32 Year Old, Finally Fixing my Teeth with Damon Braces - Ladner, BC

I am so excited to get started on this path to straighten my teeth. I've always been bothered by my turned eye teeth and felt like nows the time to get it fixed. None of the costs are covered under my insurance as I'm over 19 years old.

I met with my orthodontist (Dr. Matt Witt) at the beginning of October and ended up going ahead with my Records appointment to determine what my treatment plan would be. Initially, Dr Matt thought I'd be a candidate for Invisalign but after considering both Invisalign and Damon Clear, I decided to go with the Damon Clear braces for my upper 8 and Damon Traditional for the rest of my teeth.

Below is Dr. Matt's description of my Malocclusion:
1. Class 1 dental occlusion in the adult (secondary) dentition
2. Class 1 skeletal pattern
3. 25% overbite
4. 1mm overjet
5. Mandibular dental midline was 1mm right of the facial midline
6. Flat mandibular curve of Spee
7. Moderate maxillary and mandibular anterior dental crowding (3-5mm)
8. Significant tipping and rotation of the maxillary canines and the mandibular left canine (1.3, 2.3, 3.3)

The treatment plan is to have braces on all my teeth with elastics for 18-20 months with retainers following (permanent on the bottom, removable on the top). With regards to Invisalign: "We have given consideration to Invisalign treatment but the degree of tipping and rotation required to correct the positions of the maxillary canines and the mandibular left canine makes management with Invisalign unpredictable for these teeth. Since the current position of the maxillary canines is the main motivation for treatment, we are more confident that we can achieve the aesthetic goals of treatment using braces."

As part of my treatment plan recommendations, my orthodontist recommended that I get advice from a periodontist to get an assessment of the gingival attachment on my lower 6 teeth prior to treatment.

I met with a Periodontist and he recommended that I complete a gingival graft prior to my braces on my lowers and that he'll monitor my uppers during my treatment to ensure my gums are healthy. This wasn't something that I was expecting so it came as a big surprise when the Periodontist said I'd need surgery. Luckily I've heard its not as bad as most people say or what the pictures online look like.

My gum graft is scheduled in 2 days and I'm slightly nervous but I'm mostly just anxious to get my treatment started. The quicker the braces are put on, the quicker they come off. My braces are scheduled to be put on on Dec 1st.

I had my gum graft this afternoon so my freezing still hasn't worn off yet so I can't be completely sure but Overall the procedure went pretty smooth. The stint is kind of uncomfortable to wear and I feel a bit of discomfort in my pallet along with some bleeding which is normal.

2 weeks today the braces go on so I know it will be worth it.

I'm still healing from my gum graft last Monday (today is Sunday). Overall, every day has been much better than the day previous.

A bit of the actual procedure and a few pictures of my gum graft (sorry if they're too graphic and the long recount of my experience).

My appointment time was scheduled for 2:10pm and I was a few minutes early for my appointment but they took me right in. The assistant had me sit in the chair and she let my Periodontist know that I was there. He came in right away and asked if I had any questions at all since I last saw him. I asked about how long I should wear my stent and how much medication I should have to manage the pain. He said most of the information was included in the package I would receive as I leave but he recommended that I leave the stent in for the first 24 hours to ensure that the palate had time to heal and clot before the stent was removed to prevent further bleeding. He recommended taking 400-600mg of Advil every 4 hours to help with the pain. Overall, the Periodontist really helped put me at ease about the procedure. He assured me that if I had any questions or concerns following my surgery, I could call him anytime on his cell phone (which was on the answering machine on the office line).

With that, I was leaned back, a bib was attached to sit on top of my chest (just like the dentist) and the light was positioned to perfectly blind me. Thankfully, they provided some tinted safety glasses. First, he applied some numbing gel to my palate and the gums in front of my lower 6 teeth. He let that sit for a few minutes while he talked through a few other suggestions and tips (eating soft foods or smoothies for the first few days as I felt comfortable and to keep my stent on while eating, drinking and sleeping until I felt okay to take it off). Then he used a needle (larger than normal, I think) to put freezing on my lower gums (1 on each side) and on my palate (2-3). We chatted for a few minutes while I tried to not drool too much. He made sure I knew that I couldn't floss or brush the area until I was cleared on my follow up appointment in a few weeks. I just had to brush and floss the rest of my teeth and apply a bit of a mouthwash solution that they gave me with a dabbing motion using a Q-tip.

The Periodontist made sure I was frozen. Then he started. He made an incision right across my lower 6 teeth gum-line. It was very quiet as he did this, no sounds except the suction. The assistant tried to ensure that the blood was kept to minimum by suctioning. Once the gums were exposed, he explained that he would start on the palate. He tested my palate with an instrument to make sure I was frozen and then made 1 or 2 incisions to remove the tissue needed. More suctioning was needed with the palate area to keep it free blood so that the Dr could see what he was doing. Once the tissue was free from my palate, he placed the tissue into a cup and then they got to work with stitching up my palate and placing the stent in my mouth. Then he started inserting the tissue onto my gums. Once the tissue was placed, he used dissolvable stitches, one on each side to secure the tissue and then used stitches along the length of the gum to complete the sutures. He finished the procedure by applying glue on top of the stitches to help hold everything in place.

I was all done and was leaving the office after setting up my follow up appointment in 2 weeks (Dec 1) all within an hour. I'd say the procedure probably only took 40-45 minutes. I was nervous during the procedure but I couldn't feel anything.

I left the office feeling very frozen - more frozen then I've ever been and the freezing in my palate made it feel like my tongue was partially frozen and maybe even my nose, it was very odd. I was frozen for about 4-5 hours and then I felt some pain but not much because I kept up with my Advil. My Periodontist called me that night to check in with me and check my pain level. The next few days got progressively better. If you're getting a similar procedure, I'd recommend taking the next day off of work or working from home to prevent talking too much which pulls at the stitches and is painful.

3 days after the surgery, I started wearing the stent only when I was eating (well drinking) my meals. 4 days after the surgery, I started noticing that a white piece was starting to lift on one side. I called my Periodontist on his cell since it was his day off and he was happy to hear from me and was quick to reassure me that it was the glue that was starting to lift off of the gums and that it was completely normal. 5 days after the surgery, I was able to start eating some solid foods (all with my stent in). 6 days after, more glue is starting to lift and I'm able to smile more and not talk as stiff. My worst complaint is that the gauze that was placed on top of my stitches on my palate is starting to hold quite a bit of bacteria so I'm hoping that the stitches dissolve quickly so that the gauze falls off and I can feel fresher. I've read online that it takes 6 weeks for the gums to completely heal.

1 week tomorrow, I get my braces on!

My Orthodontist decided to place my braces on by hand rather than using the "mouthguard" option where they pre-position all of my brackets in a mouthguard prior to me getting to the office to let my gums heal a bit longer.