Work on the other side

Springs!

I have springs in my teeth!

Moving Right Along!

Not much changed at this appointment...we are still waiting for the tooth to straighten to start on the other one on the other side! Yippee!

2 Wires

No More Gap!!

They are moving so fast!

No More Fake Tooth

Finally, my fake tooth got shaved away. Now I am left with a little hole in my mouth...eeks! But that means more space for my teeth to move...wonder how long it will take until the gap closes?

Shaving my tooth...

At my appointment today, my fake tooth was shaved to almost 1/3 its original size. That's a good thing because I think my teeth are moving quite fast and the gap will be closed in no time...yippeee!!!! The only bad thing is that I think my gum was cut open a little while Dr. Collons was shaving it...ouch...

First Appointment after Extraction

I can see movement!!! Yipeee...

Day of extraction (May 12, 2008):

First appt. after extraction (June 2, 2008):

Finally, Extration Day....OUCH!!!

The day is finally here and I am scared SHITLESS!!! So my appointment with my ortho. was at 8:30am. Dr. Collons had to remove the arch wire and the bracket from the tooth that was being extracted. At first he removed the bracket from my left incisor but I asked him if we should be extracting the right incisor because there was a little chip on it. He agreed and proceeded to remove the bracket from the right tooth. After this was done, Alex and I walked to the oral surgeon's office which was a couple of blocks away from the ortho's office.

I am now in the oral surgeon's chair. He asked if I was nervous and I said, "HELLS ya!!" He decided that I should get some laughing gas to calm my nerves a little. It helped a little but not a lot. Then he proceeded to give me four shot in the vicinity where the tooth was to be extracted. He started tugging at the tooth...YIKES!!! I could still feel it! I was then given another 4 shots. By this time, my whole lower jaw was almost numb! More tugging and the nurse had to hold my head down.

It is one thing to get a loose tooth extracted but another to get a healthy tooth taken out! After more tugging, the tooth finally came out! I gave a big sigh of relief coz there was no pain! All that shots really did help. They stuck a big cotton ball there and off I went back to Dr. Collons!

At Dr. Collons, my extracted tooth was bonded to the tooth beside it so I won't have a gaping hole in my mouth while the other teeth were being shifted around. Then the arch wire got put back in. My ordeal is done!! YAY!

My next appointment is on June 2, 2008.

Here's a pic of my extraction! See that hole????

Another short appointment but with progress!!

My appointment today was just for a check up and I finally get to schedule my extraction. It was a bitter-sweet day. I am happy that finally I am getting that one tooth extracted so progress will be imminent but I am also scared!!!! My extraction day is confirmed for May 12, 2008!!! EEKKKS...I am so nervous!

Maybe a little movement?

I think I see a difference....can you tell?

Before braces:

3/20/08:

4/10/08:

Not much progress...

I am starting to get impatient!! Went for an adjustment today and was expecting to find out when I would get my 1 lower incisor extracted. Dr. Collons changed my top arch wire and told me he wanted to see me again before scheduling the dreaded extraction. This is absolutely stressing me out! I even had nightmares last night about the extraction. All I want is to get it over and done with...oh well, what can I do...more waiting for me!

On a positive note, I opened the lines of communication with Dr. Collons today. He explained more in detail about my treatment and why I am a good candidate for the lower incisor extraction. I feel more confident after that talk with him.

Anyway, he said that my uppers are already straighter. I can't really tell but maybe you can? Here are new photos taken today. I still have my hot pink ligs on my lowers...those ones didn't get changed! Damn, I wanted a new color...LOL.

My favorite dental doo-dads!

This package includes the little brushes that clean around your brackets. It works well and so handy to have around!


Although some people say that you shouldn't use this brush when you have braces, I find that it works well because the bristles are hard enough. The regular ones, the bristles are so soft, the brackets wear them out really fast.


And at the end of all that cleaning, I finish up by using this waterpik to remove anything that has been left behind! I end my evening with a fresh, clean mouth!

I am officially a metal mouth!!

