And here we are already at August update! Today 26th August 2009 at 10.40am I was in the ortho's chair again. I knew today was the day that we start to move the top incisor round. Was quite a long appointment,
I got pink ligs off and groovy purple and orange ligs put on,
top archwire off and then it decided it wasn't going to play ball and took some doing to get it back in again,
long wire tie put on to keep the canine and lateral incisor where they should be
and
2 powerchains put on at the front! eeeeeeeek!
Teeth hurting a little from the powerchains, we'll see what it feels like tomorrow.
Now for the pics!
Pics are not playing ball today so a bit out of sorts but it will do, you'll get the picture :)




Right hand side
Bottom

Left hand side with the wire tied teeth


The full frontal with both powerchains. I'm so glad the gaps not in the middle though!

Found My Camera - Latest July Pics

This is how much of a gap I now have at the front on the top! I pushed my false tooth over to have it where it should be. It's pretty cool although I'm thinking it is going to be really weird having 2 top front teeth in the right place. You can now see that the rest of the teeth need to budge over a bit to fill that gap and get my midline into well erm the midline! :)

You can now see how much of a gap has developed when you look at this next picture and compare it to some of the earlier ones.

Oooo a bit much saliva going on here but you can certainly see the teeth have moved along now. The tooth with no lig on has the powerchain on it and orth said he would keep the lig off for now as ligs can slow things down?? I don't know anything about that will just take his word for it.



And this is the other side...all you toothypegs will be moving shortly to your new home! Ortho says that at my next appointment we start moving that incisor round to the midline.


And last but not least, my beautiful bottom sparkly pearls. They are looking good. I do think they need to be nudged over ever so slightly to get the midline exact but something tells me I'm perhaps going to have to make do with just ever so slightly not nudged over.


Back again in August. Happy viewing!

July Update.
Not much to report on the braces front. Got ligs changed again, stayed with pink as I like pink.
Next appointment will be exciting as that's when we start moving the incisor round into place!!!!!! Next appointment is in August.
No pics just now as a) been ill this past week and b) been decorating the livingroom so the camera has been hidden away.

Other news: turned 32 although it passed in a blur thanks to being ill and spending it at emergency doctors, and have completely redecorated our livingroom..tis gorgeous!

Hello!

Well it has been a wee while since I last updated. Mainly because each appointment resulted in my ligs being changed, an appointment for next time and sent on my way. NOTHING exciting happened, no pain, no ulcers, no wire changes, nothing to write home about (or blog about) really.
Since my last update I have had turquoise green ligs, red and pink ligs (for valentine's day) and something else but can't think what.

Latest appointment was on Friday 22nd May. That was just 5 days short of having my braces on for a whole year! Wow time has flown by! 1 down 2 to go.
I had to take my kids with me to my appointment as it was an inservice day at school for them. They almost got to choose my lig colours and suggested yellow but thankfully with a few handsignals (while ortho was changing my wires and ligs I managed to divert the yellowness and get pink)
I had both top and bottom wires changed and could feel before I had even left the room that I was in for a uncomfortable week ahead.
Wires changed, pink ligs on (wanted something a bit more calm after the turquoise green as they were a tad on the bright side) and some springy wire thing put where the powerchain was before (I don't know what the springy wire thing is called) Brendan watched everything! He knows that since he was born with a cleft palate just like me there is a super dooper high chance he will get braces too. He's well fascinated and hopefully the mroe he sees happening to me the less scary it will be for him when his time comes.

The powerchain was moved from it's position as seen in last update to the next gap over. This is now movning all the top teeth along to get my midline in the correct position. I've been told it's going to take some time.
Now for the pics....


Full frontal. Look at that HUGE gap!


The moved powerchain.



The other side...the dark side LOL!

No pics of bottom or top today. Top photo turned out rubbish and I can't be bothered faffing about taking it again. Bottom teeth don't look different from last bottom photo and it's sideways and I can't be bothered faffing rotating it LOL.

Can't remember what adjustment number I am now...but suffice to say my braces have been on for 6 months now!
My appointment was at 10.50am Tuesday 2nd December. I finished a lecture at uni at 10am so headed straight up for the hospital. I got there early at 10.15am and since they weren't busy they took me early.

First thing ortho did was ask me to bite together, which I did, then he said 'bite together' and I was like 'I am!' LOL.
Told him about my wisdom tooth have a wee move about and he had a look and said yes it indeed had.

