Saturday 28 September 2013

My latest brace adjustment appointment

Apologies for not blogging for so long on this subject, but progress has been so slow that I genuinely think that missing a post won't matter.

It's eleven weeks since the last adjustment I blogged about. These weeks were uneventful and even my previous adjustment appointment left me with nothing to report. I've now had my braces for eleven months and had my latest appointment at the orthodontist this week.

My bite has been fairly stable recently, meaning that my molar that seems to take most of the brunt of my teeth clashing has settled down. That meant that I wasn't dreading the appointment quite as much as I normally do. The surgery was in a bit of turmoil as their computer system was down. As such, I had to fill in a new patient form, just so they had a record that I'd been there, and to check there wasn't anything they should be aware of. After that it was a quick chat about where my biting point was (primarily a front incisor catching on a bottom bracket) and then into the chair.

My wires took a bit of wiggling to come out, showing that they were still active. My orthodontist then spent quite a long time bending the wires. My top wire still has a bend by my second incisor which was set back, but now it's also bent to exaggerate the curve, to try to widen my bite slightly. The bottom wire is bent upwards, to encourage my premolars to move up, and my molars to move down. It's all very clever. Despite all the bending the wires went in easily. You can see slight chips in the white coating on the wires in the picture below, which show where the wires have been bent. It's a bit of a mess, and so a good job that I'm really not bothered what my braces look like any more!


In the few days since my appointment my premolars are definitely sore, and my troublesome molar is slightly tender, so the bent wires are definitely doing something. As I said to my orthodontist, I'm just bored of it all now, and can't wait to be wire free. I just need to carry on being patient as it'll be worth it in the end.

2 comments:

  1. “I just need to carry on being patient as it'll be worth it in the end.” – I totally agree. Braces of all kinds really help to properly align one's teeth. But just like other procedure, pain is inevitable. We just have to tolerate it because the result will pay off in the end. If the pain becomes unbearable, that's the time you need to ask your dentist for pain medication. I hope you’re feeling better now.
    = Lindsay @ SmileByDesign.com (Oakville, ON)

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  2. Nice! It seems that you and your teeth are indeed making progress. Just keep your teeth and braces clean, and don't miss an appointment with your orthodontist and you're going to be fine. Meanwhile, hang in there. I can assure you that it will be worth it in the end.

    Cody Zieba @ ReedOrtho.com

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