Six Years And Counting *sigh*

Yep, I've now been in braces for 6 years and 10 days.
And guess what....I still have no date for surgery.

I'm not sure if this is due to my orthodontist's skills or my teeth have just taken a very long time to move. But seriously, *WHO* has to be in braces for this length of time?

I do however have an appointment to see the surgeon on 10 July 2014. So not long to wait now...hopefully....

To be honest, it was 6 years ago that I decided to start this process after researching heaps online. Now it's been so long that surgery just doesn't seem real any more; like it's not going to happen.
I think it's going to be a shock.
And now I'm getting scared.
Now I'm wishing I just hadn't started this whole thing. If I had known it would have been six years in braces, I think I would have chosen one of the easier options.

I'm scared about what it's going to be like post op and scared that I'm not going to make it through surgery.

I can't remember when I got it, but I now have a bite plate appliance for my lower teeth because I refused to have any more molar buildups. It makes me look a bit like hannibal lecter.
I have hot pink and sapphire blue ligs with powerchain on the top.

See pic below :)

Hopefully next update will have a surgery date attached to it

Still here...

Well help me Bob I'm still in braces and STILL no sign of a surgery date!
Come May it will be 5 years, yes FIVE years that I will have had braces!

It's been a while since I last updated, mainly because I'm wondering if I'm actually talking to myself now, is anyone REALLY still following after all this time?
What has happened since my last update? Well not a lot. I think the most exciting thing that has happened teeth-wise is my mother inlaw fed me a brandy snap basket for pudding last year and I broke a tooth! I felt very sorry for myself and I now have 2 fillings instead of just the one :(

I've had wires changed, still on the silver ligs because there's so much powerchain. I've no elastics any more.
I've had molar buildups built up, ground down, put on again and then off. Getting them off the last time was awful...I remember looking up at the light and thinking 'This is like something out of a bad 80's horror movie'. Through all the work I've had with these braces, I have never cried but the day I got molar buildups off, I sobbed my heart out, tears running down my face on to the floor sobbing. I swore then I'd NEVER have them put on again. I think if the ortho had stopped mid way through to give me a breather for a minute I'd have been fine. But she's a bit gung ho. And know how usually if you go to the dentist, they say raise your left hand if you need us to stop, well with my ortho, you can raise your left hand and make it dance and wave about and she still ignores it!

So. At one point just 2 months ago, 2 teeth went in the wrong direction because of my 'fierce bite' and the words 'molar buildups' were uttered. I refused, well the ortho said either cement or an appliance. I chose appliance. So now I have a bite blocker lump of plastic appliance in my mouth instead.
The first week, it was hard to get used to, I couldn't speak without thounding thupid and it was tricky to eat the first few days. Everything eating (well almost everything, crisps are still a problem, but I only want those cause I can't eat them) and talking wise is pretty much 'normal' now. But I am waking up most mornings with my teeth clamped so tight together. I don't know if I naturally bite my teeth so hard together or if it's because of the appliance. I also find I get to about mid afternoon and I want to gnaw my teeth out my mouth. It's not sore, just an urge to gnaw badly.

About this time last year, May 2012, 4 years in,  I finally plucked up the courage to ask when surgery might be done. It's hanging over my head, I can't even book a summer holiday, I've put off post graduate study, applying for full time work all because I know this surgery is going to happen and I know I'll need time to recover and proper time to recover not a rush job. May 2012 and the ortho said end of 2012 or beginning of 2013. I sat in the cleft clinic with my son May/June 2012 and saw my maxfax surgeon who was asking how I was getting on. I remember him saying if I saw him relatively soon, it'd be a 2 month wait for surgery. At that time. But those days have come and gone.
I will admit, I am ready now for getting these braces OFF! Five years is just too long, and certainly not what I signed up for! I even have some moments where I wish I hadn't said yes. But then I'd be walking round looking a witch with no top front left incisor. What can I do *shrug*. Not much.

I'll do some pics tomorrow so you can see where I am at.

