I woke up this morning with a monster headache. I haven't had one of these in a long long time - but don't think its associated with the appliance in my mouth. It only makes things less comfy as I just don't feel good.
I made an unannounced trip to the orthodontist office - which is ok on Tuesday. It is the slow day at their local office and after a short wait, the tech helped me find a better way to manage the owies that I have appearing inside my mouth. She gave me two other kinds of wax for me to test and showed me where I might apply the wax that I hadn't noticed before. I'm hoping it is the trick to getting beyond the initial adjustment and into a pattern of maintenance as I move towards 6 months of wearing this thing.
Whew! Attempting to straighten teeth when you are almost 60 is a feat. Braces for an adult? Hanging in here.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
A little less Sore
I didn't have advil last night and woke up with a bit of a face ache. But - and this is a big BUT - Maybe its my imagination or my own desire to feel better about my decision to straighten my teeth and fix my bite - but now that its day 5, I'm feeling not as panicked about all the stuff in my mouth. I don't even have braces on yet. I have 4-6 months in front of me with this lingual arch - some sort of bracket on the top left teeth and 23 hours of elastics every day. This just feels like it fills my mouth.
I wore my elastics to church and discovered that it is a challenge to sing with the one band n place. In fact, I discovered that the irritation I have inside my mouth - begins with the rubber band rubbing against the inside of my cheek.
Eating - I feel deprived. I can't really chew down on anything yet. I've gone to McAlisters a few times and have comforted myself with their chicken and dumplings. Yum. Add an iced tea with lemon and I'm feeling better about not being able to eat chips. Or apples. Or carrots.
On the flip side of daily reporting - we had lunch with one of our favorite pastors. Love our church. Love our "sunday school". Love love love everything about Sundays.
Are you an adult wearing braces or a lingual arch? Did you adjust in a short time? Please tell me it will be ok. :) Please.
I wore my elastics to church and discovered that it is a challenge to sing with the one band n place. In fact, I discovered that the irritation I have inside my mouth - begins with the rubber band rubbing against the inside of my cheek.
Eating - I feel deprived. I can't really chew down on anything yet. I've gone to McAlisters a few times and have comforted myself with their chicken and dumplings. Yum. Add an iced tea with lemon and I'm feeling better about not being able to eat chips. Or apples. Or carrots.
On the flip side of daily reporting - we had lunch with one of our favorite pastors. Love our church. Love our "sunday school". Love love love everything about Sundays.
Are you an adult wearing braces or a lingual arch? Did you adjust in a short time? Please tell me it will be ok. :) Please.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Metal Mouth - Sorta
Many years have gone by and I'm drawn back to my old blogger account - to document my latest adventure - getting braces at age 58. Can you believe it? Not me.
My teeth as a young teen and young married woman required no braces. My mother was always proud of the fact that I had "her teeth". Perfectly straight. Nicely proportioned. A smile I could easily share.
Somehow my wisdom teeth were forgotten as I grew up. Somehow one emerged and started shifting teeth along the top left -plus I have an extra bicuspid, in that top left area. It's always been a fun activity - watching the dentist counting and numbering my teeth for his records. I have too many teeth on that top left side. And the crowding began - enough to make me self conscience as I've gotten older. Then add to the crooked teeth - a bite that no longer fit on that one side (with the crowded teeth). I would be happily enjoying a meal when I'd manage to bite down funny and wince in pain.
So in August, I presented myself to an orthodontist for a consult. The waiting room was packed full of teens and preteens. I was x-rayed and photographed. I met with the Ortho doc who told me I was not too old but I was not a candidate for Invisilign. He also didn't want to pull any of my extra teeth - but rather - he wanted to shift what I had, preserving my teeth. He explained that our teeth are more brittle as we age and he didn't want to pull a healthy tooth - in case I needed it someday.
A few weeks later I had spacers placed between molars on each side on the bottom - which was very annoying and painful. I couldn't bite down at all on anything - so for over 1 week I ate soft food. Lots of milk shakes. Lots of soup. And finally in gratitude the spacers were removed. And I was fitted for a band around those two molars. And then the spacers were put back in while they built my appliance. I was very disappointed that I had to endure more time with the spacers in my mouth.
Finally - over a week later - the lingual arch was installed in my mouth (and the spacers removed - yay!) but I was overwhelmed. Another piece - a bar was attached to 3 teeth at the top, left that needed to be moved backwards. I was instructed in the use of elastics. Rubber bands to hook my bottom molar on my left side to the top teeth that needed nudging backward.
I was given some wax/silicon to use wherever my appliances were irritating. (At this point - they are ALWAYS irritating but somehow I can't manage to get the silicon wax on all of it. Ha!)
Overwhelmed is an understatement. I think I'm too old for this. Really.
The stuff in my mouth felt huge. My sensitive gag reflex was on alert.
I've now endured 3 days with this stuff in my mouth. It IS easier today but just by a bit.