He did:

1. removed lower ligs. At my request put a closed coil round the wire that wasn't attached to a tooth on the bottom...now I won't have to faff about with drinking straws when the wire decides to cut my cheek like cheese wire :). Then put same wire back on again and agve me new azure blue ligs. Said the bottom was looking good. Gave my bottom teeth a wee wiggle so must be checking to make sure they ok :)

2. Removed top wire and ligs. Changed wire and then mentioned the word powerchain!!! Put new wire on top and I have a section of powerchain on top where there's a big space since no tooth there. He told me that now we are to start working on bringing my top teeth into the correct position, ie bring my midline into the centre. Said it was going to take some time to do.
Put azure ligs on top.

While I was in the chair, with ortho changing wires etc, this guy in a white coat waltzed into the room. No idea who he was, gave him a wave since I couldn't actually speak. He said hello and then just seemed to launch into a whole heap of questions about me and my teeth. Ortho explained that I was born with a cleft palate, have class 3 malocclusion and having osteotomy. He asked if it was going to be bimax and ortho said I was an unusual case but not bimax because while my upper jaw is too short and indeed that's what needs to move forward, since doing so would affect my speech, the lower is going back. Guy then asked about my denture and how my tooth was going to be restored. Then wait for it! Ortho says the words...BONE GRAFT!!! Like what! no one has mentioned bone graft to me before! But I can see what he means, there's not much bone in my gum for a bridge or implant to hang on to. But would've been nice if I was told about that before. But then not like I can say no either.

Anyways, back on 3rd Feb for next adjustment.
Right now: pain not too bad, was majorly sore last night but took some painkillers and went to sleep for a bit. Mainly teeth associated with powerchain that is hurting. I *think* I'll be able to eat Christmas dinner though :)

Now for the pics:


Full frontal pic




Bottom Teeth


Top Teeth




The powerchain!

Grumble Grumble

After 3rd adjustment 4 days ago, I'm feeling miserable this time round :(
That is 2 really thick wires on my braces...I think the bottom archwire is round and the top certainly looks square/rectangluar. I knew as soon as they went on before the ligs went on I was in for a sore few days.

I have 3 mouth ulcers, on cheek watch cause 2 wires are threatening to cut my cheek again and while I can't say I'm in pain, as the day goes on I really want to gnaw all my teeth out of my mouth!

Add to that I can't eat properly because of this new tooth (that looks brilliant but is so wobbly I'm scared) and I just want to curl up and hide.

I know it will all pass and in a week's time I'll be ok but right now I just want to hide :(

why did I say yes to braces?

3rd Adjustment

3rd adjustment today, had to think what number I'm on now, this is getting so old hat hahahaha!
Today's appointment was at 11am and went as follows:

1. molar band fitted onto lower left back molar. Thank goodness is all I can say cause that poor wee tooth holding the last bracket bottom left really wasn't all that happy. Now it has a bit of support going on I think it will be a happy toothypeg once more.

2. I got orange and black ligs for halloween! They are FANTABULOUS! I LOVE them! I've been humming and heying all the week, was definate I was getting orange and black but the closer I got to today the more I was thinking of maybe not the black, just the orange. But sooooo glad I didn't chicken out.
Only one problem, my next adjustment is in 9 weeks time (usually every 6 weeks but ortho must be going on holidays or something and I've got 9 this time) so I while orange and black is good for halloween, I'm also going to be walkign around with orange and black right through November too! Ah well, I still love them :)

3. I got a new tooth! I got a new tooth! I got a new tooth! Can you tell I'm happy that I got a new tooth? :D :D :D
For the first time in about 2 years now (I think, or maybe it's 18 months or so, certainly not less than that) I now look as if I have 2 proper front top teeth! It is amazing! It even came with the same chip that is on my other top front tooth ROFL!
BUT...how long is it going to last? I don't know. It isn't attached to a plate, it is just hanging there, kept in place by a spirally looking wire, archwire and lig. Ortho told me not to bite with it, not to eat apples. I lay there thinking 'but I thought apples weren't allowed with braces anyway?!?!'
So now I'm feeling extra cautious about this tooth. I am STARVING hungry right now but it's a case of eat or lovely teeth, eat or lovely teeth, which to do!
I still have my old tooth denture and have to use it if this new tooth comes off/breaks.
Next adjusment is 9th December!
Here comes the pics



Can you see my new tooth? How great does it look? How cool are these orange and black bands?



Top arch, right way round this time. I'm not sure what is going on here, nothing looks any different but then I guess they were pretty much straight in the first place, just not in the correct place.


Lower arch! Looking good, looking good!


My bite, can't bite down properly cause of new tooth but loving those ligs!