Been Wanting to Close the Gaps in my Teeth Since Childhood! - Ottawa, ON

Well, it's been a while, to say the least!

I finally completed my first phase of treatment. I initially had 20 trays, but it turns out that trays 18, 19, and 20 were just refinements, so my orthodontist only had me go up to tray 18. I then went in and got moulds taken for my refinement set (which turned out to be only 12 trays, with 6 "optional" trays afterwards). This is when my orthodontist realised that my frenum was going to cause a problem - since this tissue was so thick, my gap would not only refuse to close, but my left tooth was starting to get crooked. The bottom of the tooth was moving but the top wasn't, because it was hindered by my frenum. Between trays 16 and 18, my frenum would randomly bleed - sometimes it would happen while I was brushing, and other times it would happen without any cause at all. So I was referred to a periodontist, who agreed that my frenum should be either reduced or removed completely so my gap can properly close.

I finally had this done just yesterday. To say that I was terrified would be an understatement. However, my periodontist (Dr. Maguire in Ottawa) was absolutely amazing in reassuring me and making sure I was comfortable before, during, and after the procedure. The whole thing barely took 15-20 minutes!

I'm not sure if another other RS readers who have had a frenectomy went through this as well, but I'll post it just in case. When my gap was closing, my frenum was not only being "squished" but it pinched and was almost "shifted" to my palate (the roof of my mouth, behind my teeth). So my frenum went all the way from just under my upper lip, to almost halfway into my palate. This meant having to get lidocaine injected into my gums AND into my palate. I will tell you this - the pain is indescribable. That "pinch" that you feel when you get this injection in your gums? Magnify that by at least 100 and you get the pain that comes with getting these injections into your palate. I had to get four of them and they were NOT pleasant. However, it was worth it cause I didn't feel a damn thing after that. The periodontist would ask me every couple of minutes if I was okay which was very reassuring to me. It was a bit nerve-wracking when I could feel blood rolling on my palate to the back of my throat, but her assistant was quick to take care of that. I ended up having to get around 10 stitches in total on the inside of my upper lip, my gum, between my two front teeth, and on my palate. I can't smile at all, I can't eat anything too hard or crunchy, and drinking anything is a challenge. Once the lidocaine wore off after the procedure, the pain was pretty bad, and the worst was on my palate. It's hard to explain what that pain feels like until you have it. It's like something is pushing really hard on the roof of your mouth - so it's very difficult to talk or eat anything. I made a big pot of soup and was surviving off that until dinner time today, where I finally caved and got some good old McDonald's chicken nuggets (which I had to break into little pieces and shove in between my molars through the side of my mouth).

I have dissoluble stitches that should go away on their own in around a week, and will be going in for a follow-up next week. I was prescribed ibuprofen (600mg tablets) as well as Peridex, an anti-microbial mouthwash that I apply to the stitches throughout the day with a q-tip.

If you have a significant other, don't expect to be able to kiss them after your procedure. Thankfully my boyfriend is away at a cottage for the weekend, but I had to text him and warn him not to kiss me when he comes back. Any pressure on my upper lip at all is very uncomfortable, so no hanky panky any time soon (haha sorry, couldn't resist).

Anyway, that's my update. Still using the Acceledent which is a godsend and worth every penny. I'm on tray 3 of my second phase so if all goes well, I''ll be done in 9 weeks. Worst case scenario is 15 weeks if my orthodontist wants me to do all of my refinement trays. Very exciting. :)

I've added a photo to update you on my progress. The top picture is tray 1 from phase 1, and the bottom picture is tray 1 from phase 2. It's so cool to see the progress thus far!

Well hello there!

A couple of posts ago, I talked about how I had mentioned the Acceledent to my orthodontist and asked him what he thought of it. The office did not offer it at that time, but he did say that it was something he had been thinking about for a while.

Well, lo and behold - I got the thought back into his head and the office is now offering Acceledent! I went in yesterday for my appointment and decided to take the plunge and purchase this little machine. At $980, it was quite the plunge. Thankfully they agreed to just add it to my monthly payments, so my payments went up by about $40 which isn't bad at all. I'm the first one in that office to purchase it, so that's quite exciting too. :)

I switched to tray 8 last night and used the Acceledent for the first time. My god, does it ever feel weird! I was sitting and watching something on my laptop, and it looked like my entire screen was vibrating. I was also salivating like crazy (sexy, I know!). To the point where I just tucked a little towel under my chin to catch the mess. Yep, definitely attractive.

I'm so stoked to be able to change my trays weekly now!! Including my refinements, I'm really hoping to have that perfect smile within a year - so thank god for Acceledent!

Hope all is well! :)

I've really sucked at updating lately... My life has been hectic lately to say the least, so I'm not perusing RealSelf as often as I used to.

I have noticed something that worried me today, and I kind of wanted to see if anyone here experienced anything similar before I go running to my ortho.

My bottom jaw is very, very stiff - especially on the left side. I've also been noticing a hollow popping sound in my left ear every now and then. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Is it something I should be worried about? Any help would be much appreciated!