In my head I'm thinking to myself - I arranged this myself. I am paying for this. Do I want to continue? Can I tolerate this?
And I'm thinking I was not kind-hearted enough to my own children when they had braces. I wasn't mean or unkind. I took them to their appointments. I paid for their braces. I got them special food and made sure if they needed ibuprofen or tylenol, I had it. But I don't remember feeling sorry for them. I should have been more sympathetic. I've apologized to them this week. A few times. (They are good natured about it - and remind me I'll get through this! I wish I believed them!)
I go back for a check with the orthodontist in 16 more days. I'm hoping that I'll "turn a corner" and begin to forget my mouth is full of a foreign appliance that my tongue continues to want to explore and somehow causes my lips to feel incredibly chapped. (I'm keeping Blistex nearby.)
In the meantime, I'm still working - managing HysterSisters - helping women through their decision making process surrounding the hysterectomy. We write articles, send newsletters, work with an awesome staff of volunteer moderators who help within the community - they are awesome women. If you haven't heard of HysterSisters - come take a peek if you need help with anything related to GYN issues (endometriosis and fibroids and GYN cancers) or have a hysterectomy scheduled in the near future. Or it is behind you - and you need answers to your questions or help with menopause.
And as I'm working each day with my mouth full of metal and elastics - I'm looking forward to the day I can eat without pain and I have my regular smile back.
My teeth as a young teen and young married woman required no braces. My mother was always proud of the fact that I had "her teeth". Perfectly straight. Nicely proportioned. A smile I could easily share.
Somehow my wisdom teeth were forgotten as I grew up. Somehow one emerged and started shifting teeth along the top left -plus I have an extra bicuspid, in that top left area. It's always been a fun activity - watching the dentist counting and numbering my teeth for his records. I have too many teeth on that top left side. And the crowding began - enough to make me self conscience as I've gotten older. Then add to the crooked teeth - a bite that no longer fit on that one side (with the crowded teeth). I would be happily enjoying a meal when I'd manage to bite down funny and wince in pain.
So in August, I presented myself to an orthodontist for a consult. The waiting room was packed full of teens and preteens. I was x-rayed and photographed. I met with the Ortho doc who told me I was not too old but I was not a candidate for Invisilign. He also didn't want to pull any of my extra teeth - but rather - he wanted to shift what I had, preserving my teeth. He explained that our teeth are more brittle as we age and he didn't want to pull a healthy tooth - in case I needed it someday.
A few weeks later I had spacers placed between molars on each side on the bottom - which was very annoying and painful. I couldn't bite down at all on anything - so for over 1 week I ate soft food. Lots of milk shakes. Lots of soup. And finally in gratitude the spacers were removed. And I was fitted for a band around those two molars. And then the spacers were put back in while they built my appliance. I was very disappointed that I had to endure more time with the spacers in my mouth.
Finally - over a week later - the lingual arch was installed in my mouth (and the spacers removed - yay!) but I was overwhelmed. Another piece - a bar was attached to 3 teeth at the top, left that needed to be moved backwards. I was instructed in the use of elastics. Rubber bands to hook my bottom molar on my left side to the top teeth that needed nudging backward.
I was given some wax/silicon to use wherever my appliances were irritating. (At this point - they are ALWAYS irritating but somehow I can't manage to get the silicon wax on all of it. Ha!)
Overwhelmed is an understatement. I think I'm too old for this. Really.
The stuff in my mouth felt huge. My sensitive gag reflex was on alert.
I've now endured 3 days with this stuff in my mouth. It IS easier today but just by a bit.
In my head I'm thinking to myself - I arranged this myself. I am paying for this. Do I want to continue? Can I tolerate this?
And I'm thinking I was not kind-hearted enough to my own children when they had braces. I wasn't mean or unkind. I took them to their appointments. I paid for their braces. I got them special food and made sure if they needed ibuprofen or tylenol, I had it. But I don't remember feeling sorry for them. I should have been more sympathetic. I've apologized to them this week. A few times. (They are good natured about it - and remind me I'll get through this! I wish I believed them!)
I go back for a check with the orthodontist in 16 more days. I'm hoping that I'll "turn a corner" and begin to forget my mouth is full of a foreign appliance that my tongue continues to want to explore and somehow causes my lips to feel incredibly chapped. (I'm keeping Blistex nearby.)
In the meantime, I'm still working - managing HysterSisters - helping women through their decision making process surrounding the hysterectomy. We write articles, send newsletters, work with an awesome staff of volunteer moderators who help within the community - they are awesome women. If you haven't heard of HysterSisters - come take a peek if you need help with anything related to GYN issues (endometriosis and fibroids and GYN cancers) or have a hysterectomy scheduled in the near future. Or it is behind you - and you need answers to your questions or help with menopause.
And as I'm working each day with my mouth full of metal and elastics - I'm looking forward to the day I can eat without pain and I have my regular smile back.
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