Moonlit Narratives Blog

I waited quite a bit for Dr. B today but at least I was entertained by watching the Food Network channel.  Not the best preoccupation after having to abstain from eating since 8:30 this morning (appointment was scheduled for 12:15 pm), but a necessary inconvenience to prevent vomiting or worse, aspiration.  I had two questions for Dr. B before I would allow them to take the impressions:

1) Where the retainers would anchor from? (I’m still undecided about whether or not to pull my last wisdom tooth; right lower).  As you can tell, I know very little about retainers from even asking this question.  The dental assistant assured me that the retainers would anchor very similar to the points where the braces begin and end now.

2) For the past week, I’ve been seeing a gap re-form along the front lowers (smack in the middle) and wasn’t sure if that would render today’s impression inaccurate and a waste of everyone’s time.  Dr. B said this small gap could be corrected with braces or even retainers so you can guess what I chose.

The first set of upper and lower impressions were a failure.  Dr. B wasn’t happy with the way they looked so he had his regular assistant redo both of them.  The glue that they added to the impression mixture stung my mouth =(.  At one point they had to add a little water since my brackets were ripping the impression apart as they were trying to ease the mold out of my mouth.  The first time my uppers were taken, I gagged a little since the first assistant held onto the mold with more pressure than I would have liked.  The second assistant held onto my chin so tight when she was doing the lowers I thought my chin would bruise.  I kept quiet and wanted them to do a good job since 5 times at trying to get the impressions as perfect as possible was uncomfortable, all over my face, nose, & clothing messy, and just plain gross (like plaster in your mouth) yuk yuk!  Thank goodness, a little bit of water seemed to do the trick and so the impressions were finally good enough to send off to the lab.  Now I see why Dr. B didn’t want me to eat for a couple of hours before the procedure…  Yeah, I definitely can see people vomiting from this procedure.

There was an infomercial on t.v. regarding dog dentures while I had the mold in my mouth and I started to crack up a little.  Can you imagine that?  Worse time I could be trying to laugh.

I asked for pink elastics but had to settle for red or purple.  I want to like red but it’s not a lucky color for me.  I felt a little childish turning down the red but whatever.

For the next appointment, I will be looking forward to transitioning from braces to retainers, a deep cleaning, and a whitening.  All these will probably take a few hours in total.  It will be well worth it once I can walk out of the dental office with some new-found freedom, happiness, and confidence.  Time to get out the Sensadyne =).  Yippeeee!

*Last braces photo YEAHHH =)!

Dr. B said he didn’t know what more he could do with the braces and so he reminded me to not eat a few hours before the next appointment (hour+ of retainer impressions etc) just because he’s seen enough people a bit sensitive/reacting negatively to the process.  I have mixed feelings about this announcement even though I’ve waited so long to finally hear that I’m ready for the braces to be removed and have my retainers made.  I still feel disappointed about the cross-bite, but I understand this to be a petty preoccupation in the grand scheme of things since my teeth have never been this straight.  After the retainer impressions, the following visit I will have the braces permanently removed.  I hope my mouth will be abrasion or closed-sore free.  That has been one of the worst “side-effects” of having braces. As you can tell, my pain tolerance is pretty low.  I am looking forward to getting my teeth whitened, eating corn on the cob, eating a Red Delicious apple without having to chop it up first, chewing gum haha j/k sort of, and flossing my teeth like normal again =)!

I was the only one in the waiting room this time.  Usually it’s packed.  Dr. B even saw me a few minutes earlier; I say this because it’s a rarity.  Usually he’s 15 to 30 minutes late and I have to bear the screaming of little kids in the office with their equally frustrated parents.  Today he had just shuffled in and I was his first appointment.  I asked for purple elastic ligatures.  Dr. B quickly rummaged through his cart and finds them for me.  I figure that deciding on what color to wear is the only small control I have in this process.  I’m always delighted when he has pinks and purples left.  He confirmed again that I could finally have my braces removed in a few months and was pleased with my progress.  Yes, FREEDOM =)!  I wasn’t the best patient today since I wanted to catch every glimpse of Animal Planet on t.v; sometimes it’s re-runs of NCIS.  Before leaving, he customarily asks if the braces are hurting, scratching, irritating me in any way and 10 to 1 everything’s okay at the time.  Like clock-work, a few days later, something definitely starts troubling me.  This time it’s my lower left brackets which are rubbing against the inside of my mouth.  I’m rinsing with Colgate’s Peroxyl and will place some ortho wax over the brackets for pain relief.  Honestly, I’m still really unhappy with the slight cross-bite after all the sacrifices I have made up to this point.  I’m hoping that once my teeth are whitened that it will barely be that noticeable…  I know, wishful thinking…  Until next time…

Yup, nothing like a lil’ Rincinol, Canker-X, and ortho wax can’t fix =)

I arrived at the office a few minutes late from running a couple of small errands.  I asked Dr. B if he knew whether or not my extended braces maintenance would result in more dental fees.  To my relief he said no.  I also asked how much longer it would take before I was ready for retainers.  I had guessed maybe another 3-4 months.  He agreed that was a pretty accurate guess.  It’s a waiting game with the slow progression of my lowers; gaps appear, disappear, re-appear arghhhh.  Pink and light grey elastic ligatures this time and the white elastic thread is back on the lowers =(.  I’m planning to start brushing with Sensodyne toothpaste at least two weeks before my teeth whitening session(s) to alleviate the sensitivity caused by the whitening procedure.  Of course my plans to whiten my teeth can’t begin until the braces are removed… One can dream…  I’ve also been thinking about at home whitening treatments.  I have a feeling that e.g. Crest Whitestrips, Crest Whitening toothpaste and the like are much more effective after you have received a professional/in-office whitening beforehand and are possibly a good way to maintain those new pearly whites.

