First Maintenance Visit

Sorry that it took me a few days (okay, over a week) to post an update re: my first real maintenance visit. I went in last Tuesday.

First of all, I had to wait OVER AN HOUR before I was brought into the room. I guess since my Ortho is only at my dentist's office twice a month, they sometimes get behind trying to jam everyone in. Very annoying... I hope this doesn't become a reoccurring problem.

When I finally got started, the first thing the technician did was to glue my two attachments onto my top teeth. The only real discomfort with this process is having to wear the clear plastic mouth expander they put in your cheeks to keep your teeth exposed. You wear this while they are putting your braces on as well. It kind of sucks. It feels like your bottom lip is going to split open. Then, when she was taking it out, she kind of pinched the inside of my top lip, which made my eyes tear uncontrollably. Aside from that, a painless procedure.

Basically, first they clean your teeth, then they dry them very well and apply a liquid to them -- which I am assuming is some type of acid -- to roughen the surface of the tooth a bit. Then they take an [existing] copy of your aligner and apply the adhesive/attachment material into the spaces in the aligner where the attachments fit. They put the aligner on you and it sits for several minutes curing (setting). The only slight discomfort with this (for me) was that the aligner was very tight. I got used to it after a few minutes, but she struggled getting it to snap on my teeth.

After, she rinsed my teeth off and put my normal aligner back in. I am now on aligner #2!!! Woo Hoo! And from here on out, I will change my aligner every two weeks. I am already done with the first week, so I'm already halfway to aligner #3!

Once it was in my mouth, I asked if I could practice taking it out... as I had heard horror stories of removing the aligner right after the attachments are place. I was able to [fairly] easily get it out. Keep in mind though, I only have two attachments... some people have as many as ten! I can see how removing the aligner -- when you have multiple attachments -- could be quite the challenge. Make sure you practice before you leave the office!

Once that step was done, it was on to the traditional braces on my bottom teeth. This is where things started to suck a bit. First, she removed the existing band and wires. Then, she placed either end of the wire in the back-most brackets on either side. Once the wire is anchored, they go bracket by bracket, using either bands or wires to fasten the wire on.

Previously I had all bands. Since things were moving along nicely, she used steel wire ties on the teeth that need the most adjusting (for either misalignment or rotation). As she tightened the wire around the bracket -- on the teeth that are the most painful as is -- it hurt quite a bit. A lot in fact. I thought for sure I would be in excruciating pain that night but I was actually okay. It was the tightening of the wires that hurt the most.

The appointment took about an hour in total and my next appointment is in 6 weeks. At this next appointment they will do something called "slenderizing" on the bottom teeth. This procedure helps to shave down the edges of the teeth -- where there is overcrowding -- providing room for the teeth to shift into place. Sounds a little scary, but I was told it is not painful (famous last words coming from someone in the dental industry). I asked if they could do some 'slenderizing' in other places too... like my butt, thighs and legs. Unfortunately they can not...

I'm a Jackass

Well, good thing I have an Ortho appointment tomorrow... because I think I lost my Invisalign tray today! I went to Starbucks to get coffee and a bite to eat. After, I ran next door to the Hallmark store and, wanting to eat my food, took out my aligner and put it in my jacket pocket.

Three hours later (!) I remembered that my aligner wasn't in... so I reached into my pocket and it was empty! I cannot for the life of me remember if I took it out of my pocket after I ate, or if that was the last place I had it. In any case, I cannot find it.

I decided to put on my next tray, since I'm only one day away from the Ortho visit. This is the first aligner change for me... and boy is this 2nd aligner TIGHT! I cannot imagine how it will be tomorrow after I get my attachments on.

On a side note... some before (top) and after 6 weeks (bottom) pictures:

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Not too shabby!

Ow

Weirdly enough, I think my bottom teeth shifted during sleep last night... and got MORE crooked! I know this only because I spent a fair amount of time staring at my teeth yesterday trying to figure out if they had moved at all. They definitely looked a little straighter.

I woke this morning to a few very sore teeth. Upon closer inspection, I am convinced there was a type of "shift" last night -- putting pressure on the teeth in pain and causing a few other teeth to appear more crooked.

WTF?

I'm guessing this is normal, especially when your teeth are crowded. The constant pressure moves the teeth and they have to go SOME where... so if there's no where to go, they are going to slip into places where they fit.

We'll see what the ortho says on Tuesday. Today was a sucky day for eating though.

Teeth Cleaning

It's been a while since I've posted... mostly because I haven't had much to write about. The Invisalign tray is doing fine and the ceramic braces are about the same. My bottom teeth still cannot bite into anything too hard, so my food consumption is still limited to items that have a softer, less chewy, texture.

I did however, have my first teeth cleaning appointment since BB (before braces). It went fairly well, except I had a fair amount of plaque and tartar buildup. So, I purchased an ultrasonic toothbrush to help with this problem.

I hate it.

If you think the vibrations that happen during the final phase of a teeth cleaning -- when they brush/polish your teeth -- is bad, then you have never used an ultrasonic toothbrush. It definitely will take awhile to get used to this! Think... nails on a chalkboard, but feeling it... not hearing it.

In any case, my teeth are nice and clean as is my Invisalign tray (which the dental hygienist cleaned for me).

My next appointment (a biggie) is next Tuesday. I get the attachments placed on my top teeth and I'm wondering if my wire will be changed on my bottom teeth? Which, by the way, is STILL popping out every so often.

On a positive note, I have finally been able to eat salad for the last few days. That will all be over after next week's appointment though.

::sigh::

Invisalign Trays & Peanut Butter DO NOT Mix!

I made the [dumb] mistake of licking a bunch of peanut butter off a spoon before taking my Invisalign tray out. NOT a good thing. My food addiction and hunger clouded my judgement and boy what a mistake that was. Let's just say peanut butter is very greasy and doesn't wash off easily. Especially the organic, natural kind, that tends to be a bit oilier than it's more processed competitors.

I have a feeling I'll be tasting peanut butter for a while...

On a side note... wire is back intact thanks to a very small set of needle nose pliers I use when making jewelry.

Day 18

That damn wire came out of my back bracket again!!!! And I'm without pliers...

This is SO annoying.

Day 17

Things are still going. No new news to report. Bottom teeth are still sore... and the wire that I've had problems with has popped out several more times.

I fell asleep on the couch last night after dinner and had my top aligner out for FIVE HOURS! Note to self... brush teeth and put aligner in AS SOON AS YOU ARE DONE EATING!!!!