Moonlit Narratives Blog

I’ve thought about getting braces for many years, but never took action until now. When I was in my teens, my mom didn’t make the most encouraging sales pitch, so for years I ignored my problems. I’ve always known my lower teeth suffered from over-crowding and that I have an overbite that most people always seemed to notice. I also needed to do something before my bone loss worsened (supposedly already at ~20%)! A drastic change was called for.

I was initially interested in Invisalign because of one main reason; I didn’t want to look ridiculously young for my age because of traditional braces. I found my orthodontist in Thornwood, New York through my regular dental office and I scheduled my first consultation. He along with my primary dentist told me that I would not be a candidate for Invisalign because my teeth crowding was too severe and that Invisalign would not help me to achieve the type of results I needed. I was given information and an initial quote for braces. I went home to ponder the pros and cons of having braces.

The orthodontist had said that I would most likely require the extraction of one lower front tooth and that my treatment time would be about 18 months. The thought of having a front tooth extracted was overwhelming. I had preferred having a back tooth pulled instead but the orthodontist said it had to be one in the front =(. A little bit of online research e.g. browsing through people’s blogs really helped me feel better about my decision. My desire to have straight teeth and healthier gums won at the end.

*I am dedicating my braces online journal to Lora B.* (I’m so glad I found her page and I’m hoping that my journal might help someone else in turn).

On May 15, 2008 I went for my full consultation, impressions, and X-rays. The orthodontist confirmed his plan of action, including the extraction of that one lower front tooth. I also enrolled in Care Credit; this would help lower my monthly payments significantly and was better yet, interest free for one year via my dental office! Another big plus- I could make payments conveniently online.

Neo suffered from a stroke in late December 2007 just a few days before Christmas…

Friday night I remembered saying goodnite to him after turning the hallway light off; he was looking back at me on the top stair landing. It was a late Saturday morning and Neo was seen earlier lying in his cat tent (bed), then unknowing to us that he was ill. Andrew found it odd that Neo was no where in site during breakfast. Neo normally loves to lap the leftover milk from one’s cereal bowl. I walked over to his tent and was horrified to find him so weak- he could barely lift his head up, couldn’t even bare weight, and gave me a weak “ack” (our secret language, letting me know he was trying to hang on for my sake). He seemed to have an uncharacteristic delirious look on his face. We called his Primary Vet right away (he was on-call) and he referred us to a local veterinary hospital. I was a nervous wreck that afternoon and spent most of the day crying until my face ached. Not even a long walk with Andrew & Stella across the beach boardwalk was enough to console me. We decided to postpone our Chistmas & New Year’s celebration until Neo could return home. Neo was in the hospital for almost a week. We visited him every night and not knowing what the future held, every moment we had with him was precious. He was referred to a veterinary neurologist who diagnosed him with a “spinal stroke.” We were told that CVAs (cerebral vascular accident) are more usual in dogs than cats and that his prognosis was unknown. During the first few days since his discharge from the hospital, he could only roll-over to change lying positions and lift his head up slightly to eat and drink. He had suffered a little weight loss since that Saturday. After days of around-the-clock care, a strict treatment regimen, and putting all efforts forward to maintain his hygiene and safety… Today he is pretty much independent, walking around with a slightly impaired gait and can acclimate to stairs without falls as long as he paces himself. His recovery in mobility took about 1.5 months of intense daily home rehab. His coat feels and looks wonderful and he has had a healthy weight gain over these past months. He’s always looking for me to re-fill his cat bowl with Merrick’s Grammys’ Pot Pie (with the quality of people food) mixed with his other favorite dry food- a diet which played a significant role in his recovery and healthy weight gain. His blood pressure is also thankfully under control with medication (Baby Aspirin and Norvasc prescribed by the vet neurologist) and regular veterinary care/monitoring. I’m so grateful we have our second chance together!

Neo was a meticulous groomer before his stroke. I’ve been brushing his fur weekly since he is still a little wobbly and tends to groom his front paws the most. Neo has been slowly regaining his siamese “voice” since July, 2008. Any of you who are familiar with this breed knows exactly what I mean =).