Say hello to my little gap.

First off, I want to apologize to those who read my blog. Due to a hectic schedule involving final exams and assignments, I was not able to find time to blog. However, I'm finally on holiday break and now have all the time in the world.

So, what have I been up this past month (besides studying)?

There are a couple of good news. I'll start with the "little" good news. My RPA is currently measured at 7 mm! This is 7mm out of a possible 10mm. Although not everyone needs to expand the full 10mm, it's seems like I will have too. For a matter of fact, I was told I have too. If I could estimate correctly, I still have to turn for another month and a half (finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel!) This is not bad since I'm used to turning the RPA now. However, I have been getting headaches lately. I'm not sure if this is correlated to the having to turn the RPA, which puts force upon the nasal area when turned, or it's due to many late nights studying. I'll have to monitor this situation and update if necessary.

From the pictures below, there has been a bit of movement during this last month. My right side is still in the lead in terms of movements. The left side, however, has gained some ground but nevertheless still behind. It hasn't be able to "jump over the hump" yet. Take a look for yourself:

Left side

Right side

Now for the "big" good news. Although many may not consider it news but I am very excited and proud of it. Since last month there has been noticeable gaps on the teeth adjacent to my front teeth. Indeed I was happy about it because having gaps mean the RPA is doing it's job correctly. Nevertheless, I keep wondering if my two front teeth themselves would separate at all. Two weeks ago, they heard me (and replied). There is finally a noticeable gap (although small) between my front teeth! Flossing has been easy in that area as of late. Having a gap between the front teeth means good news in the world of RPAs. For those of you who are afraid though, don't be. The braces will close any gap you may have that resulted from a RPA.

Lastly, I want to wish my three followers and everyone who reads my blog a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and/or any other holidays that are being celebrated during this festive time :D

Peg Laterals.

Many of the readers (including my two followers) would have probably noticed that the two second teeth on either side of my front teeth are abnormally small and narrow. These are called peg laterals or peg lateral incisors. I have these because these two teeth did not fully develop. They look like small baby teeth and look even more awkward from the side when I smile.

I was told about a few options for dealing with my peg laterals when i get my braces off:

One, porcelain veneers. Porcelain veneers refer to a thin cover of porcelain which is bonded to the front surface of a tooth. This is not an option for me (at least not at the moment) because veneers cost a ton of money $_$ Perhaps, this is an option in the future. 

Two, (the cheaper option) dental bonding. Bonding refers to a high-tech plastic material used to create fillings or restoration of a tooth. I plan to bond my two peg laterals after I get my braces off. 

This was a semi-hard decision to make for many reasons. For one thing, it's a big hit on the bank account. After having to spend $6000+ on my braces, I have to fork out a couple more hundreds to get the bonding done. In the end, I really have no choice in wanting to fix these peg laterals. It's now or never (or at least it'll be difficult if I don't fix them now). This is because to do so, a sufficient amount of space needs to be left over after the braces for the bonding. The extra spacing has to be planned ahead to allow for the bonding. I plan to do it because I simply consider it as another detour along my journey to nice teeth. 

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving for all those readers from the US! I wish I could be there for Black Friday!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

2 months with the RPE:

 

Right > Left

Turn 13:

I have noticed that there are noticeable outward movements from my upper palate. The odd thing, however, is that the teeth on my right side have moved more rapidly than my teeth on the left side. For one thing this is good because of the movement. On the other hand, this is odd because when the RPA is turned, an equal amount of force should be applied to both sides. Hence, the two sides should move the same distances.  Nevertheless, it has only been 13 turns -- not even half way yet -- so I am not going to worry yet.

I tried to eat a tuna wrap (yum) about an hour ago and my upper teeth started to hurt.
This was the second time (the first being the first few days of getting the RPA) feeling this type of pain. Oddly enough, however, the pain was only on the right side.
I suppose this is the side effect of having faster movements on  one side.
As of now, I'm going to have to start avoiding hard food and not chewing on the right side :(

+1 month and there is movement!

It's hard to believe but I have been wearing my RPE for a little over a month now. I just read over my previous post and noticed that I complained about it a lot when I first got it. To be honest, about a week into wearing it, my mouth got used to it and I started to talk normal again. The only negative is that my tongue got really swore, especially after many contacts with the metal spacers around my molars. Of course, that gets better too.

So far, I am very happy with the little movement that has occurred. My bite feels different but definitely better. There is no gap in between my front teeth yet BUT I'm starting to see some separation there. What essentially is happening is that the RPE is pushing my molars forward for two reasons:

1) To get rid of my underbite by pushing the top molars over the bottom ones;
2) Provide space so that the braces can align and move the other six upper teeth forward.

I have a long way to go still or in the words of the dental assistant "keep turning girlfriend."

I'm back to the orthodontist in another month so I'll blog some more then or hopefully in between.

The palatal expander = social torture device

I went to the orthodontist and finally received my palatal (jaw) expander. Basically, it's a metal appliance cemented on one's teeth to help expand the upper palate.

