Angela’s Braces Blog

Braces Follow-Up March 19, 2009 March 21, 2009

Another uneventful follow-up visit. I asked for pink ligatures this time. Maybe next time I will ask for green (for Spring)? Dr. B replaced the elastic on my front lowers. I try my best but they are really tough to clean since there’s no space to work with- I’ve been using my proxabrush to run under them but that’s all that I can really do besides the regular brushing. By the end of the visit, I felt a slight mouth ache. Usually that means a bad next day, especially in the morning, but this time only my right lower canine and the tooth next to it were aching for a small part of the day. I was still able to eat my lunch (salad) without too much difficulty. It’s a good idea to chop your food up more than usual; I wish I had thought of that before I added the dressing. I’m still so annoyed that there’s a big gap among my left lowers. I also want them to extract my right lower wisdom tooth (the only one remaining). Maybe that would make room for my teeth to spread out? I don’t know if I’m imagining this but one of my front upper teeth and my right lower canine seems to be turned in slightly? I can’t believe how aweful my teeth were before; it’s taking such a long time for all of them to get into their proper places. The side profile of my current bite looks strange. I really hope everything will be corrected by the end. I still have a slight overbite, noticeable at a frontal angle. I would be so happy if my teeth end up looking like the mold they showed me in August, 2008 of the “new me.”

Braces Update March 4, 2009 March 4, 2009

A few days ago I started to feel right-sided jaw pain (a quarter-sized area in front of my right ear). Sort of like a dull ache. Thought of applying Icy Hot to that area LOL but decided against it. Two consecutive days of feeling like I couldn’t open my mouth all the way to eat my food. What next?…. Today I’m feeling so much better. I guess my bite’s really changing even though I don’t visibly see any big difference. Well, I’m glad the pain subsided because it’s such a nuisance to go to the dental office, though I did promise myself that if the jaw pain persisted I would go to Dr. B for an evaluation. One more thing, one of my left-sided lower brackets was scraping against my mouth for half the day yesterday (only felt bothered when I was eating). I’m feeling okay now. Maybe everything is shifting from left to right? I hope the gaps close soon. I’ve heard many people say that the pain of childbirth is soon forgotten (Divine intervention), so hopefully all the negative experiences of having braces too will also become distant memories someday.

Braces Follow-Up February 19, 2009 February 22, 2009

Another routine visit. This time I requested purple elastic ligatures (my fave color) although I think the pinks are very nice. Strange right? I made it a point to look on the tray to see if my cleaning has been efficient enough (a small reward when I saw that everything was relatively clean). I would have felt embarrassed if I saw the contrary. I take this maybe a little too seriously. I’m still very frustrated by the gaps in-between my teeth (there are two spots in particular I’m watching like a hawk). After Dr. B tightened the braces, one gap almost disappeared while the other one got even bigger. It was a low point to see that. I know I’m just impatient. After returning home I began to feel that all too familiar discomfort. Well, tomorrow will be a bad day =(; another round of soft foods I suppose. It’s rough to feel hungry and not be able to have what you want and at a normal eating pace. Hopefully, it will be like usual and the pain will dissipate by later on that day. I dislike turning to pain killers but will do so if it gets too much.

Update on February 21, 2009: I noticed my front uppers are flared out again =(. I’m eating almost like normal except my bite feels a little off. This is probably from my teeth shifting. This is the second time I’ve felt like this since I had the braces placed. I imagine that everyone goes through this and like the previous time, the teeth will find their comfort zone again.

*Here’s the pic I promised; as always, thanks for visiting my Blog*

Dental Follow-Up January 23, 2009

Yesterday was another routine visit to ortho. Nothing really that remarkable. He tightened the uppers and lowers. Dr. B added elastic to the few front lowers. I did tell him I was concerned that the gap was taking so long to close. He responded by saying that the progress was as expected. I requested pink elastic ligatures this time since Valentine’s Day is approaching. Next time I will go with purple (my fave color). Of course today I’m in discomfort so no calamari salad for me (as I had hoped) =(. The most tender spot is the right side upper big front tooth. As the day is wearing on, the discomfort is subsiding. It was another round of soft food tonight. I nearly jumped out of my skin this morning from brushing over the tender spot =(. Luckily, my lowers are not nearly as tender. My over-bite seems to be gradually disappearing…WOOHOO… A small first victory… Here’s a pic of my yucky teeth. It’s hard to hold that mouth position for a picture to be taken but I do try my best. ‘Til next month…

P.S. I’m not sure if I ever posted this but it takes me tops 10 minutes to clean my teeth at night and just a few minutes in the morning and after meals. It didn’t take me too long to adjust and I’m sure that it’s the same for anyone else who is adjusting to braces. If you are reading my blog and are planning to get braces, just remember– no big worries.

