Absolutely Done Waiting... - Houston, TX

This has been a long time coming. I am 30 years old and have made the decision to start correcting my teeth. I have crowding and a crossbite of one upper lateral incisor. I searched for the right doctor for several months and finally settled on the right one. I considered invisalign, but chose to go with ceramic traditional braces instead. I chose traditional because, after a long talk with myself, I realized that I would not be 100% compliant with keeping the trays in. Also, the whole reason for getting invisalign was to avoid people knowing what I was doing. I realized that there is no reason to hide your self-improvement journey. Also, with the position of the main tooth that needs to be corrected, people would notice. The attachments would need to be on most if not all of the front teeth, and attachments are noticeable, in my opinion.

I am beyond excited. I hate the thought of having food stuck in my teeth, but I guess I will just eat foods that don’t require a lot of chewing, like rice and mashed potatoes. I will do more research on this and other sites for suggestions.

Now, let me tell you about my orthodontist. I love her office, the staff, and her attitude. She does offer invisalign, but her initial recommendation was traditional braces. Really, she told me I could go either way, and it was my choice. After a little thought and soul searching, I came to the belief that the outcome is more predictable with traditional braces because the doctor is in control. With invisalign the outcome is more dependent on the patient, and that just wouldn't work for me.

For my initial consultation she and the staff answered all of my wacky questions, most of which came from this site, and made me feel very comfortable. I felt like the staff wasn't trying to just sell me a product, they were laying out all of my options, and gave me all the information needed to make an informed decision. Another great thing about my orthodontist is that she offers Acceledent. I first heard of the device on this site. After checking into it I definitely wanted it. I had an appointment today to be measured for the mouth piece and to order the Acceledent device. My doctor’s office used the iTero scanner to digitally measure and map my teeth. The process took about 15 minutes and was painless. There was some discomfort because the tech is pulling at your lips and the device blows air to keep your mouth dry. They also took the before pictures and x-rays. I will go back in a week to get the bonding done and hopefully pick up the Acceledent. I am beyond excited. Hopefully I can make a post each week, even if it is only of pictures and a brief description.

To anyone questioning if they are too old to correct their imperfect smile, DON’T BE SILLY! You should give yourself the gift of self-confidence and self-esteem, and experience being comfortable in your body. Also, remember that improper bite can lead to other problems.

Today was the big day! I went to the orthodontist’s office to get my braces put on. I have ceramic brackets from American Orthodontics. I think they are the Radiance Plus, but I am not sure. The whole process took about 1 ½ hours. I got signed in by the front desk then went to brush, floss, and rinse. The office has a brushing station, but I like to do this in the restroom because I take my time and really go to town. When I got back to the waiting area, my name was called. I was led to the treatment area by the orthodontic assistant. The orthodontic assistant is the person that put my brackets on and attached my wire. I sat in the chair and waited as the assistant gathered the necessary tools and supplies. I was then laid back and a rubber tool was placed in my mouth to keep my lips back and out of my way. It wasn’t too uncomfortable. The assistant then put the suction tool in my mouth and dried all of my teeth. She started with the two teeth that have crowns. During my consultation I was told that these two teeth would have bands on them, but the assistant said they would first try brackets. If the brackets come off they would be replaced with bands. She then began putting the etching material on my teeth. After that she put the bonding glue on one tooth at a time and then placed the bracket. She then used a light gun (I guess uv light) to dry the bonding glue. Before the glue dried completely the doctor came in to check the placement of the brackets, took some measurements, and adjusted some of the brackets. Once all of the brackets were placed I got up to take a few pictures for myself. The brackets felt very foreign against my inner lips and cheeks. Kind of like I needed to brush or floss. I then got the buildup put on two bottom molars. I have one top tooth in cross bite, so I had to get “build up” on a few teeth to keep my top and bottom rows from touching. This will allow the tooth in cross bite to move forward to the right place in front of the bottom row. Buildup is basically tooth colored material kind of like bonding used to fix chips and gaps. It looks and feels weird but I’m cool with it. It just sucks having the buildup because right now I cannot really chew anything! Once the brackets and build up were secured then the wires were placed and trimmed. This part felt really weird. There was some pressure, but no pain. The only pain I felt was when my lip was pulled so the assistant could reach my back molars. Next the assistant gave me my AcceleDent and showed me how to use it and care for it. We also checked the mouth piece to make sure it fit. The new units don’t come with a docking station. There is the mouth piece that is a clear plastic tray and it plugs into the activator. The activator is charged via an usb cord that can be plugged into a wall adapter or your computer. After all of that, I had to watch a video that showed me how to care for and clean my braces. I was also told not to eat or drink anything for at least 1 hour. I also got some written literature on caring for my braces and foods to avoid. The pamphlet also said to wait 3 hours before eating or drinking. Like I said the whole process took about 1 ½ hours. So right after I got the braces put on I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort. After 2 ½ hours I started having some irritation of the gum kind of like itching. It was like I hadn’t flossed or cleaned my teeth in a really long time and my gums had become irritated. So I stopped in at CVS and picked up a gum stimulator. This is the tool that has a long handle, about the length of a tooth brush, and a cone shaped rubber tip. I simply placed the tip on the gum and massaged the gum in a circular motion. This felt so good. It really did help the irritation. I decided that I would wait the recommended 3 hours before eating or drinking. My first meal? Mashed potatoes and rice and gravy. I did not chew the rice, I just swallowed in small amounts. I don’t recommend that because of indigestion, but I was so hungry and wanted to be full. Right after eating I brushed, flossed and rinsed with mouth wash. I was horrified when I noticed that the dye from my mouth wash temporarily stained my ceramic brackets. I rinsed with water about 3 times, then brushed with water for a few seconds. The dye came off, but the brackets look a little different. I will try a different brand from now on. The irritation came and went throughout the day and night. I rinsed with salt water and kept using the gum stimulator and a tooth brush to deal with the irritation. All-in-all, I am so glad I started this journey. I am so excited!