*Photocredit: Various Sources

Dr. L assured me the dental x-rays from last visit showed no cavities and everything seemed fine.  Dr. B tightened the braces as usual but added a dusty blue spacer in between two of my right lowers since a tooth was a bit down-turned and needed correcting (center picture).  Pink and grey elastic ligatures.  Nothing new to report.  I wonder when I will finally be ready for retainers?  The lowers keep needing an adjustment here and there (annoying).  The spacer has caused a little pain since last night and most of today (Dr. B warned me this would be the case).  Nothing that warm rinses and soft foods can’t fix.  It’s bearable for now.  I’m sure by tomorrow, it will be even better.

I had X-rays, a deep cleaning, a fluoride treatment, and lastly braces tightened today.  The hygienist determined my braces would not hinder the X-rays from being done- oh joy =(.  At least they were unremarkable.  The hygienist said I was doing well with my at-home cleanings, which made me feel good because she normally criticizes most people; my husband always tries to avoid her.  I did have a small issue with one of my right lower molars and left gum abrasion due to my braces so she recommended Colgate Peroxyl Antiseptic Oral Cleanser (non-prescription rinse, mint flavored peroxide with equal parts water).  I bought a bottle from my local CVS.  Blue and grey ligatures this time since he was running out of the blues and didn’t have any pinks like I wanted.  I also found out that Dr. B cannot correct my cross-bite without causing further bone loss which I’m extremely unhappy about.  I can’t say I’ve totally wasted money getting braces, but I think more should be done to correct my bite.  I guess I had a very bad over-bite and over-crowded lowers to begin with, which limits the total progress of this experience.  I don’t know; I’m still upset obviously.  A lot of effort went into this whole thing.  Dr. L suggested they might have to push two left lower molars back to make room for a dental implant, but Dr. B didn’t agree that it was necessary so I will end up with a small gap on my lower left.   The dental implant is very expensive too (almost half the cost of braces) so maybe not the greatest idea?  I keep trying to remind myself that I’ve come a long way and that no one can really see the gap unless I voluntarily open my mouth.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!  Another unremarkable visit to write about.  Pink elastic ligatures and yes, finally the white elastic on the bottom front lowers is gone!  I don’t like when Dr. B has to put that on because it gets kinda gross by the next visit despite my diligent cleaning habits.  Hard to maintain the white color so it turns neon yellow and I’m not giving up curried foods.

I’m beginning to get more antsy than usual regarding when these braces will finally be taken off.  Feels like I’ve had them on forever.  Pink elastic ligatures this time.  Dr. B placed an elastic band on my bottom lower front teeth to close a gap that was forming.  My gums were sore for almost two days, which thankfully I haven’t experienced in quite a while.  I’m also tired of the brackets pushing against the inside of my mouth (causes closed sores); a problem which is unrelieved even with the use of ortho. wax- a problem which you’ve already heard me whine about way too many times.  Oh, I really need some moral support.   My family keeps asking me when the braces will finally come off and the truth is, I haven’t a clue since Dr. B doesn’t feel comfortable in giving me a definitive response.  I keep telling myself, THINK swan, swan, swan…..

Just another routine visit. Dr. B placed the spring on the right lower side instead of the left lower side to help close another small gap. I guess he thought the lower left didn’t warrant a spring this time. I almost walked out of the office when he took a second look and thought he could do better for me (at first it was just brackets, elastic ligatures, and archwire). I asked for purple elastics this time just because I was in a purple mood. Last Saturday DH, Stella, and I visited with DH’s family in Connecticut. His Aunt Anne asked how long I’ve had my braces and I answered her with the exact date to her amazement. Everyone seemed to be watching me struggle a little to cut corn on the cob with a knife (trying hard not to chop my fingers off); an excuse for gaucheness when one has braces. Tonight my right side lowers around the spring feel a little achy. I’m glad this started after dinner and not before. It’s not too bad. Tomorrow should be better. One more day and I can celebrate my 1 year Braces Anniversary! Wow, I almost can’t believe it. I can’t wait until I can whiten my teeth and figure out what to do regarding the right upper recession (would have to seek the advice of an oral surgeon if I decide to have the area fixed).

P.S. I have on Essence of Beauty Lip Frosting in Strawberry Cheesecake (available at CVS) and really like it.

August 20, 2009 *1 Year Anniversary, well almost*

Other personal issues cropped up on June 2, 2009 necessitating a delay of my dental deep cleaning and ortho follow-up to July 16. An uneventful follow-up visit with a request for fluoride treatment. Dr. M (who usually does the extractions) had performed the dental cleaning instead of one of the usual hygienists. Why? Not sure. Maybe because I’m at the half-way point now. I told Dr. M that I noticed the last upper tooth and the tooth before (which was root canaled and crowned) traps a lot of food. He examined the space and said the two teeth are not aligned properly. He noted it was a very fixable problem. I decided to wait until the braces came off to decide on what to do. There’s still too much movement to commit to a solution. I would just have to work extra hard to keep the space clean. The ortho spring was replaced since the gap is still there. I asked Dr. B for blue ligatures this time (in solidarity for Neo). My poor Neo cat passed away the day before. If it wasn’t for this visit, I probably would have stayed the entire day in bed depressed.

July 18, 2009