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*Treatment results may vary
9 Month Photo Update
9 Month Update
Things have been going (and moving) smoothly for me during my treatment. Each time I get new wires I naturally have more pain but it usually goes away within about 3 days. I would say one of my biggest annoyances is constantly getting mouth sores and trying to floss my back teeth through the wires! I have noticed pretty much only time will heal the sores, and flossing takes A LOT of patience.
The space I had between my molars (caused by the bite bumpers) is finally almost all the way closed. Because of that, eating solids is now even easier than at my 12 week update. The gap from the extraction is also slowly but surely closing, and should do so fully after I get my power chains.
I had a dental cleaning today and exam with x-rays yesterday. I don't have any cavities, but have a little bit of gingivitis (surely due to a month of slacking on flossing) and some coffee staining that came off nicely. The main concern my dentist had was that I have several teeth with VERY short roots (almost like baby teeth). I believe this is due to my genetics because the problem runs in my family and I was told I had short roots years ago, however they have gotten worse and she said sometimes orthodontic work can cause more resorption. My orthodontist didn't seem concerned when he did x-rays 9 months ago but I told him about this issue today when I was having my wires changed and he said he will definitely call my dentist to talk to her about it and figure out if there needs to be a change in my treatment plan. I trust my orthodontist so I'm hoping for the best and no complications. Also, if I were to lose a tooth (or several) I'm prepared to get implants or do whatever it takes to fix it. Hopefully that won't be necessary but I insist on having a back-up plan!
Best wishes to all of you with braces right now or those who are about to get them!
The space I had between my molars (caused by the bite bumpers) is finally almost all the way closed. Because of that, eating solids is now even easier than at my 12 week update. The gap from the extraction is also slowly but surely closing, and should do so fully after I get my power chains.
I had a dental cleaning today and exam with x-rays yesterday. I don't have any cavities, but have a little bit of gingivitis (surely due to a month of slacking on flossing) and some coffee staining that came off nicely. The main concern my dentist had was that I have several teeth with VERY short roots (almost like baby teeth). I believe this is due to my genetics because the problem runs in my family and I was told I had short roots years ago, however they have gotten worse and she said sometimes orthodontic work can cause more resorption. My orthodontist didn't seem concerned when he did x-rays 9 months ago but I told him about this issue today when I was having my wires changed and he said he will definitely call my dentist to talk to her about it and figure out if there needs to be a change in my treatment plan. I trust my orthodontist so I'm hoping for the best and no complications. Also, if I were to lose a tooth (or several) I'm prepared to get implants or do whatever it takes to fix it. Hopefully that won't be necessary but I insist on having a back-up plan!
Best wishes to all of you with braces right now or those who are about to get them!
Week 12 Update
Sorry it's been so long! To catch up I want to start this update by sharing my experience from weeks 4-6. Around week 4 I started getting tons of HORRIBLE canker sores! They were so miserable that I could barely eat anything or talk. I had them on the insides of my cheeks, the inside of my bottom lip, and for the first time ever, one on the tip of my tongue. The one on my tongue was by far the worst! I tried everything from salt, baking soda, peroxide, mouthwash and Orajel pain reliever. It seems that the only thing that really helped was time! The sore on my tongue lasted 2 weeks and then finally went away. I wish I could say it went away sooner, but that was happened in my case.
My 6 week appointment went well. They said my gums were looking extra healthy and that my teeth were moving along nicely. I did happen to have a bottom tooth that was getting crowded out of the way and pushed behind the two teeth surrounding it, so they gave me a spring-looking wire that is designed to pull the surrounding teeth out of the way so that the crowded tooth can come back into place. They also gave me stronger arch wires.
I was a little sore after the 6 week appointment, but other than that, the next 6 weeks were pretty uneventful. I did however start to be able to eat a bigger variety of foods, rather than just liquids, because the space between my molars (caused by the bite turbos) started to close. My two front teeth also started getting a gap between them, which was caused by my teeth adjusting after my tooth extraction. The orthodontist said that it will take awhile for the tooth extraction gap to be filled in by the surrounding teeth.
This week I had my 12 week appointment. He said I'm a little ahead of schedule and that my teeth are looking great. I think they kept the same strength of arch wire and just tightened the pressure of the spring wire on my bottom teeth. Now we are just waiting for my crowded-out bottom tooth to move into place before we move to the next step of treatment. I'm not really in pain anymore. Occasionally a tooth will feel a little loose and tender, but they heal up quickly.
I highly suggest a couple of products I've been using for oral hygiene since it's much harder to care for teeth and gums with braces on:
1. Waterpik Cordless Flosser: This shoots out water at high pressures to help rid your gum and teeth of any plaque you may have missed from brushing and flossing. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! My gums look so much healthier after using it!
2. Oral-B 3000 Electric Toothbrush: This has helped immensely and I believe that it helps clean under your arch wires better than a normal toothbrush.
The Waterpik was $40 and the toothbrush was $70. I think it is definitely worth it to help minimize or avoid weird marks on my teeth when I finally get my braces off!
Last but not least, my horrible TMJ pain that I had before I got my braces on has gone WAAAY down!!! I'm hoping it will completely disappear by the time my treatment is finished.
My 6 week appointment went well. They said my gums were looking extra healthy and that my teeth were moving along nicely. I did happen to have a bottom tooth that was getting crowded out of the way and pushed behind the two teeth surrounding it, so they gave me a spring-looking wire that is designed to pull the surrounding teeth out of the way so that the crowded tooth can come back into place. They also gave me stronger arch wires.
I was a little sore after the 6 week appointment, but other than that, the next 6 weeks were pretty uneventful. I did however start to be able to eat a bigger variety of foods, rather than just liquids, because the space between my molars (caused by the bite turbos) started to close. My two front teeth also started getting a gap between them, which was caused by my teeth adjusting after my tooth extraction. The orthodontist said that it will take awhile for the tooth extraction gap to be filled in by the surrounding teeth.
This week I had my 12 week appointment. He said I'm a little ahead of schedule and that my teeth are looking great. I think they kept the same strength of arch wire and just tightened the pressure of the spring wire on my bottom teeth. Now we are just waiting for my crowded-out bottom tooth to move into place before we move to the next step of treatment. I'm not really in pain anymore. Occasionally a tooth will feel a little loose and tender, but they heal up quickly.
I highly suggest a couple of products I've been using for oral hygiene since it's much harder to care for teeth and gums with braces on:
1. Waterpik Cordless Flosser: This shoots out water at high pressures to help rid your gum and teeth of any plaque you may have missed from brushing and flossing. I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! My gums look so much healthier after using it!
2. Oral-B 3000 Electric Toothbrush: This has helped immensely and I believe that it helps clean under your arch wires better than a normal toothbrush.
The Waterpik was $40 and the toothbrush was $70. I think it is definitely worth it to help minimize or avoid weird marks on my teeth when I finally get my braces off!
Last but not least, my horrible TMJ pain that I had before I got my braces on has gone WAAAY down!!! I'm hoping it will completely disappear by the time my treatment is finished.