Moonlit Narratives Blog

I was actually a little nervous today. Why? I have no idea. I’ve been through enough dental procedures within these past several years, I really don’t have an excuse to be nervous anymore. The extraction went pretty smoothly. Didn’t feel a thing. I made sure they gave me enough lidocaine gel before using the lidocaine-filled syringe. I still can’t believe a healthy tooth had to be sacrificed =(. Dr. L examined the slightly “loose” tooth and thought it was within the norm of having braces. I sat in the waiting room again trying to put pressure over the “surgical” site to stop the bleeding. I was determined to not leave without a full mouth of archwires and elastic ligatures. I was warned Dr. B would not proceed until the bleeding ceased. Remember I had to plead with him to make this a back-to-back procedure and he was reluctant to give-in. The lidocaine wore off about a half hour after the extraction and I started to feel some pain. I began to worry a little but, I’m so grateful the pain disappeared by the time Dr. B was ready to work on my braces. Though I complained about the clear elastic ligatures taking on the color of my food, I wasn’t brave enough to choose among red, blue, green, or purple. I hate to admit this but I would have went for pink or smoke color if he had them (this is the kid in me). So now it’s round two with the clears and more potential (okay, guaranteed) staining. I still have a big jar of pickles left that no one will help me eat. My husband hates pickles. Right now I’m slowly trying to finish my salad but I have a minor aching from the braces so I’ll just drink tea or whatever and try to eat something soft later. The visit in total took two hours but now I can finally start my countdown to beautiful teeth. This is not an experience for the faint-of-heart. I think the weirdest part of today’s ordeal isn’t the braces but the gap in-between my teeth (I can feel the edge of one tooth and the gap on the other side). Can’t wait until the gap closes; I’m hoping it’s about a month or less…that’s why I wanted the archwire for the lowers so badly. I was instructed to avoid rinsing my mouth for 24 hours due to the extraction (probably to not interfere with clot formation) but I think I’m going to bend the rule a little and do some gentle rinsing later tonight. I don’t want to go to bed with food stuck to my braces.

September 18, 2008

I placed my order for my proxabrush supplies on August 28 and today is September 17. I’ve sent them a few emails regarding the issue of order non-receipt besides the order details. Their site has no clearly listed phone number, just e-mail forms (which they don’t respond to and yes, I’ve checked my JUNK MAIL folder daily). I googled them and found out they were affiliated with a Lititz PA dental office. Called twice already and have not received a call back from Ms. Palace, even though a colleague forwarded her my message and contact information. That’s horrible “customer service,” if it could even be called that. I just saw a change in order status on the site. Looks a little promising but I really shouldn’t have gone through all this trouble for an order paid-in-full. We’ll see… the order isn’t in my possession yet. Keep you posted. I’m so disappointed with this company especially since I saw, previous to placing the order, that they have been recommended via other web sites. Any of you dealt with this company and have stories to tell?

Next Day: I just received an early morning call from Ms. Palace. Apparently one of the proxabrush items had been discontinued and that was the cause for the delay. I’m feeling better but wish she could have called or emailed sooner when she initially encountered this problem. There’s always a concern when you don’t hear from a company (after repeated attempts to contact them), which leads one to believe they’ve been swindled. The other items should be on their way. I think calling this company, should you choose to order from them, is the best way to receive an answer…..

September 18, 2008: I actually received my shipment today. Wow, perfect timing. I’m beginning to forgive them. =)

For anyone who needs their info:
Lititz Dental Co./edentalstuff.com
Contact: Keri Palasz, Manager
4C Tollgate Road
Lititz, Pennsylvania 17543
717.626.0600
customerservice@edentalstuff.com

Late last night I was flossing my teeth and suddenly realized that the tooth on my right side with the last bracket felt loose. I panicked not knowing why? I wasn’t even in pain. I’ve taken such good care of my teeth and gums. I went to bed worrying that I wasn’t meant to have braces. Maybe they were wrong and my teeth and gums weren’t really healthy enough to handle the stress of braces?

I woke up this morning and decided to call the dental office for advice since I was scared to eat, thinking the tooth would pop right off. Dr. L explained that the “mobility” was normal (I’ve had my braces for one month). He also told me that at some point all my teeth would be going through this mobility and that Dr. B would stabilize my teeth and tighten the braces with every visit. Mind-boggling news. Why didn’t anyone warm me about this “loosening” and “numb” yet not totally numb feeling was just a “normal” part of having braces/ortho? This “mobility” is a horrible feeling. Kind of transports me back to when I was I guess about 10 years old, when my permanent teeth were setting in… one tooth after another went bye-bye (a disgusting and disturbing feeling I still remember)… my baby/deciduous teeth slowly jiggled and fell out, and then erupted my adult teeth. Though Dr. L said I didn’t have to go on a soft diet, I’m thinking I should stay away from steak (my favorite meat) for awhile, at least until I feel braver. If anyone actually has any doubts, this entry gets a big unhappy face from me =(. By the end of all of this, I may be in need of some retail therapy!

I’m so glad that there are animal cops working hard to promote and preserve humane treatment of animals. Over this past weekend I’ve seen some horrible featured stories. I’m also enraged by the selfish pet collectors who are oblivious to the wretched environments they are keeping their pets in. One collector had 250+ cats in his house. I almost gagged seeing the layers of excrement and decay… I’m sure the stench was nearly toxic… the furs were filthy. Can you believe that? They really need to seek professional help- it’s a real injustice to their pets and even themselves. I think the collector might have resided in his garage? I seriously believe that collectors should not be aloud to own pets until they are cured of their problem. The abuse and abandonment cases were heart-breaking. One gentle-tempered dog had his right side face, right ear, tail, and paws burned by a flaming stick either by the owner or alleged neighbor. The owner left him outside for two weeks without medical treatment. Most cases involved no food, no water, animals left to fend for themselves in the harsh elements, extreme malnourishment. The list goes on and on! It’s so sad that some animals had to be euthanized because they were found untreatable. These stories really puts things in perspective for me. They allow me to realize that some of my concerns are trivial when compared to these serious societal issues.

