’s fun being the only person at an all-ages show with braces. At least it was dark!

Phew!

2008-01-14T06:44:00.001-08:00

Not to worry, not to worry! My husband and I figured out the whole kissing thing. ;-#