Moonlit Narratives Blog

I phoned the dental office on May 26, 2009 regarding both upper elastic ligatures (on the anchor tooth) somehow came off, causing the archwire to lose tension. Every time I tried to snap the archwire into the brackets, it would pop right out. I was only able to speak to the receptionist. She put me on hold to consult the dentist. They didn’t offer an appointment to me unless the situation was causing me pain. I was a little annoyed at them but tried to stay calm. They advised me to hold the archwire down with ortho wax (which I tried without success before I called them). I figured one more week of waiting would be okay. This was a problem I failed to foresee when I decided to get my braces at this particular dental office. It’s horrible that their orthodontist only works out of that office twice a month on Thursdays only. A few days after the call, I had a similar problem with the lower archwire. At least this time, I could pop the archwire back in place. It was a little annoying that I had to do this several times a day. I was thankful that the archwire ends were not digging into my gums or mouth.

Of course, when I had my follow-up appointment on June 4, I complained to Dr. B and his assistant. His assistant told me that I could have come in to see her for help and that she could have replaced the ligatures for me. Oh well, too late now, I thought. She was surprised that the receptionist gave me misinformation on what to do. Looks like the left and right hand aren’t speaking to each other. I can’t believe I’m the first patient to have experienced this issue? Too bad it’s something I couldn’t have replaced myself. It’s not the most convenient office for me to travel to.

Otherwise, another routine visit. Dr. B has placed an ortho spring to help close the gap between two left lowers. I guess it’s suppose to push a tooth back. Whatever it takes to close the gap, I guess? I made a decision to stay away from the green elastic ligatures, since they were the only ones to cause me problems. By the time, this appointment rolled around, I had lost several of them. There were no problems with the other colors. Not sure if the green ones were defective in some way?

June 4, 2009

A couple of personal issues came up; unfortunately causing me to delay this visit. Initially the appointment was scheduled for April 23, 2009 but was postponed until today. I asked for green elastic ligatures this time to celebrate the evincing of Spring… I have to have a little fun with this braces experience somehow. I’ve had less problems with pressure sores recently. It’s probably because there’s a little less movement of my teeth. I suppose they are more or less where they need to be; that is, give or take within millimeters.

May 7, 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.”

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.

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*

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

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

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

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 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