The big question is does it hurt? The answer is yes and no. If we are talking about physical pain, then NO --at least nothing unbearable. At first the two molars that are cemented with the expander was a bit sore but it went away quickly. I must note here that I have a rapid palatal expander (RPE), which is only one type of many palatal expanders. I have only had the pleasure of rotating the expander once and rotating doesn't hurt at all. I have to rotate mine twice a week.

On the other hand, if we're talking about a pain that limits one's social activities, then YES. It's very hard to eat and when you do eat, food will get stick to it -- an inevitable occurrence. Speaking with this appliance is also very limiting and frustrating because it's hard to produce proper sentences. There is also a constant puddle of saliva in the back of the mouth 24/7, which impairs one's speech by a few more degrees. HOWEVER, it has started to get better and is not all that bad. Thus, it will only get better the longer I wear it (4 months to go! fighting!)

Below is a picture of my upper jaw with the palatal expander (sorry it's kind of dark).

Chicken noodle soup.

I went to the orthodontist today and got some good and bad news.

The good news is my metal spacer did not fall off! Woot woot! However, I now understand why people hate them so much -- the spacer was very difficult to remove! It was launched deep into my gums (which is why I didn't feel them) >_< Nonetheless, I got new spacers replaced and they're all plastic this time :)

The bad news. I have to wait three weeks to get my upper jaw expander -- an order was placed today. This meant I had to get another impression of my upper jaw... I nearly gagged (twice).

On another note, the new spacers are making my teeth become very sensitive again, like the first time I got them. No bad pain or anything but I will be eating chicken noodle soup again for the next few days (which I don't really mind).

Project braces ticker.

I found this cool gadget through the archwired forum! This place has awesome information about everything and anything to do with having braces.

On the hand, I've been reading online about people's experiences of metal spacers. According to many, the metal ones are evil and cause much more pain than the plastics ones. For me, it was the opposite such that I can't even see or feel the metal spacer! Which has been getting me thinking that my metal one fell off?? I pray that it has not because the office is closed today and is not open until Monday.

It's recommedended that if your spacer falls off within more than one day before your next appointment then you should go and get it replaced. Here's to praying my metal one didn't fall out (and I ate it? because I didn't even noticed it falling off >_<)

Plastic or metal?

I got spacers (seperators) put in my top molars -- three blue (although they look black in the picture below) plastic ones and a metal one. The experience was not painful but I have very tight teeth such that the assistant had a good workout trying to put the first three in. She gave up on the fourth one after punching me in the face trying to floss it in. The metal one was so much easier and is less painful to have. It's been three days since I had them in and I can feel the soreness when I bite down but it's no biggie (although I had soup for lunch two days in a row).

I've seen many pictures of people who upload pictures of their teeth online. How do they take such good pictures? Tips please? This was my best attempt on an iphone >_< .

I'm due back at the orthodontist in a week so I'll blog more then.

My first blog.

This is the first blog I have ever created. Why?

One, I'm not a good writer and will never be one.

Two, I never knew blogs were free to create.

Three, (the real reason) before (and after) I went to see an orthodontist I tried to do some research about my particular case. I always found that it's nice and reassuring in a certain way to read about other people's experiences about problems that I also have. In other words, it's good to know that there are others out there who are suffering the same faith as me. In trying to do so, I didn't find much. Although do check out this quirky down-to-earth blog Saybraces.

Hence, I started this blog as a way to help create and share my experiences of having braces with those who are looking or have looked into getting braces (particularly those with a class III).

The beginning of my journey.

I should have started this blog two days ago. That was the day my treatment started. But it's better late than never right? Here's my story and the beginning of my braces journey (warning it's a long read):

I'm a 21 years old female entering my last year of my undergraduate studies. What a great time to get braces eh? So, what was my motivation for getting braces? Lack of confidence? Self-consciousness? Boys? The answer is none of the above. I never gave the idea of having braces a chance when I was younger. Though they may have crossed my mind in my teen years when I felt awkward smiling with my teeth. On the other hand, my parents are immigrants from Vietnam, a country where getting food on the plate was more important than cosmetic surgery for your teeth or heck even oral hygiene. Hence, I cannot blame them for not getting me braced up when I was younger.

It was only about a month ago that I did some serious (I was bored) research on ways to fix a gummy smile -- my smile is gummier than a gummy bear. That lead me on the path to finding out that I had a small upper jaw and that the effects included breathing problems (I'm a mad mouth breather!). In normal individuals your upper jaw should be above and slightly forward of your lower jaw. So I decided to visit a few orthodontists to get some opinions about my small jaw and whether I needed braces to fix it (even though I knew the answer was yes).

I went to two. Though the first one was nice, I decided not to go with him because he was just a general dentist who also did braces on the side. In the end, I opted for a real orthodontist near my house. He told me I had a class III underbite. And to my surprise one of my front tooth has been chipping away as it is shorter than the other one due my front teeth sitting right on top of my bottom incisors. And to make matters worst, it would take two years to fix and two extractions along the way. However, in the end I decided to get braces because it would only be a few years compared to the REST OF MY LIFE. I kept telling myself what a friend of mine told me when I asked her about her experiences with braces, "It's all so worth it (in the end)!"

As you can see when I smile, there is two small black gaps on either side of my mouth, which is an indication of a small underdeveloped upper jaw. Not to mention, my two bottom canines are severely rotated.