I didn't realise just how long ago I last updated my blog! To be honest there's been nothing exciting to update with. No new wires, not even new coloured ligs cause I'm stuck with silver because I have so much powerchain on there's no room for ligs! Last appointment was on Tuesday 26th July where it was decided that drastic measures had to be employed because that pesky top central right incisor just was NOT wanting to move anywhere fast. So back went on the dreaded molar build ups which I HATE with a passion. NOTHING makes me so bloomin miserable as these things! So on they went on Tuesday and off they came on Wednesday! Back in today (Thursday) and got double sized ones back on :( But it seems that just with putting the molar buildups on, it has given my top central incisor some room to move and it's moved almost 1mm since Tuesday! Or at least I think it's a mm, she went from saying 9 to 8 LOL.

My jaw surgery was supposed to be in June, but June has been and gone and no surgery date yet. Hopefully come 16th August (my next ortho appointment) this incisor will have moved enough to take the lateral incisor into the correct place.

So here's the pics while I go mope round the house with my new 'friends'

Full frontal minus the molar buildups. Powerchain all along the bottom teeth. Fancy spring things on top

Side view. Big gap there. Blue elastics.

Other side. Blue elastics. Powerchain top and bottom.

Impressed by the lumps of cement?

What the molar buildups do to my bite. You can see it's lift that central incisor away from the bottom teeth

Rwoooaaaarrrr!

2 Updates In 1 Day!

While trying to take my mind off of the pain of today's latest adjustment and before I go to bed with some painkillers I thought I'd have a wee look at the difference between then and now.

First picture is from when I got my braces put on, way back on 27th May 2008. Followed by my first adjustment.

Then comes how my teeth looked almost exactly a year ago from now (Dec 2009) and finally how things are today (30th November 2010). Quite a difference huh? :)

December 2010

Today was the day where my orthodontist has truely turned evil I think! LOL! My appointment lasted 30 minutes today, my lips are red raw from all the pulling and tugging, my jaw is sore from her pushing it in a direction it'd rather not have been pushed and now I can't speak properly not chew.

So what did I get this time: wire on bottom, pulled out, reshaped a bit and put back in again. Top wire changed to a thicker wire, 2 powerchains, wire ties and a hook added.

Now got another molar buildup on the bottom spanning 2 teeth this time (OH I so hate these molar buildups, whoever thought up these as an idea must be sadistic I'm sure)

Oh and in order for us to try and get my top teeth behind my bottom teeth (Oh how I wish when I was a teenager we just skipped the braces to bring the top teeth in front of the bottom LOL) I now have to do some 'Patient Participation'. I now have elastics. It says they are green on the packet, but they are actually white. The numbers on the packet says: distance: 20MM, 30MM and force 54g, 89g. No idea what that means but if anyone reading this does then feel free to leave a comment and inform me :) I have to wear them 24/7 except for when I'm cleaning my teeth.

I have managed to 'eat' a fried egg sandwich with them in so guessing I'll be able to eat with the elastics in all the time.

So now for the pictures! I'm sorry the side on ones aren't too open, my lips hurt too much from being pulled and stretched so much so I wasn't going to make them even more sore just for taking some pics. But anyways I'm sure you'll get the idea!

Full Frontal

Bottom with molar buildup

My right side

My left side

Well! It's been almost a whole year since I last updated. To be honest nothing exciting happened. Most of my appointments just meant checkups and new ligs. However my ortho has now left for pastures new (git! he shouldn't have left me! LOL) and now I have a new ortho. And boy did she go to town with me. I now have 2 POWERCHAINS! Yes 2! Feeling the sympathy from you guys :) As well as 2 powerchains she also gave me new thicker wires top and bottom, new ties and new springy looking things. By the time she had finished I was beginning to resemble Hannibal Lecter! That's 2 years 5 months down, another 7 months left to go. Although I suspect we are behind schedule as my midline on top is not in the right place yet.

So now here are the pictures. Can you see a change from last update?

Latest Update

Had my last appointment a couple of weeks ago, can't remember the date off the top of my head.
Nothing exciting happened, just had ligs changed, kept to orange and purple cause I think they are groooooovy!

Here are the pics!

Front!

Left side. A gap is appearing!


And the right side.