As I type this update, I am using my AcceleDent. I charged it overnight for about 12 hours. The mouth piece feels weird. I have the size large and type flat. I can feel the ends of the mouth piece jabbing me in the very back of the mouth where the top and bottom arches meet (kind of where your wisdom teeth hide out). I am worrying that I am not getting the full benefit of the device. But from what I can tell, the mouth piece is easy to swap out. It may cost more money, but still can be replaced. The vibrations feel similar to an electric tooth brush. I know that you need three points of contact, but I only feel two, the left side 3rd molar and the left central incisor. Occasionally I grab the activator (part of the device that vibrates and is shaped like a handle) and tilt the mouth piece. I will have to do a little more research on other people that think the mouth piece doesn’t fit comfortably. I also am using my tongue to push the mouth piece up against the top arch. If I want the mouth piece to touch the bottom arch, I have to shape my lips into a frown or use my hand to guide the mouth piece to the lower arch. I don’t see where the device offers a soothing effect on my gum irritation. I think the mouth piece might be too long for me. Maybe I am just freaking out. Well sure enough the 20 minutes flew by. There was the ½ way warning with 3 distinct pulses. When taking the mouth piece out of your mouth, be over the sink or a paper towel. The device comes with a usb cable, so you can plug it into your computer and track your usage. The instructions tell you that your computer will recognize it as any other usb. You simply go to the drive marked AcceleDent and click on the file for the excel version or the webpage version to view your usage report. Also, when disconnecting the device from your computer, use the “safely remove hardware” option.
Well last night I did have to use some of the orthodontic wax on the two back molars on either side of my mouth. The brackets were rubbing against the inside of my cheek. I do have one molar that is actually extruding beyond what it should, and it is actually “poking” the inside of the cheek. This happened because years ago I had the bottom molar extracted, with the intention of getting an implant, but never got the implant. If you don’t have something to provide force against your teeth, then they continue to move, which is what this 3rd molar has been doing for years. I used OraJel on my gums to help calm the “itchy” irritation. I slept through the night without incident. When I woke up, I noticed that the irritation was back, but very mild. This kind of has me worried that I am not in more pain. I have seen so many YouTube videos of people saying that the pain snuck up on them after a few hours of getting the braces put on. Maybe my wires are not tight enough or maybe my doc’s office is just that good. I guess I will find out soon enough. My next appointment is in 8 weeks. I thought it would be sooner because of the AcceleDent, but I guess my doc wants to take it slow at first. I have read that you cannot move the roots of your teeth too quickly. What else can I tell you to expect?…oh yeah, spitting is a little weird at first. So when you first brush your teeth it will take a little longer than you are used to. And because I have the ceramic brackets, I now drink my coffee extremely light with a straw. I find myself not wanting to talk much right now, not because I want to hide, but because the brackets feel strange against my inner lips. Also, the way I hold my head, like when thinking or reading something on the computer, is different. Oh, and wearing lipstick with ceramic brackets is a NO-NO! Umm, I think that’s pretty much it for now.