Conventional Braces to Correct Crowding, 50% Deep/overbite, Misalignment, Narrow Palate, and TMJ Disorder in 21 Year Old - Salem

Background: I am a 21 year old female and was told around 10 years of age that I needed braces to correct a 100% overbite and crowding. My parents couldn't afford to have the procedure done, so I'm having the treatment done now. I began treatment on October 30, 2013 for the following issues:

1. My deep/overbite partially corrected itself with age, but it is still 50%
2. Moderate crowding in both bottom and top teeth---my incisors overlap giving a crooked appearance.
3. Misalignment/midline is off center-The line in the middle of my two front teeth does not line up with my nose and center of my upper lip. Instead it is shifted slightly to the left. In the front it doesn't look TOO off because the two front teeth overlap, but in the back molar region you can tell that the entire set of teeth is shifted over about 1 tooth too far.
4. I have a narrow upper palate
5. TMJ Disorder- 1 year ago I started having major jaw, neck, shoulder and head tension and pain. In the last year it has progressed to the point where I cannot concentrate because I felt like the entire region of my neck and head are "crippled" or immovable. Sometimes I am on the verge of tears from this pain. It causes HORRIBLE tension headaches and makes me feel as though I need to hang my mouth open and limp all day long as well as hang my neck backwards.

I have tried muscle relaxers, dental night guards and eating soft foods but the TMJ pain just keeps coming back. I am a very active person and do cardio and muscle workouts on a regular basis, so that helps to distract me, but I need to find a permanent solution to this problem. My dentist still to this day has suggested braces for me, so I had a hunch that the misalignment and development of my mandible and maxilla have been part the reason for my TMJ problems. I found an orthodontist in my region with 5 star reviews and went in for a free consultation.

After looking at my X-rays (above with pictures), he told me that it is likely my pain is coming from all of the above issues, and that I've likely tried to make my teeth line up (subconsciously) on a daily basis.

On October 30th my orthodontist put my brackets, bumpers (turbos), and lower wire on. I have a tooth extraction (for 1 biscupid) scheduled for November 7th and will have my top wire put in on November 13th. He said that this should help to widen my palate, straighten my teeth, and fix my overbite issue. I am so curious to see how this goes since I'm an adult and have heard and read that it's hard to fix some of these issues in adults. My estimated treatment time is 18 months, which will make me 23 years old when my treatment ends. I will also need to wear a clear permanent retainer after my braces are removed.

How my treatment has been so far:

This first week has been a little tense, uncomfortable and sore, but it is starting to get a little bit better each day. I'm on an all liquid/mushy diet until my bumpers get taken off which could be a month or two since there is about a 1 cm gap between my back teeth. It's not fun, but I'm excited to have my teeth fixed so I'm sure it'll be worth it! Also, a couple of my lower incisors have short roots due to having gingivitis growing up, so I've been putting extra effort into flossing and eating foods high in calcium so that I don't have problems with them becoming too loose or falling out.

I will update again after my tooth extraction.

I had my extraction of 1 right biscupid today (tooth #5, whatever that means!). It was actually really quick and for the most part painless. I showed up at the oral surgeon's office at 10:00 AM, filled out paperwork, and at 10:15 I was taken back to the room where they do the extractions. The Dr. gave me a shot of the local anesthetic around the tooth. That pinched a little bit, but he told me exactly what it would feel like before he did it, so it wasn't bad at all! About 2 minutes later after my gum and lip were numb, he grabbed that tooth and just pulled it straight out! It took about 10 seconds or less and all you feel is a little pressure from the pulling! It was what they call a simple extraction and only costed me $16 since my insurance paid the rest. I used gauze for about 45 minutes to stop the bleeding and it is pretty much completely finished bleeding now. I haven't eaten anything yet because my mouth is so numb, so I definitely suggest eating a big breakfast before you go in, just in case you don't feel up to eating anything afterwards. I am also a drooling mess and can't talk so I had to miss one college class today, but I should be a little less messy tomorrow or even tonight. After the anesthesia fades, you can definitely feel a little pain in the extraction site, but it's more of a dull ache, and isn't all that different than the pain I feel from my braces tugging on my teeth. In my opinion, recovering from having wisdom teeth pulled is a lot worse than a simple extraction like this. Ibuprofen helps too.

I was told not to rinse my mouth with salt water until tomorrow, so I'm waiting for that. I'm also avoiding straws and spitting. If you feel like you have too much saliva all the time, I suggest having napkins or face wipes, and a cup close by. Drooling is gross but it's probably best just to avoid infection or a dry socket which are absolutely miserable. (I had an infection with one of my wisdom teeth and I never EVER want to go through that again!! It hurt for weeks!)

Orange juice blended with plain greek yogurt is probably what I will be having to eat the rest of the day. Better than nothing!

Next week my orthodontist will put my upper wire on, so I'll update this after my appointment. I hope everyone's procedures are going well!

My tooth socket is healing well after the extraction and I haven't had any complications so far. I was so relieved when I heard that it looked good because I was so paranoid of getting an infection or dry socket! I had my upper arch wire put on today. More progress! Yay! I'm still eating soft foods. Most of my teeth are feeling tender now, but that's to be expected. My next appointment is in December so I'll have another update then.