On a happier note, I’m also glad that there are great dog trainers like Cesar Millan “The Dog Whisperer” and Victoria Stilwell “It’s Me or The Dog.” Their approach may differ; either way the results are good. I love watching their shows. They are angels to me.

I was already careful about avoiding curry but still got my elastic ligatures (for those of you who don’t know, ligatures are those little rubber bands on each bracket that hold the archwire in place) stained by eating pickles =(. I went into my dental office today to ask if anything could be done to whiten them, but alas I’m stuck with the neon yellow-green until next visit =(… I checked archwired.com for some advice but it looks like there are no real great options once they’re stained. So besides curry, you can add pickles to the list.

*The “Parts” of Braces… I’m learning something new everyday…
http://www.greatsmiles.net/parts/parts.html

I’m actually beginning to feel more pressure exerted by the braces. I wouldn’t describe it as pain or suffering. I can still eat a lot of what I want without big limitations (obviously no “sticky stuff” though). Maybe I should be slightly thankful this means they’re really doing their job. My initial belief that the orthodontist didn’t tighten them enough was unfounded =# <-- (this is a e-smiley face with braces on; I saw it on the archwired.com site and thought it cute). Previous to having the braces placed, I came to the conclusion after some thought and realized that I haven't chewed gum in a very long time, cake was only occasionally, and soda & ice cream once a week at most especially during the summer. My concerns were a little irrational; I was making a mountain out of a mole hill. The very thought of having to give up so many things at one time was disturbing to me; besides the anxieties of having to cope with braces for the first time was also troubling. Regarding "sticky stuff," I'm remembering a recent conversation with my orthodontist. He was trying to encourage me to give up artificial sweets altogether for the betterment of my dental health e.g. cake, ice cream, soda, candy. I looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I'm not going to lie to you... if I have to quit cold turkey, I really don't think I'll make it through this... I promise to try to taper back the sweets though and no sticky stuff." He answered laughing "I'm not the food police... we want you to make it through, so just enjoy."

Today is probably the first day I went without wearing wax on my previous two troublesome lower brackets. I was beginning to wonder how anyone ended up completing the process. Thankfully, my inflammation also cleared up. It was actually visibly better by the next day, so all my efforts brought good results.

Characteristics Considered Positive

* Active
* Adaptable
* Communicative
* Inquisitive
* Intellectual
* Charming
* Multitasking
* Whimsical
* Witty
* Straight-forward
* Talkative
* Open-minded
* Experimental
* Enthusiastic
* Energetic
* Spontaneous
* Risk-taking
* Friendly
* Dynamic
* Youthful
* Clever
* Imaginative

Characteristics Considered Negative

* dualistic
* self-interested
* restless
* impulsive
* over-stimulated
* fickle/inconsistent
* vain
* critical
* ego-oriented
* devious
* tricky
* superficial
* temperamental
* mercurial
* indecisive

The first few days of braces were very difficult. I didn’t suffer much aching or pressure on my teeth as many people often experience; however, two of my lower brackets on either side were rubbing against the mucosa of my mouth. I would have gone crazy had it not been for the orthodontic wax which greatly helped relieve my pain. By the second day, the area under my tongue became inflamed so I made an effort to drink plenty of water, rinse with warm saltwater, rinse with Gum’s Rincinol® Oral Pain Reliver, and apply Gum’s Canker-X gel to any problem spots. My first few days of braces consisted mostly of eating soft foods: spaghetti, yogurt, squash, noodles in soup- I think you get the idea.

The orthodontist already warned me that braces would be a real food trap. I knew that I would be brushing and flossing more often now than usual to keep my braces and mouth clean. I generally rinse my mouth several times and brush after each meal or snack, flossing in the daytime if there is food stuck to my teeth. My big cleaning including careful flossing is at night before I sleep. I wouldn’t be shocked if I spend 30 minutes every night cleaning my mouth and braces.

Here are some of the other invaluable dental supplies & equipment I use on a daily basis:

Cross Action Oral-B electric toothbrush
Waterpik® Personal Dental Waterjet (recommended by my dental hygienist)
GUM® Proxabrush® System with Proxabrush® refills or Oral-B Superfloss®
REACH® Access™ Flosser for the areas sans braces
The Natural Dentist® mouth rinse for am (recommended by my dental hygienist)
ACT mouth rinse for pm (recommended by my dental hygienist)

This is what I carry in my handbag:

sample size toothpaste
travel size toothbrush
sample size mouth rinse
GUM® Orthodontic Wax
Go-Betweens® Cleaners

I was excited to get started as soon as possible so I could begin my count-down. On August 21, 2008, after about 1.5 hours of fatiguing dental work, I walked out with a shiny set of metal lowers and uppers. It was a big change for me so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little depressed by the site of my new metal braces. I was also very disappointed that only the uppers had bracket & archwire placement, while the lowers only had brackets. The lower archwire placement and lower front tooth extraction (see tooth without bracket, pic below) is scheduled for September 18, 2008 (the earliest appointment I could get) =(. Oh well, I guess I will have to wait to begin my count-down to beautiful teeth.