Got my uppers braced today, so I am officially a metal mouth! I finally feel like I "belong" to the metal mouth club...LOL! Before with just my lowers braced, I had the "half-way there" feeling.

I actually feel quite comfortable right now...but just waiting for that achy pain to come (you know, the pain you get 1 day after getting braced). I hope it doesn't last for 5 days, like when I first got my lowers done. I got the porcelain brackets for my 6 front teeth (although only 5 are bracketed right now). The porcelain brackets feel quite nice, they are not sharp like the metal ones...or maybe I have become used to my lowers so now my uppers are not bugging me like when I first got braced. My ortho. only bracketed 5 out of 6 of my front teeth right now because he wants these teeth to move "outwards" to create some space so the 6th tooth can rotate into place.

Anyway, now the waiting game for my extraction starts...my next appointment is in 3 weeks (4/10/08)...which will just be a check-up and I will be referred out to an oral surgeon...yikes! I am getting scared!!

Here are some pics of my new uppers! I got dark pink ligs for my lowers this time...I like this color...it matches with my blog!

Week 3 and first appointment after getting braced

Went to the Ortho. today. Thought I was getting my uppers braced today but sadly, no. He said I would get it at the next appointment. He wants to brace my uppers first before getting an extraction. Something about getting the top teeth to move outwards to make space for the bottoms. Here are some pics! I got baby blue ligs this time around!

And oh, something really scary happened to me last night–click here for the blow-by-blow. I was home from the stomach flu since Monday. Went to the doctor and she prescribed me Compazine. Took it for 2 days. On the third day, I had a severe allergic reaction to it and had to be rushed to the ER. Apparently I had a dystonic reaction to Compazine. It was a really scary ordeal. I couldn't talk, my jaw was locked, my tongue swelled up and I was constantly grinding on my teeth. At first I blamed it on the braces but around 10pm, I couldn't take it anymore and asked Alex to drive me to the ER. The doctor there took one look at me, asked about the medications I was taking and instantly diagnosed me. I was put on an IV drip on Valium and Benedryl and felt MUCH better after. I am soooo happy it has nothing to do with the braces as I was sooo ready to get it off after that ordeal! But now, I am happy again to sport my braces. Hooray!

I can't wait till 3/20/08 when I get my uppers braced! Looking forward to that day!

Making the BIG decision and Week 1

My lower teeth have always been too crowded for my mouth, and I needed to do something before gum disease took over and my teeth fell out! Also, my upper teeth, once nice and straight, slowly moved into weird positions. It was time to do something!

Considering my options. I was initially interested in Invisalign because of one main reason: I don't want to have a metal mouth. I found an orthodontist in town who was trained in the Invisalign system, and I scheduled my first visit. He told me that I would not be a candidate because my crowding was too severe. Since I would need extractions, he didn't think Invisalign would be my best choice, I was quite disappointed and I went home to think about it.

Taking action. I thought about the pros and cons of traditional braces for about a week. The ortho had said that I would most likely require the extraction of my lower incisor and that my treatment time would about two years. It was a daunting thought - just thinking about the extraction made me want to cry. However, my desire to have straight teeth won out, and I made the call for my next appointment.

Going to the first appointment. The ortho had a plan of action - he wanted to get me used to braces and not scare me and so we started slow. On 2/7/2008, my lowers got braced. I chose light pink bands since Valentine's day was just around the corner!

Living with braces. The first few days of getting my lowers braced were BRUTAL!!!! The day I got them was Chinese New Year and Alex made a seafood feast...but all I could eat was rice and soup.

Day 2 was bad too. My teeth and gums were so tender and I was getting bad headaches. I thought to myself..."What the f%@k was I thinking?!?!" I was actually quite pissed and frustrated at myself.

Day 3 and 4 were the same. I was still on soft foods. I was hating it more and more each day...not only was I on soft foods, my inner cheeks were all cut up from the sharp points of the brackets.

Finally, some relief! My teeth and gums are feeling much better on day 5. I am eating more normally now...thank GOD!! Because you know how I LOVE to eat!!

My next appointment is on 2/28/2008. I believe my uppers will be braced that day. I can't wait!