January 22, 2009

My Creative Retreat January 21, 2009

Besides the obvious, like good-lighting and a cozy organized space; I also thrive on:

the scent of fresh linen soy candles
easy-listening, alternative, meditation/spa, or classical CDs
a small vase of pretty flowers with green fillers
my fave curios and wall art around me

Dreaming of Spring January 10, 2009

It’s been snowing all morning. I miss seeing green even though I love the look of newly fallen snow. I’m planning ahead and would love to get whimsical garden stakes for my little backyard garden. Maybe bird themed? and just the right garden gnome figurine. Any suggestions? Please write me.

*Photocredit: Acacia

Music Which Inspires Me January 6, 2009

This is only a small handful. I’ll never forget the time I walked up to a Tower Records counter and the salesperson exclaimed how “eclectic” my musical taste was (I think I handed over Bjork, Limp Bizkit, Suzanne Vega, etc.- something like that). At that time, I really thought it was me just being me. What would my life be like without music? I couldn’t picture it.

*Photocredit: Amazon

Olivia by Ian Falconer December 30, 2008

Olivia is my favorite children’s book as an adult. My parents did their best to care for my sister and I but there were no bedtime stories. It’s almost impossible to catch up. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a decent sized Olivia collection of books and stuffed animals, etc. The limited edition FAO Swartz stuffed Opera Doll still eludes me; it’s an on-going search that’s been on-and-off for nearly two years now (sort of like the 1998 large 12 inch tall stuffed pink polka-dotted elephant from The Island of Misfit Toys). My opera doll figurine will have to suffice for now.

*Photocredit: Amazon.com

Dental Visit December 18, 2008 December 20, 2008

I saw Dr. B first today before going to the hygienist for my quarterly deep cleaning. Dr. B removed the archwires, elastic ligatures, and elastic band and left the brackets alone. I told Dr. B the elastic band was causing me some discomfort despite my attempts to remedy the situation. The orthodontic wax was not always successful with protecting my mouth from sores. Canker X helped only somewhat. He decided to leave the elastic band off this time since they were doing more harm than good. Luckily he also felt that I didn’t really need them for now. The hygienist had mostly good things to report to Dr. L after everything was said and done. The only problem was I had some plaque build-up behind my bottom front teeth. I had some inflammation and a small amount of bleeding during the cleaning =(. I was really disappointed to see that since I take so good care of my teeth everyday and I use the Sonicare compact head to brush that area (no cheating), but maybe the damage was done and the plaque was building up there even before I began using the Sonicare and made it that much harder to remove? She said it’s a typical issue that she sees in many people just because of where our salivary ducts are situated. She gave me a pediatric brush for that area and taught me the best way to keep it clean. I just started a Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Multi-B Vitamin regimen in hopes to improve the health of my gums. I also thought a Flouride Treatment twice a year could be beneficial (very reasonably priced and takes about 4 minutes). It wasn’t a big deal at all. I was looking through fashion magazines the whole time and listening to her chatter away even though she knew I couldn’t answer her =). The time was up before I even noticed. I went back to Dr. B, everything was put back (pink ligatures and all) and he tightened both the uppers and lowers. Yeah!!! Well, I don’t know what else I can do? My dental health has become like a full-time job. The dental staff have been vocal about being more than willing to help me mainly because I seem to care so much. They also know I have an unfortunate genetic disposition to some of these problems. Maybe I am their successful pet project (a patient that they could finally reach) =))? When I think back to the way I was before; I’m so glad I’ve changed for the better. Hollywood smile, here I come! Only ~ 14 more months to go =( *big sigh* …..

December 21, 2008

Everyone Should Own One! December 6, 2008

I love my new Sonicare! It really does work well in getting my teeth clean plus I love that it has a sanitizing system for the brushes. I have to work on letting the brush do all the work instead of pressing down too hard. Unfortunately, years of having that bad habit has caused a little gum recession. I may need some minor gum surgery to fix the problem =(. Another aspect of the Sonicare that works well for me is the automatic timer, which helps me to pace my brushing quadrants. It’s pretty subtle. I only wish the beep was more apparent. I think everyone should be using an electric toothbrush, whether it’s an Oral B or Sonicare. Hopefully I’ll be able to convince my parents.

When I bought my Sonicare, my dentist had mentioned that some of his adult patients with braces were not properly caring for their teeth. He said, “it’s like buying a new car and not getting it cleaned.” That was a perfect simile.

http://sonicare.com/brushes/flexcare/c_flex_t2_prod2_compare.asp